I don't like you!
by BloodyMarryMe
Summary: By pure chance and unluckiness Miyako finds herself at the Sabaody auction house as a slave. And of all the people, the one interested just had to be the most smug, egoistical and sadistic pirate she has ever met. So at least she can give him as much trouble as possible, right? LawXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Wow, well this is my first story here...ever. :D I'm still a noob on the site and learning how to get everything right. Hopefully the process will be quick.**

**I'm really excited to publish my first story, I hope you'll like it. And constructive review is always welcome here so leave comments all you want. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece or any One Piece characters but I do own Miyako (the OC).**

**So this will be a LawXOC fanfic and it is rated Teen because of blood and language. Anywho, I hope you'll enjoy my story. So let's go! :D**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

"Captain, what are we doing here? You're not actually thinking of buying one of them?" a talking polar bear named Bepo asked his captain as they headed for the auction house. They were currently stationed on Saobody Archipelago to restock and prepare for their trip to the New World. The captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law, just smirked at his first mate's comment but didn't say anything. "Captain?" The bear called again as they entered Grove 1.

Seeing that Bepo's curiosity won't waver, Law decided to answer. "I'm just interested at the show they'll put on. Besides...there might be someone interesting there, you never know." His infamous grin widened on his face. He wanted to recruit a swordsman next, someone like that Roronoa Zoro guy, who was also one of the supernovas, though Law doubted he'd find someone like that in an auction house. But then again…life can be full of surprises.

~…..~

Miyako sighed as she sat on the cold, stone floor. She could hear whimpers and cries of other people around her. Everyone was nervous, no, terrified as they sat gloomily in the dark. Right now she was at the back room of the auction house, waiting for the bidding to begin and unfortunately she was one of the prizes. She sighed again thinking back on how this came to be and then tugged on the uncomfortably tight collar around her neck. The shackles on her chained arms sang as she did so. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A man next to her said. He had a grim expression, like a man waiting to be taken to the gallows. She turned her head towards him but kept silent. "If you try to take it off, you'll just set it off. And there's no way a little girl like you could survive such an explosion."

Miyako was still silently watching him as he spoke, but her expression didn't show annoyance nor fear for her life. She didn't even look like she particularly cared whether that thing was there or not. She almost looked bored. "Hn, even if you say so…it's too tight and my neck itches." She said, and showed a bit annoyance towards the thing around her neck.

"Heh, you don't look too concerned. Aren't you afraid of getting sold as a slave?"

Miyako looked back at the man and shrugged: "Even if I was trembling with fear it wouldn't change anything. It's not like I want to be a slave though, but there's nothing much I can do about it right now. I guess I'll just have to find a way to escape later."

"heh, you're a weird little girl." The man smiked at her but his smile still seemed grim as it never reached his tired eyes.

"I'm not a little girl…" Miyako mumbled a bit annoyed at the way he addressed her.

Miyako's thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream and some voices that echoed through the dark room of the action house. She didn't have to wait long to see what was going on. A few men working at the auction house were dragging an unwilling mermaid towards one of the cages. The mermaid was screaming and trashing wildly but everyone knew that won't be of much help. What surprised Miyako though was when suddenly she felt a burst of haki and all the men holding the mermaid fainted. Miyako traced the presence back to a man sitting silently in the dark. She couldn't see his features but by the power of that haki she could tell he wasn't just an ordinary old man. The man, however, remained silent and unmoving and soon the mermaid was caught again, restrained and one of those big collars was put on her neck. The poor girl gave up on the fighting and was now sniffling and crying silently in her cell. Miyako sighed at the sight. She wished she could help her, actually she wished she could help all these people here but right now she couldn't even help herself. It was too risky to try anything with so many guards around and that bomb collar sure wasn't helping the situation. Miyako already decided to escape once she managed to take this thing off but before that happens, she was forced to stay here silently and obey. The girl gritted her teeth at the thought.

~….~

"And now ladies and gentleman! Thank you for your patience! I am your humble host Disco-san! Let the show begin!" The man shouted in excitement and everyone started cheering. Just hearing it made Miyako sick. *_To think such despicable human beings actually existed.* _She sighed. The bidding started and soon after the man next to her walked out on the stage. Suddenly screams and shouts were heard and he was dragged back to the cells.

"What happened?" One of the guards asked in a hurry.

"He bit off his tongue!" One of the men working at the auction house exclaimed.

The other answered and the first made a disgusted face before ordering the man. "Quick, dispose of this trash!"

Miyako's eyes softened a bit as she saw the lifeless body being dragged out of the room. This scene just made other slaves more nervous and scared. Panicked whispers could be heard all around in the dark. Miyako was never really the one to panic. She didn't like the situation she was in but all she could do now is wait for the right time to plan her escape. It didn't take much time before her number was called as well and two thugs dragged her out on the stage. The bright light blinded her and the girl had to shield her eyes before she got used to the change. She was surprised by how many people there actually were and part of her just felt more irritated by it. However her face remained calm and unfazed as she decided to grit her teeth and go through with this with her pride and dignity intact. Then Disco started introducing her and suddenly her pride and dignity both took quite a blow. "Coming all the way from Wano country, the New World, here comes Miya-chan!" At the nickname Miyako actually looked at him in disbelief and disgust as she mouthed the name again. _*Miya-chan? Is he serious?*_

~…..~

Law was leaning on the back of his seat, bored like hell. He thought they'd at least put on a better show but this was just sad. The most exciting thing that happened so far was that guy biting his tongue and giving both the nobles and auctioneers quite a surprise. _*And none of the slaves were interesting either.*_He thought disappointment and was just about to get up and leave with his crew when another person came on stage. This time it was a young woman, dressed in a kimono. She had strange, burning golden eyes and long dark blue hair. By her features and appearance, it was obvious she wasn't from around here but a country far away. Still, what drew Law's attention wasn't so much her appearance as the attitude. She looked completely calm as if she didn't have a care in the world. Actually, now that he looked more carefully, she almost looked bored. That made him stay in his seat and a grin appeared back on his face. "This might be interesting…"

"This lovely girl is 19 years old. She has excellent swordsmanship and fighting skills and her intelligence isn't bad either. We guarantee that a game of chess or shogi will never be boring with her. And on top of all that, she is quite easy on the eyes." Disco finished with a grin and a wink towards the audience. Miyako saw some of the noble men in the crowed grinned as well. She was disgusted by their faces but remained calm with only a slight irritated look in the eyes. What's more she didn't like the fact that she had to give them information about herself such as swordsmanship skills but they threatened to break her fingers if she disobeyed and that was something no swordsman could afford. Not even knowing it, they gave quite a threat. So the samurai girl had to give something away, thus heightening her odds of being sold, which she didn't like.

"We will start the bid at 800,000 Beri. Do we have 800,000?" Disco asked and saw someone raised his hand: "800,000!" "900 000!" a voice yelled. "950 000!" Another countered.

Miyako watched the bidding with more interest now since she was curious as to who will buy her. The person will affect her possibility of escape as well. If a tenryuubito buys her, Miyako knew it would be almost impossible to escape but she had already decided to do so no matter who buys her. Now it just depended what kind of plan will she have to come up with depending on the result of this situation.

"1050 000 Beri!" someone shouted and everyone looked at the direction the voice had come from. Even Miyako, but it was hard to see from her position since the person was far in the back and the bright light from the reflectors was shining in her eyes. However she could hear whispers all around and some of the people looked nervous, especially the ones who were bidding for her just minutes ago. Either the amount was too much for them to counter or the person was someone they didn't want to go up against.

*_A Tenryuubito maybe?*_ Miyako thought but managed to remain calm. There was only a light twitch in her eye that lasted half a second, but the beating of her heart quickened its pace considerably.

"1050 000 going once! Going twice! SOLD, for 1050 000 Beri to Mister Trafalgar Law!" Disco shouted and motioned the guards to take her away. Miyako had to admit she felt relieved that it wasn't a Tenryuubito but she didn't recognize the name of her soon-to-be (but not for very long if she could help it) master.

She couldn't really relax yet as she was taken away to the back rooms and sat back in one of the cages, now even more bored as she needed to wait for the auction to end. After a few more slaves, she saw the mermaid from earlier being prepared for the auction. The girl was taken away in a large fish tank covered with a big cloth like a surprise gift. Just another reminder of what these people thought of the whole auction, as if it was really a big show for everyone to enjoy. For a moment Miyako thought how much she would enjoy cutting them up with her katana. This reminded her of the empty space around her waist where her katana usually was. *_I'll have to get that back somehow as well. I guess the one who bought me will get all my things so it should be fine, I'll just have to steal it before I escape.*_

~…~

"Captain! What are you thinking?" Bepo all but freaked out after the girl was taken away. Law just grinned and crossed his legs as he watched the rest of the bidding. He felt eyes on him and turned around where that supernova, Eustass Kid stood. Somehow he had a feeling he was being watched, and surly, as he turned he saw Captain Kid giving him a strange look. Law raised an eyebrow with a smirk as if saying; '_what? You wanted her too_?'

Kid looked as if he was trying to figure out Law's plan as well, much like Bepo. But he didn't let his surprise show on his face like in Bepo's case. Law turned back to the stage and started ignoring Kid again.

"I know you wanted a swordsman for your crew captain, but are you sure about this? And she's a woman, don't they say it's bad luck to bring a woman onboard...and if she got caught how can she be strong enough for the New World?" Bepo's rant of questions continued as the bear spoke in one breath.

Law just smirked more, not really attentive of the still perplexed bear and his numerous questions. "I guess we will find out soon enough."

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><p><strong>Well that's that for the first chapter, I hope you like it. Feel free to rate, comment or whatever. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't like you! **by** BloodyMarryMe**

**And the second chapter is up! Wow, I'm really writting it one after the other. I hope this inspiration keeps up. I have to admitt, fan fiction is giving me some trouble and I'm still learning but I think I got the hang of it...mostly.**

**I'm really trying my best to make the story interesting and fun. And I hope you like Miyako. ( I do :P)**

**Also, I forgot to tell you in the first chapter: „(text)" = this is used for talking, and _*(text)_* = and this for thinking. Though I suppose you already figured it out through the story.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One piece or any of its characters but I do own Miyako (the OC)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

Miyako was playing with the long sleeves of her kimono when she heard a loud crash. Her eyes darted in the direction of the stage where she could hear screams and gunshots now. Then suddenly she felt the haki from before and saw a man standing out of his cell, with the giant who was sitting there, by his side. What Miyako immediately noticed was the lack of both of their collars. "How did you do that," she asked simply. All of the other slaves looked surprised and afraid, not knowing what was going on. The man smiled at her, but didn't answer. He looked very familiar to her and she strained her brain to remember the face. _*Ah! He's one of those legendary pirates, what's-his-name! Right, Rayleigh! What is he doing in a place like this…and how was he able to take his collar off? It must be connected with the haki I felt just now, but how?*_ Miyako could use haki quite well, but even she couldn't take this collar off with it. His powers both intrigued her and made her wary of this obviously powerful man.

Rayleigh disappeared as he headed for the stage, but soon he was replaced by another strange man. This time it was a guy wearing nothing but a Hawaiian shirt and a speedo. He had weird-looking, blue hair. *_ugh_!* Miyako looked away with a disgusted and slightly embarrassed face when she saw the half-naked pervert. However, her attention was turned to him again as he threw them the keys. "Here! Free yourselves and run, the marines are coming!" All of the slaves yelled and cheered in unison as they freed one another. The man ran back towards the stage and Miyako wondered what was happening out there.

She sighed in relief as she removed that annoying collar from her neck. Her limbs were free now as well. All of the slaves had already ran towards the exit and disappeared but Miyako stayed behind in search for her belongings. *_Come on, where is it….AHA!* _She found the room she was looking for. It wasn't very big, but had lockers set throughout the walls. She found the one that matched her number and took out the keys from earlier. As it opened, the girl smiled at the sight. Her katana and a small sack of money she had carried before they took her here, was inside. _*Aaah, it feels nice to feel it by my side again.*_ She practically cuddled her katana before tying it to her waist.

The Wano girl walked to the only exit, her wooden sandals clacking against the floor, making a distinguished sound. There wasn't anyone in the main room now except for unconscious guards of the auction house. As she walked towards the exit she recognized a person on the floor, lying next to her feet. It was one of the tenryuubito. He mumbled something barely conscious and tried to move, but couldn't. His face looked pretty beat up. "H-Help me…!" Miyako rose an eyebrow at his plea…no, command. Even now this tenryuubito thought he was on the top of the world. She stared at him expressionless for a while, then a wide, almost evil grin appeared on her face. "Why don't your money and status help you now?" She turned from him and walked away, leaving the beaten man behind.

She peeked outside to see quite a scene. A big number of marines were on the floor, unconscious or injured, others helping them. *_What kind of battle went on here?*_ By the looks of it, a big one. But now wasn't the time to be wondering about that. The marines were slowly regaining their senses and will soon rush inside the auction house to take care of the tenryuubito still inside. Miyako looked around and saw she was quite near the mangrove tree forest and she needed to get out of plain sight. The last thing she needed now was to get noticed. She rushed as silently and quickly as she could towards the forest and successfully avoided being seen.

The samurai girl sighed in relief as she walked away from the grove 1 area, but she wasn't safe just yet. She could hear shouts and fighting all around and it didn't take long before she heard from the passing people what was happening. It seemed the Straw Hat pirates attacked the tenryuubito and caused a ruckus there. Of course that couldn't go unpunished by the World Government so Admiral Kizaru was called here. Miyako remembered some talk about the 'Supernova;' 11 rookie pirates, and she remembered someone mentioning 'Straw Hat Luffy' as one of them. She only knew him by name though and didn't even know what he looked like. Right now Kizaru and the marines were hunting down pirates and nobody was safe. There were even some rumors about the royal Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma coming here. Even though Miyako wasn't a pirate, she did just become a runaway slave (even if they didn't know it yet) and she had a weapon on her waist so she wanted to avoid unnecessary encounters with any marines. To be honest Miyako was a bit confused by all this. Since she was from Wano which had a closed-door policy, she didn't know much about the outside world except from the newspaper and townsfolk talk. And right now she was on a very hostile island-looking grove for the first time in her life…Before all this, Miyako had never even left Wano. Thankfully the girl was an intelligent person who could adapt pretty fast and already her brain was making a plan. *_I stick out too much and right now I'm still in a dangerous lawless zone*_ She looked down at her kimono and katana. *_Well I suppose in a place like this it wouldn't be so strange that a girl would walk around armed in order to protect herself. But the kimono has to go.*_ She sighed a bit sadly. She didn't want to get rid of it, and people outside Wano wore strange clothing. Everything was too revealing for her taste. *_I guess I have no choice.*_ And just as she was about to change course for the shopping district, a loud noise was heard and a flash of lightning blinded her.

When her eyes recovered, Miyako walked towards one of the groves in interest and hid behind a large root. She made sure to keep a fair distance as she peeked to see what had happened. There was a bunch of men there and…was that a bear? However what caught Miyako's attention was a large man lying on the floor. *_Isn't that…Bartholomew Kuma!*_ But just as she was about to be amazed by seeing a Shichibukai beaten and on the ground, she noticed another large man standing there…a person who looked exactly the same! *_Two Kumas? What the-?*_ But then she noticed sparks were coming from the beaten one as if he wasn't human. _*A robot? What's going on here?_* Suddenly the people rushed and attacked the remaining Kuma-robot. Miyako noticed they all appeared very strange. There were two men in white overalls and a big man who looked like a slave, but didn't have a collar on him. There was a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit (Seriously, a bear?) and a young man with a spot printed hat and a large nodachi. He looked familiar, but Miyako wasn't sure why. Then she saw another group of men, who looked even weirder and scarier. One had a blue and white mask, from which long blonde hair fell and two spinning scythes on his arms. The other looked almost like a corpse and had weird clothing. His mouth looked as if it had been stitched a long time ago. Then a really tall guy with way too little clothing on him, holding a big pitchfork. The last one was a big pale man with piercing red eyes and bright red spiky hair. He had a particularly creepy face somehow and what was with the painted lips and eyes? _*Definitively not a group of people you want to stumble upon in a dark alley, *_ the girl thought. She really didn't understand fashion outside Wano. Everyone looked so strange compared to simple attire she was used to in her homeland. But then again, perhaps to these people her appearance would look just as strange. In any case, Miyako wasn't one to judge.

~…~

"Room" Law calmly stated, but by his heavy breathing it was obvious this fight wasn't easy at all. Before he had the chance to use his nodachi and put it through the odd Kuma look-alike, the robot opened its mouth again and shot the bright laser at them. Law barely had the time to dodge and noticed Captain Kidd attacking the robot from the left with newly gathered metal weapons. He was able to hit and smash the metal arm at Kuma, destroying it in the process. The sheer weight of all those metals should have smashed the robot but Law new better than to underestimate it. Kidd didn't either. They both remembered the previous fight with that thing just minutes ago. For a while Law couldn't see anything from the dust. He noticed Bepo moved towards the dust cloud wanting to inspect the situation but his captain stopped him. "Bepo, don't!"

The bear stopped instantly and apologized. "Sorry" And it was good that he did stop because not a second later that bright light shone again as the laser ripped through the dust cloud towards them. Law dodged again.

He could see Kidd's face getting more and more annoyed and angry. As the dust cleared he saw that Kidd's attack did some damage on the robot, but hardly enough. The left side was now bare, machinery and metal showing from underneath yet still functional. His crewmates attacked Kuma-robot again and so did Kidd's, everyone taking turns or attacking together. Law unsheathed his nodachi. His newest crew member, former captain Jean Bart held both of Kuma's hands with his own. He was struggling, though Law was impressed by the man's brute strength. He noticed Penguin was about to strike from above. The robot realized this and looked up, mouth opening as he got ready to use the laser again, even with his hands still immobilized. Law took this chance and used his Devil fruit ability. "Room," he called and a blue sphere appeared around them all. Suddenly instead of Penguin he was the one above the robot and wasted no time as he stabbed with his nodachi right through the robot's mouth. "Let's see if you are as hard on the inside as you are on the outside." He mumbled, before pulling his sword out and jumping off the robot. There were sparks coming out of the thing's mouth and the robot kept opening and closing its mouth before finally closing it and then shooting a laser which exploded inside of its mouth. The thing fell down with a loud crash and didn't move anymore. Law was still on edge for a while, in case it stood up again, but luckily it didn't. Kidd looked displeased that Law was the one to finish the robot off, which only made Law smirk in amusement.

"But what are these things? Why do they look like the Shichibukai Kuma?" A man from Kidd's crew, Law remembered as Killer, asked.

"I don't know but we don't have time to find out. Admiral Kizaru could be nearby as we speak," Law warned and motioned for his crew to move out. Kidd did the same.

"It seems I'll have to wait until we get to the New World before I crush you, Trafalgar Law!" Kidd shouted with his sadistic grin as the group separated, each crew going their own way. Law didn't answer, he just smirked widely as usual and looked behind him at Kidd. However there was a clear statement of _'Go ahead and try'_ in his eyes. With that he turned away and headed for their submarine.

"Come on men, hurry it up!" Law shouted, counting to see if everyone from his crew were here and moving.

"Aye, captain!" They shouted back, running through the mangrove trees.

~….~

Miyako watched the group split up as they ran, leaving two destroyed robots on the ground. _*Time for me to move on as well*_ She walked in a rush towards the shopping district with a more serious and darker look than before. The fight was pretty amazing with two devil fruit users (And a talking bear) fighting those things, but what really caught Miyako's attention was the name the red haired one shouted before leaving. "Trafalgar Law," she whispered. Miyako remembered that name very well, because that was the name of the man who bought her on the auction. She almost cringed at the word '_Bought_'. And as she repeated the name, she remembered why it sounded familiar to her. It was also the name of one of the rookies that anchored here. The other leader of the group, surely a captain too, was the red haired one, but Miyako didn't know his name or face. *_By his strength he's probably one of those rookies as well. And both of them have quite interesting abilities.*_

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><p><strong>And another chapter is done. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I already have lots of chapters done but I'll wait a bit before publishing more. I want to see what will the people think of it and besides, it's no fun to publish it all at once.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't like you! **by BloodyMarryMe

CHAPTER 3

**Another chapter's here. Not much to say really. Hope you'll enjoy it and reviews are always welcome.**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or its characters but I own OC Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

Miyako looked at herself in the mirror with a displeased look. The salesman came to her side with an obnoxiously fake smile. "You look gorgeous in this miss!" She, on the other hand, didn't really think so. It was just too weird. Her gaze stared at her reflection in the mirror once again. Her face still had some dust and dirt on it despite her best efforts to clean it before she came here. Her hair, uncombed and messy, tightly bound with a red ribbon. Her golden eyes looked tired which was expected since she hadn't slept in two days. Instead of her kimono there was now a plain white turtleneck shirt there and a plaid red skirt.

The Wano girl frowned the first time she tried it out, seeing it was a bit too short for her taste, but luckily she also found a pair of black stockings to cover her legs. Instead of her wooden sandals were now black, almost knee-high boots. Miyako sighed and turned towards the salesman. "Well I guess that would be all." He tried to sell her more stuff, but after she gave him a warning look he took the money without another suggestion.

She sighed again as she dragged herself through the town. This little make-over took almost all of her money away. *_Damn…I do have some money from Wano though, but they won't accept that currency…waaaait a second.*_ Miyako's eyes shone brightly with new-found realization. _*Ryo are golden! Even if they don't take our currency, surely they'll take gold*_ Ryo was the highest currency in Wano and was therefore made out of thin layers of gold. Quickly, she took out her money sack and dropped both Beri and money from Wano in her palm.

_*Damn…*_ Her happy face soon disappeared when she saw that there wasn't much she could use. _*I forgot I was broke to begin with.* _That little thought made her think back to the events that led to her being taken here. *_I wonder if Aya-chan is ok…*_ Slight worry gripped at her, but she soon shook it away. *_I have to worry about myself right now.*_ She counted the money again, just to be sure she got it right. *_Well I have enough for a meal anyway and I'm starving.*_

As Miyako ate in the nearby inn, she could hear people talking about the current events all around her. She didn't know which rumor was true, but it looked like the marines along with Kizaru did a lot of damage here. And she learned that those Shichibukai robots were called Pacifista. She was relieved to hear that Kizaru and his men finally left, though. _*At least there won't be so much incidents right now since things need to settle down. Everyone is still afraid of the marines coming back. I have to use this time and plan my escape. Well for starters, let's find a place to stay.*_

~..…~

Law was sitting behind his paper-covered desk writing notes, when Bepo knocked lightly. "Come in," Law murmured, deep in his work. The polar bear opened the door slightly and went inside as quietly as he could. He knew Captain didn't like to be disturbed when working.

"The scout came back. He says the marines left, so things are slowly returning back to normal. Also, there's no news of the Straw Hat crew. There are a lot of rumors; some say they were killed by Kizaru and Kuma, while others that they escaped…" The bear nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Hmm." Law leaned forward on the desk, supported with his elbows, and rested his chin on the joined fingers of his hands. "What about those robots, did they find any information on what they were?"

Bepo nodded. "Yes, they're called Pacifista. A new weapon created by Dr. Vegapunk. I don't know why they look like Kuma, though. Sorry." The bear apologized quickly, his head bowed.

"What about the other thing," Law asked. He didn't sound interested in the answer, as if it was just a passing though, but in reality he was.

Bepo's head snapped back up. "Ughh, well…the scout talked to the man leading the auction house. He said all slaves escaped. Also, he showed him the locker where her stuff was kept, but somebody took it all." He paused for a bit, not sure if he should voice the question he was itching to ask.

"What is it, Bepo?" Law prompted, seeing something was bothering his first mate.

"Well I'm just curious Captain; why the sudden interest in that woman? Why did you want to buy her anyway? Is she the reason why we're still here and not sailing towards Fishmen island?"

Law almost chuckled at all the questions that came rushing from the bear's mouth. He leaned back into his chair as he answered, "I wanted to recruit a swordsman before going to the New World anyway, so why not her since she is one? And didn't she seem quite different to you? Even while being sold, that person was completely calm and collected as if without a care in the world. Doesn't that strike you as strange?"

"W-well, now that you mention it…" Bepo remembered the cold and calm demeanor the girl showed. True, there was a strange aura around her. Something he couldn't quite define, yet obviously both him and the captain felt it.

"Besides, I saw Kidd was interested in her as well, probably because of the same reason, so I wanted to buy her first to piss him off. His face was quite amusing," Law explained further while shrugging with a smirk.

Bepo sweatdropped at that last retort. Well he shouldn't be surprised, Captain was always like that. "So, what now? It has already been 2 days since then. She could have already left Archipelago."

Law smirked. "I doubt it." He thought for a second before ordering, "Tell Penguin and Shachi to look for her in the town. She must be staying somewhere in a hotel. If they ask around I'm sure they'll find something, after all she looked quite distinctive in that kimono." A thought then crossed his mind, _*Hm, if she's smart she'll try and blend in, which means she'll have to buy something more plain.*_ Another idea came to his mind. "Tell them to ask in the shopping district, especially in the clothing shops."

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Bepo exclaimed and saluted. *_I still don't get it why he's going through so much trouble finding her…* _The bear was just about to leave when he stopped in his step. "Err, one more thing…," he remembered. "Since you didn't pay for her..."

Law closed his eyes for a second, knowing what Bepo would say even before he finished his sentence. "Even if I didn't, she is still a slave. She became one when she was brought to the auction house and listed into their information books, even if they didn't get the chance to mark her. This just means she's a slave with no master…yet." He smirked at the last remark. _*However, finding her could prove quite a problem…The auction house is in too much chaos and debt right now to go look for runaway slaves, and even if marines turn a blind eye to the whole slavery business, they wouldn't go so far as to help them get the slaves back. So it's all up to me to find her.*_ Law grinned at the thought. Since they didn't have any information on her even after 2 days, obviously she had some brains on her. He'll enjoy playing this game of cat and mouse.

Bepo closed the door behind him as he left captain's room. _*He's enjoying this,* t_he bear sighed at that thought.

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><p><strong>Sorry that this one's a bit shorter, hopefully the next one will be longer. When I was writing this story I didn't even make chapters but instead just kept writing it like one big story, so now I need to find a perfect place of the story to divide it into parts and chapters.<strong>

**As always, reviews and comments are very welcome so feel free to leave them. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't like you! **by** BloodyMarryMe**

**Well not much to say, here's another chapter. I hope I put some interesting action in this one, since the others didn't have much fighting in them. **

**As always, reviews are welcome and I hope you enjoy the story.**

**Have fun! **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

Miyako yawned as she drank the rest of her water and ate the last of her omelette. She was fairly disappointed at these last 3 days. Her money was coming to an end. Even if she wanted to buy a boat, she didn't have enough money. But what's the point of buying it if you can't navigate nor do you have anyone to do so. She didn't even have an eternal log pose for Wano. Hell, she didn't even have a regular one. Also, the cost for crossing the New World through the civilian path was too damn expensive, and she still wasn't certain if her whole slave thing would cause her problems. So the only way was through Fishman island, which required a coated ship that she didn't have, a log pose which she didn't carry and a crew which she didn't own either. Miyako sighed in frustration as she got up and walked out of the bar. Right now she had only come up with one solution and truthfully she didn't even want to think about it. It was simple though; all these pirates were heading in the same direction as she was. But joining a pirate crew? And why would they let her, a complete stranger, join anyway? She thought about sneaking on board but didn't want to risk being discovered. Journey to Wano was a long one and even if she managed to stay hidden to the next island and then get off, she would still face the same problem, just different location. *_What to do? What to do…?*_

~…..~

Miyako walked towards her room in the hotel. She decided to take a quick shower before heading out again. She hoped to hear some new info on the ships coming. If she's lucky enough, there would be a tourist or merchant ship from the New World that she could either sneak on or ride, depending on the cost. She'll even work on it if they let her ride to Wano. Just as she was about to turn the handle of her door, Miyako stopped suddenly and her eyes narrowed a little. _*Somebody was here.*_ She specifically said to the receptionist not to send maids or other staff members in. It was in case something like this happens so she would know someone uninvited was here. She had left a small piece of paper inside the locking mechanism in the door. The doors would lock immediately if they were closed, but this prevented them to close completely even though it was only a matter of millimeters. However, now the doors were completely locked.

However she didn't feel any presence inside so whoever was here, they left already. She took out her hotel key and opened the door slowly, a hand on her katana just in case. She closed the doors behind her and looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. *_So they were specifically looking for me.* _Miyako could think of only two possibilities; Either the slavers were looking for her or the person who wanted to buy her. Miayko remembered that wretched pirate Trafalgar Law and an annoyed expression crossed her face. *_Can't they all just give up and move on?*_ She didn't have anything else except the possessions already on her so there was no need to pack. Instead, she rushed out of the room, closing the doors behind her. *_I have to get out of here, they might still be nearby. Now that they know I'm here they could be watching me even at this moment, waiting to attack._* Since her room didn't have any clues about her, she hoped they would be confused as to was it really her room or at least think she didn't reside here anymore, but she knew that was just wishful thinking. Even if that were the case, they would probably keep a close eye on this hotel for a few more days. Miyako saw an emergency exit door but didn't even think of using it. *_It would be an obvious choice in this situation and I would be left alone in a too small of a space in case a fight breaks out. Too risky.*_ She expected there were probably men on the main entrance as well, but she doubted whoever was after her would attack her in such a crowded place. Especially after the threat of the marines still hanging over them all. _*I'll have to lose them in the crowd of the shopping district.*_

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the bell sound of the elevator as it reached the ground floor. Miyako walked out calmly and went to the reception to check out. Meanwhile, she was scanning every person in the lobby for anything or anyone out of the ordinary. She walked out of the hotel and just aimlessly began to walk through the shopping district, thinking of a plan and making sure she stayed in the crowd. She could see it now…people following her. Only two though. *_I'm a bit tired of hiding. This game has become boring. It's time to end it.*_ She made a turn for the forest and saw with the corner of her eye that the two men changed course after her. Once away from the town, Miyako turned around and leaned against one of the trees with her arms crossed on her chest. The two men came to a stop not far from her. She inspected them carefully. They both wore white jumpsuits even though it was very warm here. Both had hats covering their eyes so she couldn't see much of their faces. _*I have to hurry, surely they already called for backup.* _The girl glared at the two men and clicked her tongue, "Tch. Honestly, you couldn't have been more obvious. So, who are you?"

The men looked at each other and one rubbed the back of his head. He looked uncomfortable by this whole ordeal. "W-well, we kinda need you to come with us. We're the part of the Heart Pirates crew."

Miyako actually smirked. The thought of him even asking her to come with them and thinking she would gladly accept it, was amusing to her. "And if I don't want to?"

The men looked at one another again. "Unfortunately we were ordered to bring you to our ship so…"

"You're telling me I can't refuse, right?" Her smirk got wider and her hand fell down on her katana. She unsheathed it slightly with her thumb while her other hand grabbed the hilt.

When the men saw she was getting in a fighting stance, they wasted no time to prepare for battle themselves. One of them had two wakizashi in each hand and the other was bare handed. Both of them attacked her at the same time. Miyako's usually burning eyes looked colder than steel as she rushed forward. She dodged one of the wakizashi and then unsheathed her sword to block the other, quickly delivering a round kick to the man's stomach. With a grunt, he fell on the ground almost hitting his comrade, but the other was quick to dodge as he jumped in the air with one leg aiming for Miyako's head. She blocked with her katana but he turned in the air and was now trying to kick her with his other leg.

The man's eyes widened in confusion as the girl just disappeared, his leg now hitting thin air. It was already too late when he noticed her above him. _*She jumped in the air? How could she dodge so fast?*_

"Haaah!" Miyako yelled as she brought her katana down on him, gaining even more speed and force from the fall downwards. The man was sent flying in the ground with a crash. A cloud of dust rose in the air. Miyako landed elegantly on the ground and waited till' the dust cleared. When it finally did, she saw the shocked face of the remaining pirate.

"Garry!" the pirate yelled in fear for his friend. Miyako looked at the unmoving body beside her.

"Don't worry, he's just unconscious, I used the back of my katana. I don't like needless killing." Even though her words meant mercy, her calm voice was cold as ice as she spoke.

She could see his fist clenching even though there was a small sigh of relief. _*Maybe I can use this chance…*_ "Why don't you spare yourself a beating. Take your friend and leave." She knew that a chance for that actually happening was slim, but they couldn't say she didn't warn them, later.

"Sorry, but captain's orders are absolute." The man took a stance; both wakizashi ready, before he rushed at her.

Miyako sighed, but didn't say anything else. Obviously there was nothing she could say that would make the man stop. She sheathed her katana and moved in a battoujutsu stance. In one fluid motion, Miyako made a step forward, unsheathing her katana in the process, everything done in lightning speed. In the next second the woman was behind him, both completely still. Then the man coughed some blood and fell forward on the ground, as both his weapons broke from her slice. Even though she sliced him, she knew he'll be fine if he gets treated. His wakizashi took most of the force of her cut, saving him from death by her sword's slice. She held back enough not to kill him, making her cut weaker than she usually would. She stood upright and sheathed her katana again. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she turned her head, looking behind her with the corner of her eyes. "Did you enjoy the show?"

~...~

"Did you enjoy the show?"

Law smirked at the girl's question. *_So she noticed me.* _"It was quite interesting…though I don't really appreciate what you did to my nakama."

"Then why didn't you try and stop me?" The woman asked as she finally turned towards him.

Law's grin only widened. He was sitting on one of the tree branches, looking down at her. As he expected, she changed her clothes. "I could see the seriousness of your moves and knew you weren't trying to kill them. Still, just imagine my surprise when I saw both of my nakama so easily defeated." Even though he said that there wasn't any surprise shown on his face, only amusement. "However I'm grateful you were so merciful miss…Miya-chan, was it?." He said it in a mocking tone that made Miyako's eye twitch a little, especially hearing that nickname again. When he saw she had no intention of responding, Law jumped down and rested his long nodachi on his shoulder. He saw Miyako's hand reflexively rest on the hilt of her katana, which only made him smirk again.

"What do you want from me, Trafalgar Law?"

Law tilted his head to the side while the smirk still stayed present on his features. His steel grey eyes pierced through her burning gold ones. "If you know who I am then surely you know what I want and why I am here."

Now it was Miyako's time to smirk with amusement. She looked as if she was challenging him to try and capture her. Law didn't look upset at all though. He was pleased by it; He liked challenges.

~...~

Miyako was almost amused by the little staring contest they had there, but she also knew that the rest of his crew could be coming any minute and she didn't really want to fight a whole pirate crew. If it came to that, though, she would gladly show them that a warrior from Wano was not to be underestimated, even if she was a woman.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but you will be leaving here empty handed. I have no intention of coming with you," she finally broke the silence.

Law's smirk didn't disappear; he looked like he was enjoying himself. He made a mocking thoughtful face as he answered, "Well that's a shame…" Then his face turned more evil-looking as he grinned. "But wouldn't it be better to come with me than go back to the auction house? You're still a slave after all, and I could just take you there and buy you or get the reward money for returning you…" He was a bit disappointed when Miyako's stare remained calm. He was hoping she would at least get mad by this threat, but obviously it wasn't so easy to bring emotions out of this girl. "However, I will make a deal with you. Join my crew, not as a slave but a regular crewmember. You can have your freedom and I'll save myself 1050 000 Beri."

"Tch, what kind of freedom is that? I'll be your subordinate, who will have to listen to your orders, won't I?" Miyako responded with more seriousness in her voice as her expression darkened. Her eyes still had that cold look in them.

"Yes, but you will be treated with respect and as a human being like every other member of my crew. Quite different than what you would be if becoming a simple slave. So what do you say, miss Miya-"

"It's Miyako! Suzune Miyako!" the girl cut him off before he could repeat that annoying nickname again. She cursed her rashness at the sight of his amused smirk. Obviously he could see she despised the nickname. Miyako sighed. "Unfortunately I'll have to decline both of your propositions." She smirked at him with a challenging stare. Still, Law didn't look any less amused, maybe even more so.

"I guess I have no choice then," he said and unsheathed his nodachi. Miyako prepared herself too. She had seen his ability the day they met that war robot, Pacifista. Law stepped forward and Miyako made a step backwards with a smirk. "I've seen your ability and I know exactly in which radius you can create that sphere. I've made sure to analyze your fighting style carefully."

Law looked a bit surprised for the first time that day. _*When did she see me fight? Must have been at the auction house incident.* _However he didn't look worried. "I see. But just knowing my ability doesn't mean you can win against me."

_*Egoistical!*_ Miyako thought, annoyed, as she heard the man speak. *_Well you shouldn't underestimate me either!*_She charged at him and Law blocked with his nodachi. She thought that the length would be a setback for Law but she was surprised to see how fast and precise he was wielding the large sword. And he only needed one arm for it. Law swung at her side and Miyako dodged, jumping backwards. Quickly the pirate captain made a blue sphere around them. "Room" he called. But before he could swing with his nodachi Miyako jumped in the air above the sphere and was now falling down with a swing ready to hit Law's head. He made an annoyed face as he had to move to block the attack with his sword, making the sphere disappear in the process. As the attack hit his sword, he felt the weight of its power come down on him and grabbed the hilt with both hands to block the powerful blow. She might have been holding back with his two crewmates but she definitively wasn't holding back with him. Miyako jumped to the side, flipping in the air and landing on her feet not far behind him. Law moved instantly but was surprised when she was still in her place. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and she answered, seeing the question in his eyes, "I don't like attacking people from behind."

Law smirked amused. "I see. How noble. But don't forget you're fighting a pirate."

Just as he said that, Miyako noticed something…a barely audible ticking noise. She looked around at the grass still trying to keep her attention on Law. She found a small black device in the grass. It had a red blinking dot and the dot kept blinking faster and faster. Her eyes widened. *_Those explosive collars!_* Even though this only lasted a second and Miyako soon realized her mistake, it was too late. She jumped, but the device blew near her and sent her flying in the nearest tree. The strength of the impact made her lose her grip on the katana and the sword fell beside her on the ground. However Miyako was able to avoid the fatality of the blow when she jumped. If she had been standing there when it blew up, she would probably be missing a leg now. She tried to blink away the blurriness in her eyes and her head was hurting bad. The piercing noise just wouldn't go away from her ears and everything around her was spinning. The sound was fuzzy too. She knew her center for balance was messed up right now but she still tried to get up. She could feel a sticky, liquid substance on her face and knew there was blood, probably coming from her ears. *_But how…when?*_ Miyako tried to organize her thoughts and understand what the hell just happened. Suddenly she realized…she had landed in the same place Law was standing when they started the duel. *_He put it there in the beginning? But how did he know…He couldn't have expected me to stand there.*_ But then she remembered. When she attacked him he wasn't trying to push her away. And when he used his sphere he knew it would be faster and more efficient to jump above than try and run out of it. He saw that move she used on his nakama earlier and knew she could jump high enough to dodge so it was natural to use that move. And when she hit his nodachi the only move she could do is flip and jump backwards…He planned everything. Miyako cursed mentally at her naivety. She underestimated him…no, she was careful not to, but she still didn't expect him to be this calculative.

She could see his feet coming closer. Miyako tried to get up, but her balance was still off. Somehow she pushed herself off the ground and on to her feet only to stumble sideways and lean against the first tree she could see. She looked around for her katana, but at that moment she realized with horror…she was already inside his blue sphere. She tried to move out but it was too late.

The sensation was sickening. Miyako watched in horror as her right arm came off in the elbow. She screamed as it it hurt just like any slice of the sword would, but she felt as if she could still move that hand. It reminded her of the "phantom limb" feeling where even though your limb was cut off you could still feel it there. A shiver went down her spine, and then her left leg was separated as well. Through her blurred vision Miyako could see Law's sadistic grin. He was enjoying this immensely. It was all too much. The piercing noise in her ears, the feeling of blood trickling down her face, the strong headache, the blurry vision with everything spinning and now even seeing her limbs cut off and flying by past her. Miyako could feel herself lose consciousness. "B-Bastard," she murmured before everything became black.

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><p><strong>Well that's all folks! At least for this chapter. Hope you liked it and stand by for new ones. (They'll be published very soon.)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Weee, I'm so happy! :D *ehem* sorry, I just had to tell you how glad I am that you guys like the story. ^^ I really appreciate all the positive feedback I've received. And little by little, I'm figuring out publishing on ! So all in all, a good start. :)**

**As always, reviews are welcome if you want to leave any opinions, comments or suggestions. **

**Have fun reading chapter 5! :) **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece of any of its characters, but I own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

Golden eyes opened slowly. It took the girl some time to remember what exactly happened but when she did, Miyako sat up quickly and instantly regretted it when she felt the sharp pain in her head. That's when she noticed something moved beside her. She blinked a couple of times to remove the blurriness from her eyes and then turned her head to the side. Two big golden orbs stared confused and surprised at two little black ones. "A bear," Miyako simply stated, probably too shocked to even...well, look shocked.

To her surprise the said bear bowed its head in depression and apologized. "Sorry."

"Oh, a talking bear," Miyako murmured, still seemingly calm. And then it hit her. "A talking bear!?" She almost screamed that statement and fell out of bed in the process. Sharp pain rushed through her side and it became hard to breathe. Miyako gasped from both surprise and pain and stayed still in order to let the pain pass. However, even when it was safe to breathe again, Miyako could still feel the dull pain in her ribs. She remembered hitting the big tree when she was blown away. _*Wait! Where am I!*_ Now that the memories of that fight started returning, Miyako's alarm went on in her head. She didn't even notice the bear who was trying to help her get up.

"A-Are you ok? I'll call the captain, he's a doctor!" The worried bear said.

Miyako looked at him, still lying on the floor and finally remembered that this bear was part of the Heart pirates' crew. She saw him with Trafalgar Law when they fought the pacifista. Then his captain was… "No!" Miyako all but yelled as he was already near the door. The bear looked at her questioningly. "I-I'm fine, you don't need to call him. Instead, can you tell me where I am?"

Bepo nodded and much to Miyako's relief moved away from the door. "You're on board of our submarine. I'm Bepo, a crew member of the Heart Pirates. Sorry."

_*Why is he apologizing?* _Miyako thought with a sweat-drop, but decided to ignore it for now. She needed to get out of here and soon. She was just about to ask Bepo to fetch her something to eat so she could escape from here when she noticed something. She couldn't move her left leg freely. She looked towards the bed and realized her left ankle was shackled to the bed. *_You got to be kidding me,* _Miyako thought darkly. _*That bloody captain really thought of everything.*_

"Umm, do you need any help?" Bepo took a step forward, uncertainly.

She looked up and noticed the bear staring at her strangely. Probably because she was still lying on the floor. Without a word, she pushed herself off the floor and somehow managed to return into the bed. "I'm fine, thanks." She murmured in anything but a cheerful voice. She looked around the room for anything she could use as a weapon or something to help her pick or break the lock and escape. She already noticed her katana was nowhere in sight. While she looked around from her bed, she kept the conversation going. "So..you're a talking bear?"

"Sorry." The bear apologized again.

Miyako sweat-dropped again and made an uncomfortable smile. "There's no need to apologize for it."

"S-sorry." He said again and Miyako looked at the bear with an _'are-you-kidding-me?'_ stare.

She was getting tired of his constant apologizing. She wanted to ask him if he was really a talking bear or a zoan type person, or perhaps an animal who ate a devil fruit. After all how often do you meet a talking bear? However after seeing he was a bit sensitive on that topic, the girl decided not to press the poor bear with any more questions about it. And she really didn't want to hear any more apologizing. *_Except from that Captain! He better apologize!* _However as soon as she thought it, she knew there was no chance for something like that to happen. Law didn't look like the type to do so. Miyako remembered the sadistic grin she saw before she blacked out. *_Creepy guy_.*

"So, um, where is my katana?" The girl asked innocently. She was disappointed because she didn't find anything useful for her breakout.

"I think Captain took it. It's probably in his quarters," Bepo answered and looked around nervously. He just kept standing there. Miyako was sure the poor bear was ordered to keep an eye on her but he seemed nervous. Obviously his people skills weren't that good, or he was simply _that_ shy.

"And where is that?" Miyako continued to probe. And just as Bepo opened his mouth to answer, the door opened again.

~...~

Miyako held back a frown at an unpleasant sight. It was Trafalgar Law in the flesh. He closed the door behind him and gave her a satisfied smirk before leaning against the opposite wall. "I see you've woken miss...Miyako." He purposely paused before saying her name, making her wonder will he call her with that weird nickname instead. Luckily, he didn't. "Bepo, go bring Miss Miyako something to eat," Law ordered casually and Bepo saluted in response.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" In a second the bear was out the door, giving Miyako and Law privacy, which the woman didn't find enjoyable at all.

"Are you feeling better now?" That gloating smirk was still plastered on his face, but the girl ignored it and kept calm.

"I would be better if you remove _this_ from my ankle." She shook her left leg, making the chain move as it made a sound. It wasn't even long enough for her to get out of bed.

"Unfortunately I can't do that yet, miss. I wouldn't want you escaping after all," Law said as he tilted his head. "Unless…you're willing to join my crew now?"

The samurai glared at him for the first time. "You should already know the answer to that. And you shouldn't look so smug considering what a dirty trick you used to get me here."

Law raised an eyebrow and chuckled. Yes, he actually chuckled at her words. Miyako had to push away the urge to throw things at him. "I did warn you, didn't I? You were fighting a pirate. Why should I follow _your_ code of ethics?"

Miyako's glare disappeared and was replaced by her usual calm expression. "I see, so pirates don't even have honor …Or is that just you?"

Law didn't back down from her taunts and neither did he look upset. He just sighed before answering. "You're being too hard on me, Miss Miyako."

"So what if I have to go to the bathroom?" The girl asked bluntly and out of the blue, still keeping a calm face.

For the first time Law looked a bit taken aback and he needed a second to understand what she was talking about. Then he realized they were back on the topic of her shackled ankle. He soon regained his composure and crossed his arms on his chest. "I see…I guess I'll have to ask Bepo to bring you a large cup as well." Law smirked evilly at this statement. Of course it was a joke, but he could barely hide his amusement at Miyako's shocked and embarrassed face. The girl blushed so much you'd think she had a fever.

"T-that was _not_ funny!" The samurai girl managed to say after calming herself. Law didn't mind seeing the usually calm girl look so out of it for a change. He could already think of all the amusement he'll have by getting such reactions out of this girl. She seemed like a tough one to crack, so it will be a challenge to break her walls one by one, but that just meant all the more fun.

"What do you want from me anyway? Why did you…buy me?" Miyako had trouble saying that word again. She felt like an object, a part of somebody's property.

"Technically I didn't buy you…yet." Law answered and brushed aside Miyako's annoyed stare. "Alright, alright. Well I was interested."

"Interested?" The swordswoman repeated a bit confused. "why?"

"You were the only one on that stage that didn't even look scared. Completely calm, like you didn't even care that you'll be sold to someone. Who would act like that in such a situation?"

Miyako sighed at that explanation and mumbled, "Then maybe I should have been shaking in fear, maybe I'd have more luck then." Even though it was almost a whisper, Law heard her and chuckled again but there was a questioning look in his eyes, expecting an answer to his question. The girl looked at him for a while and then back at her shackled ankle, like she could open it with her stare. "I didn't see the point in being scared, and I still don't. I mean, it's not like it would change anything. Instead, I was waiting for the auction to end so I could plan my escape. It's not like I planned on really becoming a slave." After saying the last sentence, Miyako gave Law a warning look but he just smirked in response.

"I already told you, I don't expect you to become my slave. I want you to join my crew." He explained, ignoring her cautionary expression.

"And if I refuse?"

"Well, I can always stroll down to the auction house and pay my bidding. Then I'll get one of those lovely slave collars…" He trailed off while still smirking. He knew he didn't have to finish the sentence, as she understood him quite well. "I hear you also get a nice tattoo with a hot branding iron." He added, just to make her more uncomfortable.

The girl felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought, but she refused to let the captain have the pleasure of seeing her worried side. So instead, she put back her best collected mask she could muster. "I see. You put me in quite an awkward position here." Once again there was no worry in her voice or any other expression for that matter. That caught Law's attention and made him interested even more.

"You don't look very worried, though." He noticed, the smirk gone from his face. He looked serious now. The amusement was replaced with pure interest at what she was planning.

Miyako noticed the change in his attitude and now it was her time to smirk. "Yet, you _do_, captain Law."

Law ignored her comment. "You don't actually think you can escape in this situation. Your wounds aren't serious but you are bound to the bed. And I made sure there were no items in this room that could help you in any way. Even your katana is out of your reach." It sounded ridiculous, going to all that trouble for one woman, but Law didn't want to underestimate her. Somehow he had a feeling that would be a very bad idea. Besides, it was better to play it safe than sorry.

Miyako chuckled at this. "You went to all that trouble for little ol' me? Are you that afraid of me, Mister Law" She asked innocently but mockingly, as she used the same title he addressed her by.

Law obviously didn't appreciate it because for just a second she could see a dangerous gleam in his eyes. However it quickly disappeared under his usual amused look, and the smirk never left his face. "I think it's always good to take precautions. Now, I believe you still have a decision to make," He finally pressed.

The samurai frowned as if bored with the continuous pressing Law was putting on her. *_So he won't give up until he gets an answer.* _But somehow the girl didn't feel like giving it to him yet. "Your money would be wasted." She simply said, changing the subject again. She was looking out the small round window near her bed now. She didn't even notice it before. She could see the darkness of the ocean and recognized that they were underwater. *_Right, the bear said something about the submarine. Well at least they're original.*_

But the pirate captain was relentless. "I don't think so. I didn't say the main reason I wanted you to join. They said you are a swordsman and I saw your skills for myself. I was looking for a swordsman to join my crew anyway, so why not you."

Miyako could see his reflection in the window glass. She could also see her tired one, and noticed a bandage wrapped around her head. _*Now that I think about it…*_ She looked at her bare feet first, the sheets covering them were thrown aside when she climbed back to bed. She had a bandage on her right shin. Looking up, she saw another one on her left thigh. *_wait a second…my clothes? Where are they!*_ Really, there were no black stockings there nor her skirt. Only white panties. She also bought underwear from that shop since it seemed more practical than what they had in Wano. She was relieved to feel that her bra was still in place as well. However, her white turtleneck was replaced by a too-big-for-her blue T-shirt that went all the way to her thighs. It had a big Heart Pirate Jolly Roger on it. A bright yellow color in contrast with the dark blue attire. She then felt a tight feeling around her midsection and lifted the shirt a little. It hurt when she did so, using her wounded arm. She noticed that there was a bandage on her left arm as well. And as she lifted the shirt, she noticed her rib-section was wrapped in clean white bandages as well. She quickly pulled down her shirt and covered herself with the sheets, remembering she wasn't alone in the room. Her face was bright red now as she tried to hide it with her bangs, although unsuccessfully. But it couldn't be helped, not with the realization she just had. "M-My clothes…" She couldn't even say it.

"Ah, I told one of my crewmembers to put them in the laundry. They were dirty. I think you'll need to fix them too, they looked a bit ripped." He answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world. However, he noticed Miyako's expression and knew exactly what was bothering her. The man must have been the king of poker faces because he maintained a perfectly calm one, even though he was bursting with laughter inside. "Something wrong, Miss Miyako?" He prompted innocently.

The woman shot him a glare even though her face was still red. "You know exactly what's wrong! What did you do to me?" After all, she came from a country where people were pretty formal with such things, especially when it came to relationships between men and women. The thought of a man stripping and seeing a woman's body, and she wasn't his wife, even while she was wearing underwear, was unthinkable.

"What do you mean? I just bandaged you and changed you in clean clothes. You couldn't be put in bed with dirt all over and it could dirty your wounds and cause an infection." Law explained it in a Doctor-like manner, but that didn't help Miyako feel any better.

"P-pervert!" Miyako mumbled, clutching at her sheets and bringing them all the way up to her face, covering most of it. She was staring in front of her, not willing to look at her captor. _*Damn that man! Damn him to hell for making me lose my composure! Twice!* _The girl remained silent for a while longer, but then gave him a determined look. _*I need to compose myself. I won't lose to him.* _

The man looked amused by no end but it faded a little when he noticed her usual coldness was back. He could almost feel the walls going up around her again. He decided this wasn't the right time to press her into joining his crew. She would just refuse out of sheer spite, though she did seem more of a logical and collected person than that. But there was no reason to press the matter yet.

And just as if on cue, Bepo appeared again with a tray of fresh food. Miyako could smell the delicious scent and turned towards him with a gleam of excitement in her eyes. It was then that she realized she was starving. It was a strange kind of food, nothing that they served in Wano, but she wasn't intending to be picky at the moment. At her disappointment, she noticed the knife and the fork were both plastic, surly another order from captain Law. She was hoping to use it for picking the lock of her bonds, but no such luck. "Thank you, Bepo" She said with a small smile of appreciation and the bear nodded. Now that she looked at him, he was kinda cute. Completely fuzzy and she bet he was soft like a cloud. She had to resist the building urge to pet and cuddle him and play with his big bear ears. _*Come on Miyako, you're not a child anymore!*_

Law moved away from the wall. "Well, I'll leave so you can eat in peace. I'll come for your answer later." Miyako glared at him but doubted she looked intimidating while stuffing spaghetti in her mouth. "Bepo" he called and the bear quickly followed his captain out of the room. The girl sighed when they were finally gone and ate in much needed peace and quiet.

~...~

Now that she was alone, Miyako could take the time to examine the room. Everything was in metal. It was small but big enough for one bed and a small closet. There was a small metal nightstand near the bed, screwed to the floor in case the submarine made hard turns. Actually it seemed everything was screwed to the floor, even the bed. The room looked bare and monotone; obviously nobody resided here before she came along. Her gaze fell back to the small window with thick glass that could stand the pressure of water. She couldn't see much, only the dark blue of the sea. Bored with the view, Miyako sighed and plopped back into the pillow, her body protesting wildly as she did. The ribs on her right side that hurt weren't broken but definitively damaged. The ribs were her biggest problem. Other than that it was only some cuts and bruises, some deeper than other. Still, she was surprised at how much damage that blow caused. The girl frowned, remembering the fight with Law. But a win is a win…which means a loss is a loss, and she had to admit she lost even if her pride felt hurt by it. That was the first time Miyako lost, of course not counting various duels she had with her master while training.

Speaking of Law, the girl still had a decision to make. _*What should I do…I don't really want to join and let him be my captain…but what other choice do I have? I need to get to Wano.*_ She remembered one of her plans from earlier…She could accept Law's proposition and go with him in the New World. Then it was just the matter of time before they get to Wano. She could easily slip away from him there and be free again _and _come home. Every pirate going to the New World comes to Wano in their travels so she was sure they would too. Miyako smirked, deciding what to do. She knew Law would still be suspicious of her consent and keep a close eye on her but that didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that he will be her ticket back home.

~...~

Law was behind his desk again, looking at the charts and info he got about the New World. Jean Bart, who was assigned as their new navigator now, was going over the charts as well, finding the best route for their travels. After he left, Law was left alone with his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head for support, as his thoughts went to a certain lady samurai. He smirked as he remembered those few seconds he was able break her calm mask. It was pretty fun. He had already decided that she will be his swordsman and he wasn't taking "no" for an answer. Now all he had to do was find the best solution to her stubbornness. He doubted it would be easy but that just made it more interesting of a challenge. A smug smirk appeared on his features.

**Well, this one didn't really have much action but I tried to make the dialog interesting. (Hopefully, I succeeded?) **

**I dunno, it was fun writing it in any case. ^^' **

**And Bepo is so cuddly! Okie, that might have been a bit random…but he just reminds me of a big teddy bear. I love that polar bear. :) **

**Well, hope you like it and the next chapter will be up soon. Wow, I'm really into this, somehow the inspiration just keeps coming to me. I just hope I don't get a writer's block. ^^' **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Heh, two chapters in one day already. I wanted to publish another one but I'm sooo tired right now, I don't know if I have enough mind capacity left for it. **

**Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter (though it doesn't have much action, but Miyako is still in the process of becoming a Heart Pirate so bear with me for a while.) **

**Still it was fun to write it and I hope you'll have fun reading it. Reviews, comments and so on, are always welcome so feel free to tell me what you think of it so far. (Though it's still early, I know.)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One piece or its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

Miyako opened her golden orbs slowly. At first she was confused when she didn't recognize the environment around her, but then sighed when she remembered what had happened the previous day. She slowly sat up, her ribs making a loud protest. However, she noticed the pain wasn't as bad as yesterday. She yawned sleepily, rubbing her eyes and tugged at her still shackled ankle in annoyance. _*I don't care, today this has to be removed!*_

~…~

When Law opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Miyako sitting on her bed and staring out of the window with a bored expression. When she heard him come in, she glanced at him slowly with the corners of her eyes before her attention went back to the window. After a long silence she finally spoke. "I reached my decision." Law's attention concentrated on her and his eyes became more piercing. This was what he had come here for in the first place and he couldn't be more interested in the answer.

"I'll join your crew," she simply stated.

At first Law was a little surprised even though it wasn't the least bit shown on his face. He thought making her join would be more of a fight than this; he didn't expect her to say 'yes' so soon. A part of him was even a little disappointed. *H_m, but this seems too easy.*_ Law's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at the girl before him. She was still staring at the window with the same bored expression, impossible to read through. He couldn't figure out what she was thinking right now and he didn't like it…he didn't like not being in control. And certainly he couldn't let _her_ have it.

"That is a pretty sudden change of heart, Miss Miyako," he finally concluded.

Miyako just shrugged, uninterested. One more thing Law _really_ didn't like was being ignored. His mouth set in a tight line and his expression became more serious. There wasn't a trace of that amused smirk he had the day before. "How come you changed your mind?" He prompted again.

Miyako sighed, seeing he wasn't leaving without an explanation. Not that she didn't expect that. "Well I can't stay like _this_ forever" She moved her shackled leg and looked at her binding. Law crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against the wall like yesterday. He didn't look very pleased with the answer as if knowing there was more to that than what she let on.

"I was certain your pride would get in the way of your decision. I didn't think you would give up so quickly…you don't look like the type," he said.

"Appearances can fool, Mister Law." She simply said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Law was losing his patience. He knew there had to be more of an explanation, but the girl certainly had no intention of giving him one. And she wouldn't even look at him, which agitated him further. He hated when people would hide their faces from him, because he wouldn't be able to read them through their expression. But Miyako's expression was completely calm anyway. A mask of nothingness on her face. He walked over to her slowly and he noticed her eyes quickly darted in his direction and narrowed a little. She must have felt that his presence became more intimidating. However, she didn't move in any other way.

"Miss Miyako…" He started in a cold voice. He grabbed her chin and turned her head towards him so he could look her right in the eyes. His stormy grey, cold eyes pierced through her fiery gold ones. "When someone is talking to you it is polite to look that person in the eyes." He never broke his stare as he spoke. "And secondly, I don't like being lied to nor played around with." His eyes narrowed warningly.

Miyako stared at him with a blank gaze for a while, her face emotionless. However when she spoke her voice was pure ice, her tone warning just like his. "Mister Law, I'd appreciate if you would let go of me. I don't like being man-handled." Their stare lasted a few more minutes, a few more long minutes that seemed like hours. Neither of them was willing to break it nor break the silence, both radiating the same amount of hostility and thereat. The tension in the air could be cut with the knife. Even though Miyako was in a worse position since she was chained to the bed with no weapon, seemingly at Law's mercy, which he wasn't known for, still she showed no sign of fear or backing down. She held his stare with her own, almost challenging him to try something.

Suddenly the doors opened and both Miyako and Law broke their staring contest to look at the newcomer. They both still held quite the threat in their gazes and poor Bepo froze under their intense glares and almost let go of the tray with Miyako's breakfast on it. Seeing it was only him, Miyako and Law relaxed and returned to their calm selves, but the bear was still a bit in shock. So the only thing he could do was bow down his head and apologize. "S-sorry."

Miyako sighed loudly, gaining both of their attentions and frowned a little. Still, her annoyance looked faked, more out of dramatic effect than actual anger. "I really don't understand you Trafalgar Law. You weren't happy when I declined your offer, and now that I say I'll join you, you're complaining once again. It is really impossible to please you."

Law smirked for the first time that morning but it was obvious he could see through her attempt to change the subject. They were both well aware she was hiding something yet Law decided not to press the matter right now. When the time was right he will get his answer. He always gets what he wants in the end. Law's smirk widened at that thought. The girl's attention was now on the bear and she smiled warmly at him. "Oh Bepo-san, you brought food. Thank you. I'm starving!" Her voice sounded cheerful now, completely in contrast with the deadly one a few minutes ago.

"Ah! One more thing!" Miyako exclaimed like she just remembered something important and then looked at Law. "Since I'm a part of your crew now, I don't think this is necessary anymore." She pointed at her shackled ankle. "And if you would be so kind to return my katana and clothes…" The sentence ended with a questioning look.

Law smirked and closed his eyes for a while. He was amused at how quickly she was able to get rid of all the tension in the room. One minute she was ready to kill him if he made the wrong move, not that she could Law was sure, but she would certainly try, and the next she was smiling cheerfully at his first mate. He opened his eyes again and returned her questioning look. "Well I suppose you're right." He took out a small key from his pocket and moved towards her ankle. As he was unlocking the shackle, Law kept a close eye on every movement she made. He was completely on guard in case she tried to attack him and escape when free. Also Bepo was still standing near the door so she wouldn't get far. He was actually a bit surprised when she stayed completely still and didn't try anything. He was certain he would have to be dodging a kick in the head by now.

"If that's all, I should get back to my duties, Captain." Bepo said and Law nodded.

"Yes, go Bepo."

Law stood up straight and crossed his arms again, looking at Miyako who was rubbing her ankle. There was a thin red line of where the shackle had been. "So satisfy my curiosity Miss Miyako, how did you become a slave in the first place? You don't seem like a sort who would be taken down so easily."

"I am _not_ a slave," Miyako corrected harshly, but then smirked at the rest of his statement. "But thanks for the compliment."

"It wasn't a compliment, merely an observation." Law stated calmly, not even fazed by her words.

"Law-san, are you always so serious?" The girl asked, a smirk still gracing her features, as she leaned her head on her hands.

"Don't change the subject, Miss Miyako," Law said with an amused smirk of his own. At that, the girl's grin widened.

"Alright. I suppose there's no harm in telling you. I'll try to keep it short. First of all I wasn't exactly…kidnapped or anything."

Law's eyebrow rose questioningly at this. "What do you mean? Did you apply voluntarily?" Obviously he was making a joke, not actually thinking that could be possible. That's why even he couldn't contain his calm expression when she kept silent with a weird face, a sweat-drop present on her forehead. As if he wasn't far from the truth in his jest. "Miss Miyako?" He prompted with a surprised tone.

Her expression looked even more troubled as she looked to the side, sweat-drop still present. "W-well…It's not like I wanted to come here but…" Then she sighed. "Actually, let's start from the beginning."

Law nodded and listened on after assuming his usual position leaning against the wall.

"As you already know I'm from Wano, which is in the New World. I'm just an ordinary wanderer…well, at least I _was_." She corrected herself and went on. "There was a merchant ship that sails from Wano to the Red Line, stopping at different islands in between and selling stuff from our country. Since it's quite a closed-policy country it's hard to get your hands on materials and items from Wanokuni, so there's always outside people who are very interested to make a purchase. Anyway, since it's quite a dangerous trip they always recruit and hire people for protection before they set off. Anyone with some skill can join and the pay is good, even though it's dangerous. I was quite low on money at the time…ok, to be honest I was broke so I needed a quick way to get some money and continue my travels. When I saw they were recruiting, I thought; '_Why not,_'" Miyako shrugged.

She paused a little for a break and then continued. "On the ship I met a girl, a kid, she couldn't be older than 16. She was there to help out in the kitchen and we became friends after a while. She was a nice person and we would often stay up, talking into the night. She didn't have any family and she worked on the ship to get by even though it was extremely dangerous, especially for someone of her young age. One night when we were already near the Red Line, we were attacked by pirates. They weren't anything special, just some small fry pirates I would think and we were able to fend them off after a while, but throughout the chaos they took the girl, Aya-chan, as a hostage to ensure their escape. Before they could leave I begged their leader, Cain, to take me instead. It didn't really matter to them as long as they had a hostage so he agreed. After escaping they decided to sell me as a slave. I think it was Cain's little revenge because I beat him in the duel when we were fighting on the merchant ship. The good side though was that I wasn't allowed to be touched, since '_broken' _merchandise falls in value. Cain anchored the ship near the Red Line and the two of us went to Mariejois. Obviously he had some kind of connection there because he was able to cross to the other side without suspicion. After that he rented a boat and took me to Sabaody. He got paid and left and me..well you know the rest." She sighed, finally finishing the long story.

Law had been listening to the story completely silent and thought about everything the girl said. She seemed sincere. Besides, she had no reason to lie. "If the two of you were coming here alone, why didn't you take that chance and escape? I'm sure if he was such a small fry as you said you could have done it, even bound."

Miyako nodded. "Yes, but then I would be breaking the deal we made. I had begged him to spare Aya-chan and take me, therefore instead of her life he now had mine. He honored my request and spared her, so I had to honor his right to do with my life as he pleased."

Law's expression didn't change but inside he was taken aback by such an answer. Even if it was a deal, who would just gladly accept their fate no matter what it is and leave their life in the hands of their enemy…and to save a person they spent a few weeks with. *_You rarely meet a person with such strong sense of duty. This girl just gets more and more interesting.* _His amused look was hidden beneath his furry spotted hat.

"Do you value your life so little that you will just give it to anyone?" he finally asked with a questioningly raised eyebrow.

Miyako shook her head. "Not at all. However, it was a promise and I always keep my promises. Besides, I was grateful that he spared my friend when he had no obligation to. So even if I was killed I had no right to complain," she finally answered and once again was given a strange look by Law. Why was he looking at her like that? She couldn't understand it and she couldn't read him either.

After a while of silence, Law smirked. "So does that means, if you make a promise to me to be a part of my crew, you will have no choice but to oblige and stay? "

The girl frowned at the thought. "I don't make promises and deals without a very good reason. And I don't see why I should make one with you. You have nothing to offer me. I already said I will be a part of your crew and that I won't make trouble for you …but that is _all_ you get. And I won't promise anything!" She made sure to emphasize her last statement.

The captain didn't look like he was pleased with that answer but decided not to get involved in another useless argument. He didn't have the time nor the patience for it so he decided to let it slide for now. However, he made a mental note to make sure to teach her who was the captain here and who his subordinate. He moved towards the door turning his back to her and stopped as he opened them. "Stay here. Someone will come shortly with your clothes and they will show you around. _However_, your weapon will stay with me for now. I still don't trust you enough for that. Also, after you're done, you will come to my quarters." It was a clear order, not a request, and his voice sounded more professional than before. Before he left, the captain stopped as if remembering something. "Ah, and if you were wondering, this is your room from now on."

Miyako looked around the metal, monotone and small room and frowned a little. "Don't make that face, Miss Miyako, you should be glad. But if you would rather, I could let you sleep in regular rooms with the others. Perhaps you would prefer the bunk beds and the company?" The girl couldn't see his face but the amusement was clear in his lighthearted tone.

Her frown quickly disappeared. _*How did he know? His back is turned to me!*_ "N-no, this is fine…thanks." The girl said in a low voice and just _knew_ he was wearing that smug smirk even if she couldn't see it. Without another word, Law exited the room, shutting the thick metal doors behind him. The girl sighed again and looked at the ceiling while in thought. _*This is going to be a loooong journey. Well, at least I'm glad I'll finally be out of this bed soon.*_ She put a hand on her sore ribs but the pain was much lesser now. *_I hope it heals soon.*_

* * *

><p><strong>Well that's the end of chapter 6. Right now it's all revolving around the dialogs between Law and Miyako. They got to know each other just a little bit better, but it's hard to say whether their amused or at each other's throats. Both? XD<strong>

**I'd say they are both so similar and different at the same time. Does that make sense? ^^'**

**In any case, new chapter coming up soon (maybe even today). **

**See ya in chapter 7!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Not much to say other then: Enjoy the chapter and have fun!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 7<strong>

Miyako was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the doors open. The newcomer was a man about her age. He was wearing a white jumpsuit much like the ones the two Heart pirates she fought the other day wore. *_Is this like a standard uniform in this crew...will I have to wear it too?*_Miyako almost frowned at the thought. He had odd colored spiky hair, light blue that almost appeared white, and looked as if it defied gravity. There was a red and white bandana covering most of his forehead and he had a patch of unshaved hair under his chin, which could hardly be seen. The guy had a big cheerful smile on his face even though he looked a bit embarrassed when he saw Miyako sitting in the bed with only a big T-shirt covering her. She instinctively pulled the sheets closer to her, covering herself more as she looked suspiciously at the man. Her expression was blank but she was watching him carefully in case he made any wrong moves. She might not be healed completely, but she was well enough to fight if necessary, and she didn't have much trust when it came to pirates, especially men.

"Hi!" He greeted with that smile still present. "Wow, you're really pretty." He grinned even wider, happily.

"Um, hi...and thanks?" Miyako answered a bit uncertain of what to do. Then she realized he was holding her clothes in his hand.

The man noticed her staring at her clothes and quickly handed them over to her. "Oh, I brought you your clothes. I'm Cody by the way. The captain told me to show you around."

"Thanks." Miyako said drily. She wanted to change but he kept standing there with an expecting look and she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Then suddenly he blinked, realizing what the problem was. "Oh, right! You want to change. Hehe, Sorry." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'll just wait outside." He quickly turned around and closed the door behind him as he left.

The girl sighed tiredly and stood up, changing into her white, long sleeved turtle neck shirt, plaid skirt and black stockings. In the end she put on her black boots. But it felt strange without the katana around her waist; she missed it. *_I guess I'll have to be on good behavior for a while so Law would return it,*_ she thought darkly.

She slowly opened the doors of her room and saw Cody leaning on the nearby wall with hands in his pockets, waiting for her. "You ready?" He smiled, after giving her a long look from head to toe.

Miyako just nodded and they started walking along the long metal corridors. The submarine was fairly large, with three levels and the halls were full of twists and turns. As they walked Cody showed her around and talked about the submarine, crew, captain and the Heart Pirates in general. He even told her about some adventures they had. The third level (the one at the bottom) was the engine room and storage. Mostly the mechanical stuff that kept the submarine running. The next level was where the rooms of the pirates were, the bathroom and laundry room and the galley. Pirates' rooms were big but had about 5 or more people sharing it, with bunk beds and hammocks. At least Law showed her enough mercy to give her a room for herself, even if it was small. She actually felt grateful to him, but then remembered why she was here in the first place and felt annoyance coming back while just thinking about her new _captain_. However she wasn't shown the same mercy and felt pure despair when she realized there was only one bathroom (also on the second level), shared by the whole crew, except the captain who had his own, the bastard. For someone like her, coming from Wano, to share a bathroom with 20 other men (Cody told her there were 20 crewmembers on the sub plus one polar bear) was unthinkable. The bathroom was big with a few toilet stalls and a dozen showers, since men obviously didn't mind being there at the same time. It seemed impossible for Miyako to be able to go there and do her business without anyone around.

Seeing Miyako's desperate look Cody tried to cheer her up. "D-Don't worry, the crew will try to figure something out so you can shower without anyone barging in. They're all good fellows after all."

The young girl smiled a little at Cody, though it looked a bit sad. "Thank you," she responded. She still had suspicions since the guy was a pirate but for now he didn't seem so bad.

The first level was where the control room was and also captain's quarters and the infirmary. Also Bepo's quarters, who obviously had privileges as the first mate. Miyako was still fascinated by the whole 'talking bear as a pirate' thing but didn't ask Cody anything about it.

As they walked, they passed some of the crew members who gave her curious looks. It seemed everyone already heard there was a girl on board, but nobody knew what she looked like.

"Wow, she's pretty."

"Look at her eyes. Cool."

"A girl! Lucky!"

"What's Cody doing with her?"

She could hear all kinds of whispers as they went through the submarine and Miyako felt relieved when the tour was over.

"Sorry about that, they're guys after all." Cody smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head like before. "You'll get used to it."

_*I don't really want to get used to it. Why don't they just stop instead?* _Miyako thought a bit irritated and gave Cody a dry look, yet didn't say anything.

Her relief wasn't long-lasting though when she realized they were in front of Law's room. Vaguely she remembered him saying that they come to him afterwards, and she sighed at the thought of having another mind battle with Law. Usually she would enjoy trying to piss him off with her comments or getting some reaction out of him, but she felt too tired for it today.

"Well, here we are." Cody said and knocked on the door. "See you later. Good luck!" He called out, already walking away and leaving Miyako alone in front of the steel door.

She heard a muffled "Come in" from the other side and opened the door, stepping inside the captain's quarters. She looked around the spacey room. It was nicely decorated and had a bed on one side, while a few shelves with various book on the other. In the middle was his desk, with a large comfy chair where Law was currently sitting. He had different maps and papers making a mess on the desk. She noticed a door on one side, probably leading to his bathroom. Miyako hid a frown as she remembered the public bathroom she now shared with 20 men.

Law was writing something and didn't even look up at her as she closed the door behind her and stepped further into the room. "Did Cody-ya show you everything?"

Miyako simply nodded but realized he couldn't see it so she said a short "Yes."

"Hmm," was all Law responded with and then there was silence again.

Miyako realized he was ignoring her on purpose, making her wait. _*Heh, he should know better. Like he'll get a reaction out of me with something as simple as that.*_A few minutes passed by and nobody said a word, so Miyako started looking around the room staring at all the different things there.

"I just wanted to make a few things clear now that you are an official member of my crew, Miss Miyako."

The voice made her blink and she snapped her head towards him, diverting her attention to her new captain instead of his bookshelves. He was now staring at her, his hat hiding his eyes.

"Yes Mister Law?" Miyako prompted him to continue.

"From now on you will address me as 'Captain', not Law or Mister Law, is that clear?"

Miyako nodded. Even though he was using a rather cold and harsh, serious tone, she didn't seem fazed. It neither scared her nor annoyed her. She just stared blankly and expressionless, waiting for him to continue.

Law didn't like her lack of acknowledgement and his eyes narrowed a little. Not that Miyako could see since his hat was shadowing his eyes.

"Also, you will show proper respect. Here, I ask for 100% obedience and loyalty. If I say something you do it without asking questions or any unnecessary comments."

"Yes, _Captain_." Miyako said, still not showing any emotion. It wasn't because she wanted to conceal her true feelings or anything, she just simply didn't care. She already had a plan of her own, which involved using Law and getting to Wano and that's all that mattered to her. If he wanted her to use a word as captain, fine, she will, but she won't show any respect by doing so. She didn't think of him as her captain, or comrade, or anything similar. Only a person she had to deal with for the time being.

Still, Law couldn't read her at all and didn't understand her lack of commentary which was so unusual for her. He thought by now she would have all kinds of complains to say yet she just took in everything he had to say, quietly. It only made him more suspicious of her intentions. Also, he was looking forward to getting her all worked up again and was a bit annoyed at the failing of his plan.

"Well if that's clear, there's one more thing. Everyone has jobs here and as a member of the Heart Pirates so do you. From today on you will be working in the galley, helping our chef. You start immediately, lunch time will be soon."

Miyako nodded and saluted. "Yes captain!" She said a bit too cheerfully. It didn't sound mocking because she wanted it to come off as serious, but both her and Law knew she did it out of pure mockery and just to annoy him. She knew he was annoyed yet poked at him none the less. But there was nothing he could say to her since she made it sound so sincere.

"You're dismissed." He said through gritted teeth and Miyako turned on her heel and walked out of the room. A small smirk appeared on her face as she walked towards the galley on the second floor. *_That's for this morning, you pervert,_* she though as she remembered when he made her feel so embarrassed.

~...~

"Tch" Law leaned back in his big chair as he took a short pause from his work. Mostly because his thoughts were still preoccupied by the newest member of his crew. She was messing with him…and that was unforgivable. He knew it'll take time before he breaks her but he didn't expect her to be so good at this game. He thought he was the only one who'll have fun. *_No worries. This is just the beginning.*_ His smirk appeared and his gaze fell on a katana neatly sheathed and leaning against the wall.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end of chapter 7!<strong>

**Unfortunately this one wasn't long but hopefully the next one will be longer and more interesting. **

**Heh, so Miyako's purposely getting on Law's nerves. It's like their having a silent mind game war…well that's gonna be interesting. :P **

**I any case, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. Reviews, comments or constructive criticism always welcome. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Okie, so we're slowly coming to the Marineford arc though I didn't want to waste a lot of time writing about it, since we all know what happened so the only thing that would be important and different are Miyako's thoughts about it all. So here we go. :)**

**Enjoy and have fun!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 8<strong>

Miyako was peeling some potatoes in the corner, ignoring the looks she was getting from the cooks in the kitchen. Every now and then the head chef would hit someone over the head with his large wooden spoon to stop them from staring and telling them to "Get back to work". The chef's name was Munk, a strange name she noted. He was a man in his 60s, large and muscular, with a beard and hair that went to his shoulders, which was tightly tied. She could see light grey strands showing both in his dark brown beard and hair. He had a thick accent that Miyako had trouble understanding. When he first introduced himself all she could do was blink confused without any idea what the man had said. Instead of being angry though, the man just laughed loudly. He seemed like a nice and very cheerful man despite his rough appearance.

Miyako wiped some sweat from her forehead and continued with her work silently. But it was blazing hot in here. She felt all dirty and sweaty, especially since she didn't shower in almost two days. She wanted to take a shower after finishing with work, but the thought of that bathroom made her uncomfortable. *_I'll just skip lunch and go while everyone is eating.*_ It was almost sad that she had to skip food just to have some decent privacy for hygiene but it couldn't be helped.

She had some other chores like washing the dirty dishes the food was cooked in, peeling some other vegetables, getting food from the storage or throwing out trash. It seemed the kitchen was always busy with no time to lose. The cooks were always yelling something about the food and ingredients to each other but as much as it all looked like chaos in the end Miyako marveled at the results. They cooked enough food for the whole crew.

"Here." Munk handed her a plate at the end and Miyako took it gratefully. She could see people standing in lines in the galley with treys on them, waiting to be served by a few cooks on the other side of the counter. She wanted to go and take a shower now that the work was done but when she tried, Munk stopped her and then gave her a lesson about how important it was to have a healthy diet of at least three meals a day. So in the end, Miyako had no choice but to stay and eat, yet she decided to eat in the kitchen, not wanting to hear anymore comments by the crew.

"Thank you," she said with a tired smile and he smiled back before slightly nudging her in the shoulder. Well he thought it was light, but with his strength, Miyako almost dropped the plate.

"Com' naw girly. Why ya be so doun'?" He asked while running his fingers through his beard. Something he did a lot.

"Oh, it's nothing, really Munk-san. I'm just getting used to the whole environment." She smiled at him so he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"heh. Ya'll get used ta it soon! Don't ya worry!" He gave her a wide smile in hope of cheering her up before turning away to his own work.

Miyako nodded still smiling tiredly and then ate quickly. She wanted to have enough time for that shower. However luck was not on her side. As soon as she was finished, Munk came up to her again.

"Oy, ya go an' bring this to Capn' " He pushed to her a tray with food on it. The food looked well organized and much better than the one they were serving to the pirates.

*W_ell it seems Captain here really gets special treatment.* _Miyako frowned at the thought while staring at the tray.

"Is it really fair for him to get _this_ kind of food, and the rest of you _this_?" Miyako asked Munk and pointed at the difference between the food she was holding and the one in large metal pots and boxes, waiting to be served.

Miyako noticed a few heads turned at this statement, interested in the conversation. But to her surprise Munk just laughed. He decided to explain at Miyako's confused look. "Well, is not like Capn' asks fo' it. He don' ask fo' special treatmen' but I feel he shoulda get all tha nutritious food he canna get. He take' care of all of us, after all." Then the big man sighed as he ran his fingers through his beard again, adding; "'Sides, he be always missin' his meals on accoun' o' he works so much so I feel that guy'd starve if I didna constantly remind th' lad's t' eat or brin' tha food t' tha laddy. Th' cap'n`s hopeless when 't comes t' them sorts o' things." Munk sighed again, just remembering it. Law always worked and would get so engrossed in it that he would often forget to eat or even sleep. Not even realizing it, he would spend all night in the control room or behind his desk until the first ray of morning light would hit through the submarine's windows.

"Oh." Miyako was surprised at the amount of loyalty the crew showed their captain. They even did extra work they didn't have to for him. It made her wonder what was so special about him.

She nodded. "I see. Well I'll be off then." She smiled again and went towards the captain's quarters.

Munk looked at the girl's leaving form and smiled. "Heh. Nice gal," he commented to one of the older cooks beside him and the other nodded in agreement.

The samurai girl knocked on the steel doors and waited for that muffled voice. And soon it was heard. She somehow managed to push the doorknob with her elbow since both her hands were busy holding the trey, and opened the door of Law's room. She managed to close them with her foot and saw the captain behind his desk, working. _*Does he ever do anything else?*_

Law lifted up his head to see Miyako who was standing with the tray of food in her hands. "Munk told me to give this to you," she simply stated.

"I see. Leave it here." He motioned with his head towards the only clear patch of space on his desk.

She did as she was told and was just about to leave when Law added, "It's not poisoned is it? Since you were the one to bring it." He had his usual amused smirk on his face.

Miyako smirked as well. "I don't know. Guess you'll just have to try it and see." She had a strange glint in her eyes as if it really might be poisoned, but Law only smirked more at her challenging tone.

"Then perhaps I should have you try it first." He rose an eyebrow amused.

"Oh sorry, I already ate. Thanks, but I'm full." Miyako grinned deliberately making it all look more suspicious.

Law didn't seem worried at all. He took a fork and put a piece of meat in his mouth.

"You're not worried anymore?" She asked.

"I don't think even you would be foolish enough to poison a captain of the submarine you are in, surrounded by his crew and with no escape route since we're underwater."

Miyako shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just making you trust me more so the next time I really _can_ poison it." She smiled innocently.

Law still had his infamous smirk. "I don't think you would. You don't seem like the poisoning type."

The girl chuckled and turned on her heel to walk out of the door. "Then my plan is working perfectly."

Law almost returned the chuckle at that statement and before she could close the doors he called after her, "Be on deck in half an hour, we're heading out."

"Eh?" Miyako turned her head, a bit surprised, but before she could ask anything he motioned for her to close the doors and so she did so, a bit reluctantly. She sighed while walking back to her room. *_I guess I'll find out later. I have enough time to shower at least. It should be fine now, it's the middle of the day, and nobody will use the bathroom at this time. Besides, they're probably all still eating.*_ Miyako saw first-hand how big of an appetite this crew had. Munk said it was to keep their strength for battle and tasks, but it still seemed a bit too excessive for her.

~…~

The water felt heavenly against her skin and it felt good to be clean again. The clothes and bandages were now discarded on the floor. Unfortunately, she couldn't enjoy it much since she had to get ready to 'head out' soon as captain said, and it took time to wash so much hair. After all, now that it was released from the red ribbon it fell down to the beginning of her thighs.

She quickly dried herself off, though she knew it'll take some time for her hair to dry completely. She rushed out of the bathroom, all set to go. She was glad she was finally getting some fresh air and going out of the submarine. It'll be a good change. As she walked out she bumped into Cody who gave her one of his cheerful smiles. "Hey, long time no see."

Miyako bowed slightly to be polite. "Oh hello, Cody-san."

"Haha you don't need to do that. Is it how people from Wano say hello?"

She was a bit surprised he knew where she was from and looked at him questioningly. He just shrugged at her and scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile. "People in the crew talk…We pretty much know how Captain found you and everything." He seemed a bit embarrassed to admit it.

The girl sighed. "I see."

The pirate obviously decided to change the subject. "Anyway, we'll be surfacing shortly, so don't get surprised. It's kind of a strange feeling, but you'll get used to it. I gotta go back to work now."

"What do you do on the sub anyway?" She asked really interested.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. I work at the infirmary. I'm on the medical team so I help the captain there." He sounded very proud.

Miyako nodded, understanding. "I see, well I'll be off then. Oh and, yes, in my country we bow at people to show gratitude or say hello and goodbye. It is a sign of politeness, especially if you don't know someone well enough." She answered his previous question and the man smiled.

"Well in that case," he bowed back to her, albeit a bit awkwardly, and then ran off to the infirmary.

Soon she could feel the 'strange' feeling Cody was talking about as the vessel rose to the surface. It shook a little and Miyako had to grip the nearby railing as she was climbing up the stairs. In a few minutes she was out on the deck and the sun shone down on her. Miyako was happy to see some natural light for a change, feeling like she didn't see the sun for far too long a time. She noticed there were more people on the deck beside her. She recognized Bepo and he waved at her awkwardly. She smiled and waved back, with a slight bow of her head. Then she noticed two men who came to her in an instant, making her a bit startled.

"Hi I'm Penguin, you must be Miya-chan!" The first one greeted. Of course he also had a white overall, but what interested her more was the strange hat. It was black with ear mufflers that went all the way past his ears and were chin-length. The brim was yellow and above it said "Penguin" like his name.

*_And I thought Munk was a strange name,_* Miyako noted. She could hardly see his face with the cap hiding it, but she could see the slight rosy blush on his cheeks. And then she realized..."Miya-chan?" She repeated with gritted teeth.

"Yeah, when we heard you were called Miyako, somehow it turned into Miya-chan when the crew talked." The other pirate said. He also had a cap, but a different one. His was blue with a red brim and he also wore sunglasses so once again Miyako couldn't see much of his face. He had light brown hair reaching his shoulders. And he also had a big grin on his face with a slight blush to add. "I'm Shachi by the way. Wow, and you really _are_ pretty," he commented bluntly. A bit too bluntly. At least it helped get Miyako out of her daze since she was still cursing her forming nickname.

"O-oh…" Miyako wasn't sure what to say, so she bowed lightly. "Nice to meet all of you."

Then she noticed, near Bepo, there was one more man who didn't come up to her. He was fairly large and a bit scary looking, older than the other two. He had long black wild hair that only grew at the middle of his head and funny looking wild beard that grew only at the sides. He also had strange markings on his forehead. He nodded at her and started politely, "I am Jean Bart, the navigator."

Miyako nodded at his words, "Nice to meet you too."

After that Penguin and Shachi started to overflow her with questions of all kind. Some were even a bit too personal and it made her all the more uncomfortable. Bepo tried to make them stop, but they just ended up telling him to shut up and he ended up apologizing. Miyako felt sorry for the polar bear. That's when Law came out and they all shouted "Captain!" except Miyako who just looked at him. With interest she noticed he had her katana in his hand, while he held his nodachi in the other. With a smirk he tossed the katana to her and she easily caught it. Law watched in amusement when he saw the girl lose herself in the moment while snuggling her sword close, happy to have it back. He handed the nodachi to Bepo and motioned for all of them to follow him. "Let's go everyone."

"Aye Captain!" Everyone cheered happy to finally be leaving the metal corridors of the submarine. Even Miyako and Jean Bart looked relieved.

"Where exactly are we going, captain?" Penguin asked. It seemed Law had a clear goal in mind.

"Penguin, you and Shachi get the rest of the supplies we need. We didn't have time to stock up properly because of the…incident." His eyes narrowed and he frowned at the memory. "The rest, come with me. I want to check something out."

The two pirates saluted and left for the shopping district. The rest went to a different grove and Miyako noticed a big crowed of both pirates and commoners. After a while she realized there were big screens ahead, and everyone were looking at them with tense faces. "What's going on," she asked.

"Didn't you hear? They're going to show Fire Fist execution. Everyone is here to see what happens," Bepo explained and then turned to Jean Bart. "You think Whitebeard will really come?"

Bart shrugged. "hmm. Who knows…But from what I head, Whitebeard never lets anything happen to his crew. It won't be strange if he decides to show up."

Miyako was surprised by the news. She only heard of Fire Fist Ace from the newspapers and rumors since Whitebeard pirates were in the New World. She looked at one of the big screens and saw a heavily guarded square with a large platform where she could see the small form of the Whitebeard pirate. All the admirals were here and even Sengoku. _*All this for one person…no, they must be expecting Whitebeard to show up.*_

"They're deliberately starting a war."

Miyako was a bit startled by Law's voice beside her. She didn't even notice him standing next to her.

"You really think they can beat the Whitebeard pirates?" She asked him but he just shrugged in response.

"Who knows." Law simply said and sat down on a nearby crate. His crew followed him and stood protectively behind him. The girl was a bit surprised at the protectiveness the crew showed towards their captain, but then noticed there were a lot of pirates here along with all of the rookies except the Straw Hats. Miyako, however, stayed in place, a little further from the crew and nearer the screen so she could see the occurrences better.

~….~

At first it was all still and boring for a long time. Nothing was happening and Miyako thought that Whitebeard won't show up after all. She was a bit surprised though that he would leave his crew member, but then again this was Marineford and at high level security too.

However, just as people were already sure of the result, the Whitebeard pirates emerged right from under the sea and a fierce war began. Miyako could hear fearful gasps and whispers as the battle prolonged. But then it got even more intense when out of nowhere, or out of the sky to be exact, a new ship appeared with Straw Hat Luffy and two Warlords. She could hardly soak in all the new information: Fire Fist Ace was Gold Roger's son, Monkey D. Luffy was a brother of sorts to Ace and a son of a great revolutionary Dragon_…*And what is this will of D?*_ Miyako thought about it all as it seemed all big shots had it in their name. As the fight went on and the tides turning constantly, the people didn't know what to expect anymore. But one thing was clear; they were all worried what the future will bring. This was the beginning of something big and everyone could feel it. And then something big happened indeed; First they were able to free Fire Fist Ace but then Whitebeard died. Everything was silent. The whole world must have been in shock at that moment. Miyako watched closely with a calm but serious expression on her face. Her body had tensed as she listened to his last words.

"One Piece is real!" Those seemingly simple words made a whole uproar. She could hear cheers and screams and shocked gasps all around her. All of Sabaody was one big noise. Miyako turned to look at Law. She was interested what his reaction will be to the words, but his face was serious and intense, his eyes clouded by his hat. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

However her gaze was averted back to the screen as she heard someone make a loud yelp and looking up she could see why. Fire Fist Ace was dying, badly wounded by Admiral Akainu. Miyako couldn't help but feel sorry for Straw Hat Luffy. She may not have known him personally, but seeing how he risked everything on that battlefield and pulled out his last strength when he had none left, was truly amazing. He had earned her respect at least.

"We're leaving. Now!" Law ordered and she turned around to see the Heart pirates standing together. Penguin and Shachi were back yet she couldn't remember when they returned. She didn't even notice as she was so engrossed in the battle at hand.

"We're going to the Fishman island now?" Penguin asked excitedly, but Law just shook his head and started walking quickly back to the sub.

"Is everything ready?" He asked.

"Yes captain. We put the supplies on the sub." Shachi answered, still a bit confused at what has gotten into his captain.

Miyako quickly followed them, interested in her new captain's strange actions as well.

When they were on the deck of the submarine again, Law turned to Bart. "Mister Bart, set the course for Marineford, we're leaving immediately." Bart just nodded and turned to leave, heading for the control room.

"Eeeh?" Everyone else, even Miyako, exclaimed in shock.

"Why?" Penguin questioned a bit too loudly.

"We'll be dead meat if we go there in the middle of the war," Shachi added.

"Hey, don't question captain's orders!" The always-loyal Bepo shouted at them even though he was surprised at first too.

"Shut up, Bepo!" Both Penguin and Shachi yelled back at him and Bepo bowed his head in defeat with a mumbled 'Sorry.'

*_He's too easily __defeated_.* The girl thought with a sweat-drop, while watching the whole scene unfold.

Law turned to the three pirates. "Instead of wasting time here, go and get everything ready for the departure," he ordered, leaving no room for objections with his stern voice.

The three pirates saluted. "Yes Captain!" They disappeared into the vessel shortly after. Miyako kept quiet the whole time, not knowing what to think. This was an unexpected action by Law and she couldn't understand his intentions, but he didn't appear to be in the mood to explain them to her so she didn't bother to ask. Instead, she followed him in the control room. As she walked by, she could see crew members running passed her, getting ready for a submerge.

* * *

><p><strong>So this was a Meeting the crew kind of chapter and also the intro of the Marineford and whole War arc. (Ace why did you have to die! T_T So unfair…) <strong>

**I hope you liked it and see you again in the next chapter.**

**As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**And the story continues! Not much to say, it's all clear. We're still at the War arc. **

**So have fun reading chapter 9 and I hope you'll enjoy it! :)**

**I really hope the story is interesting, though I know it's at that 'We-all-know-what-happened-here' part of One Piece, but bear with me until we get to my original plot. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 9<strong>

"Are we going at full speed Mister Bart?" Law asked and Miyako was almost sure he was anxious under his calm mask. She still couldn't tell what has gotten into him but didn't inquire further about it. Instead she was just leaning against the wall in the control room, watching him silently in interest. She was deep in her own thoughts when he obviously felt her eyes on him and turned towards her. She blinked in confusion for one second when their eyes met and then quickly lowered her eyes with a barely visible blush on her face. Suddenly she found the floor fascinating.

"Anyway, we should go to the engine room to check if everything is going smoothly. The full speed must be putting some strain on the machinery," Shachi suggested and Penguin nodded in return.

Miyako turned her face towards them. "Oh, you're the mechanics of the crew?"

"Yep, the best ones here! We know this sub like the back of our hand," Penguin grinned and stated proudly.

"We're the reason this sub is still working so smoothly. After all, we helped build it," Shachi added with the same amount of pride in his voice while tapping the metal wall of the submarine.

Miyako smiled at the two pirates. They seemed nice even though they still gave her strange looks sometimes that made her just a tad uncomfortable. "I see," was all she answered.

"Didn't you two just say you had work to do?" Law asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right! Come on Shachi!" Penguin urged his friend to move and the two pirates ran out of the room, making sure not to upset their captain. They knew how he could get when he was angry and he already seemed edgy for some reason.

Law stood there as he watched intensely through a big window in the center of the control room. "How much longer until we get there?"

"About 20 minutes, sir," Jean Bart answered steering the ship with ease even though they were going at such speed.

*_He must be a very good navigator…now that I think about it, he used to be a pirate captain too,* _Miyako thought, a bit impressed, looking at the large man who had a naturally scary face.

"Make it 15," Law simply ordered and Bart answered with a "Yes, Sir!"

Bepo shifted uncomfortably next to her and she noticed the bear, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall.

"What's wrong?" Miyako gazed at him with a worried expression.

"I don't like when we're sailing underwater. It's too hot and stuffy." He whined, taking deep breaths. He was clutching Law's nodachi in his paws.

"Hm, yeah, I guess bears aren't really used to sailing. Especially in a submarine. And it looks hot in that jumpsuit with your fur and all…" Miyako gave him a compassionate look, feeling sorry for the polar bear who was obviously used to much colder climate.

"Sorry," He simply said, with a faith blush on his cheeks from embarrassment.

Miyako sighed. "You know, you don't have to apologize for everything."

"Yeah, Sorry." Bepo mumbled once more.

The girl just sighed again but stayed quiet after that, giving up on the subject. *_That bear has absolutely no selfasteem.*_

~...~

"Captain, we're here!" A pirate who was sitting at one of the control panels said. There were a lot of levers and buttons, but he operated on the complicated machinery with ease. His name was Sai if she remembered correctly.

Law gripped the railing on the small platform where he was standing. "Take us out!" He ordered and both Bart and Sai nodded. Bart moved the helm upwards and Sai pushed more buttons and pulled some levers. Law turned to walk to the doors. "Mister Bart, stay at the helm and be ready to leave at any moment." "Bepo, Miss Miyako, come with me." He ordered simply and both walked behind him without complaints.

As they walked towards the deck they met up with Shachi and Penguin who were just about to return to the control room. They followed Law, and the five pirates soon found themselves in the open with scenes of death and chaos all around them. Miyako never saw anything like that. It was like everyone had gone mad. The screams, shouts, cries and weapons could be heard all around. Suddenly she noticed something. "Captain, look!" She pointed high in the air.

At first Law was more surprised that Miyako called him captain without any mockery or sarcasm in her voice. It was the first time it sounded sincere and natural. He soon got out of the daze when he noticed her finger pointing at something…no, someone, in the air.

"It's Straw Hat and Shichibukai Jinbe!" Shachi exclaimed.

"They look horrible," Penguin added in a low voice.

"Someone's carrying them. A clown?" Bepo asked in a confused tone.

"I think he was on the screen before…Buggy was the name," Miyako explained.

Law didn't wait to find out, instead he shouted at the clown. "Hey you, drop them down here, quickly!"

Buggy looked at him suspiciously. "heeeh? Who the hell are you?"

"Tch," Law looked annoyed when the clown ignored his order. "It's fine. I'm a doctor! Now hurry and bring them down here! We don't have much time!"

"Captain! The admirals noticed us and both Kizaru and Aokiji are coming this way! We have to hurry!" Bepo shouted, panicking.

Law ignored the bear and shouted at the pirate clown again, "Quickly!"

"Like I said, who the hell are you and why should I trust you?" Buggy yelled back but before Law could answer, a bright light came at Buggy and he was almost hit by Kizaru's beam.

Kizaru shot another one. Miyako could hear Bepo's panicked screaming in her ear and everyone looked with wide eyes as the beam flew towards them. Law was just about to move and do something when Miyako stepped forward. She unsheathed her katana with lightning speed and created a wind cut out of haki that sliced through the beam. The two attacks collided and made an explosion. Kizaru moved with the speed of light towards her but she had speed of her own to match him and jumped in the air, blocking his new attack. The Admiral jumped backwards, a bit surprised as his bright-shinning leg returned back to normal and revealed a small cut where blood was now trickling from. "Oooooh, you can fight with haki. So scary, pirates these daaays," the marine admiral commented in his monotone voice. Miyako didn't say anything as she landed back down next to her crew and sheathed back her katana.

Law was the first to get over the surprise and shouted at Buggy. "Throw him down here, NOW!"

"Waaah! Ok, ok!" Buggy yelled with panic and tossed both men towards the sub. It was better than staying here to die by the hands of an admiral.

Penguin and Sachi caught them with the help of Bepo and just as they were about to head back to sea, Miyako noticed a familiar face. *_It couldn't be…that man too?* _It was one of the Four Emperors (now three with Whitebeard dead), Shanks. "Another Yonkou appeared!" She exclaimed with amazement at all the strong people here.

Shanks looked directly at her and Miyako stiffened. However, she didn't feel any intimidating presence towards her so she knew it was alright, the man wouldn't attack them. Instead, he tossed her Luffy's straw hat and she caught it with ease. "Here, give this to Luffy later." He said to her simply and Miyako nodded. It's not like she could really say 'No' to him in this situation, anyway.

"I will," It was all she managed to say before she was pulled back in the submarine by Penguin.

Meanwhile, Bepo was running around in circles yelling "we're gonna die! We're gonna die!" but was then pulled in as well by Shachi.

When everyone rushed inside, Law ordered everyone to take Luffy and Jinbe to the infirmary while he went to the control room first and yelled, "Get us out of here now!" Jean Bart nodded and took a quick and sharp dive making them all stumble and almost fall.

Law put on his white coat and gloves as his medical team prepared the two patients for surgery. Bepo was still running around panicked and every now and then went to Law and yelled that they were being attacked. The captain didn't really seem fazed as he calmly operated on Luffy even with the submarine shaking and turning left and right violently. He was too into it to care about what was going outside right now. Miyako noticed Cody among the medical staff helping Law with the equipment needed.

The girl watched in silence at first, but then decided to do something about the bear so Law could work in peace. "Bepo, let's go see if we managed to lost them," she suggested, feeling the submarine had eased on the shaking. Bepo was unsure at first but then nodded and let her walk him out, along with Penguin and Shachi who accompanied them.

They finally managed to outrun the marines and the submarine slowed down a little. Miyako was sitting in front of the infirmary with her usual expressionless face, but she was actually a bit worried for the young Straw Hat captain. Law was still operating on them and it had already been two hours. She couldn't quite explain it, especially when she knew almost nothing about Luffy, but seeing him on that battlefield made her at least respect him. And she felt sorry for the poor boy who witnessed his own brother getting killed after everything they went through to save him. It was like finally catching a butterfly just to watch it escape right from your grasp. She was still holding onto his straw hat and stared at it blankly. The girl was miles away in her thoughts. *_I really hope he'll be fine.* _Suddenly she remembered the other person who was with him. It was that Shichibukai Jinbe. *_What was he doing there anyway? Was it safe to bring him on-board?*_ She remembered the Shichibukai's main purpose was to help the Navy and fight other pirates, and now one of them was inside their ship. She frowned at the thought._ *Then again, he was very wounded and it looked like he was helping Luffy-san and Ace-san in the war. Perhaps he's on their side after all.*_

Meanwhile, Bepo was making too much noise, complaining how hot he was. Penguin and Shachi were commenting on it, but Miyako didn't pay much attention to them. Well at least not until their yells of protest brought her back to reality. As she looked up, she could see Bepo holding the two pirates in a tight grip, rubbing his sweaty fur all over them. Miyako just sweat-dropped, not even wanting to know how it came to this. She sighed with a small smile as the bear started complaining again and the two mechanics promised to bring the sub on the surface. She slowly stood up. "Ok, ok, I'll go tell Bart-san to take us up so just be patient a little, guys."

"Thanks, Miya-chan!" Penguin called after her and she grimaced at the nickname, but didn't comment on it. It was a terrifying thought, but she was slowly getting used to it.

She watched through the main window as the sub went up and soon surfaced, making it shake a little. _*Well I could use a little fresh air myself,_* she thought and walked out the door, almost bumping into Cody on her way.

"Hey, Miyako." He said, looking a bit surprised to see her. She barely recognized him now that he wore a simple grey hat on with big ear mufflers on the sides.

"Cody, how's Luffy-san? Is the operation over? How did it go?" She bombarded him with questions and he put his hands up in a defensive manner.

"Now, now, calm down. We just finished. It was a tough one but for now he's alive and stable. However it's still too early to tell. His condition could change at any moment so we put him on observation," He tried to calm her down as he explained, but there wasn't much to tell yet.

Miyako felt relieved as she sighed and relaxed a bit. He smiled slightly at her relaxed face. "Were you that worried about him?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

The woman felt her cheeks turn warm suddenly. "W-well it's just that he went through a lot and…it was only natural after seeing what happened…," she tried to explain, but truth be told she didn't even know the answer herself.

His laugh stopped her rant and she looked up to see him smiling. "It's ok, it's ok. I was worried too while we operated on him." Cody put his hand in his pockets. "Anyway, I still have some business in the infirmary left so I'll see you later."

She nodded. "Thank you for filling me in." He gave her a slight nod before turning and leaving towards the sickbay. She gazed after him, deep in her own thoughts again and gripped the straw hat a bit tighter.

When Miyako opened the doors to the deck she was in for quite a surprise. The first thing she saw was a big marine battle ship right next to them and she instantly moved one hand to her katana. Luckily Law never had a chance to take it back, after their ordeal at Marineford. Then she saw Boa Hancock, one of the Shichibukai on their deck along with her giant snake and some weird dressed okama people. She recognized their leader from the screen when watching the war. It was Ivankov, the okama queen, and he was huge. Bepo was standing on the side looking depressed while Penguin and Shachi marveled at the Warlord beauty before them. Law was just quietly leaning against the wall on the side with his arms crossed. Then Miyako's eyes fell on one other person. "Ah, you shouldn't be up yet! You're hurt," she called out to the fishman named Jinbe, who she remembered from many tales and pirate legends she read about as a child.

He looked at her, but then bowed his head down at the floor, seemingly depressed almost as much as Bepo. "How can I be resting when Luffy-kun is hurt both emotionally and physically," he asked with a stern voice.

Miyako's eyes softened at that answer and her usually calm mask fell for just a little while. "I understand, but you straining yourself won't help him either. If your wounds open it'll just cause more problems." She felt weird scolding a Shichibukai or rather a former Shichibukai, but his stubbornness won't help the situation at all.

"You girl! Who are you all of a sudden?!" Hancock pointed at the young girl with a demanding tone. Her nose was so much in the air, she was actually looking up with her back bent backwards.

"Um….are you ok? That doesn't look comfortable…," Miyako asked a bit unsure. She could hear a snicker come from Ivankov and Boa snapped her head back, staring at the Wano girl with a shocked gasp.

"Silence! How dare you, insolent creature! Do you know who I am!? I am the beautiful, soon to be Luffy's wife, Boa Hancock! Show more respect, for I am…beautiful!" The woman flipped back her long raven hair in one smooth motion, making the two mechanics blush and stare in awe.

Miyako just sweat-dropped at the long speech and ignored Shachi's and Penguin's roars of agreement. "What does that have to do with anything?" She mumbled, not really getting any of it.

"Enough. You are unimportant right now. Instead, you there, beast, bring me a den-den mushi! We need to get back to Amazon Lily and fast. That is the only safe place for Luffy right now."

"Y-yes," Bepo said and quickly ran off to get a communication device. Miyako scowled at how Boa had treated Bepo but kept silent, not wanting to get into a conflict with the woman.

"Well this is where we have to part!" Ivankov said. "It is time for us to finally return to our long-awaited Okama kingdom! I wish you all the best and take care of Straw Hat-boy for me." He waved; at least Miyako thought it was a 'he,' and jumped back onto the marine battleship.

The samurai could hear cries of farewell long after they had left as they sailed away. _*What a strange bunch,_* she thought while remembering the strange looking men on-board. *_And I thought this clothing looked weird…,* _she thought, looking down at herself. She could see Boa talking to Law about something, but tuned them out as she instead gazed worriedly at the fishman Jinbe, who still looked very anxious, which was perfectly natural in this situation. She tried to smile the best she could as she reassured him, "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Captain is a good doctor so he's in good hands." She remembered how Cody went on and on about Law's medical skills so she knew he was at least trustworthy as a doctor.

Jinbe looked at her and nodded. "Thank you…"

She realized he was silently asking for her name. "Miyako. Suzune Miyako."

That seemed to quirk some interest in the fishman. "Your name…are you from Wano?" Miyako nodded, a bit surprised he noticed just by hearing the name.

"I see. So you're from the New World. You're quite far from home."

Miyako laughed a bit nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Ah…well yeah. It kind of turned out that way…" She really didn't feel like explaining what had happened and she didn't want to talk much about the subject of home since Law was nearby. She didn't want him getting suspicious. She could already feel his eyes on her, but ignored him nonetheless.

~...~

Law had talked over with Hancock about their plan. She had called her ship and offered to help them go through the Calm Belt, though it was unnecessary since they could easily go through it with the submarine. Right now she was having one of her speeches about Luffy or her being beautiful or whatever. Law wasn't really paying attention anymore. He hoped her ship would come soon so they could get a move on. Actually his attention was turned towards Miyako right now. She seemed unfazed by Hancock, which was rare for anyone, even other women. Though Law thought it was silly, he didn't see the big deal about her beauty either and the comments Miyako had made almost made him chuckle. But what really got his attention now was the talk she was having with Jinbe. They were talking about her homeland, Wano, though it was hard to hear them from Hancock's babbling. Miyako was talking to the former Shichibukai like it was completely natural, despite him being of such status, which was quite strange in Law's opinion since most people would be nervous or even frightened. Not that Law was one of them either, of course. Still, the two seemed to get along and Miyako appeared as worried for Luffy as Jinbe was. Law wanted to frown at the thought. *_Why would she care what happens to Straw Hat? She better not be thinking of joining his crew or something as foolish,*_ he thought darkly. He was still suspicious and watched the girl's moves closely, making sure she doesn't make a wrong one. However, he was surprised when she actually complimented his medical skills to Jinbe. He didn't expect her ever saying anything but the worst about him and this only made him more interested and amused. Was she finally accepting him as captain little by little? Today she already called him 'Captain' a few times and it didn't sound forced or mocking. Law smirked at the thought of the girl slowly breaking under him, though he was a bit disappointed it happened so fast. He was watching her from under his hat and saw her smile at Jinbe, but this time it seemed like a sincere smile, not forced like she usually gave _him_.

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><p><strong>So that's the end of chapter 9! Hope you liked it. <strong>

**And Miyako reveals her Haki powers. :) I'm also thinking of giving Law Haki after a while in the story, since he gets stronger throughout those 2 years. (Though it's still unclear does he have Haki or not in the manga, (not as far as they've shown so far), but hey, why not!) **

**Also Miyako is getting along with Jinbe due to the fact he knows a lot about Wano (well in my story anyway), but it's not attraction or anything if you're thinking that. ^^' That would be just too weird. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Yay, a new chapter's up! :D **

**I wanted to thank everyone for the support and reviews, I's so happy you guys like the story. ^^ So first, to address some of the questions/comments I got:**

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><p><strong>Lexzly<strong>**: **Miyako's parents died when she was young (she doesn't even remember them) and her master (a samurai) took care of her and taught her kenjutu. There will be more about him and Wano country in a few chapters. :)

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><p><strong>Sharingan Hime:<strong> Yep, I've already written a lot :) Though I need to divide it in chapters since I just kept writing it without a stop in Word, so it's like a one piece story there. Silly me. ^^'

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><p><strong>Yueres De Leo: <strong>Yes, it is sad. :( It was the saddest moment in whole One Piece for me and Ace was one of my favorite characters.

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><p><strong>Miekaoo:<strong> Thank you! I'll publish a new chapter soon. :)

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><p><strong>Ok, so that would be all. Now let's start! Enjoy!<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<strong>

Miyako was sitting on her bed, cleaning her katana carefully. Law still didn't ask to get it back and she didn't want to remind him of it either, so she decided to lay low and avoid him for a while, hoping he'll forget about it completely. Luffy's straw hat was placed beside her on the bed. She was still thinking of everything that happened today. She became a part of the Heart Pirates crew, went to the middle of the war in Marineford, met two Shichibukai and almost had an argument with one and was currently traveling underwater and avoiding Sea Kings as they traveled through the Calm Belt and towards the legendary women island, Amazon Lily. Boa Hancock's ship arrived not long after what happened on deck and was now leading them to her empire. Miyako wondered what it would be like. And more importantly, she wondered how the women would react to the mostly men crew of pirates coming to an island where men were absolutely forbidden to enter. She never heard a tale of a man who returned from Amazon Lily. *_Well at least I should be safe,*_ she thought with a shrug, but even that was uncertain since she was also a part of this pirate crew now. She scowled a little at the thought. _*It's not like I really want to be…* _Law's smug smirk appeared before her eyes and she quickly shook the image away. She decided to act nice, though, so he wouldn't be suspicious and ask too many questions…and because she wanted her katana back. A knock pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes? Come in!" She called and the doors opened.

It was Cody with his usual smile plastered on his face. He was still wearing that grey hat. Then she noticed another pair of brown working boots behind him. "Hi!" Cody called and stepped aside. "Oh, this is Joshua, but you can call him Josh for short."

Miyako looked at the newcomer. He was short, even shorter than her and had the same uniform as everyone else. But his hat was a simple black cap with a white rim. On the front of the cap were two mean-looking eyes with red pupils, staring right at her. However Josh's eyes were completely different. Two big emerald green orbs stared at her. She could see red hair sticking from under the cap. His face was pale and looked very young, almost child-like.

"oh…I didn't know you had children on board as well." Miyako commented with honest surprise and stared at what she thought was a young boy of about 15.

The "boy's" face reddened with anger instantly. "I'm not a child you stupid woman! I'm 21 years old! And I'm a part of captain's medical staff like Cody."

Miyako was even more surprised now. "T-twenty-one?" She repeated, which only made Josh more annoyed. "You're older than me by two years!"

Cody laughed loudly, cutting their almost-argument off. "Yeah he does look young, huh…especially since he's so short." He grinned and patted Josh's head, which made Josh fume in anger.

"S-shut up you idiot! And don't call me short! I'll kick your ass!" The redhead yelled fiercely, but Cody only laughed at the threat.

Miyako coughed slightly, getting their attention and interrupting their argument. "Ehem. Did you need something?"

"Nah, I just wanted to see how you're doing? You know, if you got used to the submarine and all," Cody answered with a grin.

"Oh, thank you. Well I'm still in the process of getting used to everything and everyone I guess," she shrugged.

"hmm. So you're the new crew member everyone is talking about. You don't look like anything special at all. You look pretty plain and weak actually." Josh commented and Cody gave him a nudge in the ribs. "Ow! What?" Josh called out, rubbing his ribs.

Miyako's eye twitched and she crossed her arms on her chest. "You're one to talk, shrimp," she spat back with annoyance.

"What did you call me?" Josh was red in the face again, both out of anger and embarrassment. "Are you saying I'm short?"

Miyako raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that obvious…"

Obviously she hit a nerve. Josh definitively had some unresolved issues with his height. She could see Cody flailing his arms behind Josh, trying to get Miyako to stop, but she ignored him and kept on with the intense staring contest Josh and her were currently having. However they were both brought out of it when they heard voices in front of Miyako's door. The three pirates turned their heads towards the door as they could hear bickering right outside. The girl went to the door and opened them, stepping to the side as Shachi and Penguin fell on their faces into the room. She crossed her arms and looked down at them with a mild angry look. "What do you think you're doing?"

The two mechanics stood up as quickly as they could with slight blushes on their faces. "N-No, No! It's not what you think! We were just walking by and then saw Josh and Cody enter your room so we decided to check it out…in case they had some bad intentions." Penguin explained looking suspiciously at the two medics.

"The only ones having bad intentions around here are you two perverts!" Josh yelled. His temper was obviously as short as he was. Miyako snickered at the though and Josh looked at her warningly as if he just read her mind.

"W-what are you saying? We were just worried about our friend Miya-chan!" Shachi argued with the short redhead.

"It's Miyako, not Mi-" Miyako tried to explain, sick of the nickname she got, first on Sabaody and now on the sub. But she was cut off by Josh as he argued on with the two mechanics. Meanwhile Cody was trying to ease the situation and calm everyone down. And just as she was about to yell for everyone to get out of her room, a new voice traveled from the doorway, making everyone stop what they were doing.

"What's going on here? Miss Miyako, you've got quite a party here." It was Law and he was leaning on the doorway, with his arms crossed and the usual smirk on his face.

"C-captain!" The two medics and two mechanics exclaimed in surprise, while Miyako just stared at him.

"Heey guys, where did you all go?" Yet another voice came and soon Bepo appeared at the doorway as well.

Miyako was starting to get annoyed by everyone just barging in. *_Seriously! Did they forget this is my private room?*_

Law ignored their startled exclaim. "We arrived at Amazon Lily and will be surfacing shortly. So if everyone's done here, go to your positions and prepare yourselves."

Penguin and Shachi grinned at the thought that they'll soon be seeing the legendary women from Amazon Lily. Cody had a slight blush as well, but Josh only rolled his eyes, annoyed. Miyako stayed calm and quiet as always, not really caring either way. She was interested in the island but definitively not because of the women.

"Aye, captain!" The men exclaimed and went out of the door, saying bye to Miyako who just waved after them with a relieved sigh. "Bye Miyako!" Cody called and waved with a smile, but soon rushed out of the door when he saw his captain's impatient look.

"Bye Ugly." Josh commented as he passed her.

"Bye, Shorty." Miyako answered calmly, unfazed by his comment. He, on the other hand, was red in the face from her retort but kept any thoughts to himself as he walked out. Law gave her a questioning look, but she just shrugged.

"I'm glad you're getting along so well with the crew." Law said with a smirk when they were alone.

Miyako shrugged again. "Well they don't seem that bad. Though it's a bit early to tell," she answered, remembering they only knew each other for about 2 days. But those 2 days were so full of happenings that it seemed more like 2 weeks.

"In any case, you should prepare as well. I'm sure we've arrived by now." Law moved from his spot and turned to leave, then stopped just before closing the doors behind him. "Oh and don't think I forgot about _that_." He pointed behind his back right at the katana on the bed. Miyako stiffened, thinking he was surely about to take it away again, but then he added, "Well you've been acting nice lately so I'll let you keep it…for now." Law closed the doors behind him, not waiting for an answer.

Miyako frowned at his smug comment and just knew he had _that_ smirk on his face. The one she couldn't stand.

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><p><strong>Aaaand we're done. :) <strong>

**Miyako is meeting new friends! Yay ^^ I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to add some additional characters to the story to make it more interesting. **

**I might publish more chapters today and I still have my newest chapter to finish but I'm sooo sleepy. Meh, coffee here I come! XP **

**As always reviews are very welcome. I hope you liked it!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't like you! ** by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Well I decided to upload a new chapter sooner since the last one was pretty short. But that's why there's plenty of this one. ^^'**

**Not much to say. Have fun reading it and enjoy. **

**Oh yeah, and reviews are welcome as always. :)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 11<strong>

As Miyako opened the door of the deck she saw all the crew already there, marveling at the islands' beauties. Even Munk was there. However the "beauties" didn't seem as pleased. Actually Miyako could feel a certain amount of haki that was anything but welcoming. They had a warning aura around them and the only reason they didn't attack them yet was because of Boa Hancock who explained the situation.

"They don't seem very welcoming," Law commented with his usual smirk, seemingly not even worried about it.

Miyako felt an arrow approaching, but Law easily moved his head to the side and dodged it, not even flinching. The girl wondered for a while if he was able to use Kenbunshoku haki like her. She never saw him use haki, though she only saw him fight twice, where once was against her.

"I think you all better get inside," the captain suggested to his crew who had a disappointed look on their faces. She could even hear a few of them grumble how it wasn't fair.

In the end, Boa had managed to strike a deal with the elder and the crew was allowed to stay, thought only at the small island gulf. And they were forbidden to go any further into the island than the seaside there. Miyako felt good, standing on solid ground again after 2 days and gazed around the sunny island. She was a bit disappointed that she won't see their city and the inner island, but she didn't want to risk it. She might be a woman, but she was still a part of the pirate crew now so she wasn't sure what kind of rules applied for her.

When they anchored and went ashore, the girls timidly crowded around the pirates interested in them, but were shooed away and warned by a scary one who obviously had authority. Her name, as Miyako later heard, was Kikyo. The girls weren't even allowed to talk to the men as they served them food and gave them supplies for their ship. _*Well not that they were missing something by not talking to them,_* Miyako thought with a sweat-drop.

One of the girls handed Miyako a metal bowl with stew in it and Miyako nodded with a "Thanks. " The girl had short blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a simple furry outfit made from some spotted animal and a cape. "Oh, you're actually a girl!" The girl noted in surprise.

"Um…yeah." Miyako answered, not really knowing what to say to such a statement.

"But you're with all those pirate men!?" She stated, but it sounded like a question of disbelief. Still, before Miyako could answer anything, the girl turned around to her friends and called out to them. "Hey guys! There's actually a girl with them! The girl is traveling with the men!"

"Is that really so strange?" Miyako said quietly with a sweat-drop forming, but she was ignored as the girls from the tribe started crowding around her in interest with a million questions.

"Are you really allowed to travel with the men? What are they like? Do they stretch?" The questions started pouring out and some of them were downright weird. Obviously the girls wanted her to satisfy their interest in men since they couldn't ask them themselves, yet since she was a woman it was ok.

"Outrages! Disgusting!" Kikyo spat the comments standing on the side away from the crowd. Obviously she had some serious man-hate going on there.

The thought of women and men living together and on a boat was something these women couldn't even comprehend.

"Come on now, leave the poor girl alone." Ran, one of the Kuja pirates, warned as she tried to save the said poor girl from the crowd. The girls sighed, but nodded their heads and went away to finish their work.

"Sorry about that," Ran said with a sheepish smile.

"It's ok. But your culture is really interesting. I just don't understand why you hate men so much?" Miyako asked. It's not like she was an expert in men herself, but she never judged anyone by what they were on the surface. Only constructed her opinion on them from what she saw of them and what kind of personality they had. Yet the Kuja tribe seemed to hate or at least disapprove of men indiscriminately.

"It's been like this for as long as we remember….for centuries. Men are thought as evil and vile and they bring war and misfortune to wherever they step. It is said they carry a certain disease that can affect us," Ran explained, but Miyako just watched her, even more confused.

"Disease?"

Ran shrugged. "I'm not really sure. It could just be a legend. In any case, men are not allowed on this island and the girls can't mingle with them. Only now and then will a Kuja woman leave the island, then return pregnant and always have a girl. That's how we repopulate.

"I see. I was just wondering about that," Miyako mumbled, thinking how odd it was that the children were always born as girls.

~...~

Law was sitting along with his two head mechanics, Bepo, Jean Bart and Jinbe, sipping some wine the Kuja brought. There was a large heap of food in front of them, but he barely touched it as he wasn't really hungry. Jinbe was still deep in thought just as always since he woke up, but Law didn't comment on it. It wasn't his place get involved anyway. He heard a soft sigh beside him and saw Miyako had sat down between Jinbe and him, though stayed nearer to Jinbe. She seemed to trust the former Shichinukai more than her own captain ever since they talked about her home country. It seemed Jinbe was very familiar with it, which could also be seen by his Wano clothes. The thought made Law annoyed, not that he'd ever show it to her.

"Something wrong Miss Miyako?" He asked with a small smirk gracing his features. He knew she was trying to hide and avoid the Kuja tribe girls. Ever since they found out there was a girl they could talk to about the outside world, they wouldn't give her a moment's peace. Law was actually amused as he saw Miyako's constant tries to get rid of them.

"No." She simply said with a calm look. She was holding Luffy's hat in her lap, unwilling to leave it. She noticed his questioning expression as Law stared at the hat.

"I want to give it to him when he wakes up," she spoke softly, looking at the hat, and it was obvious she was deep in thought miles away. The captain was starting to get annoyed by the girl's constant worry about the other pirate captain. Even if she didn't say anything, it was clearly written on her face no matter how much she tried to conceal it.

"Why do you worry so much about him?" Law asked in a calm, but interested tone.

Miyako just shrugged, uncertain herself. "I don't know…it's just that when I saw him fight for his brother like that...I always wished I had someone to fight for like that…but I could only swing my sword for myself…And yet he lost that person."

She was still deep in thought and looked as if she was talking more to herself than to Law. It was as if she didn't even realize the question was asked by him, and thought it was coming somewhere from her mind. Then when she finally realized she was talking with her captain, she blinked in confusion and then made a shocked face with a slight embarrassed blush. "Aaah, I said too much! Sorry, never mind! Just forget it!" She was moving her arms in front of her quickly in a defensive manner as if trying to make Law and everyone else who heard her forget what she just said. "Honestly I don't know why I worry so much. I know it's weird since I don't even know him, but I can't explain it." She laughed nervously.

"It's fine Miyako-dono. I can understand it. Luffy has certain charisma around him that effects people," Jinbe commented with a nod.

Law didn't comment anything. He just stared at the embarrassed girl who was chatting with the rest of the group.

Miyako was still staring at the hat as she remembered something from her past. She remembered when she was 17 and just finished her lesson. She was sitting in the dojo across her master who had a serious look on his face.

_"Miyako, you have mastered everything this technique could give you. There is nothing else I can teach you. Now it is just up to you to perfect your skills. However…even though you are certainly good with the sword and the most skilled of all your peers, you still lack something."_

_"Lack something, master?" The young Miyako looked at her master confused, not knowing what he could be talking about._

_Her master nodded. "Yes, and without it you will never achieve true greatness as a samurai."_

_Miyako's eyes widened. "What is it master? What am I lacking?"_

_"Miyako, throughout these last 16 years as I watched over you, I watched carefully as your skill blossomed and so did you. But throughout all this time you have swung this sword only for yourself, not for others. "_

_Miyako's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand, master."_

_"I hope you will one day, Miyako. I hope one day you will swing your sword for the sake of someone else. Then you will find what you are lacking…the purpose for using this sword. The true strength you can achieve only by having someone to protect."_

~...~

Miyako was silent, not knowing what to say. True, she had always practiced swordsmanship only for herself and didn't have anyone to protect but she didn't really think about it much. But now that she thought about it…what purpose for swordsmanship did she have? She swung the sword to achieve strength and because she loved kenjutsu, but what purpose did she have for fighting? What purpose did she have as a samurai? Miyako didn't know the answers to these questions and a part of the goal of her journey as she headed out into the unknown world was to find the answer she was looking for. To find what she was lacking, a purpose in both her life and kenjutsu. Even now, 3 years later, Miyako still didn't have answers to those questions. And because of that she felt weak no matter how strong she was or how hard she trained.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. "Huh?" She blinked and looked up to see smoke rising from the submarine. Then Luffy ran out and started running around with the Hart Pirates crew trying to catch him.

"If he continues to move so much his wounds will reopen and he'll die," Law said rather bluntly with a calm voice as if he didn't care either way.

Jinbe stood up and looked after Luffy's running form, who managed to escape deeper into the island's forest. "Jinbe-san?" Miyako asked seeing the large fishman move.

"I need to stop him," he simply said.

Miyako was worried but only nodded, knowing there was no other way to deal with this. The former Shichibukai was probably the only one who could stop Straw Hat right now.

~...~

"They say any man who tries to get into Kuja village is turned to stone, but it might be worth it anyway," Shachi mused as he and the rest of the crew members pondered should they go after Luffy or not.

"And Aphelandra-chan said the girls here were only a small portion of the girls living on the island," Penguin added and the crew nodded with star and heart shaped eyes. They all had small blushes on their faces.

"I wonder if there's any female bears here," Bepo added.

"Shut up Bepo, this is a _girls'_ island! _Human_ girls only!" Penguin yelled frustrated.

"I'm so sorry." Bepo said with a bowed head in depression.

"They've been gone for a long time," Miyako noted, sitting a little away from the bickering crew. She really didn't care about their dilemma. They were acting like love-struck puppies anyway. It seemed the only people left normal in their crew at the moment were her, Law and Jean Bart.

"Straw Hat-ya has a lot to process right now," Law sipped some of his wine as he sat next to her.

"He probably needs some alone time to deal with everything," Jean Bart added. He didn't comment much on this whole matter since they had picked up Luffy from Marineford. Miyako couldn't tell what he thought about all this. She nodded, agreeing with both of them and gripped a bit tighter at the straw hat in her hands.

_*Still, I'm so worried….but I shouldn't bother Luffy and Jinbe…though I want to make sure they're both ok! Besides, Jinbe was hurt too…Ok, that's it! I've decided!*_ Miyako stood up suddenly after her little mind battle and everyone looked at her with surprised and confused looks. "I'm going to go return this hat to him!" She said with a resolve that dared anyone to try and stop her. Yes, that excuse had to work, it would be perfect.

"No." Law said suddenly, crushing her resolve with one simple word and she almost fell on her face from the unexpected answer.

"What do you mean 'No'!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at him clearly annoyed.

"We don't know in what condition he is."

"Well that's all the more reason to-" Miyako started, but he cut her off.

"You saw what he was like when he ran off. He's clearly not in his right mind at the moment and he could be dangerous. He might injure you and I don't want any more trouble before setting off." Law's tone left no room for further arguments and she knew it was final. She sat back down with a cold face, but he knew she was pouting and furious. She was emitting a dark aura everyone could sense.

Law told the truth when he said his argument but kept quiet about the other reason. Seeing how the girl worried for Straw Hat made him suspicious and he didn't want her joining Straw Hat's crew out of pity or any other reason. He didn't know what she might have done when she found Luffy so this was safer. Miyako was _his_ swordsman and he had no intention of losing _any_ of his crew to someone else.

~...~

Miyako was bored out of her mind, watching Penguin and Shachi fishing. Everyone seemed in the same mellow mood, tired of sitting and waiting. She kept ignoring Law completely, who was sitting there as well. She didn't even want to look at him. A part of her knew he was right though the other part told her he was just doing this to spite her. The truth was probably somewhere in between.

"Don't worry Miyako, both of them will be fine."

She looked to her left to see Cody's smiling face, who obviously saw she was still troubled.

"I'm sure you're right Cody. I just wish I could at least return this hat to Luffy…" She sighed, purposely over-dramatic. Law gave her a sideways glance but didn't comment.

"I don't see what's the big deal. He's our enemy anyway so why's everyone so worried. You're all getting on my nerves!" Josh commented in an edgy tone. He was bored to hell and wanted to move out already.

"Shut up, Shrimpy," Miyako spat. It seemed Josh was the only one who could bring her out of her calm, cold facade even more than captain who had to work and find just the right words to do so. That made Law look curiously at the now arguing couple. Cody, as always, tried to calm them down though unsuccessfully. Their bickering ended when they heard Penguin's surprised yelp.

"What's going on, Penguin?!" One of the other crewmembers, Miyako didn't know the name of, questioned. She took a mental note to try and learn the names of other crewmembers after all this. *_But then again, I don't plan to be in this crew much longer…only until we get to Wano.*_

"A Sea King! And something killed it!" Penguin started explaining everything he was seeing when suddenly a person emerged from under the water and climbed up.

"T-That's….that's…." Shachi stuttered and everyone finished the sentence in unison. "DARK KING SILVER RAYLEIGH!"

However there was something else that was currently going through Miyako's mind. She blinked a few times with her golden orbs fully open, trying to remember, then suddenly pointed at him with her finger. "Ah! You're the old guy from the auction house!" Rayleigh looked at the group and then at the girl who was now the center of everyone's eyes after her outburst.

"Ah yes, we met at Sabaody," he glanced at Law, but then turned his attention to the girl. "Oh, and you were one of the slaves."

"Oy, old man! Why didn't you take my collar off at that time!" Miyako said angrily, forgetting all courtesy. She clearly remembered he just ignored her and walked away when she asked him _nicely_ to take her collar off as he did to himself. The crew looked at her in shock with the way she was speaking to Gold Roger's first mate.

Rayleigh just laughed. "Well it seems it all worked out so it wasn't necessary anyway."

"Tch," Miyako frowned and crossed her arms on her chest. But then her curiosity got the best of her. "How did you do that with haki anyway?"

"Ah so you know about haki. Now that I think about it, I remember you. I saw you on the screen, you were the girl who stopped Kizaru's attack."

Miyako nodded. "But I don't see how you opened it with haki…if I had tried something like that I'm sure it would have blown up."

Rayleigh smiled. "But you didn't actually try so how do you know? It all depends on how precise your haki is and how you concentrate it. You could have probably done it too. But you decided it would fail from the start even before trying and of course didn't go through with it."

"Well rather safe than sorry," Miyako mumbled.

The ex-pirate chuckled, staring at her with amusement and a knowing look. "But sometimes you have to take the risk." He noted with a smile and shrugged.

The crew looked at each other confused. "What are they talking about?" Josh whispered to Cody.

The other medic just shook his head with a silent _"_I don't know."

"Maybe it's a New World thing?" Penguin whispered and everyone nodded.

Law suddenly stood up. "I think it is time for us to go." He simply said and Rayleigh looked at him.

"It seems you saved Luffy. You have my gratitude." The Dark King said in a more serious tone.

"It was nothing. I just felt like it this time, but the next time we meet we'll be enemies." Law answered and started walking towards their vessel, not looking back. "Men, get ready! Put all the food and supplies on the ship! We're heading out!" He yelled commands.

"Aye, aye, captain!" everyone cheered, happy to be going on the sea again even though there was a faint disappointment in their voice because they were leaving the Kuja girls.

Miyako walked over to Rayleigh. "Could you give this to him when he wakes up?" She handed him Luffy's hat, a bit disappointed she couldn't give it to the Straw Hat herself. She wanted to see if he was alright and actually meet the boy.

Rayleigh smiled seeing the hat, as if it held fond memories for him and took it. "Of course. You all take care now. And you should believe more in yourself and practice your haki. You'll need it in the New World," Rayleigh warned her and she nodded.

"I will," the girl answered seriously.

Miyako ran over to the submarine and jumped on deck with one swift movement. As she walked inside and closed the doors she heard a voice next to her. She already knew he was there as she felt his presence as soon as she stepped in the hallway.

"So it is true. You can use haki." Law said, leaning against the wall in his usual posture. Miyako simply nodded though she wasn't sure he could see it in the dark.

"Did you use it when you fought me?" He asked.

Miyako frowned as she remembered their fight and her only loss. "Not really. I have to admit I underestimated you and didn't fight as serious as I should have. Besides you didn't attack me directly so I couldn't predict what you would do…since it was a sneaky move." She added, her pride still somewhat hurt though she knew it was her fault as well. She held back and didn't fight in all seriousness because she didn't think he was that strong. She thought she already had all his moves figured out and that made her relax too much.

Law smirked at her comment but didn't respond.

However there was something that interested her as well. "What about you? You dodged that arrow easily so I thought you at least possessed Kenbunshoku Haki."

Law's eyebrows furrowed a little. "Kenbunshoku? I see…I did somehow feel that arrow approaching. Though I can't really explain it." He said as he thought about it. "Miyako. Would you be so kind to explain more about Haki to me? Come by later to my quarters," he said.

Miyako blinked at the way he referred to her without the usual 'Miss' attached to the name, but ignored it. *_He must really be in thought about this so he didn't even realize.*_ She just nodded at his order and walked away towards the galley. She still had a job on this sub that needed to be done. _*I need to help out in the kitchen. Dinner will be coming soon.*_ She left Law there as he had his own pondering and business to attend to. They just submerged and she knew they'll have some trouble avoiding Sea Kings throughout the Calm Belt. Miyako took a quick stop at her room to leave her katana there and then noticed a stain on her skirt. With a frown she noticed her clothes needed to be washed, but these were all she had. *_I can't shower and then put dirty clothes again anyway.*_ With a sigh she remembered the bag with a spare pair of underwear and her old kimono but she left it in her hotel room at Sabaody. She looked at the closet and opened it in hopes there was anything useful in there and her eyes widened as there was a single bag there. The bag she had left in her room. *_Ah, now that I think about it, there was someone up there….Gah, so they took my stuff and put them here! That egoistical captain! Like he knew he'll get me on his ship even then!*_ Miyako was annoyed. She looked inside to see a pair of frilly underwear and her kimono with various big flower prints on it. She sighed and put everything aside, going to the galley.

In the kitchen there seemed to be more chaos then usual as cooks ran around the place. "What's going on?" She asked Munk while he was cooking on two pans at once.

"We be late coz of tha delay. Tha dinner'll be soon an' we still ain't done!" Munk shouted over the noise in the kitchen and gave her a full cooking pot that was almost larger then herself to carry it to the serving place. Miyako stumbled, but caught her balance and gripped the heavy thing tightly. And if all that wasn't enough, every now and then the sub would move sharply since they were still avoiding Sea Kings. Miyako sighed when she put the pot away but then the ship shook again and made a sharp left turn. Everyone gripped at anything they could, but unfortunately some didn't have the time as they went tumbling in all directions. Someone fell onto someone else, who was holding a pot of steaming hot soup and the one holding it stumbled from it. Losing his grip on the pot, the flaming hot liquid splashed out of the pot and right onto Miyako. She yelped in surprise and pain, only having time to shield her face with her hands as the soup washed over her. Her skin felt itchy and hot, as the liquid burned her through her clothes.

"Miyako!" Munk yelled in worry and rushed towards her as the sub finally stopped shaking.

"I-I'm ok." She said, still a bit shocked at what happened.

The head chef lifted up her sleeve and grimaced at the burning red skin underneath. "Ya ain't ok, ya hav burns!" He sighed. "C'mon, let's get ya in the infirmary."

She nodded and let herself be led away. "What ya all be starin' at! Get back tha work!" The chef yelled back at the shocked pirates. The cooks got over their surprise and the usual rush continued in the kitchen.

Munk knocked at the doors of the infirmary and waited until Cody opened the doors and peeked his head out. "We have ya a patient." The large cook said with a smile and Miyako waved with a sheepish smile of her own, ignoring the pain. Cody's eyes went wide when he saw Miyako's shirt completely wet along with some of her hair and he could see burns forming on the arm where the sleeve was lifted.

"What happened to you!?" The medic yelped in a serious and surprised tone as he opened the doors completely and let them in. Josh was in the room too and he looked over at them with interest to see what was going on. "Joshua, go get the Captain!" Cody ordered.

The redhead nodded and went out, but not before he could whisper a comment when he was next to Miyako, loud enough for her to hear. "Troublesome girl! You better be fine!" Even though he looked annoyed and always fought with Miyako, he was worried about the girl too and it was pretty obvious. At least to anyone except Miyako, who was never really good with human relations. She stuck her tongue at him before he exited the room.

"It's nothing really. A pot of soup fell on me…" Miyako explained, trying to calm everyone down. She didn't want to make a fuss.

"A pot of steamin' hot soup!" Munk corrected. He turned around and started walking to the doors. "I better be goin' before those fools in tha galley make any more mess. Ya take care, girly."

"Thanks Munk-san," Miyako called to him as he closed the doors.

"Now, let's get you out of those clothes…It seems only the top body was spilled on so you can keep the skirt." Cody said in a professional tone, obviously speaking as a medic now. But that didn't help to ease Miyako's shock.

"What?" She almost screamed. She managed to calm herself down a little and speak more normally, but there was still a flaming blush on her cheeks. Now she was red even in the face, making her look like some kind of crab. "You want me to take off my shirt?"

Cody nodded not understanding what the problem was. He looked surprised at the reaction. "Well yeah, how else will we treat your burns? And besides, the clothes are only making them more irritated."

"We?" Miyako repeated as if that was the only thing she heard. At that moment the doors opened again and Law walked in with a serious expression. As soon as he saw her he went to her. Josh was right behind him, handing Law his rubber gloves and the white coat. "Sit here." Law ordered her, pointing at one of those hard and uncomfortable examination tables. She reluctantly sat up on the high bed making her legs dangle in the air.

"So what happened?" He asked in a serious, doctor-like tone. He looked at the soaking girl, her hair all sticky and messy and wet, much like her top, which was uncomfortably sticking to her body. Only her lower part of the body looked fine. He noticed an arm where burns started forming. When Josh walked hurriedly in his quarters and said Miyako was hurt, a lot of possibilities went through his head. He knew they were having quite the maneuvers with the sub right now to avoid the sea monsters in the ocean so a lot could have happened. He felt a bit more at ease when he saw the girl standing in his infirmary was seemingly alright, though he'd never admit it outright.

"Someone spilled boiling soup on her in the kitchen. She's got second degree burns on her upper body. Her face and lower body seem fine, though."

Miyako sighed, already tired of the fuss. "I'm telling you I'm fine, it's nothing. I shielded my face with my arms and the soup only spilled on my top."

"But she refuses to take her shirt off so I could examine her," Cody continued, ignoring her.

Miyako blushed again and put her hands protectively on her chest. "I'm not taking it off!" The movement of skin rubbing against skin on her arms and the pressure she made on her chest made Miyako wince a little. It was only a split second and it was hardly audible, but it was enough for Law's all-seeing, piercing eyes to notice.

"Josh, Cody, give us a moment in private." He said serious with narrowed eyes, not taking them off of the girl. The two medics nodded and went outside, closing the doors behind them. "There, now there's only you and me and I'm only trying to treat you, which I can't do if you don't cooperate."

Miyako's hands didn't budge. "It's no better because _you're_ still here. I am NOT taking off my shirt in front of any man, especially _you_!" Her eyes showed determination as her stubbornness continued.

Law was obviously losing his patience as his eyes narrowed again. He gripped her lower arm making her yelp in surprise and pain. "See? You are not fine. Now lose the shirt Miss Miyako, that's an order." He said through gritted teeth and for a moment they both stared at each other but then Law gripped her a bit tighter and she broke the staring contest with a soft wince.

"Fine." She gave up softly, defeated, and Law let go of her so she could take her top off. She bit down on a wince that was threatening to spill as she moved her arms and the shirt over her head, which made the fabric rub uncomfortably on her burnt skin. On some places the fabric was a bit stuck on the reddened skin and it hurt even more to peel it off. When she was finally done, Miyako put down the stained piece of clothing, too embarrassed to even look up at the captain and the doctor of the crew.

Law looked at her body but not in the wanting kind of way. His gaze was completely serious and professional as he studied her burns. She had burns on both arms and her upper chest. There were some places on the neck as well and on her right shoulder. However not all of them were very serious. The most serious ones were on her lower arms, since she used them to shield her face and most of her upper body.

"Hm..it's not so serious but it definitively needs taking care of." He murmured more to himself than her. "First of all, go through that door, there's a small bathroom with a shower. Use it. I'll get someone to fetch you new clothes in the meantime." He said simply and Miyako could see he was in no mood for more arguing so she nodded and did as he told her. "But don't let the water get too hot. Keep it on mild temperature," he called after her before going out of the room.

Miyako had to admit, the water felt good against her sore skin and it was good to be clean again. When she went out she could see her bag with underwear and kimono in it and everything was washed and clean. Even her old wooden sandals were there. She blushed madly at the thought of someone washing her clothes or even bringing it here but put it aside. She got dried and dressed but kept the upper part of her kimono down since she would just need to lower it later for the treatment anyway. She was happy to have this "Bra" on as they called it, which was much more practical than bandages and cloths they used in Wano. She went back into the infirmary and noticed Law waiting for her which made her flush red once more, but she kept silent. She wanted to make this as less painful to her pride as possible. Law smirked at her embarrassed face.

She sat back on the table and noticed there were already some salves and bandages ready to be used there. Law went to her and started applying medicine on her brunt skin. The contact was painful but she kept quiet and endured it. *_Damn, this just had to happen, and right after I healed from my previous explosion wounds,* _she thought rather bitterly.

Her gaze stayed calm and there was complete silence in the room. She didn't make a sound, enduring every pain she felt. Law was impressed. He thought of teasing her for a while, especially seeing her embarrassed face, but decided against it after all. Even he had some compassion sometimes and he never messed around when it came to doctor business.

Miyako had to concentrate on something to forget about the constant pain and her gaze fell onto the first thing in front of her –Law. She never really examined his appearance before since she didn't really care to look at him that much. If there was any interest in Law, it was in his mental capability, not his appearance. So now she examined the man who was at the moment working on one of the burns on her shoulder. Even now he had that fuzzy spotted hat on his head, covering most of his hair. *_What's with this crew and hats anyway?*_ His skin was tan, which made quite a contrast with hers, she noticed, as his hand rested on her pale shoulder. He had stormy grey eyes, a color she never saw before on anyone. But it somehow suited him. She could see dark circles under his eyes which was a sign of sleep deprivation. His lips were thin and she almost frowned as she thought of that smug smirk they would always form. He had dark, black hair but she could only see that by the patch of unshaven skin on his chin and the sideburns that surprisingly fit his appearance. Miyako was sure they would just look silly on anyone else, but he could pull them off. That's also when she realized she had never seen him with his hat off in these two days. She had no idea what he looked like under it. *_He probably only takes it off when he sleeps.* _Lastly, her attention fell on two small golden piercings he had in each ear though he didn't strike her as a jewelry type of person.

"Is there something interesting on my face, Miss Miyako?" Law suddenly asked with a smirk, not stopping the treatment he was now giving to Miyako's side of the neck.

The girl almost fell off the examining table with surprise and embarrassment as she was now sporting a crimson shade of red on her cheeks. "N-No, of course not! I was just thinking! I-It wasn't on purpose." Miyako tried to think of a good excuse but right now she could barely think of forming words through her unease. She was caught staring, plain and simple.

"I see," he said with his smirk only getting bigger. Obviously he didn't believe her.

"A-anyway, are we done yet?" Miyako asked, trying to hide her anxiousness by being impatient.

"Not yet." He simply answered. He didn't like to be hurried. Law moved a strand of her hair out of the way as he worked inches away from her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and that made her stiffen. He brushed her neck lightly with his fingertips and she realized he didn't have his gloves anymore. She knew he was just applying the salve on her sensitive skin but no matter how much she repeated it to herself, her body didn't calm down. And it didn't help that her skin was so sensitive due to the burning so she felt everything intensely. Miyako could feel the hotness in her cheeks now and he must have noticed, but luckily didn't say anything about it. She didn't realize she had stopped breathing and was stiff as a rod until he pulled away and she let out a sigh of relief. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, much louder and quicker than usual.

"There. Now we just need to put the bandages," he commented and Miyako prayed it will involve minimum skin contact, which it pretty much did. Much less than him brushing his fingertips against her skin at least. It went pretty fast too so she could finally pull her kimono up and make herself look presentable again.

Law moved to the side so she could jump down from the table. "Thanks." She muttered, too embarrassed to try and say anything else. Law found it amusing how she was out of any smart remarks for the first time.

"You're welcome." He had an amused smirk on his face, but Miyako ignored it as she went to pick up her previous clothes. She didn't realize she was the one being watched now. Law noticed it was the first time he saw the girl with her hair down, without her usual red ribbon. Her dark bluish hair was long and went all the way to her mid thighs. It was still wet and stuck to her kimono and shoulders. Her kimono was falling gracefully around her body and opened at the end to reveal a part of her thigh and showing down one of her long legs. It was either a bit too big or she didn't have time to tie it properly because the upper part was falling a bit constantly, revealing her bare shoulders and some cleavage. She had bare feet which she put in wooden sandals that had a bit of a platform. All in all, the girl was quite beautiful even though he'd rather cough up blood than say that aloud.

"Well if that's all, I should get back to work," she softly said while bowing slightly and trying to keep her kimono in place.

Law sighed. "You should take it easy for a while. Go eat dinner, then you're free for the rest of the day." He didn't want to look soft but he was a doctor after all and she shouldn't mess up her bandages already. It was a simple doctor's opinion, nothing more.

Miyako seemed a bit surprised at this as her golden big eyes widened slightly. She was just about to protest but then saw his 'Don't argue with me' look so she closed her mouth again. "I see. Thank you." She said, still confused at his good nature all of a sudden. She exited the room leaving Law to clean up and arrange the items. She noticed the two medics were gone, probably in the galley eating dinner so she rushed there as well.

~….~

She tried to ignore the looks of lust coming from certain crewmembers while other just stared at her in interest or shock. Well no wonder with her kimono there. In Wano it would be a simple piece of attire that wouldn't even raise interest but here it looked as flashy as it could get. She took a trey of food and found the table Cody and Josh were sitting at. As soon as she arrived, Josh rolled his eyes. "What's with the outfit?" He smirked.

"Much like you, my clothing supply is short." She said matter-of-factly making the redhead match his face with the color of his hair. However before he could retort, she continued, "I only have this since my other clothing had to be washed. Hopefully I'll buy some more at the next island we come to."

"Well I think it suits you." Cody said with a slight blush looking at her kimono.

"Thanks." Miyako said shyly.

"Suck up," Josh commented and was hit by Cody under the table. "Ow! What?"

Miyako tuned out the rest of their conversation as she finished her food. Her gaze fell upon her bandaged arms and she remembered something…or better yet, someone. She stood up suddenly startling the men around her and walked towards the kitchen to see Munk.

"Where are you going?" Cody called after her.

"I just thought of something."

"You've got an idea? Impossible!" Josh called out with a smirk but Miyako ignored him. She had more important matters to take care of right now.

~...~

Miyako knocked on her captain's quarters.

"Come in."

She opened the doors slightly and came to his desk, sitting down on a chair across him and putting a small plate in front of him. "Here." She said simply and leaned on the table with her elbow resting her head on her palms.

Law raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What's this?"

"A chocolate cake. Isn't it obvious," She answered, her brows furrowing at his question.

"I can see that..but why?"

Miyako shrugged. "Well you did treat my wounds and I know you had to stay behind to clean up so your dinner probably got cold when you finally came here. So this is kind of a "Thank you" for all the trouble." Munk told her Law's dinner was delivered to his quarters at exactly 8 p.m. whether he was in or not. And she knew they were still at the infirmary at 8.30. She may have some issues with Law…ok, a lot, but she knew when to be grateful and how to respect when someone did something for her. So she put all her animosity aside and decided to do something nice. "Besides, I was bored so I had extra time," she shrugged. It was the truth too, she knew she didn't have anything to do after dinner so why not make a cake.

Law frowned. "You made this?"

Now it was Miyako's time to frown. "Yes. Why? Is something wrong with it?" She looked at the chocolate cake but it looked fine to her.

"I don't know, you tell me. Is it poisoned?" Law said with a smirk.

Ah, now Miyako understood. He was surprised that she was so nice to actually give him some of the cake she baked. He found it suspicious. So to prove him wrong, Miyako took the fork and scooped some of the cake with it. She gave Law a long stare before she put the cake in her mouth and continued to look at him as she chewed slightly so that he could see there was nothing wrong.

"Hm…I guess it was fine after all. Well it still seems awfully uncharacteristic of you Miss Miyako. Or is it a part of your plan to make me relax before you really do poison my food next time," he asked with a smirk.

Miyako shrugged, smirking herself. "Who knows…" She took another bite of the chocolate cake.

"I don't eat sweets." He simply said and continued writing something.

"Who doesn't like chocolate cake?" Miyako exclaimed in honest surprise.

"I didn't say I don't like them, I say I don't eat them," he answered calmly, not moving his attention from the paper he was writing on.

The samurai girl raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference….? Ah, are you afraid your image as the scary pirate captain will crumble if you eat sweets?" She grinned with a teasing glint in her eye.

Law finally looked up and stared blankly at her for a second. Then without any warning he took the fork from her hand and took a bite of the cake. Miyako was a bit surprised by the sudden motion at first but then smiled. "See? It's not that bad," she told him with a smile.

He smirked in return. "You're right…maybe I should eat cakes more often."

"oh? Was that a compliment to my cooking?" The girl asked with a grin.

"No. Just an observation," he simply stated.

They sat there in silence for a while, Law still working and Miyako eating the cake that was meant for her captain.

"You're still bored?" He asked not even looking away from his work.

"Yep."

With a sigh Law put the pen down and looked at her. "Well I did say I wanted you to explain more about haki to me, so I guess this time is as good as any." He motioned for her to start.

"Hmm..ok, let's see…There are three types of Haki: Kenbunshoku Haki, Busoshoku Haki, Haoshoku Haki…"

Miyako went on explaining each type and such, while Law would listen carefully and ask questions every now and then.

"hmm, so let's see…you can use two types: Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku. And Haoshoku is the rarest that only a small amount of people can use." Law recapped the most important parts. Miyako nodded.

"Yes. As a swordsman I have something similar to Haoshoku though, but it is called the "Swordsman's spirit" and can be used to get advantage in the battlefield. If your opponent is too weak they won't be able to hold out against your Swordsman's spirit and will lose even before starting the duel. Every samurai should have it and it depends on your strength. However I think it's impossible to make someone faint from your Swordsman's spirit while it's possible with Haoshoku haki if you can't stand its power." She explained then took a pause for breath before continuing. "Also when you dodged that arrow and said that somehow you "felt" it, it was probably Kenbunshoku Haki, but it hasn't been completely awakened yet so it's more like instinct right now. Every person has haki in them, it just has to be awakened and then perfected through training. You can do all kinds of things with it…as you already saw that Rayleigh easily took off that collar in Sabaody. And also when I channeled my haki through my katana to block Kizaru's move and attack him, releasing the said haki out of the weapon with the swing."

Law nodded remembering her moves. "so I need to awaken it completely through training...hm…" Law played with the small patch of hair on his skin.

Miyako nodded. "It is a very useful power and much needed for the New World," she warned. She knew New World well and all the strongest people there who had any worth used haki to their advantage.

"I see…" Law was still deep in thought then nodded to Miyako. "That's all Miss Miyako, you can go now. "

The girl stood up and stretched a little. They've been talking for more than an hour and she was starting to get sore on that chair. The cake was eaten a long time ago too. "Well it's late. You should rest too. You look sleep deprived." She suggested before walking out, but it sounded more like a simple observation than any real worry. Law didn't say anything as he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, still in thought. He didn't even hear the doors closing behind the girl.

* * *

><p><strong>Well that's pretty much the end of the whole War and post War arc from One Piece which means…It's time to start an original plot. :D And hopefully you'll like what I have in stored for the Heart Pirates. ;) <strong>

**Also, Miyako and Law seem to get along a little bit better. I'm really trying not to evolve their relationship too fast and it'll be full of ups and downs. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Well, chapter 12 is here. Wow, this is really going fast. O.o I need to continue writing my newest chapter, but unfortunately I didn't have much spare time lately. :/ **

**This one isn't that long but the next one will be longer. **

**Have fun reading and enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 12<strong>

Miyako woke up with a small moan and realized she had fallen asleep in her kimono last night. *_Great, now it's gonna be all wrinkled.* _Luckily her other clothes that were stained with the soup were washed and dried and she picked them up from the laundry room. One of the crewmembers, that Miyako didn't know the name of, was working there and she thanked him for the cleaning.

She made sure to wake up early enough so she would be the first and only one in the bathroom though the crew decided to be gentleman-like and wait for her to finish her business before they would come in. she took a shower and dressed in her usual black stockings, red plaid skirt, white turtleneck and black boots.

An hour later a knock came to her room and the place started swarming with pirates…well only four actually but it seemed like much more in the small space. First Cody and Josh came in, and Penguin and Shachi right behind them.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Long time no see."

"How are you?"

"Hi, ugly girl."

Miyako rolled her eyes. "What are you all doing here?" They were always so noisy.

"Well we heard you got hurt so we wanted to see how you're doing," Penguin answered with a sheepish smile and a small blush on his face.

"And these guys just tagged along," Shachi added, pointing towards Cody and Josh.

"hey, I wanted to see how she was doing too!" Cody argued, a bit offended.

"Well I couldn't care less." Josh shrugged and got three punches, one on each side of his face and one on the top of his head. "Ow! That hurt you idiots!"

The group soon started an argument but Miyako managed to silence them. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Don't worry so much!" She said calming them all. She hated when somebody made a fuss over her.

"But you have to be more careful Miyako, we were really worried." Cody said, scolding her like she was a little child and Penguin and Shachi were backing him up by nodding seriously. Josh just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

Miyako sighed. "You guys….But thank you anyway." She smiled. "Thanks for your help yesterday too, shrimpy." She said grinning at Josh and he got red in the face from anger.

"Why you-"

But Cody cut him off before he could finish. "Anyway we know you'll be fine since we have Captain as our doctor. I'm sure he fixed you up just fine."

Everyone nodded in agreement and their eyes suddenly got full with awe as they talked about Law. *_Wow, they really worship him…*_ Miyako though not understanding why really, but didn't want to offend them by asking.

"What about Miya-chan? I'm sure you like captain too, right? I mean, I know you two kinda got off on the wrong foot but you seem to get along now." Penguin smiled.

"huh?" Miyako was a bit surprised at the comment. _*Like? Stand maybe. But like? No, no, no, no…* _There was nothing she could like about that smug, egoistical, too proud pirate captain…even if he was intelligent enough to rid her of her boredom and challenge her own intellect…but no, it's definitively not 'Like.'

"Yeah, yeah, and didn't you spend quite some time in his quarters yesterday night?" Shachi added without letting Miyako actually answer the question.

"What?" Both Cody and Josh yelled surprised at the same time.

Miyako could feel her cheeks burning. "No, No, No, NO! It's not like that at all! He just needed some information about Haki, that's ALL!" She quickly said hoping they'd listen and by Josh's and Cody's relieved sighes obviously they did. Miyako let out a sigh of relief of her own and just at that moment the doors opened again and it was Jean Bart.

"Captain wants us all on deck. Hurry." Miyako could hug the large man from gratefulness as he saved her from more embarrassing questions.

~...~

As they got on deck, the samurai could see the rest of the crew already there gathered around Law. He was sitting on the deck and leaning on a sleeping Bepo. Miyako sweat-dropped as she saw him use the bear as his personal pillow but then again, Bepo and Law seamed to share certain friendship and closeness so it wasn't that strange.

"What do you mean 'We're not going to the New World yet, Captain!" Penguin asked totally surprised by the news.

"But everyone's already left. We'll be left behind and somebody else will find One Piece."

Law only kept his usual smirk as his crew complained. "Let them fight each other. One Piece won't go anywhere…if they want to destroy each other, let them. In the end, we'll be the one to find it, no matter what the cost." His smirk got bigger as he spoke and the crew cheered at his words. Even Bepo said he'd follow Law while he was still sleeping.

The captain was eyeing Miyako with the corner of his eyes, interested to see her reaction but was surprised when she didn't even budge. Her face was completely blank and he couldn't read her thoughts at all. She looked bored more than anything and just kept silent as he spoke. Law was sure she'd be against the news since Wano was in New World and he had a feeling she was just waiting for a chance to ditch them and return to her homeland. He thought she'd be furious at this change of plans but she was as cold as usual.

"What do you think about all this Miss Miyako? You're the only one who didn't say anything." He prompted seeing she wasn't going to say anything on her own.

To his slight annoyance the girl just shrugged. "Do as you like."

Law stared at her for a second but then returned his gaze to the crew. "Now let's go everyone! Just because the New World will wait a little longer doesn't mean we have time to lie around! There are still a lot of islands on the Grand Line we need to get to!" He finished with another smirk and everyone cheered even louder.

Miyako jumped off the railing she was sitting on and started walking towards the door of the submarine, but stopped as Law called out to her. "Miss Miyako." She turned around to look at him with the same emotionless expression.

"Aren't you concerned that your plans will have to change now?" He tried to get a reaction out of her to see if she really was going to use them just to go to Wano. He was a bit surprised when he saw her smirk.

"Mister Law, if you did this just to test my intentions and nothing else, you are a really bad captain." The smirk never left her face.

Law smirked as well, not fazed by her taunt. The reason why they didn't go into the New World yet was because Law wasn't a foolish or a rash man. He knew how dangerous it was there and knew they had to get much stronger than this if they wanted to make it to the top. He wasn't so egoistical to overestimate his strength and underestimate the New World. Yesterday when Miyako spoke to him about Haki that just confirmed his thoughts, that he still had much to learn and get even stronger. And as he said…One Piece won't go anywhere. Of course, messing with Miyako was just a bonus.

"Miss Miyako, do you really think you are that important as to change all of my plans just to find out what you are hiding?" He asked with a smirk.

She didn't look offended, though. Actually her smirk widened. "Blunt as ever I see." Her tone was amused as she spoke, before walking away into the submarine.

Law stared a few more minutes after her even after the door closed, as his smirk was replaced by a serious expression slowly.

~...~

Miyako had to keep maximum control not to slam the doors as she all but stomped back into her room. "uuugh!" _*I can't believe that guy! How dare he!*_ She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. _*I've been looking forward to going back to Wano as soon as possible and now he decides to take his time!*_ Miyako was furious and it took all control she had to stay calm on deck. She couldn't let Law suspect anything. She wanted to at least ask him how long was he planning to wait, but didn't even dare to do that in case he found her nosy and decides to stay even longer just to mess with her. Well she knew it didn't depend on her, his decision was actually quite natural. He was the captain and he needed to know if he and his crew are ready for the New World or not. Overestimating your own abilities and going headfirst would be foolish and unlike Law. Still, Miyako didn't like to be kept waiting and didn't like when her plans didn't go as scheduled. *_Well it's fine…we'll go to the New World eventually, I'll just have to be more patient. Right…I can wait.*_ She assured herself and managed to calm herself down. Though she still wanted to wipe that smug smirk off his face.

Miyako sat on her bed with her arms crossed. *_And to think I was playing nice and all.*_ She was disappointed to say the least but she wasn't the one to just give up that easily. If he wanted to wait, fine. She'll wait. But she vowed she'll certainly get him back for this before she returns to Wano.

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><p><strong>As I said, this one wasn't that long but I hope it was interesting. :)<strong>

**Reviews and comments are always welcome and I'd like to hear your opinions on the story so far. **

**And now I'm gonna go pass out somewhere from the lack of sleep, so see ya in the next chapter. XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**So the new chapter is here and finally the adventure is about to start. Now the original plot starts and I'm so excited! :D I really hope you'll like it guys. It was fun writing it in any case. **

**So enjoy and have fun reading it! :)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 13<strong>

"Do you have any sixes?"

"Go fish."

"Why am I even playing this game? I don't even know how to play it! Won't you rather play chess or something like that?"

"NO!" Penguin, Shachi, Josh and Cody yelled in unison at Miyako's suggestion.

"That's because Miya-chan always wins in games like that…" Shachi said with a sweat-drop.

"You mean games where you actually have to use your brain." Miyako asked a bit annoyed at their reaction.

"Yes!" Penguin exclaimed but then blushed as he realized what he said.

Josh just sighed. "Well I can understand why you all got something against playing games where you need brains…" He rolled his eyes.

"Shut it short-stuff, you're no better!" Penguin countered and the two started arguing. At least until a metal spoon flew from the kitchen and hit Josh in the head.

"ow! What gives?" Josh rubbed his head and looked at Munk who had an irritated face and held his hands firmly on his hips. They were all currently in the galley after lunch with nothing to do and lots of boredom to kill.

"Don't ya be fighting in me kitchen lads!" Munk called. "Don't ye all have some work to do?" He added.

"Nope." They all said in unison.

Munk sighed and threw his hands in the air, giving up. He turned around and went deeper in the kitchen and continued his work on whatever he was doing there.

Then the doors of the galley flew open and Bepo ran inside hysterically flailing his hands with something in them.

"Calm down Bepo, what's wrong?" Penguin shouted making the bear stop instantly and bow his head apologetically.

"sorry."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Just tell us what's going on." Shachi suggested and Bepo ran to them.

"Look at today's newspaper! I've already showed it to the captain."

Cody took the papers and started reading, but his tone soon started sounding confused as he read on; "Three steps to make your skin as soft as-"

"Not that!" Bepo yelled a bit annoyed. "Here!" He pointed at a particular article.

Cody looked at it and read it silently at first. Soon his expression turned into a shocked one. "Whaaa? What's with this guy?"

Everyone huddled close to Cody and read the article as well, widening their eyes.

"Luffy-san?" Miyako exclaimed. The straw hat boy woke up just a few days ago and already started to make a ruckus. He actually returned to Marineford and rang the Ox Bell.

"That guy! He should be resting!" Josh exclaimed in a scolding doctor-like tone and Cody nodded agreeing with him.

"What did the captain say?" Shachi asked Bepo.

"He just smirked and said it was interesting news. You know he always keeps his thoughts to himself." Bepo sighed and everyone nodded in agreement with a sigh of their own. Law was a mysterious guy who always had a plan, but rarely shared it with anyone else, even his crew. Even they didn't know what he was thinking most of the time and it seemed Law actually liked that.

Miyako smiled. "But I'm glad he's ok."

"Who? The captain?" Bepo asked a bit stupidly, blinking in confusion.

"No, you dolt! She meant Straw Hat!" Josh said harshly, rolling his eyes at the bear.

"I'm sorry." Bepo returned to his depression again.

"Too sensitive!" Penguin and Shachi yelled and Bepo lowered his head even more, as If it was possible. "I'm so sorry."

Everyone else seemed annoyed but Miyako just laughed as the crew bickered on.

Just then the sub's siren went off and a loud voice was heard from the speaker. It was Sai from the control room. "We'll be reaching the island soon! Everyone get on your posts!" Everyone rushed to their places and prepared for emerging and docking.

The island's name was Windmill Hill and it was obvious why. There were many small villages, some on little hills some on small plains, but they all had windmills of every sizes and color around. There was only one big mounting that divided the island on the North side and South side, and they were currently on its South one. It looked like a peaceful island and the village they were currently in looked like a nice hospitable one.

Cody stretched and breathed a lungful of fresh air as he stood on the deck next to Miyako. "This looks like a nice place." Miyako nodded in agreement.

Josh appeared on her other side, stretching as well. "Maaan, finally. It was days since the last island. It's good to feel solid ground under my feet once again." He grinned.

Miyako eyed him. "Solid ground? What kind of a pirate are you?" She asked with a smirk.

"Hey, I'm still a human not a fish! I don't mind sailing but some ground is a good change once in a while." He answered with a shrug.

Suddenly Miyako noticed a bunch of girls crowded at the docks, screaming and waving at them. Miyako blinked in confusion. "I didn't know they liked pirates so much."

The crew didn't hear her though as they were too busy waving back at the girls with blushes on their faces and awe in their eyes. Law walked over to the railing of their vessel and leaned on it with his elbows, looking at the girls in interest. Miyako wondered what he was looking at but just as she noticed, Bepo exclaimed as he also saw it, "Hey isn't that our Jolly Roger in their hands!" And really, two girls had a big Heart pirates Jolly Roger sign drawn on a big piece of white cloth.

"Why?" Miyako blinked, not getting what they meant by it.

"They look like some kind of fan club!" Penguin said and that made the crew even happier as they ravished in the idea of a bunch of girls adoring them.

Then they heard one of the girls scream as she yelled: "Oh my! It's Trafalgar Law! He's right there!" The girl pointed at Law and soon the girls' screams got even louder. The crew seemed to fall in some sort of depression.

"We should have known…."

"The one they want is Captain."

"Why does he always get the girls..?"

"Lucky guy."

Law only smirked but didn't seem interested in his fans. "Let's go men! We need to resupply, after that you're free!" The crew cheered and went into the village to get all the supplies. Some of the men from the crew tried talking to the fan girls still screaming at the docks but as expected, it didn't get much of a positive reaction. Obviously they were only interested in their handsome captain. Though it seems they took a liking to Bepo as well.

"Damn Lucky bear…How does he always do that with girls?" Penguin cursed seeing Bepo being hugged and cuddled though he didn't seem to enjoy it much. He was probably disappointed there weren't any female bears instead.

Shachi nodded, agreeing with Penguin, as he watched the scene too. "I'm jealous."

Miyako ignored the love struck crew and decided to walk around the village. They seemed welcoming and nice, which Miyako still found odd, but she noticed the rest of the crew didn't thought much about it. They just seemed glad. She wondered if Law found it strange or suspicious like she did, but she couldn't tell by his expression.

They found out it took about 12 hours for the log pose to set so the crew decided to stay on the little island overnight. Fortunately, the island taverns were hospitable just like the islanders, for the right price of course. The Heart pirates didn't have money issues at the moment so they could afford the luxury of partying and even renting rooms.

"I can't wait to sleep on a real bed tonight!" Cody exclaimed and took a big sip of whatever he was drinking. Whatever it was, it gave him a slight redness on the cheeks, his face obviously hot from alcohol.

"I'll drink to that!" Another crewmember, Miyako remembered as Sam, waved his large mug in the air and then to his mouth.

The music was loud, everyone were cheerful, both the locals and the pirates, as they all danced with the local girls. It looked like a perfect little town for relaxing your nerves. Miyako didn't really like all the noise but knew there was no way she could go and fall asleep upstairs with all this ruckus in the tavern. She was sipping something non-alcoholic. It was something her master always said; Alcohol makes you relaxed and careless, an easy target for your enemy. She was always expected to stay sharp. Even in her sleep. She was an incredibly light sleeper and she would wake up at the slightest sound, ready to counter the enemy or avoid a sneak attack coming her way. She still remembered his exact words when she once told him about a dream she had, yet his only response was; "If you sleep that deep to dream, one night you will awake with a sword in your gut." Not the nicest way to put it, but she could understand where he was coming from.

She looked around the inn to see her captain sitting there, sipping his drink quietly. He didn't seem to mind the party but he wasn't acting like the rest of these goons. He was still sharp and watched for any wrong moves by the locals. Obviously Miyako was right; he found the overly welcome atmosphere suspicious as well. One of the local girls that was in his fan group earlier got the nerve to come up to him, while others were just giggling at the side, still too afraid to actually approach their idol. The girl was quite pretty, though showed way too much skin for such a young age. She was Miyako's age, but for Miyako's upbringing that was considered too revealing. She was being flirty with the captain and tried to talk to him but he didn't show much interest. Miyako had to commend the girl's determination since she wouldn't give up. Law seemed a bit annoyed after a while, though he tried to hide it since he didn't want any problems with the locals.

The samurai was pondering should she save her captain or not, but she rather enjoyed his rising annoyance. After all, she was still mad at him for postponing the departure to the New World. After about 20 minutes Law looked like he was barely controlling himself not to dissect the poor girl as she was almost sitting in his lap, tugging on his hoodie and hand to go dance with her which he kept refusing. Miyako finally sighed and stood up with a small amused smile. He might be a scary pirate captain known for his cruelty, but obviously that didn't help him one bit in this situation. Miyako walked over to them.

"Captain I want to talk to you about the next route after this island. We have two options what the log pose can set on. But one island is completely unknown and the other is Robber town, but the route there is much more dangerous. So I was wondering-" Miyako kept talking with Law for a while and the girl tried to keep up but was bored senseless. She tried to get into the conversation, but failed every time and sometimes Miyako would deliberately use "hard words" which the girl didn't seem to understand. So after a while the girl gave up with an annoyed sigh and stomped off.

As soon as the girl was far enough, Miyako stopped talking and grinned at Law. "You owe me one."

Law smirked. "I appreciate it." He motioned towards one of the open seats next to him. Miyako smirked knowing he just wanted her close in case the girl decided to return. The "fan girls" were still lurking not far away giving death glares to the samurai woman. *_If looks could kill,*_ she thought with a sweat-drop. She didn't even have to turn around to feel the deadly glares on her.

"So I can't be the only one who thinks something's strange around here," Miyako started while looking at the dance floor. She waved back to Cody who waved at her while twirling a girl on the dance floor. She was surprised to see he knew the dance moves quite well.

"No, you're not the only one." Law simply stated, a more serious expression on his face now. However, his expression changed into a smirking one. "We'll just have to wait and see." He was amused for some reason.

* * *

><p><strong>So it beguines. :) Nothing much to say really, you'll see itread it all. At least Miyako and Law seem to get along well lately. **

**Anyways, stay tuned for more chapters, they'll be coming soon. See ya! **

**Oh, and feel free to review and tell me what you think of it so far. **


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Chapter 14 is here! Wow, I really am fast at this. It's only been a few days since I came to this fanfiction site and started publishing. Well I'm glad that I did cause it's fun to write here and the people seem really nice and supportive. :)**

**Have fun reading it and comments are always welcome, I always like to hear your opinion. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 14<strong>

It was the middle of the night with the moon high in the air, the pale moonlight shining upon the houses. Everything was peaceful and quiet as the Heart Pirates snored deeply in their beds or wherever they passed out in the tavern after the long party.

Shadows quickly crept in the streets, closing in on the tavern. Those were the only things moving as they snuck around the small village towards where the Heart Pirates were.

The marines filled the streets of the small village in Windmill Hill, coming closer and closer to the tavern where the pirates slept. They were armed to the tooth and moved quickly through the dark of the night, planning a surprise attack. However, they pulled to a sudden stop as they noticed a single shadow crouching on the rooftop. It was none other than the captain, Trafalgar Law. He looked at the marines calmly but with a cold stare. He was clutching his long nodachi in one hand.

"I'd rather you don't wake my crew. They have a long day tomorrow and they had quite a lot to drink." He said simply as if the marines might really listen to him

"Commander, it's the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law!" One of the marines said in a hurried whisper.

"I'm aware of that." The said commander responded and walked closer to the house where the captain was still crouching on the rooftop. The commander was a big man with long tied black hair and an equally black and long beard tied in a braid. The man's eyes were small and black as night, with a piercing sharpness in them. "Give up, Trafalgar Law. You are surrounded and outnumbered. You can't fight us on your own."

"Who said he is on his own." A new voice echoed through the night and the marines turned around to see two Heart Pirates on one of the roofs behind them. It was Penguin and Shachi.

The commander narrowed his eyes. "Even if it's three of yo-"

"Who said it were only three." Yet another voice said cutting the marine off. It was Miyako on another rooftop along with Bepo and Jean Bart.

Law smirked smugly as he saw commander's angry face. "You were saying Mister Commander of the Marines?"

The man glared at Law, but kept quiet, then gave his marines orders for the attack. However he wasn't the only one who gave the order for an attack. Law nodded and his crew jumped from the rooftops right at the marines and started kicking, punching and cutting everyone near. Law also joined in.

"Room," he called and then sliced everyone with his nodachi moving their parts around and reattaching them differently. The marines around him screamed in pain and horror as they watched their limbs flying around.

Miyako dodged a punch from one marine who was then kicked in the head by Bepo. She proceeded to block the others' sword with her katana and reflected it to the side, giving her an opening to slice his chest. She went on with her dodging, blocking and cutting until all the marines were on the ground. In the end only two marines were left standing along with the commander as they were surrounded by Law's group.

Law walked up to them with a smirk on his face. His hand was lifted, ready to make another Room. "Now I wonder…from where did all these marines appear in the middle of the night and in a small village such as this?" He asked with a smirk, but his voice was dangerously cold, a warning in case they try to lie.

"I'm not obligated to tell you anything, _pirate_!" The marine commander spat the last word in disgust.

The two marines rushed at Law with loud war cries but the captain easily cut them both with his nodachi before they could even swing at him. Blood spattered on the floor as the two marines fell lifeless on the ground.

Law narrowed his eyes. "I've been playing nice till' now, but you are testing my patience. I'm sure you already know I'm _not_ well known for my mercy. If you don't start talking I will kill all of your men that are just unconscious now and if you still refuse to speak I will proceed killing every local in this town until there is no one left." Law's voice was ice cold and it was obvious he wasn't bluffing. The look in his eyes was merciless and deadly.

Miyako never saw this side of Law before and she could tell by his appearance and deadly aura that he was serious about all he had said. She could finally understand why he was infamous for his cruelty. He would probably enjoy playing with the marines and torturing them…even the townsfolk. A chill ran down her spine at the thought. Miyako never liked killing and killed only when necessary so she wasn't fond of this idea, but she knew there was no stopping him. He was the captain after all.

The commander tried to act tough, but it was obvious he was nervous as hell. His breathing was shallow and sweat started forming on his face. He could see in Law's eyes that the pirate captain wasn't kidding and meant every word of it. The marine commander could tell when he's defeated, and this was a complete and utter defeat. The marine sighed. "Alright….I'll tell you."

The marine started explaining. "The truth is, on the other side of this mountain is the marine base but most pirates come from the South side and don't even know there is a base in the North. So we made a deal with the townsfolk here. We will keep them safe from all pirates and they would help us catch them. They just had to pretend to welcome the pirates and then make a party and get them drunk or make an excuse for the pirates to stay overnight and fall asleep. Then when they are tired or all drunk and most vulnerable, we would come from the North side and ambush them. It was always an easy catch and we would lock them up before they even knew what was going on."

Law smirked, amused with the thought. "I see."

"But it seems we failed this time…The locals told us you were here and drinking heavily so we didn't expect to see any pirates standing and awake. I guess we should have expected more from the infamous Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates." The commander said through his teeth with a low growl of frustration.

Law's smirk just widened at the comment. Then he turned to Jean Bart. "Mister Bart, how long till' the log pose sets?"

"Another 2 hours sir." The large man said in a gruff voice.

Then Law turned to Penguin and Shachi. "Are the supplies ready?"

"Everything's on the submarine captain. We can set off as soon as the log pose sets." Penguin answered with a salute.

Law nodded, pleased with the answer. "Now…what are we going to do with you?" He turned back to the marine with a sadistic grin.

The commander swallowed thickly. "The base is expecting a report over the den-den mushi from me. If I don't give them one soon they'll know that something is wrong and send backup." He warned hoping that would stop any lethal ideas Law was forming in his head.

"Is that so…well we can't have that. The fools in my crew are still sleeping half drunk." However he didn't seem bothered at all. Actually, he seemed amused by the whole situation. He sheathed back his nodachi and leaned it on his shoulder. "I suppose you'll just have to report to them then."

The commander gave him a confused look and Law just grinned. "Now listen to me carefully...and if I just suspect that you are doing something against my will I will carry out my threat gladly." The marine commander gave him a glare but kept quiet as he saw Law's smirk accompanied with deadly, piercing grey eyes that promised hell if things didn't go his way.

~...~

A den-den mushi rang in the communication room in the Northern base of Windmill Hill Island.

"This is the communication room of the base number 853." A small pink-haired woman with thick glasses answered the den-den mushi.

"This is commander Soul, code: 00561. Patch me through to command center."

"Roger that Commander Soul, wait just a moment." The woman said and did what she was asked.

"This is the command center. Commander Akiko speaking. Tell me your report, Soul-san." A man with ghostly white beard and long white hair said. The man had light blue eyes and he's wrinkled face showed his old age, though the rest of his body was toned and uncharacteristic for his age.

The man listened carefully to the report as the other commander spoke, "We have successfully captured the Heart Pirates. However we have a lot of injured men and are in no position to carry them over the mountain road in the dark. We will rest here in the village and keep a close eye on the pirates until daybreak."

Akiko nodded to the news. "Very well, we will await your arrival. Do you need backup?"

"No, that won't be necessary, everything is under control." The voice said calmly.

"I see. And Trafalgar Law was successfully captured as well."

"Yes. He is in the sea-stone cuffs right here."

"Alright Soul-san. We will arrange everything for their jailing. Akiko out." The commander turned off the den-den mushi and smirked. *_So we were finally able to capture a supernova. This will surely give me a promotion to leave this god-forsaken island behind. My lucky star must be shining brightly.*_ The man grinned at the thought.

**~…~**

"Excellently done, commander Soul. You kept your cool quite nicely. I just hope that there weren't any SOS codes in all those numbers you mentioned." Law said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't be foolish enough to risk all these lives, Trafalgar Law. I've read your report; I know what you're capable of." The commander said in a low but dark tone. He was humiliated and had to trick his own base. He didn't even want to think of the consequences, but right now the locals and the lives of his squad were more important.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it." Law smirked.

Miyako's ears perked when Soul mentioned Law's report. She was wondering what he did that earned him a reputation of such a cruel and deadly man. Though a part of her could see how from this very example. She had no doubts that Law wouldn't stop at anything if he and his crew were in danger and she knew he especially didn't like being lied to or tricked. Miyako was actually surprised he didn't kill everyone just for that reason. But he was a smarter man than that and knew this was much wiser than just killing everybody and then losing any chance to leave this island peacefully and with an unharmed crew.

"Penguin, Shachi, go wake the crew and tell them to prepare for departure. Bepo, you will scout the surrounding just in case there aren't any spies or anyone who could contact the base. Jean Bart-ya, go back to the sub and prepare everything to leave as soon as we can. Miss Miyako, you stay here with me and help me watch over commander Soul here. Find something to tie him up." Law gave everyone orders as he leaned against the wall of the tavern, his nodachi at the wall by his side.

"Yes, captain!" Everyone said with a salute and went in their assigned directions.

Miyako found the sea stone shackles and some rope, so she put the cuffs on and then tied the man tightly. "What about the rest of the marines?" She asked Law, who had a serious expression now with his eyes closed, deep in thought.

"I already took care of them." He said and pointed at the marines.

Miyako looked around her and noticed that all the marines had different body parts attached to the wrong places which made their movement impossible. Though they were all dead or unconscious anyway. *_When did he-*_ Miyako was a bit surprised since she didn't see when Law took care of the marines the rest of his group took down, but gave up on her pondering and shook her head with a sigh. *_Nevermind_.*

Law rose an eyebrow seeing Miyako's reaction but didn't ask about it. Instead he returned his attention back to Soul. "Now commander I have one more question."

The commander glared at him but Law ignored him as he spoke on. "After you apprehend the pirates, what happens to the treasures they had onboard?"

Soul seemed uncomfortable and didn't really want to answer. He could already guess what Law was thinking. "We keep them in the base. There's a safe…" He said in a low voice.

"Ah~ And how much treasure would be there now?" Law asked.

Miyako's golden eyes widened. "Captain, you don't think-" But she was cut off as Law rose his hand to silence her. She frowned but kept quiet though it was obvious she didn't like where this was going. She knew exactly what he had in mind. *_Why is he willing to risk everything now when we have a free and safe ticket out of here? He's going to ruin everything, the greedy pirate!* _She thought bitterly.

"I thought you wanted to leave the island safely," Soul stated, still glaring at Law, who couldn't care less.

The pirate captain simply shrugged. "Change of plans." He smirked more and crossed his arms. "I just remembered we are getting low on money and we could use a little help. So why not from marines when you are all such good-doers."

The marine commander gritted his teeth so tightly Miyako thought he'll crush them. However he could glare and growl at Law all he wanted but he was powerless and they all knew it.

"Now then, how about you explain to me the structure of the base and where exactly the safe is. How many men are there? Any devil fruit users or stronger marines?"

The commander proceeded to answer Law's question and explain everything about the base. Sometimes he would be unwilling and stay silent for a long time, but then Law would remind him of his current situation and he had no choice but to answer after all. After some time Law had acquired a detailed description of the base's structure and the path to the safe.

Meanwhile the crew awoke by some help from Penguin and Shachi. They grumbled and complained, most of them having headaches, but they soon got to their senses after hearing what was going on around here.

"They all tricked us?" One of the crewmembers shouted in disbelief.

"Those bastards!" The other added.

"But they have such cute girls here…," whined the third.

After a while Bepo returned as well, saying there wasn't anything suspicious and no scouts around. And when the sun begun to rise, Law took a den-den mushi and commanded Jean Bart to submerge and await further orders. Law knew the marines will try to capture their ship but they'll have a big surprise when they won't be able to find one. And even if they do, it'll take some time to find a way to bring it to the surface.

"Alright! We're all set to go." Law ordered some of the crew to stay behind as an assurance that Soul and his men won't do anything foolish or rash. Luckily the base didn't know how many men Law had in his crew.

When the Heart Pirates first heard of his new plan they seemed a bit reluctant to walk willingly into a marine base but after a moral-rising speech from Law they all cheered and were happy to follow him anywhere. Miyako just shook her head with a smile. Their captain was very good with words and she was certain his men would follow him even to Hell and back if he asked it of them.

She watched in silence as the sun rose in the horizon, painting the sky in orange and red colors.

"it's really pretty." A voice said and when Miyako turned around she saw Bepo standing next to her, marveling at the sunrise too.

Miyako just nodded. "Yes. Yes it is." This sunrise reminded her of the ones she used to watch when traveling through Wano. But she kept that thought to herself.

"Alright men! Let's get going!" Law announced with a big smirk. His hands were seemingly shackled with sea-stone cuffs, but the key was tucked safely in the sleeve of his hoodie. Also 10 men of his crew looked as if their hands were tied with rope but it was just wrapped around their hands with no knot to tie them. A marine who was walking next to Law carried Miyako's katana and Law's nodachi, in easy reach to grab them later. Law even returned the marines back to normal, but removed all bullets from their guns and broke their swords in half so it wouldn't be noticed when the swords were sheathed but they were actually completely useless. The pirate captain thought of everything.

They walked slowly on the small mountain road that led to the other side of the island. After a couple of hours they could see the marine base in the gulf on the island. Law smirked at his target and whispered to commander Soul. "I hope you were truthful about everything you said. As you already know, one of my men has a small den-den mushi hidden with him and will give the signal to kill everyone in the village if you make any suspicious moves. And since you don't even know which of my men has it, there's no way you'll be able to find and stop him before he gives the order." Law commented and saw Soul's eye twitch with anger as he gritted his teeth.

"I know…I won't try anything and neither will my men," Commander Soul whispered back.

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><p><strong>Whoot! Done with chapter 14. :) I hope you liked it.<strong>

**At first I thought I'd just make the Heart Pirates leave after defeating the marines but then I thought: Hey! Why not make it more interesting and have some fun with the marines. :D The Heart Pirates didn't make any fuss lately so I thought they should. ;) And besides, this way it'll have more action. **

**So stay tuned for chapter 15, I might publish it today as well. If not, then it'll certainly be up tomorrow. **

**Anyways, have a nice weekend and have fun! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Fanfiction site is making me mad! I published chapter 15 yesterday but it never came up so here it is again. :/ It's long and hopefully interesting. :) Not much to say, you'll see/read it all. **

**At first I wasn't sure if I would publish chp. 15 last night anyways, since I was dead tired and I needed to proofread it before releasing it. (Plus my net was dying every 5 seconds so I could hardly open the page -.-') But I decided to publish just one more before going to bed after all..but in the end it didn't even get published. (Well the notification said it did and I could see it on my stories page but not on the actual site in the story. o.O) **

**No matter, no matter, it's up now (hopefully, we'll see soon enough :P)**

Also, to respond to** Yueres De Leo'**s last comment**: **aaactually I had something like that in mind but it'll be much later I think. :P If she did it now, I think Law would throw her overboard. XD

**So just for you guys! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 15<strong>

When they came to the base they were greeted with dozen marines making a line on each side of the path, saluting Commander Soul. The base was actually quite small and didn't have a lot of marines in it, much like Soul told Law. Law was glad the information was correct. At the end of the pathway and in front of the bases' gates was an old-looking man with white beard and hair and piercing light blue eyes. He wore a commander's uniform like Soul and was smirking pleased with the situation. Next to him was another marine, probably his assistant. When Soul came to the man they nodded at each other and the assistant saluted.

"Commander Soul, sir! Welcome back!" The assistant shouted and Soul only nodded at him.

"Commander Akiko." Soul greeted the other man who gave him a huge grin in response.

"I'm glad the mission was successful Soul-san. Perhaps we will get that promotion now." Akiko said, still grinning and now looking at the seemingly helpless Law. "So he was the rookie who caused all that trouble, eh? Doesn't look like much." He turned to Law as he gloated. "How does it feel to be tricked and defeated by such a small and meaningless base, Trafalgar Law?"

Law just glared at him but didn't answer. He focused all his attention on the pleasantry exchange between two commanders in case Soul tries to warn Akiko.

"Hahaha. Well I hope you'll enjoy your stay here!" Akiko laughed in a loud voice and then turned to his assistant. "Go contact Marineford and tell them we captured "The Surgeon of Death"- Trafalgar Law."

Soul led the pirates inside while Akiko disappeared somewhere. However the pirates noticed more marines from the base came by their side, leading them away, which meant they'd have to take care of them first since they were armed. Law didn't seem worried at all as he kept his head down, hiding his expression. As he walked through the corridors Law smirked devilishly. "Oh I will" he whispered, referring to Akiko's statement to him.

**~…~**

Miyako was tense and on guard looking at Law and waiting for the signal he said he'd give them. Suddenly Law made a whistle and in a second all of his crew were up and ready, knocking the marines down. Law uncuffed his hands with the key and used the chain of the cuffs to wrap it around the neck of the closest marine and snap it with a sharp move of his hands. Miyako took her katana from the marine holding it and then threw the nodachi towards Law, who caught it effortlessly. She hit one marine in the ribs with her still sheathed sword and then blocked another's attack, stopping the sword with her hilt. She pushed it aside and quickly drew her katana, slicing the man across the stomach in the process.

It didn't take long until all of the marines were beaten and on the ground. The pirates took their ropes from the floor and tied the unconscious marines just in case.

The commander glared at them, the only one left standing. Law had special plans for him.

"You're going with us just in case something goes wrong." The pirate captain smirked as they quickly walked down the halls and towards the safe.

Finally they found the big doors to the safe and Law grinned pleased at the situation. However Miyako had a bad feeling about all this. They didn't encounter any marines on the way, which seemed rather suspicious. The rest of the crew didn't seem to notice it since they were too busy already celebrating their sure win.

She wanted to speak to Law but he seemed busy as he opened the large doors and went inside a dark room. Without turning the lights on, Law motioned for Penguin and Shachi to scout the room.

"It's clear, Captain!" Shachi called.

The rest of the crew went in and Law motioned for Soul to open the large safe which was at the end of the room. The commander hesitated but with a cold look from Law he went ahead and was soon working on the code to open the safe.

Everyone were quiet and tense as the lock made a soft clicking sound and the large safe gates started to open. And then Miyako's eyes widened. Jewels, gold, money and much more, stored into bags, some of it pouring on the ground. The crew cheered loudly and Law smirked satisfied with the founding. Commander Soul gritted his teeth.

However their happy mood didn't last for long. Suddenly the lights in the vast room lit on and Miyako had to shield her eyes for a second because of the brightness. The crew turned around quickly and they saw at least 50 marines armed to the tooth at the entrance. In the front was commander Akiko with a big grin on his face.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," he said smugly.

_*Dammit! I knew something was wrong. It was too suspicious that no marines were anywhere to be found as we walked towards here_.* Miyako thought and put a hand on her sword, ready to attack or defend at any moment.

"A trap." Law simply said. "I knew something was off when there were no marines around," he stated.

_*So he did notice after all. Yet he still proceeded to the vault. Isn't he worried at all,_* Miyako thought in annoyance.

"So how did you know?" Law asked. He gave Soul a sideway glace but the commander looked as surprised as his crew which meant he wasn't in on it.

"I knew something was wrong. It seemed off when Soul didn't follow the protocol and decided to wait daybreak before coming here, yet asked for no backup. Perhaps if it were some nobody weak pirates we're talking about I would understand, but with a supernova to act so carelessly and without haste, it wasn't like Soul-san. And when coming here, everybody looked too gloomy for someone who had such a good catch in their hands. Something was definitively wrong. And lookie here, I was right!" He said with a smug grin.

The marines took aim and prepared their guns to fire at Law's crew at any moment.

"Akiko-san, wait! They have more pirates in the village who are ordered to kill everyone when given the order. You can't possibly act fast enough-" Soul started but was cut off by Akiko.

"So what? Casualties in battle are expected, you can't change that. There will always be sacrifices. " The other commander said, not fazed at all by Soul's comment. "Besides, if it takes me off this wretched little island I've been stuck on for too long, I'm willing to take the risk of a few casualties!" He added.

Soul's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Akiko, you.."

Law only smirked at the power-greedy commander. "Ah here it is, the symbol of Justice and Good in the whole World, the Marines…sacrificing innocent lives for their own purposes."

Akiko just scoffed at him. "Don't think I wasn't prepared. I sent a small group of marines to investigate the village as well. I'm sure they're fighting and capturing the rest of your crew as we speak." He grinned.

Law still kept his calm as he stepped forwards, earning a sound of guns being aimed at him. "However, it seemed you weren't prepared enough." He said, rising his hand a little.

Akiko had a confused look at first but then noticed a thin blue film around the room. "The sphere...," was all he said but before he could even warn his troops and order them to shoot, Law swung his nodachi and body parts started flying around the room.

"When?" Was all Akiko had time to say before his head fell off, though he was still alive even after that.

"From the beginning." Law simply said and moved his hands. "Shambles." He started playing with the body parts. By now, his crew was taking care of any leftover marines who didn't get cut by Law's nodachi. "You weren't the only one who was prepared…I felt something was odd and knew something like this could happen. You shouldn't have underestimated the Heart Pirates."

Miyako just looked at the body parts shifting and reattaching on places they shouldn't be. No matter how many times she sees it, it still fascinated her. *W_hat a weird power.*_ She felt a bit sympathetic towards the marines though, as she remembered the strange feeling it gave her when law did this to her. However she felt glad to see Akiko suffering after his dishonorable actions and statements. She wanted to punch the man in the face through his whole gloating speech.

Suddenly a cry of anger was heard behind Law and before he had a chance to turn around or do anything, Soul swung a large axe at him.

"Tch," was all Law had time to say as he saw the axe move down towards him. He needed to break off his technique to move and he had time to do absolutely nothing at the moment.

Then just as suddenly, Miyako appeared between the large man and Law, and blocked the big axe with her sword. Her knees buckled slightly and moved under the pressure of the strong swing, but she held her posture, blocking the blow. The blue sphere disappeared and Law moved to see what exactly was going on. The body parts and marines fell to the ground still in shock and yelling as they tried to reattach themselves, all in vain.

"Miyako." He softly said, a bit surprised he was saved by the person he always had trouble getting along with.

"Heh. And to think I could've been rid of you once and for all…I have no idea what's wrong with me." She turned her head so he could see her face as she smirked at him. That smirk where he could never figure out if she was serious or just joking around.

Soul shifted his weight and moved his axe, swinging from the side. Miyako quickly jumped in the air and moved her body in a vertical position as she started falling down quickly. She turned her katana so it would make a stabbing motion. Soul growled and swung upwards to hit her, but she shifted her body and dodged his swing by an inch then stabbed at his shoulder. Soul moved quicker than she expected for such a large man and was able to dodge some of her blow, making the wound deep but not as fatal as it could be. She still ripped some of his shoulder and the blood gushed out, staining his white uniform. He moved to the side some more and swung again at Miyako with his axe, but she was able to block the blow. However not having any ground for support this time, the blow pushed her away and sent her flying. She fell on the floor, her katana falling near her with a metallic sound which echoed throughout the room. She only had a moment to turn and grab her katana and then roll to the side as Soul jumped to her and swung the axe, destroying the ground where she had been lying just seconds ago.

Miyako quickly got up and dodged a few more swings, avoiding blocking his big axe. She knew neither her katana nor her body would last long if she blocked all of those strong blows. However she had an advantage when it came to speed and she was a small target compared to him so it was hard to hit her.

*S_till, I can't keep dodging forever,_* Miyako though while completely focused on the fight. She didn't even notice the rest of the crew that was now watching her fight with interest. At first they tried to help her but Law stopped them. He wanted to see the girl in action. So all they could do is watch with worried faces.

"Don't worry; captain wouldn't let her get killed," Cody said with a serious expression, but he wasn't so sure about it himself. He knew Miyako and the captain had a strange relationship of trying to get on each other's nerves and biting at each other with their snarky comments, but he didn't know how far Law would take it now. He couldn't tell if those two hated each other or just loved playing the same mind games.

_*I need to find a way to counter,_* Miyako though, dodging a few more swings of the man's axe.

Soul gritted his teeth in a growl. He seemed out of breath from all the attacking. "Do you intend to dodge forever? Fight dammit!"

Miyako gripped her katana tighter. She ignored the man's taunts and thought of a plan instead. *_Yeah, I won't run away, instead I'll…* _Miyako's eyes became cold and focused only on the man as she ran towards him. She was even faster than before. The man swung but she moved to one side, the axe only grazing her cheek slightly. She had broken through his posture and defenses and was now right in front of him and his axe already passed. She was too quick for him to have time and swing his axe again. She was right under his nose and then she jumped upwards. She rested the palm of her other hand on the back of her sword to give the motion more force. Her sword collided with the man, under his chin as Miyako jumped with all her force. The sharp edge started going in. Soul tried to act quickly and jumped backwards but Miyako wouldn't let him escape her deadly sword. She turned the katana and slashed at him. He was too close to the sword to dodge in time and the sharp edge went through Soul's throat. The man fell down limp. Blood flowed from his sliced throat and open mouth. His mouth opened and closed a few more times, the eyes wide in shock as he stared at the ceiling above him. Then his eyes became unfocused and he stopped all moving.

Miyako landed not far away from man and sheathed her sword. "I hate killing," she mumbled, more to herself.

The crew and Law stared at the scene for a while longer then Law turned from the sight and back to his crew. "Alright men, we're through here! Grab all the gold and money you can and let's head out. I'm bored of this place."

The crew cheered and started grabbing the bags from the safe. While the marines tried their best to move but couldn't in their current state.

"You will pay for this Trafalgar Law! You have my word!" Akiko yelled red in the face. Law looked at the severed head still on the floor. He walked up to Akiko (or at least his head) and took it in his hand by the hair. Akiko made a small yelp at the pain but did his best to glare at the pirate.

Law didn't look impressed at all. He had the same smug smirk as always, maybe even bigger than usual. "And how do you intend to make me pay Mister Commander?"

Akiko growled. "This is not the end of me!"

Law's smug smirk was replaced by an evil one. He lifted Akiko's head so they could look eye to eye. And right now, Law's eyes had a sadistic evil gleam in them. His storm grey eyes pierced coldly at Akiko's blue ones. "Oh, I beg to differ." He simply said, but in such a voice that made Akiko gulp.

"Captain!" Law's eyes darted behind him at the voice calling behind him. He turned around to see Miyako looking at him.

"We should hurry. They probably already called Marineford to report they have captured us. "There's a good chance a marine admiral is coming this way since you're a Supernova after all."

Law kept silent for a while, irritated he was interrupted during his "fun time" with Akiko and it was clearly written on his darkening face. "I don't like to be ordered around Miss Miyako."

"It wasn't an order, it was a suggestion." Miyako pointed out, crossing her arms but holding his gaze with her own and withstanding his dark stare.

Law stayed silent for a while longer before he called back at his crew. "Alright men, wrap it up! We're leaving!" He threw Akiko's head on the ground and forgot about the screaming marine commander as he sheathed his nodachi.

"Aye, aye, captain!" The crew yelled, carrying as much as they could.

"Miyako, are you alright!" Cody ran up to her with a worried expression. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course. I only got one cut." She pointed at the small cut on her cheek.

Josh slowly walked behind Cody with his hands in his pockets. Unlike the other medical assistant, he didn't seem worried at all. "That wasn't half-bad, but you wasted too much time. I could've defeated him in half that time." He said simply.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Then why didn't you, Shrimpy?" she asked with a challenging smirk.

"Stop calling me that, Ugly! And just because captain wanted to see you fight!"

Miyako blinked a bit in surprise and confusion. She was so focused on her opponent she didn't even notice Law was watching her fight carefully. So when Josh explained everything, she was surprised.

"In any case you should carry a bag too, Ugly. Don't be a lazy-ass!"

Miyako blushed a bit because of the comment and said angrily. "I'm NOT a lazy-ass, and I will!" She took the closest bag from the safe and got a surprise when she realized it was much heavier than she had thought.

Josh smirked at her slightly widened eyes. "Problem?" He took two bags, each in one hand and put both on his shoulders. He may have been short but he was surprisingly strong.

"No," Miyako quickly said and put a bag on her shoulder as well. She walked away not giving Josh another glace and he rolled his eyes.

~….~

Law had contacted Jean Bart to surface up with the submarine on their way back and everybody were awaiting they triumphant return to the sub. Miyako was panting a little, since carrying a large, heavy bag on the steep and rocky mountain road wasn't something she was used to. Cody wanted to offer her a hand but he had his hands full as well, like the rest of the crew. Besides, she didn't want to be deadweight for anybody. She wanted to do her part of work properly as anyone else in the crew. She was no exception and didn't want to act like one.

As they walked she remembered something. "What about the group of marines who went to the village. Will the rest of the crew be alright?" Miyako sounded a bit worried. There was less than 10 crewmates left behind, waiting for their return.

Law just smirked, looking amused at Miyako's worried expression. "My crew isn't that weak, they can take care of themselves. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about Miss Miyako, they're fine."

Miyako nodded but still kept a slightly worried gaze as she continued on.

However, when they came back to the village she saw there was indeed nothing to worry about. First she noticed all the villagers rounded up on the little main square. The pirates were sitting and standing there as well, guarding the locals.

"What's going on?" Penguin asked, looking at the villagers confused.

"When the villagers woke up and realized they're plan didn't quite go as they hoped, they tried to attack us so we taught them a little lesson." One of the pirates explained. That's when Miyako noticed some of the village men had bruises and black eyes.

"What do you want to do with them, Captain?" Another crew member asked.

Law gave the villagers a smirk which made all of them flinch in fear. He was amused by the sight and kept silent for a while longer, just to make them more terrified. Then he suddenly said: "Leave them. We don't have time to deal with them."

The crew members nodded and then grinned as they noticed the bags in the other group's hands. They already knew what it was even without asking.

"Alright men, pack up! We're leaving!" Law ordered and the crew cheered, happy to be sailing soon again. Their happy mood was probably powered even more by the sight of all the treasures they got.

As Miyako walked, Bepo put a paw on her shoulder and patted her. "You did well today, Miyako."

The girl was a bit surprised at first but then smiled at him. "Thanks Bepo."

"Sorry," he quickly said and Miyako just laughed at the strange bear.

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><p><strong>Another one done and published!<strong>

**I was sooo tired while proofreading it so forgive me if there are any grammar mistakes. :/ **

**Well that's it for the first island and I hope you liked the little adventure the Heart Pirates had. And Miyako finally showed some fighting skills! :D (It was a long time since I described a proper battle so I was happy to finally write a fight scene.)**

**Anyways, reviews are always welcome and tell me what you think. :)**

**See ya in the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't like you!** by** BloodyMarryMe**

**Yay, finally found some time to upload and publish the new chapter. I barely have time for anything these days. And I need to continue writing the newest one, it's been sitting there unfinished for days. :o (Today I'm definitively finishing it!) **

**Also sorry if there are any grammar mistakes :/ I proof read the chapter before publishing but usually I'm writing and uploading very late at night so I don't see all the mistakes. (Either I'm so tired or blind as a bat, both probably XD) **

**In any case, enjoy the next chapter and have fun! I'm very happy you like it and gave me so much positive reviews. I'm gonna be more careful while spelling from now on, so hopefully that'll improve too. :)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 16<strong>

"2 and a half weeks! It's been 2 and a half weeks since the last time we saw land!" Josh complained as he plopped back into a laying position in the middle of the deck.

"I need ground," Miyako added with a groan. She wasn't sea sick, but she was definitively sick and tired of water all around them.

Cody just shook his head with a disapproving look. "What kind of pirates are you? You don't even like to sail." He leaned on the railing of the sub and sighed.

Josh and Miyako just groaned, but didn't comment anything.

"Aaaah, I don't mind," Bepo said in a relaxing tone. "As long as we're not in that hot submarine and we're above water, it's really nice." He was lying on the deck, with his jumpsuit opened at the top, sunbathing on the warm afternoon sun and enjoying a light breeze created by the moving ship. It was heaven for him.

"Yeah, at lease the weather is nice," Penguin commented with a smile and Shachi nodded. The two of them were currently sitting on the railing and fishing.

Miyako looked at them. "Can you really catch something while moving?" She was referring to the submarine slowly sailing through the ocean, also making their fishing hooks move.

The two mechanics shrugged. "It's not like we have anything better to do," Shachi commented.

Josh sat up again with an irritated sigh. "I'm sick of this, I'm so bored!"

Cody grinned. "Let's play a game then!"

Joshua glared at the medic. "If you suggest Truth or Dare, I swear I'll throw you overboard!"

Cody stiffened at first, and then scoffed. "No…." He said softly, his gaze averting to the side, not very convincing.

Josh just glared at him some more.

"Well you're in luck Mister Joshua. It seems we're approaching a new island." A new voice said, making them all flinch in surprise. They turned to the doors of the deck and saw their captain leaning against the doorframe.

"How does he _do_ that?" Penguin whispered and Shachi just shook his head, still in shock. The two of them almost fell overboard when he startled them.

Before anyone could say anything else, Law continued. He turned to his two medical assistants. "Mister Joshua, Mister Cody, if I remember correctly, the infirmary needs cleaning. And there is some equipment to take care of as well."

Cody and Josh quickly stood up and saluted with a nervous glint in their eyes. They didn't want to make their captain mad by thinking they're ditching work. "Yes, captain!" They said in unison and then walked into the submarine quickly.

"And Mister Penguin and Shachi, don't you have an engine room to look after?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Miyako could tell the two mechanics stiffened and sat up straight with a sweat-drop. They took their fishing rods and hurriedly walked inside as well. "Of course, captain."

The girl watched after them and then remembered she should be in the galley, doing her work too. But the only reason she was here was become Munk said he could sweep the floors of the galley by himself and since she finished everything else, he said she was free. She stood up and cleared her throat nervously, then tried to sneak past Law into the submarine and back to work, before he comments on her being there.

"Miss Miyako-" Law started, but was cut off by her.

She turned around and started explaining before he could even finish. "I know I should be in the galley but Munk said-"

"It's not about your work, Miss Miyako."

"Oh…?" The samurai let out a small sound in a questioning tone, stopping her speech abruptly and was now blinking at Law, confused.

The pirate captain walked over to the railing and leaned against it, looking at the horizon in front of him. "I never had a chance to thank you for what you did at Windmill Hill."

At first Miyako just watched at him perplexed, not knowing what he was talking about. But then memories from the last island started returning to her. "Ooooh." She voiced out in realization.

Law just sighed at the girl's slow memory. "yes, well, that would be all."

Miyako just stared at him blankly and silently for a while. He glanced at her but couldn't read anything from her expression.

Then her soft lips curved into a smug smirk. "If that was a "Thank you", it was the sorriest "Thank you" I have ever heard," she said, amused that her captain obviously had trouble forming such words.

Law glared at her, a look somewhere between irritation and anger but she didn't even flinch. He hated that…how she seemed resistant to his dark looks that sent chills down other people's spines. Didn't she know what horrible things he could do to her if he wanted? Or was she thinking he was too soft to hurt a woman? His face started darkening at the thought of disrespect she was showing him, but then it turned into a devious smirk as he remembered something that _always_ got a reaction out of her.

Miyako's stare turned into a confused one as she saw Law suddenly move and walk towards her. *_Will he attack me or something? But I don't feel a hostile presence from him.*_ Even so, her right hand twitched a little, a reflex she always had when she was ready to pull out her sword at any moment. Law's face was unreadable as he walked closer and closer, finally stopping inches from her. She felt her cheeks burn slightly and averted her gaze but he leaned forward and their noses were almost touching now, as he put a sole finger under her chin and turned her head, making her look straight into his piercing grey eyes. Miyako didn't even notice she had stopped breathing, in a daze from the closeness and a strange and unfamiliar feeling in her chest.

"Thank you, Miss Miyako," Law simply said, trying his best to hide his amusement created by the girl's stiff and shocked form.

Then his lips curled in his smug and wide infamous smirk. "You seem rather flushed Miss Miyako, should I take you to the infirmary with me and check your temperature?" His tone sounded almost innocent, but his gloating expression and amused eyes showed that he was teasing her.

That teasing demeanor of his, together with Law's usual smug face brought Miyako to reality and her face went even redder. She pushed him away and did a few steps back to make as much space as possible between them. "Y-You jerk!"

Law chuckled and walked past her and into the submarine. "Now go back to work Miss Miyako, or I'll prolong your working hours," he ordered before walking inside, but his tone still sounded amused. Yes, one thing that always gets a reaction out of her. When it came to provoking her shyness, that girl was hopeless. And that meant a sure win for Law.

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><p><strong>Ok, so this one was short because I wanted to end it before the new adventure on the new island starts (which is in the next chapter). But still, I like this chapter somehow. I really liked writing it. ^^' <strong>

**So I'll upload the new one soon. I proofread this one and made sure it has no grammar mistakes so it should be fine…I think…I hope. XD Sorry if I missed some though. **

**And once again thank you for all your positive comments and support, it really makes me happy ^^And constructive criticism is always welcome as well, so feel free to leave some. **

**See you in the next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Finally a new chapter up. I've been trying to get some free time to proofread and publish this for 2 days now. ^^' **

**So the new island adventure is starting and I hope you like it. This one will be a bit longer and more complicated than the previous one. :) I didn't have much time to write lately and my free time is just slipping away more and more :/ (But it'll get better after the end of this month) so bear with me for a while. Meanwhile, I'll try to publish as soon as I can and keep writing new chapters. **

**So enjoy and have fun! **

**Disclimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 17<strong>

Miyako tossed and turned in her sleep, making the sheets fall to the ground. She decided to take a nap after finishing her work in the galley since they still had a few hours before reaching the island but her dream soon turned into a nightmare.

~...~

_The samurai girl woke up on an operating table though it took a few moments before she realized where she was. The light was blinding and hurting her eyes but when she tried to shield her face with her hands, she realized she couldn't move them. As she looked at her sides, she noticed her wrists were bound. Then a shadow loomed over her, shielding her from the bright light. At first she couldn't see who it was but she saw a doctor's coat and a surgical mask over their mouth. The person lifted their hand and there was something in it, something reflecting the light and shining…a metal. Miyako's eyes widened when she realized it was a scalpel. And then the person's face came into view. It was none other than Trafalgar Law and he had the most sadistic look in his eyes she had ever seen. At that moment Miyako realized what he wanted…to cut her up and experiment on her…_

~...~

She tossed around even more as the dream went on. She was so into it that she didn't even wake up when the doors to her room opened and a person moved towards her bed. The person reached for her and at that moment-

"Kyaa!" Miyako screamed and woke up suddenly. She threw her hand in the air and hit the person right in the nose.

"Ow!" Josh yelped in surprise and pain as Miyako hit him in the face. He held his sore nose and glared at Miyako who slowly started to realize where she was and what was going on.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were-" She started saying out of breath but then realized it was Josh who she hit. Her eyes narrowed a little. "Oh it's you. Well that's ok then."

Josh ignored her rude comment along with her face that obviously showed she wasn't so happy to see him. "What are you trying to do, break my nose?" His voice sounded nasal as he still held the sore appendage.

Miyako rolled her eyes and muttered with a sigh. "Men are such babies…"

"Whatever. We've reached the island and captain wants everybody on deck. So hurry up." He glared at her ignoring the sheets on the floor, the rustled bed and Miyako's sweaty form. It was obvious she had a nightmare but Joshua didn't think it was his place to ask.

~...~

The girl came on deck but stood at the back of the crowd. She was still mad at Law because of what he did earlier that day and besides, the dream gave her a bad aftertaste and she wanted to avoid him for a while. However her plans were completely ruined when he decided that of all the people she will be the one to help him get some medical books he needed. Not that she minded going into a bookstore or a library, but she did mind the company.

The island was called Howl's Island and it got the name by the strange sound the wind would make while blowing in the night. The locals said it sounded like wolves howling even though there weren't any on the island. They said the sound was created because of the specific location of how the houses were built. The city they were currently visiting was Maple City, which suited it since it was an autumn island, so the brown and yellow leaves decorated the streets as the slight wind carried and played with them in the air. The city was quite big and a tourist attraction especially because of their delicious food and sightseeing. Unfortunately Miyako doubted they'd have time for either.

They were currently walking through the main street, the longest and busiest one in the whole city. Everywhere they looked there were stores, stands for clothing, souvenirs, food…anything she could think of in one place. It was truly a busy town.

"Miss Miyako?"

The samurai jumped, a bit startled at the voice. She didn't even realize Law was calling her name and she was still a little jumpy around him.

"oh, pardon me. Yes?" She asked.

"You seem out of it since we docked at Maple City. Is something the matter?" Law asked with a raised eyebrow. There wasn't really worry in his voice, just interest.

Miyako realized she was acting rather odd but didn't want to make a fuss about it. Besides, how would she explain to Law that she was nervous because; First he made her embarrassed and uncomfortable previously on the deck, and then she had a nightmare about him where he tried to experiment on her. No, definitively not something she could explain. So instead her face calmed to her usual blank one.

"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Law stared at her before narrowing his eyes. He stopped walking and looked right into her golden orbs. She leaned a bit backwards, not wishing to be so close to him again like last time. He invaded her personal space enough for one day. "I don't like to be lied to, Miss Miyako." He examined her face carefully, trying to find any sign but once Miyako got a hold of herself and became blank, there was no way to read anything from her body language.

Then without another word he turned around and started walking again. Miyako sighed and continued on, a few steps behind him. She wished there was at least one more crewmember with them or that Law would have brought Bepo like usual instead of her. But the crew was all busy, some getting supplies, others finding info about this island and so on. Bepo was currently somewhere with Penguin and Shachi asking how long does it take for the log pose to set and to find them all a place to stay the night if necessary. So Miyako was stuck with Law, walking in silence.

She glanced around at the stands and came to a stop when she saw something familiar. It was a clothing stand with kimonos from Wano. And they were beautiful. She stared at them in awe, examining the quality fabric with spiraling colors and various patterns.

Her sudden interest didn't go unnoticed by the pirate captain as Law looked behind him to see the girl staring at the colorful kimonos. He rose an eyebrow as she looked at each one with nostalgia and amazement. He walked back and she didn't even realize he was beside her until he spoke.

"Is this the kind of clothing women wear in Wano?"

Miyako nodded. "But these are very nice. I'm surprised they aren't more expensive."

Somehow Miyako was able to turn away from them and continued walking with Law. _*Ah, that reminds me, I need to buy more clothing. I only have this and my kimono to wear…I'll have to ask Law to give me some shopping money later.* _She had been wearing her two sets of clothing for too long, alas she didn't have a chance to buy new ones yet. So she didn't want to miss her chance this time around. And they finally had money to spare on such things as well, after their triumph at Windmill Hill base.

"What is Wano like?" Law suddenly asked, bringing Miyako out of her thoughts again.

The girl shrugged. "Well let's see…they say it's quite a big and powerful country but I don't know about that, we have a lot of corruption problems and there are a lot of people who are being oppressed by others. It's still a separation by class kind of regime. We have our own government, which isn't connected to the marines and even our own currency when it comes to money. It is protected by the Country's four strongest Samurai. Wano has a strict closed doors policy and people don't like foreigners there. They seem to be closed in all aspects, even close minded." Miyako muttered the last statement with a frown.

That caught Law's attention. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "You can't really be free if you're a woman there. It is expected from all women to be coy and silent, and then marry and become good and pretty wives for their husbands. You know in Wano, women are supposed to walk three steps behind a man. There's no equality what so ever." She rolled her eyes.

Law smirked at her comment. "But you don't seem like anything you just described."

Miyako put her hands behind her back and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, I never really fitted in there. I could never fill such a role. I loved kenjutsu since I remember even though women aren't supposed to be taught swordsmanship there. But my master and caretaker decided to break that rule and teach me anyway. He once said he saw something in me, but never explained it so I don't really know what he was talking about. I guess I was kind of a tomboy, rather swinging a sword than learning how to pour tea." She smiled at the memories of her childhood. "You know, I always wanted to be an adventurer…see the world." Miyako trailed off in thought. *_Aren't I doing it now? No, but that's not how I pictured it…not like a pirate. I want to make my _own_ path, not one that will be decided by others. That's what I've been trying to avoid my whole life!*_

The samurai girl realized she might be saying a bit too much about her private life and concluded the topic. "I guess I was always an odd one out." She gave him a sheepish smile but didn't say anything more. Unfortunately that's why she never had any friends either…because she never really fit in. The Heart pirate crew was the closest to friends she had ever had but she was afraid to admit it…She still planned to ditch them in Wano and making close relationships would only make things more complicated. If she started thinking of the crew as her friends or nakama she would be in a lot of trouble later, she was certain. It was better to keep at least a certain distance.

"Hmm.." Was all Law said as she watched her with the corner of his eye. He never stopped walking though and he seemed to be thinking about everything Miyako just told him. "What about the 4 strongest Samurai? What can you tell me about them?"

"Well not much. They run the country and protect it. My master was one of them but when he died he was replaced by another."

Law's eyes actually widened slightly in surprise. "You're master was one of those Samurai?"

Miyako nodded not knowing if she should continue talking about it. "Yes, my parents died when I was young and I somehow ended up under his care. I've been with him for as long as I can remember. He had taught me everything I now know. He died when I was 17 in the Great Restoration War."

"The Great Restoration War?" Law repeated in question, rising an eyebrow.

The girl nodded in response. "Yes, it was a war that happened not that long ago in Wano. Some of the people revolted and wanted to bring down the government and the ruling system. The mutiny was just the beginning and soon the people of Wano chose sides and a whole Rebellion Army was created. In the end the rebellion was suppressed and the peace restored but it took a lot of lives…one of them being my Master's," she ended softly with a saddened look. To be honest she could understand the rebellion's side, a lot of people had it rough in this system. She even heard her Master complain about it a lot of times and knew he wasn't satisfied with the way things were either. But people like him, who wanted to make a change, were outnumbered by the ones in high places who wanted it to stay as it is, seeing they had it just fine.

"I see," Law muttered plainly, but he had a strange glint in his eyes. *_So she was actually taught swordsmanship by a head Samurai in a Country. Interesting.*_ Law was now even more pleased he had found her at that auction. It would have definitively been well spent money if he had actually had to buy her in the process. But it turned out even better as he didn't even have to spend a single Beri. Law's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. He loved when he was right about something, which he mostly always was. His intuition was rarely wrong, after all.

"Ah, here we are!" Miyako exclaimed happily as she saw the bookstore in front of them. She was hoping to find some interesting books herself. She did have a lot of work in the galley but they always traveled for days or sometimes even weeks and she needed something to pass the time. Then she remembered she had to buy clothes too and she needed to ask Law for the money. True, they had a lot now, since they pillaged that marine base, but all that is kept in the submarine's treasury and only Law, Bepo and Soujiro-kun, who was in charge of sub's finances, were allowed into the vault and had right to take money from it. Everyone else needed to ask for permission first.

The little bell on the doors rang as they came inside. Miyako looked around the small bookstore. It was filled with bookshelves, making the place look cramped but cozy, and it was hard to even find your way around or walk through the narrow passageways. Somehow they managed to find their way to the counter where a girl, no older than Miyako, with thick glasses that hid her eyes stood. "Hello and welcome to Maple's bookstore! How can I help you?" She asked cheerfully with a big smile, which almost made her glasses fall so she had to fix them on her nose.

Law gave her a piece of paper where he had written down all the medical books he needed and the girl read it with great interest, then gave a nod and went to search for them. Miyako took that time to explore the bookstore and find something interesting. She found one that caught her attention. It was called "The search for the Lost City of Oz," a book based on journals and stories of explorers who went searching for the legendary city which is believed to be in the New World, yet the explorers never came back. Their things would then be found scattered on many different islands, months or years later. Miyako took the book in her hand with great care and scanned through a few pages which made her even more interested in it. She bit her lip in a dilemma. She wanted to ask Law for some money since he rather selfishly claimed all of the treasure from Windmill Hill even though the whole crew (including her) had a right to it.

When she protested to Cody, he explained that it had always worked that way. Captain would keep the treasures in the safe and if somebody needed to buy something they would ask him and he would either approve it and give them money or not. Miyako found the regime too controlling for her taste but knew there was nothing to be done about it.

"Did you find something interesting Miss Miyako?" A voice behind her made her flinch a little.

She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "W-well, yes, but…." She knew if she had to choose then getting more clothes was a priority at the moment and the book would have to wait.

"Do you want to buy it?" The voice went on with a sly smirk. He had an amused tone and Miyako didn't have to look to know he had _that_ smirk of his on.

"Maybe…," she answered, glancing to the side even though he couldn't see her eyes from this position anyway. But then she shook her head with a sigh as she remembered her priority. "No, I can't. I don't have any spare clothing so I need to buy some. The book will have to wait I suppose." There was a disappointed tone in her voice.

"What if I let you buy both?" Law said and Miyako turned around with stunned eyes to look at him.

"Really?" However her hopeful expression soon changed into a frown when she saw his smirk. "Why do I have a feeling there's a 'But' here somewhere…?"

Law's smirk widened and Miyako instantly knew she was right. "I have a lot of things I need to get done today but it would take me all day for it. So…" He handed her a long list of errands. Actually, just 'long' might have been an understatement. Her eyes almost fell out of her sockets as she read the list. It had numerous of things to buy and get in abundant different stores all over town.

"But I thought you've already ordered some of the crew members to get the supplies?" She tried not to make her voice sound like a whine as she spoke.

The pirate just smirked. "Yes, supplies for the _ship_. But this is for my personal use." Miyako looked at the list one more time and noticed most of it was medical equipment, books, herbs and items of similar kind. She frowned, unhappy to serve as an errand-girl.

"So? What do you say Miss Miyako?" The captain asked, still looking at her with that sly smile.

She stared at Law with a troubled frown, then at the book, then back to Law's list as she thought for a few minutes. Finally with a sigh she agreed. "Fine."

Her captain's smirk got even wider and he had a pleased look in his eyes. "Excellent! Well then-" He took the book from her hands and went to the counter where the salesgirl was already waiting for him with the books he ordered. He paid her the sum and took all the books, placing them in Miyako's hands for her to carry them. "Here you go." He had a wide grin that was the exact opposite of Miyako's long frown.

As they walked out of the store, Miyako turned to go left but noticed her captain was leaving in the other direction. "Where are you going?" She asked a bit confused.

"I have some other things to take care of." He simply said as he put his nodachi on his shoulder and lifted his other hand in a sort of 'Good bye'. He didn't even spare her a glance as he walked away.

Miyako looked at the long list again. _*How am I supposed to carry all this by myself? My hands are already full with just these books!* _Miyako glared at Law's back_. "_Cruel bastard!_" _She yelled at him but he either didn't hear her or didn't care because he didn't even turn to look at her or respond_. _Law totally used and ditched her_. _But then again, she did know what she was getting herself into so she couldn't complain now. She sighed._ *Well at least I got the money for my own things. And the book too. I guess it's worth it in the end.* _With another sigh Miyako turned to leave and get all the things on the list.

~...~

It took her hours to get all the things on the list and she practically ran all around the city, looking for them. Her feet were killing her and she had so much stuff to carry she was amazed at herself for not falling down or dropping all of them. Bags, boxes and books of different sizes and shapes were put anywhere she could manage. She even held one bag with her teeth. Her form was completely hid behind all the things in her arms and she only had a small space in between two boxes for seeing ahead.

"I change my mind. This is _so_ not worth it," she muttered through gritted teeth. _ *But finally I can buy clothes and things for myself that I need_.* She remembered it would be good to also buy some hygienic stuff since she was running low on everything. After taking care of hygiene products, she managed to find a clothing shop and the salesmen looked at her funny when he saw her battling with all her possessions. She gratefully put all of it down and sighed in relief, stretching. "Ow, my _everything,_" she complained as every muscle in her body ached.

She quickly glanced around and started examining the clothes on the hangers. She remembered the argument with Josh she had the other day when he tried to make her wear the Heart Pirates uniform.

_"No!" She exclaimed at that time, crossing her arms on her chest._

_"And why the hell not? You're a part of this crew now, so start looking like one!" Joshua countered._

_"It big and baggy, you don't even have it in my size. If I try to fight in this I'll fall on my face."_

_Josh grinned at her comment and Miyako gave him a warning glare._

_"Then at least wear something white," he suggested through gritted teeth, losing his patience._

_"Did you ever try getting bloodstains out of white clothing? It would be ruined in seconds."_

_Josh looked at her funny. "Why do you even have to get them out? Who cares if there's blood in your clothing? It just makes you look more badass." He grinned with a prideful look that made Miyako roll her eyes._

_"Idiot." She muttered._

_"Hey, I heard that!"_

As Miyako came back to reality and realized she was still standing in the store, she closed her eyes and shook her head with a sigh. *_He really is an idiot.* _But there was also a miniature smile on her face when she remembered the redheaded medical assistant. They might have fought a lot but that shorty seemed to somehow get under her skin. *_Yeah, like a rash.*_ Miyako thought and rolled her eyes. She might have befriended the redhead but that didn't mean she had to admit it.

She looked for a clothing that wasn't too reviling but easy to move in. She found a few simple shirts, some skirts and a couple pairs of long and short pants. _*Well this should do.*_ She grinned, happy it wasn't as costly as she thought it would be. *_I even managed to save a few Beri.* _Happy to finally be done with shopping (And after what Law's list had put her through, she won't be thinking of shopping for a _very_ long time), Miyako paid and added some more baggage to her already full hands and went towards the submarine.

~...~

"Seriously, what is all this that he needs!" Miyako was starting to get frustrated with Law's things. She had to fight a rising urge to just throw everything in the ocean but knew she would be skinned alive before she could blink.

With another frustrated growl she turned a corner and tried to fix a falling bag which caused her to not pay attention where she was walking.

"Uf!" she breathed out surprised at the sudden impact, losing her balance because of all the stuff and falling on her butt along with all the bags.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking-" She stared to apologize but a shocked voice cut her off.

"Lady Shiori? Is that you?"

"huh?" Miyako blinked confused and looked up to see an elderly man in a fine suit, staring at her. He had his grey hair combed neatly to the back and small grey mustache. But what really caught Miyako's attention was the man's shocked expression with teary eyes.

"We…We've been looking everywhere for you!" He knelt down in front of a still confused girl and gave her a bone crushing hug.

"E-Excuse me! I think you've got the wrong person."

The man pulled back staring at the girl with confused eyes. "Lady Shiori, don't you remember me? It's me, Charles!"

"As I said, you've got the wrong person. I'm sorry, but my name is Miyako. Suzune Miyako."

"Impossible!" The man exclaimed. "You look just like her! How?"

Miyako was at a loss of words. She had no idea what to say to the man who seemed so relieved when he saw her and yet now his face slowly started changing into a desperate one.

The girl quickly stood up and somehow managed to gather all her things. She noticed the people started giving them interested stares and she didn't want to bring attention to herself since she was a pirate now. She didn't know if there were any marines nearby but didn't want to find out either. "I have to go. I'm sorry." She gave a shocked man a quick bow and ran off towards the sub.

~...~

When Miyako somehow managed to climb up the gangplank and onto the deck, she saw Law leaning on the railing of the sub with his usual smirk and not a care in the world. As soon as she saw him, Miyako gave him a glare.

"Did you get everything?"

"Yes." She curtly answered, standing there with his stuff, silently asking where to put it.

"Jean Bart-ya, please be so kind and take the things from Miss Miyako and put them in my quarters," Law ordered and Jean Bart who was sitting there on the deck, reading a book, stood up and without a word took all of the things from her. The large man seemed to have no problem with the weight nor the quantity of all the items and took them with ease, only leaving Miyako's personal bags with her.

"Thank you," she have him a light nod, trying to hide the feeling of disbelief when she saw the large navigator carrying all the stuff without a problem while she barely got them here. Bart nodded saying a simple "You're welcome" and walked away into the inside.

"So how long are we staying here?" The girl asked. She was still a bit nervous about the old man she met. What if he comes after her? What if he notifies the marines? She didn't know what was going on but didn't really want to find out.

Law saw a nervous glint in her eyes even though it was just there for a second. "What's wrong Miss Miyako?"

Miyako snapped her head towards him. "Nothing, captain," she answered calmly. She didn't really know what to tell him about the situation anyway. She bit her lip when she saw him walking towards her with a cold and dangerous look, his smirk disappearing.

"I thought I told you already, I don't like to be lied to. You have been acting strangely all day and you've been keeping something from me." He gripped her forearm tightly which earned him a warning glare.

"And I thought I told you I _don't_ like to be manhandled." She almost growled, still giving him a deadly glare. Miyako tried to break free from his hold but it was impossible, he had an iron grip around her arm.

They glared at each other for a while longer and then she sighed and closed her eyes. There was no point in arguing with him, that would just make things more complicated. "Fine." She said softly but in a cold voice.

Law didn't say anything as he waited for her to explain herself. He did, however, let go of her hand.

Miyako told him about the old man she met and what happened between them while she was in town. Not that she could really tell him much since she didn't understand the situation either.

Law rose an eyebrow, thinking about what he had just heard. After a while he asked, "Do you think you were followed?"

The samurai shook her head. But just at that moment she heard someone call her from the docs. "Shi- No, I mean, miss!" Both Miyako and Law turned around and Miyako's eyes widened.

"You!"

Near their vessel on the docks, the old man from before was standing and holding a piece of paper. Law realized it was the man Miyako was talking about and smirked. "Seems you have been followed after all."

Miyako ignored her smug captain and spoke to the man. "How did you find me?" She couldn't believe an old man like him could follow her and completely unnoticed at that. And she was right. He didn't follow her…it was worse than that.

"With this!" The man lifted a hand and showed them the piece of paper. Law and Miyako realized it was a wanted poster…a wanted poster of _her_. "I found out you were one of the Heart Pirates and after some questioning found the Heart pirate's ship…I mean submarine." He corrected himself.

"Whaaat?" She almost screamed, losing her composure, making Law even more amused. There was a picture of her, glaring at the whoever was taking it and beneath it said: "Burning-Eyed Miyako. 120 000 Beri." Miyako almost sunk to the floor. This was bad, very bad. She didn't want to have a bounty on her head. True, she was a pirate but only till' she gets to Wano, yet now she'll forever have a bounty and be a criminal. She'll never have a peaceful life again.

Law almost chuckled at Miyako's depressing state and still decided to poke fun at her. "Congratulations Miss Miyako, you have gotten your first bounty. Now you're a true pirate."

Miyako wanted to glare at her captain but didn't have the strength to. She didn't even notice when the old man climbed on the sub's deck until he was standing next to her. Law narrowed his eyes a little at the uninvited guest, suspicious of his intentions. But he got a surprise when the old man bowed to Miyako, who just proceeded to look at him confused.

"My name is Charles Oswalld and I am the main butler of the Ariyaki household." He pointed at the distance and Miyako followed the direction, then her eyes winded at the huge mansion on top of the hill beneath which the city lied. Before she could ask any questions, Charles continued. "The Ariyaki family are the most important and powerful people in the city. They are loved by all townspeople. However, there was a tragedy 5 days ago. Shiori-sama, the only daughter of the Ariyaki household, disappeared…we believe she might have been kidnapped because of the Ariyaki wealth but we didn't get any demands. She simply disappeared. This is her picture." Charles pulled out a small picture of Shiori and showed it to the two pirates. Both of them widened their eyes. The girl was a spitting image of Miyako. The only difference was she had a more gentle gaze with softer eyes, and a bit rounder face and her hair was falling down freely instead of tied in a ponytail how Miyako wore it.

"Wow…," was all Miyako could say.

"I understand your concern for the girl's safety but I don't understand what you want from Miss Miyako. As you can see, even though the resemblance is fascinating, she is not the girl you are looking for," Law commented looking at Charles who lowered his gaze down and was looking at the floor now. There was something else bothering the old man, that much Law could tell.

"Well there's more…you see Lady Shiori is an heir in the Ariyaki family and she is supposed to inherit all of Ariyaki wealth along with all the property they hold. However if the heir is gone, it would all be divided among other distant relatives. However all of those are greedy, power-hungry, awful people who had their eyes and claws on the Ariyaki family fortune for years. I wouldn't be surprised if any of them are responsible for Shiori-sama's disappearance. So you see, we can't even notify the authorities nor tell anyone on the outside, or the family inheritance would be in danger. The other families have already started to suspect something since Lady Shiori hadn't attended two important social events. We've been covering it up saying she's not been feeling well but we can't keep that for long, and there is still no sign of her.

Miyako listened carefully and watched as the man fell more and more into depression. "I understand you have an awful situation on your hands but I still can't understand what you would want from me?"

Before Charles could explain, Law stepped in. "They need a way to fool everyone into thinking this Miss Shiori is here, safe and sound."

The samurai stared at Law for a few moments, seeing him smirking at the old man who started sweating. Obviously he was right on the mark. Finally it dawned on her and she pointed at herself. "Me? You want _me_ to pretend to be Lady Shiori?" She couldn't believe it.

Charles gulped nervously and nodded. "When I saw you I knew it had to be destiny of some sort. You would just be acting to buy time until we find the real Shiori-sama."

"But that could take forever. And besides I'm no royalty…I'm a pirate for goodness sake!" Miyako exclaimed still bewildered by the whole idea.

"And most importantly, Miss Miyako isn't the one to decide about such matters," Law added, his arms crossed on his chest and his face more serious now.

"Well there would be a reward. We'd give you lots of money and treasures. The Ariyaki's are the richest family on the island after all. And you would be welcome to stay at our castle for free. I'm sure it'll be much better than an expensive inn. Also you would be protected from any marines that might endanger your stay here otherwise." Charles kept making promise after promise. "And we would teach you everything you need to know to be a high-class lady, Miss Miyako."

Miyako could see Law was considering it. He had been ever since Charles mentioned the reward and the other benefits didn't sound bad either. They had enough money already, but it seemed Law never missed a chance to get more if there was an opportunity. He was a real pirate alright.

"Alright Mister Charles. The log pose sets in 3 days. You have time until then. But since I'm feeling extremely generous today, me and my crew will help you search for this Lady Shiori if you double the reward money. So let's say all together that would be…1000 000 Beri."

"A million Beri! T-That's an awful lot…" Charles trailed of nervously.

Law rose an eyebrow. "Do you not need our help then?"

The old butler sighed and Miyako almost felt sorry for him. Though right now she was feeling sorry for herself the most, since she was being traded with like a piece of furniture. "Alright" The butler nodded. "Now please, come with me. We need to see the master and mistress of the household to make sure they accept the deal."

Law nodded. "Bepo" Miyako was surprised when he called his name as she didn't even realize the bear was here. Just then she realized he was sleeping in the corner of the sub, Law's nodachi still clutched in his paws as it leaned on his big shoulder. The bear's ears perked up at the sound of Law's voice calling him and he opened his eyes drowsily. "Yes, captain,"he quickly asked, even though Miyako could see he was still half a sleep.

"Gather the crew here. We'll be leaving shortly."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Bepo saluted and quickly stood up, running into the submarine.

The crew couldn't be happier when they heard that instead of eating Munk's food they'd be dinning in the biggest mansion on the island. Some of them grumbled and complained however when they were ordered to stay behind and guard the submarine, while others cheered happily at the news of spending three days like royalty.

Charles gulped as he saw about 15 pirates, including one woman and a bear, getting ready to go to the mansion. Law just smirked at the man's nervous reaction.

"Is something wrong Mister Charles?" Law's voice obviously showed his amusement.

"N-No, of course not Law-san. Let's go." Charles lied and proceeded on.

"Alright men, let's go!" Law ordered and the pirates grinned and started walking towards the mansion, Charles leading the way.

Miyako hesitated, not liking this one bit.

"Come on, Miss Miyako, you too. We can't do this without you after all." Law urged, amused by her uncertain expression. He was obviously enjoying the show and probably wondered what they'll put her through there. And most likely enjoyed the thought.

She glared at him for a while and got a little closer to his face, with narrowed eyes. "Did I ever tell you how much I don't like you?"

"Yes, you tell me that quite often actually," Law answered while still sporting that amused smirk, not deterred by her words at all.

* * *

><p><strong>So it begins. :D Poor Miyako, she's being used. And Law is so greedy. :P I think this will be an interesting turn of events.<strong>

**Thanks for reading and stay tuned for chapter 18. (Probably will be published tomorrow)**

**Also I hope I've managed to reduce the number of spelling errors. I was really careful. **

**So review, comment, criticize and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. **

**See ya in the next chapter! **


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**I'm baaack! Well not that I was gone for that long anyway…I think. O.o Sorry that you had to wait guys, I had some technical problems with my internet (it sucks, that's the main problem) and I didn't have much time on my hands either. **

**But here it is! Chapter 18! Thanks for your patience. :)**

**Also, Amazon, I agree with you; this story needs more action! But (ah, why is there always a 'but'?) right now this part is still about to reach its peek (and that's when I have some action planned), so bear with me a little longer. However I do intend to put more fighting and action in it from now on and on their new adventures. **

**So with all that said, let's get this started! I mean, you start reading! XP**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 18<strong>

As they got closer to the mansion, Miyako felt more and more nervous. She was fiddling with the slightly too long sleeves of her shirt.

"What are you so nervous about?" Josh appeared next to her. Usually she could feel his presence with haki even before he came but she was so deep in her own thoughts, he actually managed to startle her.

"Didn't you hear? Miyako will be a princess!" Cody said with a wide smiled and Miyako flinched in response.

"Hahahaa. Are you serious? Like this Ugly could ever be a princess! Hahaha!" Josh was holding his sides, laughing hard and loud.

Miyako's eye twitched in annoyance and she tripped him so he fell face first into the dirt. He spat some grass angrily and glared at her. "Why you-"

"Now, now, Josh, be nice to Miya-chan. She's practically royalty!" Shachi said with a smile.

"I am no such thing!" Miyako protested but they wouldn't pay attention.

"But the resemblance is unbelievable." Penguin added. "I was totally surprised when I saw the picture."

Her friends nodded in agreement but Miyako just sighed in a defeated manner. She didn't want to be a pirate, lady, royalty or anything else! She just wanted to be herself! She hated the proper-mannered wify material they trained all women to be in Wano and this was no different in her opinion.

The mansion was huge and renascence looking. It looked old but not in a rundown kind of way. There was ivy encircling the columns in the yard and climbing on the walls. The butler walked to the gates leading to the yard and opened them for the crew, then proceeded towards large metal gates which were decorated by various faces and forms. He gripped a piece of metal that was on the door and tapped on the metal surface of the doors with it loudly. It took some time, but the doors finally opened and there was a small servant girl on the other side. She bowed at the head butler politely.

"Ah, Amelia-chan. We've arrived. Did the Master get my latter?"

"Yes, Sir Charles. We were expecting you." The girl said in a soft voice.

As they stepped inside, the crew gasped in awe. Even if the mansion was looking old on the outside, it was completely different on the inside. It was bright and colorful, and full of decorations. The lobby was big and Miyako noticed two doors on either side. In the middle was a wide staircase, covered in a red rug. On either side of the staircase, servants stood bowing slightly.

"Wow, look at the maid girls. There are some cute ones." One of the pirates exclaimed but was nudged in the ribs to keep quiet by another.

However both Miyako and Law noticed the servants didn't really have pleased expressions even though they tried to hide it. But that was to be expected since they will be housing 15 pirates. And also because the said pirates dirtied their newly polished floors with their big work boots. Law just smirked, not really caring if they liked them or not, as long as they kept their end of the bargain.

The crew was brought out of their awe as two forms appeared at the top of the staircase. One was a tall and rather beautiful woman. She had long red slightly wavy hair though it was obvious it wasn't her natural color and it fell to her mid-back and gentle golden eyes. Her pale face was a contrast to the red lipstick she was wearing. She had a long black dress with bare shoulders that were barely covered with a dark blue scarf.

The other person was a slightly older man, probably in his early forties, with short dark hair that had a few grey strands in it. His piercing dark grey eyes were staring right at Law with a stern and serious look. The man was wearing a simple, black suit though it looked quite expensive.

Both figures held their heads high in a proud stance, not showing any fear even though they had a lobby full of pirates. They started walking down the steps in a slow and elegant motion, never taking their eyes off of the pirate group. As they walked, the staff on the stairs bowed low in silence.

The pirates looked at the couple in some confusion not sure if they should bow or show respect too, but since their captain didn't move, neither did they. Law was standing in silence, a slight boredom written on his face, and he stared at the couple not impressed by their high-class appearance or sharp looks they were giving him. Obviously they didn't like the lack of respect he was showing, but on the other hand, he couldn't care less.

Charles cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Mister and Misses Ariyaki!" He announced the couple as they came down the stairs and walked up to the crew. Their eyes scanned the group and then their gaze stopped as it fell on Miyako. The Mistresses' eyes widened as she slowly walked towards the uncomfortable girl. "So this is the girl you have told us about, Charles. I understand now...the resemblance is amazing. This plan might actually work!" The lady said, taking Miyako's head in her hands and examining her from every angle. Miyako didn't like the closeness and the freedom the lady let herself have with her, so she pulled away and narrowed her eyes a little.

"Please, do not treat me like an object you are about to purchase."

The woman rose her eyebrow and looked at the girl funny, as if she was surprised at the girl's reaction. Then after a while of silence, the woman sighed with a smile. "I apologize Miss Suzune, I was just amazed at how much you look like our sweet daughter." The woman's eyes saddened a little. "You may call me Shaya, Miyako." The woman smiled, addressing Miyako by her first name. The girl found it a bit too personal for someone she just met. _*But considering in what situation I'm right now, I suppose it's not that strange. I guess she feels close to me since I remind her of her daughter.*_

Meanwhile, the master of the house turned to Law, recognizing him as the captain of the crew. "Mister Law, I won't lie to you, we don't particularly like pirates but right now we are so desperate we would do anything. I will pay and reward you as much as you want, if you lend us a hand and find our daughter. She is more precious to us than any money."

Miyako smiled a little at the couple. At first when she saw them, she thought they were typical rich snobs, but now she understood they were just worried and desperate parents.

Law liked the idea of what the man said as well. But not because of the same reason as Miyako. No, his was much more practical. Hearing the man was willing to give anything if they succeeded lured a big grin onto Law's face.

"Alright Mister Ariyaki. We will investigate the case and lend you our strength. As I already told Mister Charles, log pose sets in three days so that's how long Miss Miyako will play along, for the right sum of course. Meanwhile, we will help you find Lady Shiori, and if we succeed we will get an additional reward. I have already told the amount to your butler."

"It doesn't matter how much! I will pay as much as you ask if you keep your end of the bargain." Mister Ariyaki said, cutting Law off which the pirate didn't particularly like but the man's answer pleased him instead. Law nodded and shook the man's hand, sealing the deal.

Somehow it made Miyako feel uncomfortable, as if she was being sold. And she had enough of that on Saobody. She felt the hand on her shoulder and her Kenbunshoku Haki told her it was Cody, he's presence was completely clear to her. She turned around to see him give her an encouraging smile and she nodded, smiling as well.

Suddenly, lady Shaya clapped her hands, which got everyone's attention. "Now then, since this is done, let us go to the dining room. The dinner should be ready. After that the staff will show you to your rooms. I'm afraid, some of you will have to share them though since we don't have so much guest bedrooms." She noted, eyeing the pirates. There were 14 of them and one bear, much larger of a group then the people at the mansion expected.

~….~

Miyako plopped down to her pillow closing her eyes for a second. The dinner was extravagant and fancy, like everything else at this mansion but Miyako spent most of it in uncomfortable silence. The rest of the crew obviously didn't notice the tension in the air as they laughed, talked and drank (a lot) in awe at everything around them. However, Miyako, Law, the staff and the two hosts ate in complete silence, everyone in their own thoughts. Well Law actually looked the same as always, an unworried expression as he ate, satisfied with the deal he made earlier. Sometimes Miyako thought there is nothing in this world that could make that man uncomfortable or surprised, as if there wasn't a step on his path that he didn't carefully plan out.

Miyako narrowed her eyes at the thought. People like that were interesting to her she had to admit, but they were also dangerous. Dangerous to her own carefully thought out plans. A part of her wanted to mess up his plans just to see his reaction but knew that reaction would be something she wouldn't like. Behind that constant amused smirk and calm facade, she knew there was something more dangerous, something she didn't want to see, yet did. Her curious part yearned to bring out Law's true self, but her reasonable part told her that wouldn't be a wise idea.

So here she was, in the bedroom of that girl, Shiori. The one who looked like her twin, but was a complete stranger. Miyako felt like an imposter, an intruder in this life that wasn't hers, in this room and on this bed. For some reason she didn't like staying here.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a light knock on the door. Miyako sat up on the bed. "Come in!" The doors opened slowly and she could see the grey butler's head peaking in the room.

"Miss Suzune," Charles greeted and walked inside, handing her a nightgown. She totally forgot she didn't bring any clothes with her to the mansion except the attire she was currently wearing.

"Thank you, Charles." Miyako nodded taking the clothes from his hands.

"You should get some rest, Miss Suzune. Tomorrow is a big day. Your training as a lady starts first thing in the morning," Charles scolded her like a parent would.

She smiled at him, but then scowled as she remembered "the training". She didn't understand the point of it and truthfully she could never imagine herself acting like a lady. It was harder than being a pirate. "I still don't understand why I need to go through this training? Aren't I here just for appearances?" She asked.

Charles looked at her confused. "Of course not. Did you forget about the Gala Night. The grand Ball?"

Now it was Miyako's turn to look confused. "The what now?"

"The Ball in the mansion. It is a big social event and Lady Shiori never misses it. That's why we were in quite a predicament when she disappeared, but luckily we found you. You really saved us. I thought you knew though, the Masters discussed it with Trafalgar-sama. It's in 3 days. Hopefully they'll find Shiori-sama before that but…"

As the butler softly spoke, Miyako's expression turned darker and darker, somewhere between depression and rising anger. *_That bastard! How could he not tell me about that! Law kept it from me on purpose because he knew I'd never approve of it! It's one thing to just walk around looking like Shiori but to actually pretend to be her, in front of everyone! Oh no, no, NO! I refuse!*_

Miyako's desperate thoughts turned quickly into anger and she was practically fuming when she stood up suddenly, scaring the poor old man and marched out of the room and through the corridor, to her "dear" captain's bedroom. *_First I practically get borrowed to this family and now he's doing this behind my back! How dares he! I don't care that the rest of his crew follows his commands without question and that he expects everyone to obey him without a word! This is too much!*_

Miyako forgot all manners as she slammed the doors open, making them bang against the wall, and all but stomped into his room. She's going to give that egoistical, smug, sadistic, naked captain a piece of her mind!

Wait, what?

Naked?

Everything Miyako wanted to say simply evaporated from her mind as she could do nothing but stand there in utter shock with wide eyes and feel the embarrassment rising, brining hotness to her cheeks.

There stood Law, just out of the bathroom with only his unbuttoned trousers on. He held a towel, drying off his soft wet hair. The small droplets were falling from his hair onto his shoulders and chest, traveling down his body to his stomach and falling on the carpet floor. Miyako's eyes couldn't help but follow the droplets down his body taking in his half naked form, but when she realized it, she quickly averted her eyes to the floor. Her cheeks were red and hot like never before.

Law rose his eyebrow as he noticed her and couldn't help but be amused at her shocked expression and then be even more entertained as he caught her staring down his body for a second. He didn't even bother putting on a shirt, just put the towel on his shoulder and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"It is polite to knock, Miss Miyako."

Miyako blinked, at first not even hearing what he had said. It took some time for her to register it since she was too busy keeping herself calm as much as possible, still staring at the floor. But all her anger was already long gone, replaced by sheer embarrassment. Still, she tried her best to concentrate and say what she had come here to say.

She took a deep breath and tried to give him her best glare, alas she doubted it looked menacing at this moment. "I have come here to tell you I quit!"

Law's smirk disappeared and was replaced by a darker expression. "Quit?"

"Yes, this whole charade, I want out! Charles-san just informed me that I am to attend a Ball in three days and that was _not_ part of the deal. You knew I wouldn't agree to it so you went behind my back and made a deal with the Ariyakis. I am not your property with which you can do as you please, and I will not pretend to be Shiori in front of everyone."

The anger that had subsided due to shock started to return again as she spoke. Her embarrassment was now nearly forgotten.

Law's eyes were narrowed and his lips were closed tightly in a thin line. Obviously he didn't like where this conversation was going and the lack of respect she was showing. She wasn't yelling at him but instead talked in a low cold voice she sometimes used when she was particularly angry. He didn't like her attitude right now and neither her decision that could ruin his plans. He already had some of the men from the crew on information duty, as they spoke and asked the mansion staff questions about the missing girl.

Miyako ignored the darkening look in his eyes as she finished her speech and gave him a dark glare of her own. It seems once again it was the battle of wills between them.

She was about to open her mouth to say something else, but Law cut her off, his voice cold and serious. "That's enough Miss Miyako."

She kept silent but held his gaze, standing firm. Law took a step forward and it was hard to tell what he was planning, but one thing was certain…there was a menacing aura around him. The girl's hand instinctively reached for her katana just to grab into nothingness. With a curse, Miyako remembered she left the sword in Shiori's room. The good news, however, was that Law's nodachi wasn't in sight nor in arm's reach either, but she doubted his devil fruit powers were completely useless without it. She was certain there was a lot he hadn't shown her in a fight yet. Miyako wasn't powerless without her sword either, but only knew basics of hand to hand combat. Luckily she wasn't in much of a physical disadvantage since Law wasn't a very large or brutishly strong man.

Law took another step closer and Miyako's eyes darted across the room for just a second, seeing what she could use or plan her next move if it comes to it. Her exterior was completely calm though. She stood there tall and silent, with that cold expression boring into Law. She watched his every move closely as he continued towards her.

When they were only inches away from each other, Law looked down at her, using his height as an advantage. The girl didn't look intimidated though, as she didn't even budge. She knew if she showed any signs of weakness or fright, he would win this battle of character. Besides, Miyako didn't actually feel scared or intimidated to begin with. However she did feel slightly uncomfortable at the closeness, since that's one thing she never particularly liked.

"It seems you have forgotten your place Miss Miyako," he simply stated, still towering over her.

"My place?" The samurai girl asked in a cold voice, almost cynically, as she waited for the pirate captain to enlighten her.

"Yes. If you remember you could have been nothing more than my slave, used as I pleased, but I showed mercy and took you in as my crew member, giving you the same freedom and privileges as everyone else. All I asked in return is for you to follow the rules like everyone else. And one of them is to show some respect towards your captain and follow his orders no matter what. Yet you don't seem to be doing either."

Law talked through gritted teeth, obviously trying to maintain his calm but losing his patience. Miyako considered for just a second if it was wise to continue this and risk him losing all control, knowing it could end up badly, but she was far too gone to care. He infuriated her more with each word.

"Mercy?" She almost spat the misused word as she repeated it. "If I remember correctly, _captain _Law, you almost blew my legs off as you practically left me no choice whether I join or not." She said his title in mocking manner, which made him narrow his eyes in a warning. "And if you want respect, you should show some as well. Perhaps to you I am just a pawn in your little game to get what you want or amuse yourself, but I am still a human being who should be treated as such. Not like some object with which you can do as you please! Then I am no different from the slave you so "mercifully" saved me from becoming." She said the last statement sarcastically.

It was obvious Law had enough of this insolence and he growled cautionary. It was the first time Miyako had heard him do this. Never in any of their fights or fights against opponents did he lose control. Yet here he was with narrowed eyes and a cold stare, making a low warning noise coming from somewhere deep in his throat.

"All of my crew members listen to my orders without a question and follow them, only you have to be difficult, you stubborn woman. If you think you are being treated as nothing more than a slave, then why don't I start treating you like one from now on?"

He grabbed her hand by the wrist and she lifted her hand, trying to break free. She gave him a glare and a warning dark aura started appearing around her. "If you don't let me go-"

But just as if right on time, a light knock on the doors cut her off and brought them out of their intense glaring contest.

"Come in," Law called, not taking his still narrowed eyes from Miyako.

Bepo opened the door and stiffened at the sight and the tension in the air which could be cut with a knife.

"What is it Bepo?" Law asked, still glaring at Miyako and holding her hand in a vice-like grip. She could feel the bone crushing pressure, as pain started to sneak on her, and she knew he was holding her tight enough to leave a bruise. Still she didn't flinch nor wince in pain, keeping her own cold calm.

The poor bear looked completely confused and uncomfortable with the situation as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "U-Um…about the questioning of the servants…Nobody really knows or had seen anything. But one girl said she saw Lady Shiori in the garden in the middle of the night one time. When she asked what she was doing, the Lady said she just needed fresh air, but the maid said Shiori looked as If she was waiting for someone. That's all we found out…We'll start searching in the city tomorrow."

Bepo gave his report and Law listened carefully even though it seemed as if his attention was still focused on Miyako. Then she could feel the grip lightened and Law sighed, closing his grey eyes for just a second. He was able to calm himself down and after a while he let go of her hand, which Miyako instantly pulled away.

"Bepo, please escort Miss Miyako back to her room. We're done here."

Miyako stayed put for one more second, staring at her captain, before she turned around and walked away. Bepo quickly nodded with a salute and waited for the girl.

Before Miyako closed the doors she heard Law add. "Miss Miyako, if this situation bothers you so much you'll just have to find Miss Shiori soon and end it. It's as simple as that."

"Tch," was all Miyako responded with as she closed the doors behind her. *_He knows very well that _that_ isn't the real problem here!* _She didn't want to start another fight though, so she let it go and walked back to her room, Bepo watching her worriedly the whole time.

"Will you be ok?" He asked when they finally reached her room. Or rather Shiori's room. The thought of sleeping in that girl's bed only made her feel worse. However, she managed to smile slightly at the polite bear.

"Yes, thank you Bepo. Good Night."

He nodded and kept silent for a while, then out of the blue bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Miyako just rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. At first she found his odd habit a bit annoying, but after a while she took a liking to it. She couldn't explain it, but somehow the bear could always make her smile with his weird outbursts.

~…..~

Miyako rolled in bed and sighed. No matter how hard she tried to relax or how long she kept her eyes closed, sleep just wouldn't come to her. Her thoughts kept returning to the fight scene she had with Law and that would just irritate her more. Especially when she remembered how he grabbed her wrist, not all that gently. _*And I told him I don't like to be manhandled!*_

But then her mind decided to show her a different picture and she remembered the awkward moment when she burst in the room and saw her captain in a rather embarrassing state. Or at least it was embarrassing for her when she saw him.

_*But it's not like he looked bad…* _The thought was there for just a split second, but enough for Miyako to sit up quickly and shook her head, ridding herself of the thought.

"What am I thinking! I must be losing my mind!" With one last frustrated sigh she got out of bed and looked across the big room. It was nicely decorated with everything a girl would want…or perhaps a lady would need. Miyako didn't know, since she had no use for a neatly arranged make-up stand or a large closet filled with colorful dresses.

The girl stood up and walked to the large and only window in the room. The shining moonlight broke through and lightened the room, making it easy to see in the dark. She stared outside to see a beautiful garden filled with now sleeping flowers. She noticed the dark red roses that were everywhere and there was even a small fountain in the middle. Miyako looked at the idyllic sight but no matter how amazing it all appeared, she could never see herself living in a world like this. To her it seemed boring and plain, a word nobody would usually use for a life of fancy parties and ballrooms, but to Miyako that kind of life didn't seem attractive at all. She would rather travel around the World, discovering new places, jumping into another adventure every day. That was the world Miyako dreamt off ever since she was a child.

She thought back to the old days, trying to remember when did that dream of hers' start. She remembered always sneaking off into her master's room where he had bookshelves filled with various books. There she would read about daring adventurers, strong samurai, new strange places…it was all fascinating to her. Yes, if she wasn't holding a sword, she had her nose stuck in a book. That was probably the downfall of all her chances to become like every other girl in Wano. The girls there would dream of bringing honor to their families by bearing sons and taking care of their children and husband. Their goal was to impress the matchmaker and find a good husband to marry. But ever since Miyako could remember, the thought of such a life would make her gag.

With another sigh, the samurai turned away from the window and glanced around the room. She went to the big oakwood desk on the other side of the room. There were some books and papers stacked there, obviously Shiori's studies. Miyako walked along the room examining every piece of furniture and item in it. Finally she stopped at the make-up stand the girl used for getting ready for her fancy ballroom parties and gatherings. Miyako opened the drawers but didn't find anything interesting. That is until she opened the last drawer that was seemingly empty. Miyako put her hand inside and touched something. With newfound interest she took the item and saw it was a wooden jewelry box. She opened it and pulled out some necklaces and rings that were inside with a frown. *_Well what was I expecting I would find?*_

But then her hand glided against the inside surface and Miyako noticed something strange. As if there was a dent. She knocked on the insides and it sounded hollow, like there was something underneath. *_A fake bottom?*_ She tried to pry the wooden bottom from its place using her fingernails and after some fidgeting she managed to open it. _*Ha! So there really is something beneath it!*_ Miyako felt like a little child that just found a secret map to a buried treasure.

*_Papers_?* Miyako's brows furrowed at the sight of neatly folded papers in the secret department. She took them out and her eyes widened a little. *_Letters_!* However it was too dark to read them so she ran around the room, trying to find any source of light. Finally she found a candle and some matches and quickly lit it, putting everything on the desk.

Miyako read the letters and it didn't take long for her to realize what they were. "Love letters," she mumbled, feeling a bit bad for reading them now. She was invading the girl's privacy on a whole new level. Like pretending to be her, sleeping in her room and wearing her clothes wasn't enough. *_But there might be a clue to Lady Shiori's disappearance in here. Maybe she wasn't kidnapped at all, but eloped!* _The samurai girl thought in wonder.

The letters were filled with poems, sweet words and promises that made Miyako frown. It's not like she thought romance was dead but she wasn't the whole 'dying for love' type of girl and to her, most of this man's letters seemed cheesy. She tried to find any names that would be helpful but the name was never revealed. However, each letter was signed at the end with blood red ink, Red Baron it said. Miyako pondered at the name but she had too little information to connect it with anything. *_But this explains what that maid girl said; Shiori must have waited in the garden for this Red Baron fellow. Interesting…I need to show this to Law tomorrow so we can investigate.*_ She frowned at the thought of her captain and seeing him again tomorrow after their little fight but she had no choice. Unfortunately he was the captain she was stuck with and she had to at least try and make the best of it, which meant try and get along with him. She looked at the wrist he had gripped and frowned a little seeing there was indeed a bruise there. *_Well not that I'm not used to bruises but still...He was completely out of line. *_ Miyako thought of all the times she would fight her master in duels and get beaten, leaving black and blue bruises from the shinai all over her body. She sighed at the almost painful memory; she could feel the sores just from remembering it.

~…..~

But Miyako wasn't aware she wasn't the only one thinking of what happened tonight.

Law lay in his bed, but sleep wouldn't come to him. His mind was at the moment troubled by a certain snarky samurai girl. He didn't feel in the wrong with what happened, no, he was the captain and she should respect and listen to his orders. But then why did he feel this way, why feel so troubled? He had no reason to, yet here he was, lying in the darkness at some god forsaken hour and staring at the ceiling.

*P_erhaps I was too harsh...?*_

But as soon as the thought entered his mind, Law shook his head harshly. *_No! I am the captain on this ship and I'll be damned if I need to apologize to a crew member who has the nerve to challenge and disrespect me!* _

With a groan, Law put his forearm over his eyes and then sighed. He couldn't believe he was getting so stressed and troubled over a fight they had. But he was still a bit angry just remembering how she talked back to him. He wanted to just forget it and go to sleep but it kept nagging at him and sleep couldn't be further away. The man sighed again, a bit more irritated this time. _*That woman will be the death of me.*_

* * *

><p>Shinai - a bamboo sword used for sparing in kendo<p>

**Fhew, is it just me or this chapter seemed really long somehow. o.O Though I know this one was more talking, bla bla bla, not much interesting stuff, but I need an intro in all that's happening so there had to be one dull chapter. :P (I can't wait to get to the fun part when the culmination begins.) **

**Still I hope you enjoyed it (I had to put some Law goodness in it, even if it was a typical situation). **

**And see you soon! :) Maybe I'll upload another one today since you guys waited for me this long. **

**Thank you for all the wonderful comments and as you can see I'm gonna work on all the constructive criticism you leave me (so feel free to do so in the future as well). Hopefully my spelling mistakes decreased since I'm proofreading it with extra care now. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**As promised, I published another one today since it took me so long to publish before today. Though I barely managed since my net is still sucky and dying every few seconds. -.- (I wanna kick my internet)**

**So once again, I want to thank everything for the nice comments and reviews. :) You guys really make my day. ^^ And I hope I make yours at least a little with my stories. ;) **

**Well then, let's beguin! **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 19<strong>

Miyako awoke the next day to the sound of chirping birds and the morning sun shining brightly into her eyes. She awoke still sitting at the desk, leaning on the table and on the scattered letters she was reading before slumber took over. It took some time to remember where she was and what happened when she saw a big bedroom instead of her usual little metal room on the submarine.

Before she had time to wake up properly, a loud knock was heard on the doors. Miyako blinked at first, but then stood up and quickly started tidying the mess she made on the desk. She put all the letters in one heap and put it aside, for later. She still needed to show this to her captain.

"Come in!" Her voice chimed and suddenly the room was filled with people, which she didn't take a liking to. There were two maids and after them came Charles. Miyako realized she was still in her nightgown which made her a bit embarrassed, but Charles didn't even seem to notice or rather he acted completely professional. He was the head of the staff after all.

"Good morning Miss Suzune." He said with a bright smile. It couldn't be more than 8am and yet he looked all fresh and ready for the new day. Meanwhile the maids were preparing some clothes and fidgeting around the room with a serious face, like robots, not giving the girl a second glance. They did however made a confused face when they went to make the bed just to see it was barely touched and everything was still in place like no one slept in it. Little did they know, that was exactly the case and Miyako had her sore and stiff body to prove it.

"Are you ready for the big day?" Charles asked, but before she could answer the maids were leading her somewhere down the hall, almost pushing and pulling at her as they went.

"Hey, wait a minute! What are you-" Miyako tried protesting, but stopped when she was led into the biggest bathroom she has ever seen. It was the size of public bathhouses they had in Wano, but this was just for one person, Shiori. *_Why does someone need such a big bathroom all for themselves?*_

Before she could think of an answer for her own question, she was pushed inside and to her horror she realized she was being undressed. "Hey, whoa, whoa, WHOA! Wait a second!" She protested and somehow managed to get away from their grasp and take a few steps back.

The maids looked at her in confusion. "But Miss, you have to take your bath." One girl said a bit uncertain. Miyako could see the maid girl was uncomfortable, but she couldn't tell if that was from the fact that Miyako was a pirate or because she looked so much like their Lady.

"I don't object to the bath, but why are _you_ here with me?" Miyako asked with a confused look and pointed at the maids.

The servant girls looked at each other puzzled, which only made Miyako more baffled. So here they were, Miyako clinging to the remains of her clothes, the maids clutching at their dresses and sleeves nervously, the three of them staring at each other, each one puzzled more than the other.

"W-well, we always helped Lady Shiori wash herself. Who would wash her back otherwise?"

Miyako's eyes almost fell out of her sockets from the surprise. "Say, is there _anything_ that girl does for herself!?"

"P-Please, don't disrespect Lady Shiori. She is a kind and gentle soul!" The younger of the maids said softly but firmly, though it was obvious she feared the consequences of her outburst and the other maid elbowed her slightly in the ribs as a warning to hold her tongue.

Miyako sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She let out a long sigh. After a while of complete silence, the Wano girl spoke. "Alright, look…Firstly, I won't do anything to you so please stop being so scared. I don't bite." She added a small smile to show she meant it and the girls seemed to relax, though only a little. "And secondly, I'm fully capable of bathing myself so please make an exception and wait for me outside. I'll be fine." Miyako really, _really _hoped they would listen to her.

"B-But our orders…" One of them started and Miyako put a sole finger in the air, stopping her.

"If you don't tell, I won't either. It'll be out little secret." She grinned.

The girls still looked uncertain and unconvinced, and Miyako actually thought about pulling the pirate card on them and threaten them to leave her alone, because she really didn't want to have company while bathing even if they _were_ girls. In the end, however, she decided not to frighten the poor girls any more than they already were. To her relief, the girls gave her a barely visible smile and nodded.

"We will be waiting outside Lady Miyako, take your time."

Miyako was delighted and bowed her head lightly in appreciation. That surprised the maids since usually they were the ones bowing down, but they didn't comment as they left the bathroom.

Miyako sighed in relief and closed her eyes for a while, enjoying the fresh hot water on her skin as she began her ministrations.

Not long after, the doors of the bathroom opened once again and Miyako came out with a smile. "Ok, I'm don-" She didn't have time to finish though as she was once again led by her hand back to her room.

"We need to hurry Miss Miyako, breakfast will be ready soon."

Before she could understand what was happening, she was pulled behind a dressing screen. Miyako recognized it as a Shoji screen, which was the name for it they used in Wano. Before she could say anything else, once again she was being undressed and a new piece of clothing was put on her. But a piece of clothing she never wore before…it was a crimson Victorian style dress with a corset as the upper part. Miyako took a sharp intake of breaths as the maid pulled the laces tightly, making the corset viciously grasp her upper body. Miyako could barely move, let alone breathe.

"Are you ok, Miss Miyako?" A voice called from the other side and she realized that Charles was waiting for them in the room.

"I think your maids are trying to kill me with suffocation. I can't breathe." She said it in a joking manner, but the last part was definitely true.

"This is how nobles dress. This dress is of the latest fashion on Howl's Island."

"Well women on Howl's Island must have learned not to breathe." Miyako answered, still out of breath. She realized she could only take in shallow breaths as she tried getting used to the clenching feeling.

However, the torture did not end there. To Miyako's dismay it was only the beginning. Next, the maids helped the girl in dark red high heel strap sandals, and she had to hold to the wall for balance as to keep herself from falling instantly. Finally Charles came up to her and put a brightly shining silver necklace around her neck, with a heart that glistened on the morning sun. "May I?" He then asked and Miyako blinked at first, confused as to what he was referring to while he kept looking at her hair. Then she remembered she still had her red ribbon tying it and nodded. She always tied her hair before starting the day, as a habit. Her long hair would get into her face while fighting otherwise and she already had that problem with her slightly too long bangs. *_I think I need a haircut soon.* _she thought with a sweat-drop.

Charles pulled her out of her thoughts like the ribbon he pulled out of her hair, making the strands fall down. Miyako was then seated in front of the make-up stand and she grimaced, realizing what was coming next. *_This is going to be a looong day.* _

~…~

Law tapped impatiently at the wooden railing of the main staircase with his fingers. He was standing at the bottom of it, along with his first mate Bepo, who was silently standing on the side holding his nodachi. Everyone else were already at the dining room yet he had to wait for his crew member to finally get ready. "What is taking her so long? Usually it takes her 20 minutes to get ready for the work in the galley." He muttered under his breath, losing his patience which was slowly being replaced with annoyance.

Then just as if on cue, Charles appeared and cleared his throat. "Miss Suzune Miyako!" He announced rather formally.

Law's eyes widened only slightly at the unexpected sight. At first it was hard to recognize the person who appeared, as it was everything but what Law would ever expect from the tomboyish Miyako to ever look like. He could hear Bepo's surprised gasp behind him, but his eyes stayed focused on the sight in front of him.

Miyako had a long crimson dress with small black decorative patterns. The upper body part was a corset that followed the curve of her body perfectly and showed off her slim waist. He could see her bare milky shoulders and upper chest area which were exposed. The lower part was wide and falling down to the floor in waves of decorated crimson cloth, covering her feet, though he could see high-heel sandals as she made her first step. There were long silk white gloves covering her hands and going up her forearms. A shining heart-shaped necklace around her throat sparkled in the light. She wasn't wearing much make-up, since she was against putting any of it. In the end she managed to make a compromise with Charles so there was only a light red color lipstick on her lips. Even without mascara, Miyako had long voluminous eyelashes and even without blush she had a natural rosy color to her cheeks. Though it was slightly brighter than usual as she was feeling a bit embarrassed by everyone looking at her, while she carefully walked down the stairs. Her hair was falling down her back, lacking the usual red ribbon she wore.

She might have looked like a princess, but Miyako certainly didn't feel like one. Instead she felt like a person put in some kind of torture device as she felt completely uncomfortable in all this. The pinching dress barely gave her enough free movement and it was impossible for her to walk in her shoes without having to grip the railing so she wouldn't fall down. And most of all, she felt bare without her katana tied to her waist. Despite Miyako's complains, Charles insisted she leaves it in her room because "It wasn't lady-like to have a sword with her," he said. So now her katana was leaning against the wall in Shiori's room, the red ribbon tied tightly around the hilt.

Miyako sighed in relief as she took her final step down and was once again on the even floor, feeling just a little bit safer. Her whole trip down she tried to think of how to act around Law considering what happened last night.

Meanwhile, the pirate captain didn't take long before he regained his composure and had his usual calm expression back. Miyako didn't seem to notice his surprise anyway as she seemed too focused on trying not to fall down the stairs. Law almost chuckled at the girl's small frown and focused expression as she stepped on every step as carefully as possible.

"Captain," Miyako greeted with a nod.

Law cleared his throat a little do dispose of that arising chuckle. "You look…different," he commented.

"This is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn. I can hardly breathe." Miyako whispered back in a slight whine.

"I think women here are more concerned how they look than how it feels inside, Miss Miyako." Law smirked at the thought of all those rich women whose image and stature were more important than anything else to them.

"Well I look ridiculous anyway." Miyako added as she started walking towards the dining room or at least tried to. Then her ankle bent to the side as the heel slid on the floor and Miyako stumbled.

Law, quick to react, gripped her wrist to stop her from falling and quickly pulled her towards the other side, towards him. Miyako felt the pressure on her still-sore wrist where he grabbed her yesterday night and made only a slight flinch. However the captain was experienced enough to notice it immediately and he looked at her wrist with a serious but unreadable expression.

Miyako was too busy sighing in relief that she didn't fall down to notice what he was doing. She didn't even realize something was wrong since that flinch was more of a natural reaction to slight pain and she didn't give it a second thought. But Law did.

"Miss Miyako." He started a bit uncertain of what exactly is it he was supposed to say. Well he didn't really think he should be the one to apologize since she was the one who barged in rudely and attacked him with her accusations and opinions nobody asked her to share. But Law also knew she was a part of his crew and as such they have to watch each other's backs at all time, which would be quite impossible if his swordsman (or rather swordswoman) hated him.

"Yes, captain?" The girl asked, still looking down at her feet to examine the path before her, rather than her companion. She realized he was still holding her hand and blushed a bit, though at the moment she actually needed it for balance. It would be safer if he had a firm grip on her in case she starts falling again.

"I'll admit when we first met we got off on the wrong foot."

"Well I think we did, too." Miyako answered glancing at him quickly before returning her focused gaze on the floor. She still remembered their fight and her being captured by a particular smug pirate captain and it still didn't quite sit right with her.

"But as time passed, it appears we managed to get…accustomed to each other." He added, looking at her expression carefully but there was nothing he could use to tell what she was thinking.

"Hm…" She hummed in thought as if remembering the time she spent on the submarine. "Well I still haven't poisoned you...," she mumbled in reflection. Then Miyako looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Where are you going with this anyway?"

Law sighed. *_I'm not too sure myself.* _He cleared his throat and continued. "So it's a shame we had to go and ruin it all last night."

Miyako's eyes widened a bit in realization. "Ooooh. Well I accept your apology."

Law actually blinked in confusion before his brows furrowed ever so slightly and he narrowed his eyes. "Apology? Who said anything about an apology?" If Trafalgar Law didn't do something; it was apologizing. If he did something, he meant to do it and he never regretted any of it later. And this was no exception…was it? "I was simply saying it would be wise for you to respect your captain more so we wouldn't find ourselves in those kinds of situations anymore, like last night."

Miyako frowned and stopped suddenly, making Law and the confused maids and Charles stop behind them. The servants were walking behind them slowly, not too close so they wouldn't overhear their conversation or invade their privacy.

"Wait, so you're telling me yesterday was _my_ fault?" She crossed her arms on her chest.

Law just rose an eyebrow and shrugged slightly as if saying; '_Isn't that obvious?'_

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she pierced him with her big golden eyes. "You…You're just…just….unbelievable!" Miyako was so angry and frustrated, she was at the loss for words. She pulled her hand out of his and tried to walk away. The emphasized word was on "_tried_" however, as she stumbled as soon as he let go and almost fell on her face.

"Very graceful," he commented with a smirk.

"Shut up," Miyako mumbled, utterly defeated. And then as if rubbing salt on the wound, she heard him chuckle behind her.

~…..~

She told Law about the letters she found and gave them to him, but when they asked the Ariyaki family about them, they were only confused and appalled by it, not having any idea that Shiori was meeting someone. The servants, who usually knew everything that's going on in the mansion, weren't of much help either.

"You think she eloped with someone?" Penguin had asked over breakfast.

"Hm, but it could've been a trick to kidnap her," Shachi added.

Both of the mechanics looked as if in deep thought. Law did too, as he read the letters. Then he finally started, "If she was kidnapped and the kidnapper is indeed one of the rich families, I'm sure the kidnapper will be very surprised to see Miss Miyako- I mean, Miss Shiori at the Gala Night." Law corrected himself and grinned at Miyako, who was currently trying to listen to the conversation, but it was impossible since Charles was trying to teach her which out of 5 forks she should use next.

"I never thought eating could be this complicated." Cody whispered to Josh, who just nodded while looking at the frustrated girl. He was enjoying her torture though.

"However, if she really did elope with this Red Baron fellow, it will be hard to find her. Who knows if they are even still on the island," Law continued.

"And who knows if she's still alive even." Another pirate added and they all gave him a glare, his friend elbowing him in the ribs. "S-sorry," he quickly apologized.

Shaya Ariyaki started to whimper slightly and her husband had a dark look in his eyes as he bowed his head and gripped the tablecloth in front of him.

"Hm…I don't think they killed her yet. They'll keep her alive until they get all the assets…for insurance in case something goes wrong. At least that's what I would do," the captain shrugged. "Though I still don't know how they plan on making your belongings theirs if you said it is still uncertain who would get it."

The head mistress of the household just shook her head, hiding her face in her hands and crying. Mr. Ariyaki, who Miyako remembered was named Tosuke, thought about Law's words for a while before saying, "If Shiori was married it would all go to her husband, but since that is not the case…It would probably go to our closest relatives, the Kayoru family." Shaya gasped suddenly with a dramatic effect. "Oh, no! They would never do such a thing! There is no way!" She shook her head wildly.

Law finished with his breakfast, though he barely touched the food, and stood up. The rest of the pirates followed suit. "Alright everyone, let's see what we can find out about this Red Barron fellow." He gave specific orders to his crew and separated them into small groups, then sent them throughout the island. Miyako stood up as well, inconspicuously following them out of the room, before she heard Law call out, "Not you Miss Miyako, you stay." Even though she couldn't see his face, the amusement in his voice was obvious.

"Damn it." She cursed under her breath.

"Good luck, Ugly." Josh grinned at her as he passed her by.

"Bye Miyako." Cody said, patting her on the back.

"Um, good luck, Miya-chan." Penguin and Shachi said in unison, trying to hide little blushes they had on their faces, still not used to her graceful-looking appearance.

"Learn well, Miyako." Bepo said, holding Law's nodachi as he exited the room, and Jean Bart just nodded at her, the last one to exit.

When they were all out the doors, Miyako sighed in desperation. Charles cleared his throat to get her attention. "Let us begin Miss Miyako. Follow me."

~…..~

First it was the proper dinning manners where Miyako had to learn all procedures and tableware to use. Then it was the proper speech and manners in the presence of company. Then came the posture practice where Miyako had to walk and stand perfectly straight. After that was learning the whole family tree and family history. So it was no wonder that Miyako was so beat she could hardly stand at the end of the day. And yet, her she was, learning how to dance and waltz to slow classical music with Charles as her partner in the large ballroom. She kept stepping on his feet at first, but little by little she got the hang of it. However she still felt a little uncomfortable.

The doors opened slowly and Miyako could see Law enter. He asked the staff something to which the maid nodded and walked out of the room. So now there were only the three of them inside and Law leaned against the wall, watching Charles and Miyako dance.

The head butler noticed Miyako's stiff form when she saw Law and smiled a little. "Hm…you seem very tense, Miss Miyako. Perhaps if you tried this with someone you know a bit better or someone your age...," he trailed off, insinuating the meaning behind his words.

Miyako was confused by the old man's suggestion, but then he took her hand gently like a real gentleman would and led her to Law. Law's eyebrows furrowed at first, but then he stepped forward with a sigh. By his expression it was impossible to tell what he felt or thought at that moment when he took Miyako's hand and twirled her one time experimentally.

The girl, on the other hand, had a shocked expression with wide eyes and a dark blush. The switch happened so fast she wasn't sure what had happened at first, let alone had time to protest, but when she did realize the situation, she stiffened even more. Especially when she felt Law's one hand placed on her waist and the other holding her own in the air.

"Relax, Miss Miyako. I don't bite." Law said with a grin that made Miyako not so sure about the truthfulness of his statement.

She did manage to relax a little, taking a deep breath…well as deep as it could be since the corset was barely giving her room to breathe.

However, after a while she begun to relax and move accordingly to the slow music, focusing on it instead of the pirate in front of her. Well, at least she tried to, but it was harder than she thought with his piercing eyes staring right into hers. So even though the rules said you should always watch your dance partner in the eyes, she focused her gaze just above, settling it on Law's fuzzy hat. She had to admit she often wondered how it would feel under her hands since it looked so soft, like Bepo's fur.

"So did you manage to find out anything?" She asked him, hoping the topic would ease her embarrassment.

"Hm," Law hummed in thought and twirled her once more to the rhythm of the music. "I did some research and the one who would inherit everything was Kayoru Gomei, he is Shiori's uncle and Mr. Ariyaki's brother."

"So you think he did it?"

Law shrugged, making him almost look bored and uninterested in the whole topic. *_Doesn't he care what happened to Shiori?* _Miyako simply couldn't understand his indifference.

"Everything will become clear soon enough. We just have to wait. I've already informed the Ariyakis of everything through that maid I sent." Law simply answered, yet not actually explaining anything.

"What do you mean? Did you figure it out? Wait for what?" Miyako couldn't understand what he was saying, but by his smirk she knew he had no intention of telling her. Her face turned from a confused one to an over-dramatically disappointed one, rising her eyebrow. "Not talking, huh?"

Law's smirk just widened, but he stayed quiet. Instead of an answer, he leaned her gently back and to the side until she was in his arms, which was the only reason she wasn't falling on the floor yet. He timed it perfectly with the end of the music and for a while they stayed like that even after the music was over. It was only a second longer than necessary, but that second seemed like a whole eternity for Miyako as they were only a breath apart, she in his arms and he staring at her eyes with his piercing gaze, never breaking eye contact. Miyako was in such a daze, she even forgot her embarrassment.

Then suddenly Law lifted her back up and moved a step back, letting go of her, and for some reason Miyako felt cold at the loss of contact. She quickly pulled herself out of her daze though as Law cleared his throat. Nobody noticed the butler who still had a slight knowing smile on his face as he stood at the side, watching them.

"Where did you learn to dance like that anyway?" She asked. It seemed quite uncharacteristic for a pirate to know how to dance, especially to slow classical music.

Law just shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Miss Miyako." With that he turned around and started walking out of the door, leaving the girl standing there in the middle of the brightly decorated ballroom. Miyako stared at Law's leaving back and realized her breathing was rather irregular, although it wasn't because of the dress this time. Yet she decided to blame it on the tight corset around her chest, anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Well this one was more of an improving relationship between Miyako and Law than anything else. I know it's going quite slow and it was time to bring them a bit closed together. Especially after the fight. <strong>

**So I hope you like it. I'll publish chapter 20 tomorrow (if my internet allows it -.-) Oooh, and I can't wait to publish it, I'm really happy with it, it was fun to write. :D **

**See ya in the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here it is, chapter 20! I liked writing this chapter, especially the beginning and the end. I dunno why, it was just fun. :)**

**So I hope you like it and thank you for all your supportive comments and reviews. **

**Computer –check. **

**Blanky – check.**

**Chocolate – check.**

**Ok, let's get this started!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 20<strong>

Miyako was sleeping soundly in her bed. It was the night before the Grand Ball, before _that _night, and she wasn't so thrilled. Still, there was no going back now and, besides, she would be even more angry if all her training was for naught. Yet a part of her hoped Law would find Shiori before that, though it seemed he was planning something else. He was probably more focused on finding the culprit, which would then lead him to the girl anyway.

Thankfully, Miyako had learnt to be a light sleeper so even after a hard day of Training from Hell (as she liked to call it), her tiredness didn't affect her senses completely. That's why when a shadow crept to her bed, Miyako quickly opened her eyes and rolled off the bed, dodging a spear-like weapon which stabbed the mattress. She fell off the bed and aimed a kick at the person's knee while still on the floor, which made the man jump backwards. The girl took that second to grab her katana which was leaning on the wall beside the bed and unsheathe it.

"Who are you?" Miyako whispered through gritted teeth as she looked at the man in the darkness. He was fairly large and toned. He wore all black to blend in with the darkness and there was a mask covering most of his face, only leaving his small eyes visible. *_An assassin?*_ Miyako thought as it was the first thing that came to her mind and the man surely didn't look like an amateur.

As expected, the man didn't answer and instead rushed towards her. For a man of his size he was pretty light and quick on his feet. He wielded the spear in the air and brought it down in a slashing motion to Miyako's side, but she easily blocked with her sword. She rushed towards him, but he jumped in the air and did a somersault landing behind her and she dodged a stab at her head just in time when she turned around. The man proceeded with the stabbing attacks and Miyako dodged each one, but she couldn't do much more in the small space as she moved backwards with each thrust of his spear. The samurai felt the hard surface behind her and knew she had reached the wall. She waited for his last stab and moved her head to the side. The spear lodged into the wall and Miyako didn't intend to give him time to pull it out. She moved forward again with her katana high in the air, but before she could bring it down on his head; the man pulled the spear out and slashed at her feet. She had to jump high in the air to avoid being slashed, but without waiting, the assassin stabbed at her upwards. She deflected it with her katana, but the edge of the spear sliced at her shoulder a little, bringing a stinging sensation to her flesh.

"Tch," she clicked her tongue in annoyance as she landed on the ground and the man rushed at her once more.

However Miyako wasn't just dodging all this time, but also analyzing and remembering his moves. With that spear he only had three options; slashes at her from left or right, or stab at her. Anything else would be easily blocked or avoided and he would leave himself open. So Miyako formed a plan for each of the scenarios that could occur.

The man decided to stab at her head again, and Miyako quickly dodged to the side. As expected his next move was to slash at her from that position, but Miyako countered with her katana and deflected the spear, before crouching down and twirling around to get more force into her blow. She stood up and with the full force of her body hit him with the katana on the back of the neck, slicing through the tough surface like butter. The blood splattered on the floor and on her nightgown as the head fell down, the body soon following limp and lifeless. It fell to the ground with a thud and red liquid started flowing quickly, staining the wooden floors. The same red liquid dripped from Miyako's katana and she cleaned it on the man's black shirt.

Suddenly her doors flew open and Miyako tightened the grip on her katana with a murderous and cold look, ready for another assassin, but instead she saw Charles. There were more people behind him and Miyako realized it was the Ariyakis. Charles turned the lights on and Miyako had to blink a few times, adjusting her eyes to the brightness.

She heard a loud scream and saw Shaya look at the bloody mess in horror before passing out, but luckily mister Ariyaki caught her on time.

"W-what on earth happened here?" Tosuke Ariyaki asked, shocked, but was able to compose himself somehow.

"The same thing that happened in my room." A new voice made them look behind and saw Law walking towards the group and entered the room. He had an unsheathed nodachi in one hand, which didn't have a drop of blood on it. In the other hand he was dragging a lifeless body on the floor, holding it by the shirt. The body looked deformed, not all limbs where they should be and it was obvious Law had used his powers on the assassin.

He sighed when he saw the headless body in the room. "So yours is dead too, huh? I was hoping to get some information out of them, but the man bit his tongue as soon as he realized he lost," Law explained, looking at his dead man with a rather bored expression.

Miyako shrugged. "I didn't really have an opening to wound him, but keep him alive. It was either his death or mine," she explained. The man was skillful and quick, and the risk of holding back and capturing him alive was too great. She would have probably ended up in his place if she had tried.

Law nodded, but kept silent. His expression didn't wear a usual smirk. Instead he wore a serious face with his lips closed in a tight line. His stormy grey eyes had a darkened look in them. Miyako couldn't tell if he was deeply in thought or truly angry.

The noise attracted the staff and the rest of the Heart Pirates and soon everyone were peering at what was happening.

"What happened?" Bepo asked, trying to peer inside the room through the group of people that were blocking his view. "Captain, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Bepo. It seems the people responsible for Lady Shiori's disappearance found out about Miss Miyako and wanted to get rid of her. They've hired assassins." Law gestured at the two dead men on the floor.

"But how is that possible? We made sure to keep all of this a secret," Charles exclaimed, not comprehending the situation at all.

"Then you obviously have a spy in the mansion among you. Maybe someone in the staff," Miyako concluded.

Charles shook his head in disbelief. "But we check the help very thoroughly. Even their history." He still couldn't believe there was someone working for the culprit and also working for the Ariyaki family. How could he make such a slipup?

"Then I suggest you check again just in case, though the person obviously hid themselves well," Law noted. Meanwhile, some of his crew members searched the bodies, yet didn't find anything except some other weapons hidden on the men's robes and the map of the Ariyaki mansion with a red X sign on Miyako's room.

"W-well I believe we had enough excitement for the night. We should all get some sleep. Charles, please tell the staff to…clean that up." Shaya, who recovered from her shock, pointed at the blood and dead bodies. "And show Suzune-chan to another room." She said with a soft smile looking at Miyako, who felt a bit uncomfortable from the way Shaya addressed her, as if she was a little child.

The captain nodded. "I doubt they'll try anything else tonight, but just in case I'll tell Penguin and Shachi to take turns and guard the room."

Miyako sighed. "I can take care of myself," she muttered, but knew there was no use arguing as Law would just do what he wanted. He ignored her comment as he gave his crew orders before leaving for his room. He stopped for one second and looked back at Miyako, with an unreadable look in his eyes. Almost as if it was worry. However the girl didn't notice as she whined to Penguin and Shachi that she didn't need to be baby-sat.

~….~

"ouch!" Miyako exclaimed as Cody put alcohol on her open wound so as to clean it.

"Well stand still." Cody said, a bit annoyed at the constantly fidgeting girl.

"How will that help?" She asked rather skeptically, but obliged anyway.

"Just shut up and let him take care of it," Josh added.

"Why are you even here Shrimpy? It's just a superficial cut; one medic is more than enough," she replied with a slight glare, but way too tired to actually make it count.

This caused more bickering between them and Cody sighed with annoyance and rolled his eyes. Even the ever-patient and usually cheerful Cody had enough of his two friends fighting all the time. He knew they still cared about each other in the end, even though they would never admit it.

"Would both of you just shut up and let me work!" He yelled in frustration, finally making the two pirates stop and shut up. They were actually surprised by his raised voice.

After a few minutes of complete silence…"Your high voice sounds like a girl's," Josh commented rather bluntly and got hit in the head by a thrown object.

~…..~

Since their arrival at Howl's Island, Miyako had one misfortune after the other. It seemed the poor girl couldn't get any rest, especially with the current situation where she was forced to daily learn how to be more lady-like and had to know the whole Ariyaki history and family tree by heart. For the usually tomboyish Miyako, this was hell on earth as she walked in high-heels, wore uncomfortable dresses and studied royalty manners. And now she also had to be on her guard in case something like last night happens again.

So now, Miyako was hiding in the back garden of the mansion from Charles and the maids and also the Ariyakis who always kept an eye on her to ensure her teachings were going perfectly. Perhaps it was not the most mature thing to do, but at the moment Miyako couldn't care less, as she reached one high-heel shoe, one corset and one dress too many.

Luckily for her, the back garden was vastly large and almost made into a labyrinth with the walls of high hedges around. It looked more unattended than the rest of the mansion which gave it a sort of gothic feel. Miyako was sure it would look uncomfortably spooky here at night.

So here she was, sitting on the dying grass ground, leaning on a hedge, or at least trying while the little branches poked her back sharply. She was wearing her usual outfit, happy to feel she can actually move freely and take breaths with full lungs.

"What are you doing?"

A familiar voice startled her and made her jump in surprise a little. The girl gazed up to see Joshua standing with his arms crossed on his chest, tilting his head in question and staring back at her, though she couldn't see his eyes as they were hidden in the shadows beneath the rim of his hat.

Miyako looked up, having to squint from the bright morning sun shining in her eyes. She shielded them with her hand and tried gazing up again. "I..um….sunbathing?" She said, (though it sounded more like a question) as she tried to think of a good excuse. But what good excuse could you think of for sitting on the ground outside and looking like you're desperately trying to hide from something…or someone in this case.

As expected, Josh didn't buy it at all. He tilted his head some more and smirked evilly, a plan forming in his mind. "Sunbathing huh? Is that so…."

"Are you implying I'm not sunbathing then?" Miyako rose an eyebrow. _*If I act naturally enough maybe he'll really believe it.* _At least she could hope.

"I'm _implying_ that you're a total liar," he said with a grin. "But then again, it's really nice and sunny today. So why don't I call _everyone_ to sunbathe as well," he suggested innocently and started turning around, still grinning devilishly.

"Wait!" Miyako called, not wanting to end her peace and quiet yet, which would certainly be ruined if Josh alerts everyone where she was. The maids have probably entered her room by now in order to wake her. The girl hid a smirk as she thought how surprised they must've been when they didn't find her sleeping as usual. By now they must've notified everybody and were searching for her like mad. Miyako's smirk changed into a frown as she thought of all the fuss they were making about her these days. They made her feel like some little noble girl who needed watching over 24/7, instead of a samurai and pirate she was. "Aright, Josh, what do you want?" She asked, seeing clearly that Josh wanted something in exchange for his silence.

"5000 Beli." He said simply.

Miyako's eyes narrowed. "2000."

Josh frowned a little, seeing the girl wanted to bargain. "4200."

"2500," Miyako countered.

"3000," Josh continued.

"Deal!" The girl exclaimed before he could change his mind and they shook on it.

The pirate medic sat next to her and took a stalk of grass, bringing it to his mouth and whistling on it.

"You don't have to be here with me, you know." Miyako mumbled.

"Meh. Captain told me to keep an eye on you so you don't do anything stupid."

Miyako's face turned into a slight pout. "_Stupid_?" She wasn't pleased with his choice of words.

Josh only shrugged. "Ok, so he didn't say it exactly like _that_. But he saw that this whole ordeal took a toll on your nerves so he didn't want you to do anything too drastic, like leaving. I don't think he would like this either though." Josh grinned and Miyako just scowled. "Besides, if they're after that Shiori, you're lookalike, and they realized you're here, you could be in danger," he added.

"Oh, Joshua, so you _do_ care!" Miyako exclaimed with a grin in a mocking and overly dramatic tone.

"Shut up! It's captain's orders!" He argued, but just a faint glint of blush appeared on his usually pale cheeks.

Miyako chuckled slightly, but stopped when she saw his death glare pointed right at her. Still, she couldn't control the constant smirk on her face.

For a while they just kept quiet. Josh continued playing with his stalk of grass and the girl stared somewhere in the distance, seemingly in thought.

"Besides...," the medic broke the silence. "I think you're not suited for this noble life anyway. This suits you much better," he said, looking at her usual clothing.

Miyako smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"And you're too vulgar for this role anyway," he just _had_ to add.

"Shut up, Shrimp."

~….~

"What are you guys doing here?" Cody suddenly appeared and put his hands on his hips, looking like a mother who was about to scold her children.

"Sunbathing," Miyako and Josh answered at the same time calmly and unfazed by Cody's reprimanding look.

"wha-?" Cody stared with a puzzled expression, but decided it was probably better for his sanity not to ask. So he just shook his head with a sigh. "Miyako, you know you should be inside. Breakfast will be starting soon and everybody's worried and searching for you. We thought Shiori's kidnappers are after you again."

The samurai sighed. "I'm sorry Cody. I know it was childish of me, but-" She didn't have time to finish or explain herself as a deep and cold voice cut her off.

"Yes, it was, Miss Miyako." Law appeared with narrowed eyes, piercing her with his gaze. Bepo was silently walking behind him, holding his nodachi.

_*Oh boy, I'm in trouble now.* _Miyako gulped and bit her lip, knowing her captain was probably mad.

On her surprise, he just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a while. "Let's go." Miyako blinked at him confused. *_He's taking this rather well.* _He did however, glare at Josh who stiffened and quickly got up, pulling Miyako by the arm as well and back on her feet.

"Mister Josh, I'll have a word with you later. If I remember correctly, I specifically told you to stop Miss Miyako from doing something like _this_."

"S-Sorry captain." The medical assistant gulped. Even the usually hotheaded and confident Joshua couldn't do more than bow his head in shame and gulp under his captain's piercing gaze. Law didn't have to use fear to earn the respect of his crew, but they were still well aware how frightening he could be when angered. So the medic quickly walked away along with Cody who elbowed him in the ribs, calling him an "Idiot" silently. However he still managed to whisper to Miyako, "You still owe me 3000 Beli." Miyako rolled her eyes at the comment and started walking with Law next to her.

"I thought you would be angrier." She broke the silence as she remarked rather bluntly. She knew it would perhaps be wiser to stay quiet and obedient, not provoking him, yet she couldn't help but be curious why he wasn't giving her his usual death glare by now.

Instead, the pirate just sighed. "I understand you aren't really happy with the part you have to play here. Especially you…"

Miyako blinked at his last statement, confused at first about what he was talking about, but then she remembered how she told him she was never a kind of person to enjoy such lady-like behavior that was always forced upon her. And this time there was nowhere to run.

"I know you need some peace and quiet as well, in these times, but don't worry m-…_everybody_ so much. " Law corrected himself while talking. The girl was completely taken aback by his understanding speech. However she almost fell on her face when he continued, "But if you do a stunt like this again and disappear without telling _me_, your _captain_, you will wake up on my operating table." The tone turned more warning-like and Miyako knew there was no uncertainty about whether he was serious or not.

*_Figures,_* she though with a sweat-drop and made a displeased expression. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered the nightmare she had not too long ago, about Law experimenting on her. However, this sounded more like the smug and snarky pirate captain she knew.

~….~

And finally the dreaded night arrived. The evening of the Gala night and the Grand Ball. Miyako could already hear the music in the large ballroom where she had her dance lessons. She was however still in her's, or rather Shiori's room, getting ready for the dance with a little help from the two maids.

What infuriated her the most was that Law still didn't want to revel his plan, which was about to occur tonight. He loved to keep these things to himself as if he found pleasure in people's shocked faces once his plan turned successful. He was always so secretive and mysterious…most girls found such traits attractive or even irresistible, but Miyako could only see danger in such character. She was a woman who liked to know what was going on around her, to have the situation always under control and not let anything surprise her. Yet Law was the first and only man she met, who could turn all that upside down and make her as uncertain and flustered as a naïve little maiden she was supposed to be tonight. She hated when she couldn't read what he was thinking or when she didn't know his plans and tonight was one of those nights.

However, the girl _did_ have some idea what was to come tonight. Whoever was responsible for Shiori's disappearance will most probably be here tonight and what a surprise they will get when they see the missing Lady alive and well, here at the ball. There was a risk that they will try to reveal her, of course, but even if they do, it will prove that they were behind it all since only they would know the truth. Miyako smirked at her reflection, not because of the way she looked at the moment, but because of the thought of that person having the surprise of their lifetime.

But the reflection did attract her eyes towards the mirror and herself in it. She stared at her long hair which fell loose on her shoulders and down her back, only a part of it pulled backwards and tied with a black ribbon. The dress was black as well, going perfectly with the curves of her upper body (But thankfully no bone-crushing corset this time) then widening slightly after her waist and falling down just barely above the floor. The back of the dress was a bit longer and fell on the floor, dragging behind her as she walked in her black strapped high-heels. The dress was sleeves and left the upper chest, shoulder and lower back bare as it ended low on her back. All in all, the dress was simple, but that's how she liked it. Shaya and Charles let her pick the dress for the ball and this was the only one that didn't seem too extravagant or hard to move in. Also, the black color expressed the bright golden of her eyes. On her arms she had black silk gloves, reaching high and covering her arms. She took her red ribbon thinking what to do with it and in the end decided to add just a little bit of color to her looks, so she tied it around her neck and made a small bow on the back, as its ends fluttered behind. There was also a blood red color on her lips, the only make-up she accepted to put on. The only slight flaw was the bandage around her left shoulder where she got cut by the assassin, but she already had a story prepared in case anyone asks.

~…~

"Master and Mistress Ariyaki and their lovely daughter Shiori." Charles exclaimed rather loudly, bring the attention of the full ballroom to the three people standing at the doorway. Miyako's gaze darted around the brightly lit, decorated room in search for her crew and saw some of the crew members dressed in suits and pretending to be the staff. Obviously they were there to keep an eye on her in case someone would try to harm her tonight. But there was no sign of Law and his first mate, Bepo.

"Where's the captain?" Miyako whispered to Shaya.

"Oh, he said he'll lay low since he is a rather famous pirate now and it would be hard to explain what he is doing here in our mansion." Shaya shrugged with a wave of her hand. She didn't seem very interested in Law's plans so far and rather greeted everyone with a bright smile.

Miyako was left to socialize with the crowd and dance with the young men as it was the "proper behavior" as the Ariyakis always called it. The couple was doing the same, talking to some businessmen and their wives. But all in all, it was hard for Miyako to notice someone acting strangely or suspiciously. *_Still, that person must be here…and the Red Baron.*_ She didn't forget about the mysterious name in Shiori's letters.

~…..~

Law was leaning against the wall behind a big red curtain that separated the main ballroom from the back room where the staff was. Bepo was by his side, holding his nodachi and looking at the ballroom in awe as the colorful people chatted, danced and twirled all around. He watched his samurai girl play her role perfectly and couldn't stop a small smirk from forming on his face. _*Well for someone who was against this so much, you're quite good at it.* _He had to admit though, the girl looked quite beautiful in her new attire, though she didn't need a fancy dress to look beautiful to begin with. Law cleared his throat, clearing his mind of such thoughts as well. There was no time for something like this and instead he focused on the crowed of nobles around them, examining every suspect. Though he already knew, by the end of this night, the culprit will be in his hands. His plans never failed after all.

Law grinned. *_Let the games begin.*_

_~…..~_

Miyako sighed as she stood at the buffet, bored as hell. She turned on her heel while looking at the crowed and bumped into someone. Quickly turning around to apologize, she noticed it was one of the waiters. "Oh, I'm sorry," she breathed out.

"Oh that's quite alright Lady Shiori-sama." The young man gave her a bright smile, which reminded her of the ones Cody always gave her. So maybe this guy was also a cheerful person like the certain medic pirate she knew. The young man had wild blonde hair that looked as if he tried to comb it into order but failed, and the most bright, warm blue eyes with an equally bright smile to match.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Lady?" He asked with the smile still present.

"Yes, thank you. Everything is perfect." Miyako lied with a smile of her own, though hers was fake even though that couldn't be visible as she hid her boredom behind her act. At least she could relax with this guy since he wasn't one of the royals so he wasn't a suspect. That made her feel a bit more at ease.

"Ah, that reminds me!" He quickly said with a thoughtful look and Miyako looked at him with a questioning gaze.

The young man handed her a small piece of paper, rather secretly she noted, and smiled. "This was given to me by one of the royals, he said it was for you."

Miyako took the paper and opened it. It was a note. "_Meet me at the back garden in 5 minutes. _Signed_: Red Baron." _Miyako read silently and her eyes widened at the name in the end, written in the same blood red ink as Shiori's love letters. She snapped her head up with her mouth open, ready to ask the waiter; who gave this to him and what did he look like, but she found herself all alone, the young man nowhere in sight.

*_Well this is probably a trap but…I have to go if I want to find out where Shiori is.*_ She gripped the piece of paper tightly in her gloved hand and headed for the back entrance, which was usually used by the staff. She wanted to notify Law, but he was nowhere in sight and she had no time to waste so she snuck out of the room quickly.

~….~

Law's eyes narrowed a little when he saw the young waiter giving Miyako a small piece of paper after flashing her some flirty, bright smiles that almost made the captain gag. He watched the man carefully when he hurriedly left and went out of the ballroom, but that was Law's mistake. When he returned his gaze to where Miyako was standing just seconds ago, his eyes widened. The girl was nowhere in sight and as he scanned the rest of the big ballroom, she was nowhere to be found.

"Damn." He cursed under his breath, something very out of character for him.

Bepo immediately picked up on the word, seeing his captain's unusual behavior, and came closer. "What's wrong captain?"

"Miyako's gone." Law blankly stated and peeled himself from the wall he was leaning against.

"Wha-?" Bepo begun to say, but couldn't finish the question as Law was already moving and walking over to the rest of his crew, giving them orders to search the mansion and find a certain troublemaker of a samurai.

~…..~

The samurai shivered at the chilly air around her, now that she was outside. It was a moonless night and the dark was giving her trouble seeing as she tried to peer in the black abyss in front of her. She stepped a bit closer and went inside the hedge maze.

"Hello? Red Baron?" She called out, but got no answer. Miyako had a very _very _bad feeling about all this and she never missed her katana more.

She walked even further and suddenly heard a sound of a twig breaking ahead. Her eyes narrowed a little because of the suspicious sound, but also because she was trying hard to see in the dark as if she was trying to evolve her vision into a cat-like one which can easily see in the darkness. She walked forward, deeper into the garden and then heard another twig breaking as if the sounds were guiding her...but towards what?

She glanced around and suddenly realized how different this part of the Ariyaki estate was. Whilst the mansion was nicely lit and decorated, and the front garden was well taken care of, this place looked almost devoid of human touch. The trees looked barren and instead of roses and flowers, there were only roots and weed. The hedges were the only things in the garden that were cut properly, to make an endless maze through the garden.

_Screeeeech._ A loud screeching sound made Miyako flinch and she started walking towards it, quickening her step as she went. The sound was constant and almost in a pattern. A cold wind blew and Miyako put her arms around herself, searching for warmth. The music coming from the mansion was getting softer as she walked further away. Suddenly she came to a stop as she saw something that looked like the family crypt. The iron gates were open and slowly moved on the wind, making the rusty piece of iron screech constantly. At least she realized where the noise was coming from. She walked towards it with a careful step and peered inside, but needed a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Even when they did, it didn't help her much in the end. Inside was a stone statue and flowers around it, long dead just like the person that was resting here. A big stone coffin was next to the wall, but Miyako couldn't see any writings on it about who was inside. That's when she noticed a slight breeze coming from the far corner of the room. Squinting her eyes more, she walked towards it and realized there was a passageway leading downwards. There was no light of any kind and it was hard to see, but Miyako took a deep breath and walked inside, moving some cobwebs on the way.

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><p><strong>A dramatic ending! Where is Miyako going? What will she find? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter! (hahah I sound like some cliffhanger ending in a TV show. XD) <strong>

**Finally another fighting scene! I love writing fighting scenes; I should do it more often. :D Well from this chapter onward, there should be more action as it's nearing the culmination.**

**Also I'm thinking if I should name some special techniques Miyako uses (like Zoro and everyone else has in One Piece), but then again it would sound kinda silly if she would yell out the name every time she attacks someone like they do in the anime. ^^' **

**So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see ya soon. :) I'll probably publish the next one tomorrow though it's still uncertain since I have to finish it first. (And I just started XD) **


	21. Chapter 21

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

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><p><strong>Ah~ Finally chapter 21 is here. I didn't know if I would be able to finish it today since I had some extra work I assigned myself; since I didn't proofread some of the first chapters (so they had a lot of mistakes) I decided to do it now and fix them up. So hopefully it'll be easier to read now.<strong>

**And I must admit I was slow with writing this cause I'm reading "The Amulet of Samarkand" (again XD) and when I start reading something, I just can't put the book down till' it's finished. :P Ah, Bartimaeus, the book wouldn't be the same without him. (Probably not worth reading then ^^') I love that demon. :D **

***ehem* well anyways, not much to say except hope you enjoy and fave fun! Oh, and I'm really happy with all the comments and reviews I've got. Thank you guys sooo much for all your support and I see you like my frequent uploading so I'll try my best and keep it that way. :)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This story is a LawXOC ff and is rated T for blood and language.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 21<strong>

*_Where did that girl go?* _Law walked through the crowed with gritted teeth, easily avoiding the nobles on the dance floor and making his way out of the ballroom. His crew has checked everywhere and searched throughout the mansion but there was no sign of a missing samurai girl. This was not part of his plan.

It should've been easy. The culprit would see Miyako and try to either expose her (but then exposing himself in the process) or lure her somewhere and deal with her himself. And when the second happened, Law would keep a close eye on her and follow them, catching the person behind this charade. Miyako was supposed to be the bait and everything would work out perfectly. Unfortunately he didn't take into account that the girl would disappear without telling him.

_*That troublesome woman,* _he thought bitterly as he walked out of the ballroom and stopped as he reached the back garden of the mansion.

Also there was no sign of that waiter who talked to the girl earlier, and Law knew he had to be involved somehow. Then something caught his attention.

"Bepo" He called his first mate who came running, holding Law's nodachi in one paw and Miyako's katana in the other, which he took from her room. Before Bepo could ask what was the matter, the captain continued. "Has someone checked the back garden?"

The bear thought for a while before shaking his head. "No, no one….sorry."

Law ignored the depressed state along with the bowed head of his first mate and instead took his nodachi and the katana from the polar bear's paws. He tied the katana around his waist, a strange feeling since he wasn't used to the extra weight there, but he ignored it and moved on. With a quick pace, Law walked into the darkness of the hedge maze.

~…~

Uncertain footsteps could be heard in the darkness as Miyako pressed on. She put one hand on the stone wall so she could orientate better since she couldn't see anything ahead. The pathway kept leading down and the samurai had a strange feeling she was walking right into Hell itself. Perhaps an overdramatic thought, but considering the pitch black nothingness ahead of her, it was understandable that one could be paranoid. Especially when you're almost certain you're walking into a trap.

As she walked, Miyako realized the pathway was becoming less steep until the ground under her became completely even and she found herself in front of a doorway. It led inside a barely candle-lit room, large in size but bare and cold. Miyako looked at the stone walls and large pillars holding the cracked roof. She could see that on the other side there was another doorway, leading into darkness again. *_At least this room has some light.* _She looked at the few large metal candlesticks, holding long candles that provided the only light in the room.

But what interested Miyako the most was the presence she felt. There, in the shadows, was definitively something...or rather someone. But the darkness in the edges of the room hid the people from her view. Yes, there were 6 of them, Miyako realized. And one of those presences seemed familiar even though Miyako couldn't really put a finger on it.

Her question was answered, however, when a familiar but unexpected person walked out of the shadows and in front of her. The candlelight shone on his wild blonde hair and bright blue eyes that looked menacing in the slight light.

"You!" Miyako exclaimed with surprise clearly written on her face. She didn't know what to say. "What are you doing here?" Then realization entered her mind. "It can't be…"

The blonde man grinned evilly. "Hello Lady Shiori-sama, or should I say, Suzune Miyako."

Miyako gulped uncomfortably. The other 5 men in the shadows didn't move yet but this all gave her a rather uneasy feeling. There was no way she could defeat 5 men without a weapon, especially if they were more of those assassins from the other night.

But the focus of Miyako's attention right now was the man in front of her. The seemingly cheerful and nice waiter she had bumped into in the ballroom. The one who gave her the message. Of all the suspicious people that went through her head as she walked down here, he was nowhere in her mind. Not even in her deepest thoughts did she think he had anything to do with it. The first time she ever saw him was tonight, those few minutes of her time, and he seemed like an unimportant staff member.

"So you're the culprit behind lady Shiori's disappearance." That was a pretty obvious statement, but Miyako wanted to gain some time until she thought of a plan to escape. Though nothing came to mind at the moment. She cursed her foolishness for walking into a trap and not notifying anyone where she was going.

"How insightful of you to notice," he said sarcastically and mockingly, giving her a wide grin. His features showed no sign of earlier warmness but instead he looked like a snake ready to attack its pray. "And I would have done everything perfectly if you hadn't come along and started creating trouble for me. But luckily, we'll take care of that soon enough." The blond snapped his fingers and 4 large assassins walked from out of their shadows, each carrying a different kind but equally deadly weapon. The last one stayed in the shadows, standing near the blonde man as his guardian.

Miyako jumped to the side and took one of the long metal candlesticks, throwing the candle on the floor in the process. "Where is Shiori and what did you do to her?" She asked almost in a growl but the man just chuckled. He obviously had no intention of telling her anything even if she was about to die.

The first assassin rushed at her, carrying the same spear as the one she killed the other night. Miyako managed to block, holding the candlestick in both hands, but it was heavy and she wasn't used to fighting with such items. Not to mention how hard it was to fight in high-heels and a fancy dress. All she could do was block and dodge, as she walked backwards. From the corner of her eye, she saw the other three men rushed towards her as well and Miyako knew it was over.

*_Am I really going to die like this?*_

A blue sphere suddenly formed around them and surprised yelps answered her question. Miyako stared with wide eyes as the three men, who were rushing towards her, were now missing all their legs. Their limbs were cut off in one swift motion and flying around them. The assassins' eyes, the only thing unmasked on them, were wide open and stared at their passing appendages in sheer horror.

A certain smug captain appeared out of the doorway and walked into the barely lit room. But instead of his usual smirk, he wore a serious face with a deadly glare to match. One was certain; Law was pissed. Still, even with the deadly aura swirling all around him, Miyako was never happier to see her captain as she was now.

The man who attacked her had jumped backwards and prepared his spear for another attack.

"Miyako!" Law's voice brought her out of her musings and she snapped her head towards him, right in time to catch her katana that he threw towards her. Her face brightened up instantly and she grinned happily, feeling her sword once again in her hands.

Law almost rolled his eyes when he saw the girl beaming with happiness as her katana was returned to her. She would always do it when she got her weapon back, as if it was an old friend of hers instead of a sharp piece of steel. But then again, Law could somehow understand; he didn't like not having his nodachi by his side either and would only entrust it to certain people with holding on to it.

Law focused back on the fight and right in time as the assassin threw his spear at him and then rushed at Miyako, not wasting any time to see if the weapon hit the pirate captain or not. Law easily dodged the spear, but that made him lose concentration on his sphere and the blue film disappeared around them.

To make it even worse, suddenly a new assassin appeared out of nowhere and attacked the captain, but luckily the pirate sensed the man and blocked his sword with his nodachi. It's not like he hasn't been doing anything these couple of weeks; he's been training his Kenbunshoku Haki to be able to use it. It was still more of an instinct, but much stronger than it used to be. Law jumped backwards as the assassin slashed at him and then created his sphere again, just to make it disappear when he had to block another blow. The assassin was fast and he obviously had no intention of letting Law use his devil fruit powers. He could see his crewmember only meters away, facing quite a predicament herself, but had his own problems to worry about. She'll just have to handle it herself. Besides, if she couldn't, then she was too weak for his crew to begin with.

Meanwhile, the assassin who threw the spear at Law wasn't useless without it, as he brought out another weapon. It was a kusarigama; A chain-sickle. The assassin threw the chain and it wrapped around Miyako's throat, or at least it would have if she hadn't acted fast enough to put a hand between the chain and her neck, which saved her from being strangled on the spot. The assassin pulled her towards him, making Miyako lose her balance, though she still held her katana in her other hand tightly. She stumbled but managed to stay on her feet and then quickly blocked the incoming attack, as the man sliced at her with the sickle. They were in quite the position. The man holding the chain in one hand, trying to tighten the grip it had on Miyako as best as he could, while in the other he held his sickle, against Miyako's katana which she had to grip tightly in one hand while the other stopped the chain from crushing her throat.

They stayed like that what seemed like forever, Miyako gritting her teeth in annoyance. Then the man moved his foot, trying to kick her in the knee and trip her so she would lose her balance. The samurai noticed this and tried to move aside, but he quickly pulled the chain, bringing her closer to him and making her stumble again. He used that moment of surprise to bring the sickle down on her. She threw herself to the side, losing her balance completely in the process, but managed to avoid the fatal attack. However it ripped through her shoulder, making quite a large wound and blood gushed out staining the weapon, floor and both of them. Miyako cried out in pain, but used that moment to stab her katana in his side, since his sickle was unable to strike again so quick. She had to sacrifice some flesh, but it was worth it as her sword stabbed through his side and appeared on the other side, right above his ribs.

The man made a grunt as his eyes widened in both pain and surprise, before they rolled back into his head and he fell down on the ground, releasing the grip on the chain. The sickle and the chain fell down on the ground with a loud noise that echoed through the room. Miyako fell as well, on the other side, with a small yelp. She sat up and gripped at her bleeding shoulder. *_Great…well at least now they match.*_ She thought ironically as she looked at her other, equally bandaged, shoulder.

Law heard the yelp of pain on his right and saw Miyako from the corner of his eye, getting sliced in the arm. Luckily, it seemed she also managed to take down the assassin. He didn't really have time to ponder about her wellbeing at the moment since he had his own fight to worry about. He jumped to the side and dodged another slash of the man's sword and brought his nodachi in a downright position to block a slash at his side. That left the assassin open and with a round kick, Law kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying. Law didn't intend to give him time to recover.

"Room." A deep voice of the pirate captain said and the familiar blue sphere appeared around the assassin. Law made three quick slashes with his long nodachi. One wouldn't think he could swing such a large sword so quickly and precisely, but he had no problem wielding it, from the years of experience. The assassin was cut and separated in three parts; his waist, torso and head cut and were now flying around the blue sphere. The pirate didn't take the time to play with the body parts and mish-mash them as he didn't have time to waste…unfortunately. He felt a bit disappointed at the freshly cut bodies before him that he couldn't play with.

~….~

Miyako saw her captain walking over as she stood up and gripped her arm; a failing attempt to stop the bleeding. The wound was much deeper then she thought. Her katana was once again tightly tied around her waist and the girl never wanted to take it off again.

"Are you alight?" Law asked, gently removing her clutching hand to see the damage underneath. He still had that dark look in his eyes as he examined the wound in all seriousness.

She nodded. "I'm fine." But then turned her attention to the other side of the room. There was still someone there, watching the show and not liking the result as his men fell defeated. "We're forgetting about someone." She nodded in the direction of the blonde man who had clenched fists and gritted teeth to prove his anger.

Law glared at the blonde. "So it seems," he mumbled and made a step forward, clutching his nodachi tightly.

The blonde made a step back and put a hand in the darkness, holding something on the wall, but it couldn't be seen as it was hidden by the shadows.

"I'm not done yet!" The blonde hissed, his wild hair falling on his glaring equally wild eyes. All the fake warmth from before disappeared from his face and it was obvious he was furious. He pulled a lever on the wall and suddenly the floor opened.

Miyako could only gasp in surprise as she felt the ground under her disappear. Both her and Law fell into the endless darkness underneath as the floor closed once again, leaving no light behind.

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><p><strong>Little by little the veil of mystery around this whole event starts to unfold. (Ok, that sounds lame XP) <strong>

**But more action! yay! I think I'm gonna start writing chapter 22 immediately since I'm on a roll here. But you'll get it tomorrow so you'll have to be patient. :P **

**Speaking about patience, who here also can't wait for chp. 663 of OP manga to come out? . I mean, come on! Why are they taking so long? I can't wait to read it. **

**Well anyway, hope you liked this chapter and tomorrow I'll probably post the next one. (Damn, why aren't I so diligent when it comes to studying as I am when it comes to writing ff?) **

**So reviews are welcome as always and I if you have anything to comment on, criticize, or just state your opinion, feel free to do so. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Okie, guys, just to say; I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good, I'm sick and I had trouble concentrating normally so I've been dragging this chapter all day. I'm totally slow today. :/ So I'm sorry if it's less interesting than the rest (I did try my best though). **

**Well that said, let's get started.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a story and is rated Teen for blood and language (well blood mostly).

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 22<strong>

"Ouch" Miyako whined as she sat up in pitch black darkness after hitting the ground rather hard. Luckily the fall wasn't very high so the damage was on the minimum, but Miyako definitively knew that a couple of things will hurt in the morning.

She looked around, but could see absolutely nothing so she tried hard adjusting her eyes to the darkness, once again trying to evolve her eyesight into that cat-like vision, but of course without any success.

"Law?" She called a bit worried since her captain wasn't saying anything, but she did hear sounds of rustling fabric near her.

"I'm here." He mumbled in a dark voice, and just by that she could see, or rather, hear he was even more pissed than before. She wondered what his face looked like right now. Probably the same cold look he always wore, but with such deadliness behind it that you'd get chills from him just looking at you. "What were you thinking?" A sharp hiss in the form of a question came out through his gritted teeth.

"Um…well why we were falling, something in the lines of; 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die…,'" Miyako admitted.

"You _know_ what I mean," Law countered, that sharp hiss still present as if he was trying to control his anger as best as he could. At that moment, Miyako realized; Law wasn't just pissed at that blonde guy, he was pissed at her as well. And he was right; she knew exactly why, but hoped he'd let it slide.

When the pirate realized she wasn't about to reply, he continued, barely holding himself in control to keep his voice low and even. He was never the yelling type, but he could feel anger bubbling inside him, coming somewhere from the pit of his stomach and threatening to spill out any second. "I _told_ you not to run off on your own like this anymore…this morning!"

Now that she thought about it; yes, there had been some threats involved this morning when she hid from the staff. But truthfully, she completely forgot about it as she went into the back garden. At that moment, all she thought about was that she had to hurry and find Shiori. She nervously shifted her weight and looked at the ground like a small child being scolded. Yep, she definitively messed up this time and she knew when she was in the wrong. "S-Sorry…," she muttered guiltily.

Law sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm down. "What if I didn't come? You would've _died_, Miyako." He clenched his teeth and closed his mouth shut as he realized there was way too much worry in his voice when he said that than he would've liked to admit.

The girl didn't know what to say so she just stayed quiet, still looking at the floor. Though she did flinch a little when the word '_died' _came into their conversation. But he was right; she probably would've died. She owed him his life. "Thank you…for saving me," she said in a soft voice.

Law just sighed again, finishing the conversation. There was no use crying over spilt milk now. _*I just wish she would listen to me more,* _he couldn't help but think, though instead of that sentence, another came through his mouth. "Let's just find a way out." He muttered and tried to see around him just to realize there was no use. This just agitated him further.

"Where are we?" Miyako asked, desperate to change the subject. She also tried looking around, but all was in vain since the darkness stayed as impenetrable as before.

"I'm not sure, but obviously even more underground than we were before." Law's voice came somewhere from her left.

"What is a place like this even doing underneath the mansion?" Her voice sounded a bit frustrated from the illogicality of it all.

"When we were searching for Lady Shiori, I did some research. It seems in a faraway past these grounds were used by some occult groups. This is probably where they performed their rituals in secrecy. However in the end the townsfolk found them out and executed all the cult members," Law explained.

"S-So…you think this place is cursed or something?" The girl asked skeptically, but even so, stayed a bit worried. She wasn't superstitious, but the thought of summoning ghost and demons and sacrificing young virgins, which all probably happened down here, still brought chills down her spine.

"I wouldn't know about that." There was obvious amusement in Law's voice at her questions and Miyako felt a bit embarrassed that she even asked such a thing... not to mention, with such an uncertain tone. She just knew he was smirking and she was glad she couldn't see it in the dark at least, just as she was glad he couldn't see her appearing blush. "However, it seems like a perfect place to keep someone hidden down here." He continued and Miyako realized what he meant by that.

"So you think Shiori is here somewhere." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Possibly. But this place seems big, who knows how many halls and rooms there are down here…some maybe even full of traps." Law continued in a calm voice that one wouldn't expect when saying such a statement. But then again, it's was Law, the Surgeon of Death, we're talking about after all. The thought made Miyako sweat-drop unconsciously.

"So how do we find her?" She asked as she walked a bit away, trying to find a wall. She didn't even know if there was an exit here or if this was a stone cage they have been left to die in.

"Well we won't find anything if we don't get a move on so we might as well try and find an exit. Besides….I have unfinished business with a certain blonde." His last statement sounded cold and dark as it was said through gritted teeth, with a voice that promised nothing good. "For the time being, we should make sure we stay together in the dark and don't get separated. Take my hand." He said it so simply as if it was the most common thing in the world. Well Miyako didn't think so.

"W-what?" She stuttered a bit uncertain, hoping she heard it wrong.

Law sighed, losing his patience. He didn't like to repeat himself and waste time with such trivial matters. Even though Miyako's embarrassment could amuse him by no end, he had no time for it right now. "Find me and take my hand. It's the only way." His voice made sure he left no room for argument.

And the girl knew that tone very well. It was the 'Don't piss me off and just do what I told you' tone. A tone Law always used when he was losing his patience. It was fascinating, but it seemed that throughout their journey Miyako learnt all the different expressions and tones her captain used and knew the meaning of each one very well. That wasn't always great since some were downright scary and Miyako felt sorry she ever had to see or hear them. With a sigh, she reached with both her hands in the darkness and started walking towards where his voice had come from. It didn't take long before her palms rested on something soft, but firm at the same time, probably his hoody and the muscular chest underneath it. That thought made her pull her hands away quickly. "S-Sorry." She mumbled, even gladder the darkness hid her crimson blush.

A sigh traveled from Law's mouth and she could feel the hot breath on her skin, realizing they were much closer than she thought. That made her tad uncomfortable, but before she could say or do anything, something warm slipped into her hand and held it firmly. A bit startled, she realized it was Law's own hand that found hers.

"Let's go." He simply stated and they started walking around the room, holding their other hands on the wall.

"How is your arm?" Law suddenly broke the silence after a while.

"I'm not sure. Still hurts. I don't even know if the bleeding stopped." She mumbled a bit frustrated that she couldn't treat it properly since she couldn't even see the cut right now.

At that moment, a click was heard and a loud sound of moving stone against stone. Miyako realized Law must've found some kind of switch because a slight light started appearing and a pathway opened for them, leading out of the room and into a long stone hallway. But luckily it had candlesticks with lit candles attached to the hallway walls so it gave them some light. The samurai sighed in relief, but then stiffened when she realized they were still holding hands.

She cleared her throat slightly as to get his attention since Law was studying their surroundings at the moment, not really paying attention or giving thought to his hand holding hers tightly. It was a warm and firm grip, but not in a painful kind of way. It was almost a…safe feeling, Miyako realized. It felt embarrassing, but not bad. She caught herself thinking that, but then shook her head wildly to get rid of those thoughts from her mind. *_What the hell am I thinking at a time like this?!* _She screamed in her head.

However, Law noticed the little sound she made and looked back at her,then noticed what she felt uncomfortable about as he looked down at their hands. His face was completely calm and unreadable though, as if he wasn't the slightest bit phased by it. He did however let go of her hand. Instead, his gaze fell on her bleeding shoulder and as expected it was a much deeper wound than he previously thought. The blood trickled down her shoulder and down her arm, all the way to her fingers before dripping on the cold stone floor. Law's eyes narrowed a little. "We need to do something about that," he warned while looking at the wound and Miyako followed his gaze, grimacing at the sight herself.

However she didn't expect him to do _that _next. He crouched down in front of her and took the rim of her dress in his hands, before ripping it.

The poor girl almost jumped backwards. "What do you think you're doing, you perverted captain?" She squeaked in a very unMiyako-like tone.

Law just rose an eyebrow at her outburst as he stood up, holding the black piece of fabric in his hands. "I need something to clean and bandage the wound." He simply stated in a matter-of-fact kind of tone which, plus his calm attitude, just ticked Miyako off more.

"Besides, it was hard to move in that dress and we're probably not done fighting yet," he added and she had to admit he was right…even if she didn't want to.

She looked down at her ruined dress (not that she really cared much for the dress anyway) as it now ended somewhere around her knees. Well at least he didn't make it too short. *_Let's just hope he won't need any more pieces of cloth,* _the samurai thought darkly. And when she was at it, she decided there was one more important thing she needed to get rid of in order to move freely. With much relief the girl kicked of her shoes and couldn't restrain a grin when the uncomfortable footwear came off. Law rose an eyebrow at her questioningly, but she just shrugged. Meanwhile her captain cleaned her wound and arm with the silken cloth, then took another one to bandage the wound tightly so it would stop bleeding. It wouldn't be good if the girl loses too much blood.

~...~

It felt as if they were walking for hours through the maze of underground stone corridors and there was nothing that indicated they were any nearer to the exit. At least there were no traps. Law marked the beginning of every new hallway as they made a turn so they could make sure they weren't going in circles. Miyako was tired and her feet were aching, but at least she was smart enough to take of her high-heels or she wouldn't have been able to even walk by now. However, she gritted her teeth and moved on in silence, not wanting to complain. No good would come from it anyway. Complaining or not, they'd still be in the same mess.

"Is there no end to this?" Ok, so maybe she'll complain just a little bit.

Law, never a man of many words, just shrugged and continued walking ahead. At least he _looked_ like he knew where they were going…but not even the Heavens knew that right now.

And then suddenly the captain stopped, making Miyako almost bump into him. She looked at him with protest ready to ask him about his sudden stop when she saw his slightly widened eyes, a clear indicator that something was wrong…_very_ wrong.

"What?" She asked almost timidly and followed his gaze to the hallway wall and then her eyes widened as well. "Oh no…" She saw the big slashed X on the wall that Law used to mark the hallways they had already passed. So _now_ they were going in circles. "Well that's just great," Miyako mumbled in an annoyed voice, already thinking of what to do next as she leaned with her hand on the wall.

"Kya!" She yelped as the stone wall opened and she fell through on the floor. "Today is just not my day," she mumbled and then noticed a hand in front of her. She noticed Law was standing next to her, offering his hand to help her up. And of course there was an amused smirk on his face. "Not a word." She warned with narrowed eyes, but took his hand and he easily pulled her up as if she didn't weigh a pound.

"You know how I feel about orders Miss Miyako…" He warned as he glanced at her, but the girl just rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'd say today is exactly your day." He added with the grin since the girl accidentally found a new route for them.

As they looked around, they noticed they were in another corridor, but this one appeared to be much older than the previous ones. It was darker and colder in there though a slight source of light was still present. The girl gazed at the walls and saw different insignia; drawings and words in unknown languages. She remembered what Law had told her about the occult rituals and a slight chill ran down her spine once again. Unconsciously, she got a bit closer to Law as they walked. The pirate captain noticed and glanced at her, but kept silent as he wore his usual calm expression.

Suddenly Law stopped her with a hand and she looked at him in confusion. A loud "_click_" sound echoed through the narrow corridor. The pirate grabbed her hand. "Run!" Without any warning, he ran and started pulling her with him.

"Wha-?" She didn't have time to ask what was wrong as she was dragged through the corridor. In this kind of situations she believed in; 'Do now, ask later.' So she started running as well, not wanting Law to drag her all the way. From the corner of her eyes she saw what the problem was. Small holes appeared in the walls on both sides of the corridor and small arrows stared shooting out of them. Poisonous no doubt. *_So much for no traps.* _The couple sped up more as the holes appeared right behind them throughout the walls and were quickly catching up to them. Then it was Miyako's turn to sense that something was amiss. Right as they ran away from the deadly arrows, Miyako grabbed Law's hoodie tightly to stop him from running further. In that instant, a razor sharp guillotine-like metal came falling down right in front of them. When that one activated, so did the rest at every 2 meters of distance, as the same guillotines started going up and falling down again.

The captain glanced back at the girl. "Are you ready?" He didn't even realize he was still holding her hand once again.

Miyako sighed and nodded, already prepared for the worst.

It took them at least 20 minutes of running, stopping, then running again so they could finally come to the other side. There were a few close calls, but when they finally finished and came through, barred doors quickly closed the pathway from which they came from. The pair looked behind them at the deadly mass of weapons and traps that they managed to cross.

"It seems they're leading us somewhere," Law commented.

"Well at least we know we're going in the right direction. There has to be _something_ there if it's guarded this well," she added.

As they walked out of the corridor and deeper into the room, Miyako felt more and more uneasy. Mostly because of her surroundings. There were different kinds of devices and items around her, it all looked old and abandoned, but still made an uneasy feeling in her gut when she realized what they were. It was a torture chamber. As she walked, she saw a coffin of iron, large enough to fit a human in there. It was set vertically and had spikes on the doors of the coffin. Miyako could still see some dried up blood on them. She turned her head, looking at another one that appeared like a chain with bindings for hands, feet and the head. Next to it was a small metal platter where various torture devices lay.

"I don't like this one bit," she whispered to Law. She didn't know why she was whispering at the moment, as if she had a feeling someone would hear them and come.

"Miss Miyako, stay by my side," was all Law said. He had a serious expression and still that somewhat dark look hidden under his hat. Miyako blushed slightly at his command, but nodded obediently. She got herself into enough trouble already, so for a change she would listen to her captain.

Then both of them stopped suddenly when a low growl was heard somewhere on the other side of the room, hidden in the shadows. Besides the low light, the numerous devices made it harder for her to see. "Please tell me that was you," she whispered, but by Law's expression and focused glare into the distance, she got a clear answer to her question. He was trying to see the thing that made that noise as well. And meanwhile, another growl was heard, this time much louder.

Suddenly something moved ahead and a person walked out of the shadows. Or at least Miyako thought it was a person. He was about three meters tall with a huge, toned and muscular body. His unnaturally greyish skin was filled with scars. Miyako couldn't see his face since he wore a skull-looking mask hiding his face. In one hand he had a pretty large axe, smeared with some unfortunate's blood who crossed the giant man's path. In the other hand, he had a big club with rusted nails and different kinds of metals stabbed into the wooden weapon, surely to make more damage when it hit. The person made another one of his menacing growls and Miyako started wondering was this really a human being or some other creature, perhaps a failed experiment left by the Cult that resided here. Even though that would be impossible, unless the creature was a couple hundred years old.

The samurai saw Law unsheathe his nodachi, and she did the same with her katana, preparing for battle. At that moment, the creature (by now Miyako really doubted there was any humanity left in it, even if it were a person a long time ago.) roared at the top of its lungs and rushed towards them, destroying everything on its way.

The creature smashed both of its weapons in the ground where Law and Miyako had been just seconds ago, but the couple was already in the air as they jumped sideways and dodged the bones-shattering attack.

Miyako swung her sword sending a haki attack through the wind and towards the creature. It roared loudly from the pain as the attack slashed at its right arm. However, this just seemed to make the creature angrier as it fell into a rage frenzy. It swung with both weapons, one aimed at Miyako and the other at Law. The girl managed to dodge it by leaning backwards, as the club passed right above her nose. Law had made his sphere and moved his two fingers with a simple "Shambles." Suddenly the creature's weapon smashed into a torture device which was now where Law had been standing, while he was now on the ground behind the creature. He swung his nodachi and meanwhile Miyako rushed at the creature as well, to use one of the techniques her master thought her.

It was a technique where she would use her speed to cut the opponents weak points; both sides of the torso, both crevices between the neck and the shoulder, both sides of the target's legs, the top of the head and finally the chest, all in one fluid rush, before passing the opponent and ending up behind him.

She moved with lightning speed, cutting at the creature's weak spots from the head down, finishing by cutting its chest and appearing behind him. The blood splattered on the floor and walls, but before the creature even had time to fall down, its head was cut off by Law, who still had his blue sphere present. Law released his devil powers and both the body and the head fell down with a loud "thud." The mask fell from the creature's head to reveal such a deformed face that Miyako couldn't tell was it really a human or not.

The samurai sheathed her katana and Law did the same with his sword. She turned around towards him and smirked, seeing he had the same amused smirk on his lips as well.

"Well Miss Miyako, I'll admit one thing; We make quite a good team while fighting."

Miyako started walking towards him. "Well perhaps we should start fighting our enemies more, instead of each other." She had a small innocent smile on her lips and her hands behind her back, nose high in the air. However, just as she passed him, she added, "Naaah, just kidding." She turned around slightly and winked with her tongue out a little, an honest playful expression gracing her features.

The captain chuckled, barely audible, and shook his head as if he couldn't believe the woman in front of him. Miyako just turned her back to him again and walked on.

They didn't get far however, only to the next room which was much bigger than the previous one and luckily with no creepy items...well, maybe one. At the far end of the room, there was what seemed to be an altar, and on it was a coffin. A _real_ coffin this time. The girl walked towards it, but carefully, in case there were more surprises in here.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," she commented as she looked at the walls which had the same unusual insignia on them.

Law didn't comment, but he was right behind her, also with eyes open for any more traps.

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard, coming from the coffin. Then another. And another. Miyako's eyes widened as she rushed towards the coffin, realizing there was someone in there. When she was near it, she slowed down and instinctively put a hand on the hilt of her katana. As she drew closer, the girl put a hand on the coffin's lid and then pushed it off. It was much heavier than one would think and she ended up using both hands to do so. The lid finally moved and fell on the ground with a loud crash.

Miyako's eyes widened in surprise and for a second she thought she was looking at some sort of mirror. But then she realized; it wasn't her reflection…It was Shiori.

The girl's hands were bound and she was gagged. She stared up at Miyako in pure horror with wide shocked golden eyes as tears kept flowing from them and staining her pale face. Her bluish dark hair was falling on her face as her bangs kept going in her eyes, sticking to the skin from sweat and tears. Miyako noticed there was a veil on the girl's head and looking down at her she could see the girl was wearing a white wedding dress that looked dirty and ripped in some places. The girl's eyes looked pleading now, but Miyako didn't know was she asking to help her or not to hurt her.

"Lady Shiori." Law mumbled, who also came to the coffin, and with one swift motion he took the cloth from the girl's mouth out and then started working on her fastened hands.

"Who…who are you?" The girl, Shiori, asked in a scared and soft tone. Her eyes never left Miyako as she was surely surprised that she was staring at her lookalike.

Miyako smiled at the girl. "We're here to set you free."

"I heard voices so I though…I started banging on the coffin for someone to hear. B-but…why do you…look.." The girl obviously had trouble talking from the shock.

"Yeah..I don't know that myself." The samurai girl smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head, realizing what Shiori wanted to ask. "I was surprised myself when I saw your picture." The Wano girl shook her head in wonder, before helping the girl up and out of the coffin. "But anyway, we don't have time for this. We'll explain later, right now we need to get you out of here," she said hurriedly, not wanting to waste any more time.

"It seems that won't be that easy," the captain noted as he stared at the shadows.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she also sensed the presence, not even having to turn around. She already knew who it was.

The doors where they had entered the room closed with sea-stone bars. Then a loud slow clap came from the shadows as the blonde walked out. He had a grin on his face and was still clapping. However, instead of his waiter suit from before, he was dressed in a black suit with a long black leather coat to match. Miyako could see a big sword sheathed on his back.

A soft gasp came from Shiori, whose eyes looked like that of a frightened deer ready to be caught by a hunter. "Kuro-san." She whispered and Miyako thought it strange to use 'san' out of respect towards this man. But then again, Shiori was probably thought to use respectful manner towards everyone since she mingled with the noble crowd.

The pirate captain also glanced at Shiori when she called the blond's name, obviously interested as to how she knew it. But he didn't say anything. Instead, he gazed back at the blonde, now known as Kuro, and gave him a deadly glare.

"Bravo…bravo! You managed to find the lost girl! Too bad you won't be leaving here with her." Kuro grinned, showing more of his snake-like features.

Both pirates took a step forward, protecting Shiori who still seemed dazed and out of it.

"Kuro-san! Please stop all of this already!" The Lady yelled desperately and there were all kinds of mixed emotions in her voice that brought the attention of everyone present.

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the girl and gritted his teeth. "I told you that's not my name. My name is Jonny! Kuro is just something I used while playing my role, which will finally be over soon!" He hissed.

"Miss Shiori, what is your connection with this man?" The captain asked, now even more interested in the whole story.

"He…He is my husband," the girl answered shyly and both Miyako and Law couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock at that statement.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaah, finally! I have been working on this chapter little by little all day because I just couldn't think properly, so I apologize if it wasn't very good. : I'm just so slow today due to the high temperature. At first I wasn't sure if I'd even finish it on time (but it's 11.45pm so I have 15 minutes to spare!) XD **

**Anyways, I'm not sure if I'll have to time to upload tomorrow cause I have a lot to do but we'll see. This month is very busy for me so it's hard to fit in writing as well, but I'm doing my best. :)**

**So I hope it was at least a little bit interesting to read this chapter and yay, they finally found Shiori! :D (At first I thought I'd make her die before they find her but I decided to save her after all.) In the next chapter comes the whole explanation of what is going on. **


	23. Chapter 23

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Yay, I uploaded sooner than I thought. I thought I'd need more time but I decided I want to put it up today. (ok well technically it's the next day since it's 2.30am but never mind the details. ^^')**

**So it's the last chapter in the Howl's Island arc and I hope you'll like it. Though I'm sure most of you already realized what the explanation will be of the whole thing but perhaps there are still a few surprises in it. :D **

**Well without further ado, let's go! :)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This story is and is rated T for blood and language (mostly blood).

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 23<strong>

"Your husband?" Miyako couldn't help sounding surprised as her voice rose a few tones.

Shiori only nodded, fiddling with her wedding dress.

"Could you explain that a little Miss Shiori?" Law asked, as surprised as Miyako, but not one to show it so clearly.

"W-Well..it all started about a month ago." Shiori begun, taking a deep breath but more to calm down than prepare for her speech. "At first it was just the latters. Oh, but they were wonderful; full of both poetry and prose. So full of emotions and promises." Her tone rose a little in excitement as she was obviously remembering the content of those letters that moved her greatly.

Now, Miyako too read the same letters but she really didn't see it the way Shiori did. To her it looked too forced and extravagant, too mushy. So as Shiori talked, she made a little gaging move with a finger in her mouth, indicating what she thought of those "wonderful" latters. However, Law instantly gave her a warning look and she became serious in an instant. It was obvious he was still agitated, especially with that blond guy right next to him and it was not wise to anger Law further. Even Miyako knew that.

Meanwhile, Shiori continued. "The letters never revealed the person's true name; it was always signed as 'Red Baron'. But father didn't like it…he was suspicious of this secret admirer and tried to throw the letters away. I begged him not to, if I could only keep that little memento for myself...and he agreed. I thought I would never hear from the Red Baron again, but then one day I found a letter on my windowsill, which was weird since I lived on the third floor of the mansion. The letter was from the same person and said to meet in the back garden, at 2am when everyone will be asleep. And so I did. Oh and when I finally saw him…I fell in love instantly."

Miyako couldn't contain the urge to roll her eyes so she did.

Shiori continued, not seeing Miyako's actions nor anyone else's. By now she was only focused on the blonde in front of them, whose glare just darkened by the second. "We started meeting every night at the same time in the back garden and little by little we fell in love. But Kuro-san said he wasn't from a wealthy family, he said he was a noble only in name, and because of that my father would never approve of me marrying him. But I knew Kuro-san wasn't here for my money, he told me such beautiful things it had to be true love. The way he behaved...it wasn't just an act. Or at least that's what I thought." She added the last statement sadly with a heartbroken look. "After a few weeks, he proposed we elope together, to live happily away from all this. If I hadn't, eventually I would have to marry some nobleman out of interest and not love…the thought of that and leaving Kuro was enough to want to run as far away as possible. And so I took my mother's wedding dress and some gold and waited at our usual spot. And when he finally came, I was so happy. He started leading me deeper into the garden and I couldn't understand why. He told me it was a surprise and I trusted him. He led me to the old crypt and inside and into a passageway. He had said he arranged for a priest and ceremony to be held there. I didn't even know there was such a place beneath our mansion, but I just followed him blindly."

Shiori took a deep breath to calm herself once again, and a few sobs escaped with it. Miyako and Law didn't rush her, though Kuro, or rather Jonny leaned on the wall with his shoulder, looking bored and uninterested. There was not even an ounce of emotion or regret written on his face.

The Lady started talking once again. "Really, he had a minister prepared for a ceremony. And even a witness...he said it was one of his staff from the house who supported us. But I suppose it was just one of his henchmen. I was so happy when we said our wows and got married. But then, after the ceremony….everything became black." Fresh tears started running down her face. "When I woke up I was in this coffin, and Kuro would only come to give me food and water." She turned towards her husband again, now losing all control and yelling with tears falling down her face "Why, Kuro-san? I don't understand. Why?"

Before Kuro could answer, Law interrupted. "Because of the money. Because, now as your husband if something happens to you, he inherits it all. The only reason you're still alive is because he kept you as insurance, if anything goes wrong, so he can have you as his hostage."

Shiori gulped at the pirate's explanation, never talking her eyes from the blonde.

The said blonde rolled his eyes, obviously sick and tired with the whole scene. "This is sooo boring, people. And Shiori, you really never knew how to shut up…you just _had_ to tell them my whole plan, hm? It's your own fault anyway, for being so naïve. You should've listened to your daddy instead." He grinned viciously.

Miyako crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Jonny with a raised eyebrow. "Who are you anyway?"

Jonny just smirked, obviously not wanting to tell them anything. He wasn't one of those villains who had the urge to spill their guts and all their plans to the enemy in some dramatic speech. Unfortunately he didn't have to since Shiori decided to do that for him. This thought made Jonny's smirk into a frown. Oh, how he couldn't stand the girl and all that sappy romance he was forced to perform. He wanted to gag as those mushy words came out of his mouth. But it was _her_ plan. And he had to admit…it worked. Well, until these meddling people came into town.

But then Law smirked for the first time since they arrived in this room. "Oh I know who you are," he said simply. The smirk never leaving him, happy to see the blonde's surprised face. "It's not like my crew and I did nothing while on this island. My crew is _very_ good when it comes to gathering information".

He then pulled out a piece of paper and opened it, showing it was an article taken from the newspaper. The article read, "Mafia causes another uproar in town; Jonny Costa, released because of lack of evidence."

Law's smirk got wider when he saw Jonny's surprised and slightly paler face, his blue eyes wide behind his yellow-glassed sunglasses that looked more for show then actual purposes.

"You were careless." Law smirked. "Kuro was just a fake name he used while playing the Red Baron, a poor noble. The truth is, he is the son of an underground Mafia boss that is quite feared in these parts. Since the Ariyaki family owns a lot of stocks and business here in Maple town, it would be perfect if his plan had worked and Jonny got all of the inheritance. Then the Mafia would practically have the whole town in their hands." Law explained further.

The blonde managed to compose himself and huffed annoyed, moving some of his hair from his face. "What do you mean if it _had_ worked? Nothing's over yet and it _will_ work! I'll make my father proud, you'll see."

"There's still something I don't understand…how did he manage to do all this? He had to have inside help. How did the letter come onto Shiori's windowsill, surely it would have to be put there by someone coming from the inside. And how did he know about me and how the mansion looked from the inside when he gave those assassins instructions to our rooms? He was never inside the mansion, if he was, it would be too great of a risk if somebody recognized him. And how did he pass the checking for all staff when he worked as a waiter tonight? Charles said he would check each staff member, especially the ones working tonight at the Grand ball." Miyako asked question after question, still with crossed arms. "There is only one explanation…"

Before she could continue, Law ended her thought: "He had help from the inside. Somebody in the mansion is involved."

"No, but our staff would never-" Shiori tried to protest, but was cut off by Law.

"No. It had to be someone of a higher position in the mansion if they managed to get Jonny in the ballroom and working as a waiter. I now he didn't sneak in because both the mansion guards and my crew guarded every doorway and window where he could sneak in. They would notice anything strange."

But that only leaves three people; Charles, Lady Shaya and Father." Shiori concluded. Both Miyako and Law looked at her strangely as to how she addressed her mother, but they didn't have time to ask about that. Because Jonny had enough. They were obviously too close to the truth for his liking and he had to put a stop to this.

"That's enough! You lot already know too much! Now you die!" Jonny yelled and snapped his fingers, signaling his men to jump down from seemingly nowhere. There were 20 of them.

"Miss Shiori, step back." Law instantly pulled out his nodachi as he lightly pushed the young girl behind him. Miyako stepped forward next to Law, in a battojutsu stance. The enemy wasted no time as they attacked the two pirates.

Law made his blue sphere with one hand and slashed with his nodachi with the other. The assassins, however, knew about his powers this time and instantly jumped upwards, dodging the attack. Some weren't that lucky though, so he still managed to slice five of them in half.

Miyako rushed ahead, dodging a sword to turn around and stab the first assassin in the side. Then turned around again to block a spear, pushing it to the side, leaving the man wide open for a slash in the chest. She never stopped going forward as she continued to cut through the men. She noticed that these men were weaker than the ones from before, luckily for her and her injured shoulder.

Meanwhile, one of the assassins managed to get close to Law and attacked with an axe from behind. However, the pirate blocked the attack easily and pushed the attacker away before slicing at him and cutting his throat. It was obvious Law was good even without his Fruit powers, though that was the first time Miyako saw her captain bloodied his sword.

She didn't have much time to dwell on Law's strength as she had a fight of her own to finish. She ducked, a sword passing right above her head, and stabbed the man in the throat before pulling it out to block another sword coming at her right.

As the battle continued, in Law's and Miyako's favor, Jonny's face became more and more agitated. He didn't like where this was going. While the couple was busy fighting, the blonde slowly unsheathed his sword with a menacing glare.

~….~

"Shambles." Law was playing with his freshly cut bodies before him. Their body parts flew around as he moved his hands, placing one arm in place of another man's head while a weapon, which was lying on the floor, now replaced an assassin's leg. Law smirked as he continued playing with the screaming men as if they were ragged dolls. An arm instead of a leg, a head instead of an arm, a foot instead of a head…and so it went on.

However, his fun was rudely interrupted as a spike rose from the ground and almost went through his head, but luckily Law saw it coming and moved in time. He heard the blonde laugh and glanced in his direction with narrowed eyes.

Jonny had his big sword stabbed deep into the ground and Law saw that the ground was raised slightly in a line from Jonny to the pirate captain. Law's annoyed looked turned into a questioning one.

The mafioso grinned and pulled his sword out just to stab it again in the ground. In that instant, the ground started moving towards Law in another line until it turned into another stone spike aimed right at Law. However this time, as he dodged, the line continued going after Law as stone floor kept turning into spikes trying to pierce him. The captain jumped a few times back, avoiding each spike, then jumped high in the air, flipping forwards and dodging another spike that went high in the air after the pirate. Law landed on the ground at a safe distance from the spikes.

"Captain!" Miyako called and tried to get to Law's side to help him, but in an instant she was surrounded by dozen assassins. She made an annoyed face at the sudden hindrance. *_Damn. These guys just keep on coming!*_ She glanced where Law was standing. He had a serious look on his face, but it was hard to say was he worried or not. *_Well he's strong, I'll give him that, so he'll be fine…he better be.*_ Yet she couldn't deny there was slight worry deep inside of her. She bit her lip and the slight pain forced her to focus on her own matters; 10 assassins walking towards her.

The pirate dared a glance towards Miyako as she called out to him, but didn't answer her. She seemed busy as well, but he didn't worry. He had tested the strength of these men and knew they were no match for her; they weren't the same as the others they had met before. A nuisance? Yes. A waste of time? Certainly. But not a threat. So instead, he turned his attention back to his opponent, the blond fiend before him.

Jonny just smirked, stopping his attacks for a while and leaned on the hilt of his big sword. "Surprised?" He said, but got irritated when he neither got a response from Law nor a shocked expression.

After a while the pirate spoke up; "A Devil fruit power?" he simply asked.

The blonde's grin widened. "It's the kata kata no mi! (1) I can shape any solid material into whatever size or form I want to. I can control almost any material."

"I see…so you are a paramecia type as well." Law noted.

Jonny's snake grin got even wider. "Not quite." He swung his sword a few times. "Have you heard of Dr. Vegapunk? It seems he managed to find a way for weapons to absorb devil fruits." He stared at his sword. "My father paid quite the money to a certain marine general in order to get his hands on this sword. He gave it to me as a present for my birthday."

The captain smirked. "How touching." But he did find interest in this sword, more than Jonny's meaningless gloating. Yes, he had heard of Dr. Vegapunk's new way of using devil fruits andfusing them with weapons, but this was the first time he saw it in reality.

The mafioso didn't like the comment so he once again stabbed the ground, and spikes started heading towards Law quickly. The pirate jumped backwards to avoid them, but then he heard a sound upwards. As he lifted his head, he saw a spike coming down on him from the stone ceiling. His eyes widened in surprise.

Miyako had just sliced sideways at another assassin when she looked up and saw the incoming spike ready to pierce Law at any second. Beneath him were already the previously made spikes, so if he dodges, but falls down on them, he'll just meet the same fate. Her eyes widened in surprise and worry as the thought of Law dying crossed her mind. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she took a deep breath and held it, concentrating on Law's next move without even realizing how she was reacting.

Law moved a little in the air, leaning to the side as he swung his nodachi at the same time. By leaning his body, the spike missed his upper part of the body, but would still hit his leg if he didn't act quick. So the captain swung with the nodachi, cutting through the stony spike, slicing off the menacing tip in time before it could pierce him. He glanced down as he kept falling towards the deadly terrain below him. He narrowed his eyes in thought of his new plan, but before he could do anything, a strong slash of haki mowed down the spikes, allowing him a safe landing on one of the blunt tips. Law rose an eyebrow and looked at the direction where the haki had come from, seeing the samurai in her battojutsu stance and with her katana unsheathed. Obviously she was the one who made the slash. She had finished off her opponents and smirked at him, returning her katana into the sheath. However, she only nodded and made no attempt to help him fight Jonny, and Law nodded back in response. They understood each other; Jonny was _his_ fight and _he_ will be the only one to finish him off. He wanted this fight to stay one on one. Besides, it would be a stain on his pride and reputation if he had help defeating this weakling. The scoundrel wasn't worth it.

Law smirked again and looked back at the other man, jumping down from the spike. Jonny didn't seem too happy with the way things were going. He was about to swing his sword again, but the cptain didn't let him act this time.

"Room." The blue sphere appeared around them.

"Hah! I already know you can't use your powers while moving! Your little trick is useless around me," the gangster said and this time he swung his sword and hit the ground as if he will cut it. The ground started moving and a loud rumble could be heard as the floor split open and the crack started traveling towards Law, opening the ground as it went.

Law moved his two fingers quickly and disappeared, switching his place with one of the spikes Jonny created earlier, getting closer to the man.

"huh?" The blonde blinked as the pirate seemingly disappeared. When he finally realized where Law was, it was too late.

Law slashed at the blonde, cutting the arm that held the sword. Then he did a few more slashes, dismembering him. Law gave the blonde his most sadistic grin as he sheathed back his nodachi. The gangster stared at the pirate captain in horror when he realized what just happened.

"W-what did you do to me? Put me together, now!" His arms and legs were all cut off, but he felt no pain nor was he bleeding. Only a numbing feeling in places where he was cut.

"Shambles." Law ignored the mobster and started combing the parts of the body, yet differently. His arms were now where his legs had been and vice versa. Law walked closer, crushing Jonny's fancy sunglasses on the way with his boot.

"S-Stay away from me!" The blond man yelled, but was once again ignored. Law had a grin on his face…an unreadable grin, which only made it appear scarier. One thing was sure; it promised pain and suffering and Law will enjoy every minute of it.

However he didn't have time to act on his unspoken promise as a loud scream was heard somewhere at the back of the room. Both Law and Miyako turned to see what has happened, only to see an unexpected scene.

Shiori, the one who screamed, was being held hostage, a sharp blade of a large knife at her neck. But the real surprise was the one behind Shiori, the one holding her hostage.

Miyako recognized the tall lean figure immediately, in her revealing dress she wore at the ball and the flowing red hair. And those piercing golden eyes that held no gentleness as they had before.

"Mistress Shaya?" Miyako exclaimed surprised. At first there was confusion in her eyes, but then they narrowed as her brain put the pieces of the puzzle together, realizing what was happening. "I suppose now we know who was his inside helper…but I would never have thought-"

Shaya didn't let her finish as she laughed, her strong voice echoing in the stony room. "It's true what they say; If you want something done, you got to do it yourself. It wasn't hard to sneak out of the mansion with all the searching and the ruckus going on up there."

"To be honest, my first suspect was Mister Charles. What do you get from all of this?" Law asked, putting one hand in his pocket while the other gripped his nodachi. He seemed awfully relaxed considering the situation, Miyako noted.

"Well the money of course." She smirked, narrowing her golden eyes.

"But why would you need it? You're already rich," Miyako exclaimed, confused.

"Are you kidding? When this little brat turns 21, she gets _everything_. The whole inheritance and I as her step-mother get nothing. I would be forced to live for the rest of my life in her good side, just to get some crumpets from her fortune. Well no! I worked too long and too hard to get into this family to be in this brat's mercy for the rest of my life."

"Step mother?" Miyako tilted her head in confusion. "I thought-"

Shiori gulped and shook her head, trying to avoid the cold steel placed on her neck. "My mother died when I was a child..that crypt in the garden, my mother is in that stone coffin. Shaya-sama worked as the head maid for years in our mansion…then two years after my mother died, father married her. "

"Yes..and do you have any idea how long it took me to plan everything to get your father to marry me. First I needed to get her mother out the way…botulin took care of that."

"Ah, a deadly toxin that causes botulism. It is a tasteless and odorless poison, produced by bacterium _Clostridium botulinum_. Usually it is found on contaminated food, especially home-canned goods. So even if they found out the cause of death, they would simply think it was food-poisoning," Law explained.

Shiori's eyes widened as she tried to turn her head in order to look at her step-mother's face. "Y-You…You killed my mother?" Her voice was merely a whisper, too much in shock for anything more. Fresh tears stained her ghostly pale face once again.

The redhead just smirked at her, but gave no answer since it was painfully obvious what the response was already. Instead, she continued her story. "Then I had to seduce that grieving old man and make sure he forgets all about his little wife…I played such a loving mother and wife perfectly...And then one day I read Tosuke's will and I couldn't believe it. My first plan was to poison him as well and inherit everything, but the will said he left me nothing. _Nothing_! After everything I've done for him! He left everything to this little _brat_!" Shaya's eyes were blazing with rage now, her loud voice spilling venom with every word.

"So I needed a new plan to take care of the girl. I knew if she married, her assets would be split with her and her husband…and if something happened to her..." Shaya grinned, not having to finish the sentence. "So I conjured up a plan. My eyes fell on a not-so-known mafia bosses' son and I knew he would do perfectly. I just needed to teach him a few things, help him out a little, and whoa la! The girl threw herself in his arms. Ah, such naivety. Of course after they married and Shiori gets kidnapped, we would wait until they declare her dead when they can't find her. Then Jonny…I mean, Kuro, would come and show them evidence that he was now entitled to everything. And of course we would split the money."

The woman took a deep breath after her long explanation. "See…everything was working out _so_ perfectly. And then _you_ came along!" Shaya glared daggers at Miyako, who returned her glare with an equal one as she wasn't intimidated one bit.

"Who would have guessed that there was someone who looked just like Shiori? It makes no sense! I tried to get rid of you, oh God knows I tried! But you little pests just won't die!" Shaya finished with an annoyed yell. "And just look what you did to poor little Jonny!" She snarled, not really caring about the mobster, but she just wanted to prove her point. The blonde was whimpering as that numbing pain became greater and greater and little drops of blood started trickling from where his limbs were so wrongly attached.

The mistress sighed. "I see there is nothing to be done here anymore…I'll just have to take the girl as hostage and ask for ransom, you leave me no other choice. So be good little pirates and stay put if you don't want this girl's blood all over the floor." Shaya started walking backwards, never taking her knife from the girl's neck.

Law rose an eyebrow and stepped forward. "And why should I care what happens to the girl. I'll get my reward money for bringing the culprits even if the girl is dead. True, it won't be the whole amount, but I'm not that greedy." He smirked and took another step forward.

Shaya had a nervous look in her eyes now as she took another step backwards. "O-oy, don't be stupid!" She put some pressure on the throat and the sharp edge cut through the skin a little. A few droplets of blood trickled down the frightened girl's neck.

"C-Captain!" Miyako exclaimed, surprised at his words as much as Shaya was. *_He can't be serious! He'll let the girl die after everything we've been through! No! He can't!_* Her wide eyes looked at her captain with shock and discredit.

Law ignored her, not even sparing her a look, as he took another step forward. Shaya took another step back.

"I-I'm telling you, I'll kill her! Do you think this is a joke!? Hell with the money, my life is more important to me!" She continued to yell, hoping he would listen.

"You're forgetting something, Miss Shaya. We are pirates. Pirates aren't heroes; we don't save maidens in distress and we don't _bargain_." Law answered with narrowed eyes and a serious look as that smirk disappeared from his face.

The redheaded woman took a few more steps backwards, an obvious nervousness in her expression now. But that's when Miyako noticed something. Her eyes furrowed in confusion. Currently they were between Shaya and the doors while she was over at the coffin and moving backwards into the shadows. _*Why is she moving _away_ from the doors?*_ Then the girl noticed something moved in the shadows behind Shaya. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look, but it was hard to see anything. Meanwhile Law took a few more steps forward and Shaya a few more steps back, now almost in the shadows.

_*Is he deliberately leading her into the shadows? What is that there?* _Miyako thought feverishly, trying to understand what Law was planning. She just didn't want to believe he would let the girl die so easily. But then again…he was right; he was just a pirate, not some hero. And he had no connection to this girl so what does he care if she lives or dies. The thought made Miyako shake her head quickly, trying to get the thoughts out of her head. She didn't want to even think about letting the girl die. And if she sees even the slightest sign that it will happen and that Law will allow it, _she_ will act no matter the consequences with her captain.

But before she could act, a hand came from the shadows, giving a kung-fu chop to Shaya's neck and the red-haired woman fell unconscious, letting go of the knife and Shiori. Miyako blinked in surprise and Law just smirked as Cody came out of the shadows and caught the girl before she fell on the ground. Shiori instantly fell unconscious due to shock and stress of everything that transpired.

"Cody?" Miyako exclaimed, running towards the grinning medic. She couldn't help but give him a bright smile, never happier to see him as she was now. "How did you get here!?"

The medic's grin widened and he pointed at a little passageway and a staircase leading up, around the corner and hidden behind a wall. "We searched for you everywhere and finally found this secret passage in the cellar," he explained.

The girl looked up at the staircase and then her expression turned into a disappointed one with a sweat-drop. "You mean we went through all that traps and dark mazes and there was a passageway leading to Shiori right from the mansion?" She had a strong urge to face-palm herself.

Cody looked at her strangely, not knowing what she was talking about, but in the end he just shook it away and smiled at his friend instead. "I'm just glad you're ok, we were all worried. I found this passageway and came down here and then saw Lady Shaya taking Shiori hostage. I tried to act, but captain gave me a silent order to wait. So I stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right moment and captain led her to me." Cody finished his explanation with a grin.

Miyako turned to Law in surprise. "So that's why you wouldn't cooperate...you knew this whole time Cody was there."

Law just smirked. "If she really killed the girl here, she was more foolish then I thought. That would leave her empty handed and no hostage to hide behind. As soon as Shiori was dead, I would have killed Shaya and she knew it," he explained calmly.

The samurai rose an eyebrow before furrowing both of them. "But if you saw Shaya was really about to kill Shiori…you would stop advancing and cooperate, right?" There was obvious skepticism in her voice.

Law ignored her and turned to Cody instead. "Mister Cody, how is Miss Shiori doing?"

"She's just unconscious sir, but seems alright." Cody lifted the girl in his arms bridal style.

"Hey! Answer me!" Miyako put her hands on her hips as she gave a scowl towards Law.

"Well let's get out of here. Mister Cody, send someone to take care of that man over there and tell them to bring his sword as well...I'm rather interested in it." Law wanted to study the sword in hopes to find how Dr. Vegapunk managed to make such a way for a weapon to absorb a devil fruit.

"Yes captain!" Cody quickly responded and took out a den-den mushi to call for the others.

Meanwhile, Law started walking towards the staircase while still ignoring the yelling girl behind him who called after him. There was a slight smirk on his face from amusement that he hid as he lowered his head and turned his back to her while walking away. She will never know.

~…..~

"I still can't believe it" Charles sighed while he was sitting on the couch in the living room. Usually he wouldn't allow himself such freedom and he would stand in the presence of guests, but he just had to sit down after all the information he received.

Tosuke Ariyaki wasn't far, sitting on a sofa, his eyes still wide with shock even though it had been an hour since he heard the news.

Tosuke, Charles and some of the Heart Pirates were currently in the large living room. Law was leaning against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his spotted trousers. Lady Shiori was sleeping soundly in her room, guarded by two mansion guards just in case. Law and Miyako told Tosuke everything that happened and the two culprits were arrested and taken away by the local authorities. The Heart Pirates stayed well out of their view, just in case.

"I can't believe it, Shaya even killed Emiko." The man gritted his teeth and gripped the fabric of his pants tightly.

Miyako couldn't but not feel sorry for the poor man. At least he had his daughter back.

"Well you should be relieved, in the end it all ended pretty well…considering how it could've ended." Penguin pointed out and some of the other pirates nodded their heads.

"Yes, you've got lady Shiori back!" Shachi added.

"You're right….and we are so very grateful for what you've done for us, Trafalgar Law." Tosuke looked at the captain and Charles nodded in concord.

The pirate captain had a serious expression as if he didn't like the over-gratefulness he was getting. He didn't like to be treated as a hero. He was a pirate, nothing more and nothing less. "There is no reason to thank me, it's not like I did it for a noble cause. I did it for the reward you promised, that is all. Besides, I'm not the only one you should be grateful to. The whole crew helped, and especially Miss Miyako here." He looked over at the samurai girl, but was surprised to see she had fallen asleep on the couch. The girl was so exhausted it didn't take long for her to doze off after she huddled herself on the big couch, hugging her knees. Law couldn't help but smirk at the girl's sleeping form. She looked so small and fragile, resting like that. So peaceful and…quiet, for a change. He had to admit he liked her a bit better like this than when she was awake.

_*Maybe I should start putting sleeping pills in her food…?* _He thought absentmindedly.

~…..~

Ok, guys! Come one, hurry up with those supplies! We gotta move out!" Bepo yelled at the working Heart Pirates who carried the stuff in the submarine under the bright morning sun.

"Why don't you be useful instead and help too, Bepo!" Penguin yelled, annoyed that the bear was giving him orders and rushing him.

"Sorry" Bepo bowed his head in shame for no apparent reason.

"I said 'help' not 'apologize'!" Penguin shouted once more.

"I'm so very sorry," The bear apologized again.

Shachi laughed seeing Penguin was losing his temper. However the first mate got out of his depressing state and started helping the others, getting crates and boxes into the submarine.

"Well captain, that's the last of the supplies. We can head out as soon as you say the word. The log pose is set." One of the Heart pirates, Garry, said to Law before returning back to the submarine.

Law and Miyako were currently standing in front of Charles, Shiori and Mister Tosuke, ready to say good bye.

"Thank you for everything you've done. We will never forget it." Shiori said with a smile and bowed deeply to the pirate couple. Her father put a comforting hand on her shoulder and the girl looked at him and smiled.

Miyako smiled as well, bowing respectfully. She was glad everything ended up happily. And she could see her captain was glad as well since he got every last Beli that was promised to him. He had a satisfied smirk on his face, probably happy to be able to set off to sea again. He was a pirate after all, a man of the sea, and he already spent too many days on land as it is. Miyako thought about that one more time… *_Naah, those romantic thoughts doesn't sound like him at all. He's just happy he got all that money.* _She chuckled at the thought and Law gave her an inquiring look, which she pretended not to notice.

"We should be going." The captain finally stated, seeing his submarine and the crew were all ready and waiting.

Tosuke nodded. "Thank you again, for everything. And good luck on your journey."

Charles smiled. "I suppose you aren't so bad, considering you're pirates."

Law smirked at the old butler. "Perhaps…but don't get on my bad side, just in case," he grinned. There was a blonde still on this island who could vouch for that statement. Law wandered with amusement how Jonny is coping with a messed up body and the pain, by now it should be hell for him. The pirate was glad he left him alive so he could suffer instead of ending his misery too quickly.

~…..~

"Bye!" Miyako waved to the group in the harbor and they waved back, wishing the Heart pirates the best of luck as the ship left the docks.

In the end, Josh and Cody took her under each arm and all but carried her into the submarine. "Ok, Come on now, we gotta submerge! Unless you want to be left on the deck when we do. I wouldn't mind." Josh grinned as he carried her off.

The girl scoffed and made a slight pouting face. "Ok, Ok, I'm going. Sheesh! You two..."

She didn't have the time to finish as she was dragged inide. Law, who was leaning against the wall in his usual place with his arms folded on his chest, looked after the three pirates with a smirk. He was especially amused by the one being dragged in the middle. In the end, he walked inside as well and closed the heavy metal doors behind him, with a slight chuckle and a shake of his head.

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><p><strong>Whoot! Chapter 23 here and much sooner than I expected it to be. I'm happy I uploaded today. <strong>

**I hope you found in interesting and that you're happy with the ending. I think it went pretty good. ^^ **

**So thank you everyone for lovely reviews, and best wishes. Also I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better. And as always reviews, criticism and your opinions are always welcome so feel free to leave them. **

**Well I guess that's all and be patient for the next chapter please. I think it'll take a few days till' I upload again. :/ But I think chapter 663 of OP should be out on Wednesday so we have something to look forward to. :D**

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><p>(1) 'Kata Kata no mi' or in english: Shape Shape fruit - a devil fruit which allows the person to shape any solid material in any form or size. (Obviously I made it up. But Kata does mean shape on japanese.)<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

**I don't like you! **by** BloodyMarryMe**

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><p><strong>Finally, I was able to upload! Though it's not very long.<strong>

**So I thought after all that fighting and long arcs, our crew should get a vacation. :) Well it wasn't relaxing for all of them though. ;) **

**Besides, since in the last arc, it was mostly with Law and Miyako, I thought it would be a good idea to involve the rest of the characters a little more. And also because I think Miyako needed some bonding-time with the crew. :)**

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><p><strong>Also, a lot of people had been asking about Law's and Miyako's relationship and will it evolve more. The answer to that is: Yes, it will. I plan on making a romantic relationship (eventually) between them but not yet, since it seems a bit too early. And also because I don't want Law to be too OoC so I need to make it look like something that could fit him and not be out of character for him. (Still working on it. :P)<strong>

**Also thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and I see you like the progress of their relationship and there will be much more of that to come so I hope you'll enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a story and is rated T for blood and language (mostly blood).

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 24<strong>

The metal doors of the yellow submarine flew open and a well-known polar bear in an orange jumpsuit ran on the deck with his arms high in the air. "Finally, fresh air," he exclaimed. But his happiness didn't last long as the bright summer sun hit his thick fur, making him just as hot as he was in the vessel.

They had just sailed towards a small summer island. It was known as a summer resort with a spa and everything a person would need for maximum relaxation. The green vegetation swayed slightly on the summer breeze, the sandy beach extended for miles, the sun shone brightly and the water was crystal clear. All in all, everything someone would want for a perfect vacation, or in this case, what the Heart pirates would dream of.

After all the adventures and fighting they had recently, the pirates were looking forward to some relaxing time, hoping the captain won't work them too much and would give them some free time.

Shachi and Penguin ran out in their white jumpsuits and now had their upper parts lowered on the waist, showing their simple T-shirts they wore underneath. The rest of the crew looked similar as they tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible in the summer heat. They all looked excited though. Excited to try all the goodies the summer resort here had to offer. Well, everyone except a certain bear at least, who unbuttoned a few buttons on his jumpsuit but it didn't help him one bit.

"Sai-ya, go to the resort and find out how long it takes for the log pose to set. Others, find a way to get some supplies, there has to be some stores for restocking on the island," Law ordered his crew, which didn't seem too pleased with work right now as they wanted to enjoy themselves on the summer island but made no complains as they went off to work.

Most of the crew was now out of the submarine, stretching or working. However there was still a certain golden eyed samurai missing. Law noticed the absence of the said samurai and looked around, interested as to where she could be. He saw Josh and Cody bickering on the beach and she was usually with them, but now there was no sign of her.

Suddenly he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head slightly towards the metal doors of the sub, catching a glimpse of someone peeking out of the submarine. But as soon as the person noticed him looking, the head quickly disappeared inside of the ship again. Law rose an eyebrow questioningly but amusement started rising in him as well as interest.

~…~

Miyako hid behind the submarine's wall reluctant to go out, a small blush present on her face. Since there was a summer climate here, Miyako found her usual clothing too thick for such heath. Luckily she did buy some summer clothing before and was currently wearing it. But when she looked at herself in the small bathroom mirror and realized how she looked, she felt too embarrassed to go out in front of others, especially men. And unfortunately the whole ship was full of them. *_I should've never listened to that salesman, this looks too revealing!*_

So now she was standing in the submarine's metal hall, hiding behind the doorframe and leading a mental battle if she should go out there or not. But she knew she will have to eventually. With a sigh she allowed herself another peek, hoping her captain, who was standing there minutes ago, had walked away.

She leaned and moved her head behind the doorway, trying to peek outside just to find herself staring at a familiar black and yellow hoodie that was right in front of her. Miyako blinked in confusion and looked up as her gaze traveled up the chest, passing a sneering smiley and stopped at a smirking tanned face with amused stormy grey eyes looking right at her.

"Eeek!" She shrieked, full of surprise, and jumped a little when she noticed her captain right in front of her, trying not to laugh at the girl's reaction. Miyako stood up straight suddenly, faint redness already appearing on her cheeks. She silently prayed he would think it was from the heat.

"Miss Miyako," Law lightly greeted with amusement in his eyes and tone, but he managed to stay calm, only allowing himself the usual smirk.

"Yes captain?" She hurriedly answered.

"What are you doing?" He simply asked.

Miyako cleared her throat hoping to clear her embarrassment with it. She tried to avoid his eyes as she spoke, "Just getting ready to go out on the deck, captain." *_And please don't ask me anything more,* s_he added in her thoughts.

"I see," His entertainment was clearly both audible and visible now. He didn't comment on it anymore, even though it was obvious to both of them she wasn't quite honest. But once in a while he could give the girl some slack and not press on an unimportant matter. Law stepped aside so she could pass through the doorway and gestured for her to do so.

With another clearing of her throat, Miyako stepped on the deck and looked up at the bright shining sun. She had simple denim shorts on which showed of her long legs and ended with her old wooden sandals, since her boots were out of the questions in this summer heat. She also had a black sleeveless top that ended somewhere beneath her ribs and showed off her belly button and her flat stomach. Her katana was tightly tied around her waist as always and her red ribbon tied her long hair that reached to the end of her thighs now, uncut for several months since their journey begun. Now, such attire wouldn't be anything special or outrages to other girls but since Miyako came from a place where showing off skin in public places was considered inappropriate for women, such clothing seemed embarrassing to her. However it was the only thing she could wear and feel comfortable in during the bright sunny heat.

Law assumed his usual position leaning against the submarine's wall with his arms folded on his chest. Bepo was currently lying next to him, holding his nodachi and trying not to get a heat stroke as he took shallow breaths. Law looked at the girl from under his hat as she stood before him, her back turned to him and looking around the island before seeing her friends and running over to them. He had to admit, even though it was simple attire, it showed off all her lovely curves perfectly and Law found himself liking what he saw.

Meanwhile the girl took off her sandals, holding them in one hand while she ran through the clear blue water, feeling sand and freshness of the sea on her feet. She smiled at the cool feeling. It was a truly bright smile of pure satisfaction from the feeling of water against her skin.

Law noticed the girl's happy face from such a simple act as Miyako walked through the shallow water and couldn't resist a smirk forming on his face. _*How can someone be so simple and so complicated at the same time…?*_

"Oyyy, Miyako!" Penguin called with a wide smile and waved his hand. Miyako ran over to the two mechanics which were soon joined by the two medics as well. They all had grins on their faces that made Miyako raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "What?" She asked.

Their grins widened. "We're all done with our chores so we have some free time…and it takes a few hours for the log pose to set soo…" Shachi pointed towards the resort which was near the shore of the small island. It had a water park, swimming pools, a spa and everything you would need for a day of fun.

Miyako grinned too but then her happy face turned into a frown. "But I don't have any money…"

"Oh just come on! We have everything taken care of!" Josh pulled her hand. He was surprisingly in a good mood today, the whole crew was. Though he still had his short temper.

~…..~

They tried everything from the water slides to all the other water rides they had. At the moment Miyako and Cody were sitting on the edge of the pool, dipping their legs in and eating some ice cream while watching the others having a fight in the pool; They were splashing each other with water and seemingly trying to drown each other. At the moment Shachi and Penguin were keeping Josh's head underwater and Miyako wondered should she help him or laugh at him some more as he struggled with the two mechanics.

Cody laughed beside her which made her turn her head towards him. He looked at her with his cheerful dark eyes. "Are you having fun Miyako?"

She blinked at him a few times as she realized she really was having fun and with a smile she nodded. They were silent for a little longer and then she decided to ask him something she was wondering for some time now but never thought it was her place to ask.

"Um…so, why did you join the Heart pirates?"

Cody looked at her a bit surprised, not expecting her sudden question, which made her add quickly, "Sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business."

The medic just shook his head with a smile. "No, that's ok. I was just surprised you were interested. You don't really get interested in the crew's personal life usually." He cleared his throat as if preparing for a big speech and looked up at the sunny sky with a nostalgic look on his face. "I lived in the orphanage all my life. When I was old enough, I had to take a job but they allowed me to stay in return since I had nowhere else to go. Most of my money was always taken away by the orphanage but I would always save a little bit, for medical books. It was my dream to go to medical school but I knew I'd never have enough money for something like that, so the best I could do is buy medical books and self-study. Then Captain came into town one day and by chance we met in a bookstore, I saw him buying some medical books there and got interested so we started talking. He offered me to teach me everything about medicine if I joined him and I did. I had nothing waiting for me in that little town anyway, so it didn't matter if I became a pirate. And soon I became his first medical apprentice and after that a medical assistant." Cody finished with pride in his voice and a wide grin gracing his features.

"So you were the first on his medical staff?"

"No, but I was the first he took as an apprentice and thought. Others already came with all the knowledge they needed," Cody explained further and Miyako nodded.

"You must really respect him then," Miyako mumbled more to herself. She was in thought. It seemed everyone on that ship cared so much for their captain.

"Of course. Everyone in the crew respects him and would gladly sacrifice themselves for him." Cody smiled. Then his expression changed into a questioning one. "What about you, Miyako-chan? You seem to fight a lot with captain. But I don't think you really hate him…What do you think of him in the end?"

Miyako blushed a little at the forwardness of the question. "Well I-"

But she was cut off when suddenly a piece of paper flew on the wind out of nowhere and got stuck right on her face. She pulled it off and looked at the content of the paper with mild frustration from the sudden interruption.

"What's this? It looks like a map." Cody noted.

"Maybe it leads to a treasure!" A new voice startled them and they saw Shachi beside them also looking at the map. Penguin and Josh swam over and Josh still breathed heavily due to the drowning attack his friends gave him.

"Hey I have an idea! Let's go find it!" Penguin smiled excitedly.

Josh looked at him suspiciously, getting some of his wet red hair out of the eyes. "Are you kidding? How do you know it's real or if it really leads to a treasure?"

"Well we don't, but that's part of the fun. It'll be an adventure!" Cody added, liking Penguin's idea.

Josh rolled his eyes. "You and your _adventures_. What if it's dangerous?"

Shachi and Penguin leaned with their elbows on each one of his shoulders. "So? We're pirates! We live for danger. Now stop nagging and come on!" They grinned and pushed him under the water again with their elbows. Josh struggled for a while then got out with a loud gasp of air.

"I'll kill you two!" He yelled, ready to strangle each pirate with each hand but Cody stopped him.

The blue-haired medic stretched a hand out and grinned. "Are we all in?"

Penguin and Shachi stretched out their hands as well and put them on Cody's, grinning. Josh was reluctant but with a slight nudge in the ribs he rolled his eyes and did the same. Now all eyes were staring at a surprised Miyako. She looked at the expecting pirates for a while then sighed defeated. "Why not. It could be fun…though it'll most likely end in deadly peril as it always does." She smirked and put her hand to join the others.

~…..~

Miyako cut more vegetation around her as the group went deeper and deeper into the tropical jungle that started near the resort and spread throughout the island. The trip started innocent enough with them heading deeper into the island's forest but as they continued the trees grew bigger and the vegetation more suffocating so now they had to cut their way through.

"I thought this was a resort, why is there a frickin' jungle here?" Josh yelled fighting to break free as he got tangled into some vines.

"That just means we're closer to our goal!" Penguin said with no worry in his voice.

"No. That means we're closer to certain death once we get lost in here." Joshua corrected with a mumble.

Meanwhile, Shachi was leading the way with his nose stuck into the map, just pointing at random directions once in a while.

"Let me see that map." Cody ripped it from Shachi's hands who made a loud protest but everyone ignored him as they huddled closer to the map, studying it. They had been walking for hours and Miyako had a bad feeling that something wasn't right.

"Hmmm…" Cody hummed.

"hmmm." Joined Joshua.

"hmmm…" said everybody in unison.

"Shachi…" Cody started calmly.

"Yes?" The brunette answered staring at the group behind his sunglasses.

"While you were leading the way, did you find it strange that nothing around us looks as it does on this map?" Cody asked still in a calm voice.

"Oh about that, well…" Shachi laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly. "Actually I've just been pointing in random directions in hopes of getting us back on track…we've been lost for the past two hours," he admitted, still laughing nervously.

The group looked at the smiling Shachi with a murderous intent and death glares. Miyako slowly started rising her katana as pissed off as the rest of them, a swirl of deadly aura around her.

"SHACHI YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU! WE'RE LOST!" Josh yelled and the group all jumped on poor Shachi, beating the crap out of him.

~…..~

A few minutes later the Heart pirates stared at the map trying to get any clues as to where to go. Well at least most of them, since Shachi was still on the ground beaten to near death.

"I think we should go East." Penguin exclaimed after being deep in thought.

"Why Penguin-san? Miyako blinked questioningly at the dark haired mechanic.

"I don't know…just seems like the best idea?" He nervously half stated-half asked but soon shut up when three death glares came his way. He decided it was better not to piss them more and end up next to Shachi who was trying to treat his wounds the best he could.

"How about we simply pick a route and start walking…we'll come to the end of the island and the shore eventually." Miyako proposed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah, and die tangled in the deep jungle on the way," Josh muttered bitterly.

The girl glared at her red haired friend. "You got a better idea, Mr. Know-it-all?"

The said redhead glared right back, not intimidated by the girl towering over him. "Well anything's better than your ideas!"

They started bickering but both shut up when they got a warning look from Cody. The cheerful medic usually never blew up or got annoyed but when he did it was better not to get in his way. He could be surprisingly scary while angry, surely a trait he learned from his captain mentor. And at the moment he was giving them those death glares of his that made you feel cold all over.

"What about the treasure?" Shachi was finally able to get up and walk over to them, leaning on some big stick he found on the ground for support.

"Forget the treasure, we're lost. That's more urgent," Josh snapped back.

Suddenly a low growl was heard. The group didn't pay much attention as they were still looking at the map, trying to orientate themselves.

"Can somebody not think of food right now and make their stomach stop growling!" Josh snapped once again. "You're making it hard for me to think."

"Yeah, that's the reason why…" Miyako muttered with her hands folded on her chest and staring at the distance.

It didn't take long for the bickering between the two to start again but was stopped when they heard the low growl again, this time louder as if it was closer.

The group looked around and then heard rustling in the trees.

"There's something there," Penguin gulped.

"No shit Sherlock…" Shachi muttered but before anybody could say anything more, the rustling started again. "It's probably some animal, I'll kick its ass and we can be on our marry way," he added with confidence and started walking towards the trees.

The thing that came out at that moment surely was an animal…but not anything they would have expected. The tall trees were able to hide the giant sabertooth tiger that came out. It was the size of a house, with two sharp front fangs sticking from its mouth, and saliva dripping and falling right in front of Shachi who stood there in fear now.

"I-It's a bit b-bigger than I e-expected," the brunette was able to mutter.

"Run!" Josh suddenly yelled and in an instant, the group started running, the huge beast right behind them. But their speed was no match to its big form and the tiger jumped in front of them, blocking their way, and snarled at its soon-to-be-lunch.

"We can't run, he's just too big. He'll catch up to us easily." Miyako pulled out her katana as she said that, though she didn't know what she could do with it against such a big beast.

They didn't have much time to think about what they should do as the tiger jumped in the air and towards them with his paws and razor-sharp claws aiming right at them. The group jumped to the side quickly as the ground trembled with the tiger's landing.

"We need a distraction!" Cody suddenly yelled.

"Ok…." Miyako thought for a while with a serious face then suddenly stated with a finger pointing in the air as if she just got an idea. "I propose with toss Josh to the tiger and we run away while he fights for his life."

A high kick flew through the air aimed at Miyako, who blocked Josh's heavy boot with her katana. "I'll kick your ass before the tiger can even get you, Miyako!" Josh yelled, completely red in the face from anger. Miyako didn't seem fazed by his outburst and kept a serious face as if she was really proposing to throw him to the tiger.

"But Miyako does have a point…." Penguin started deep in thought himself as he held his bare chin.

"What?" The group yelled in unison looking at Penguin as if he was crazy. The mechanic took a step backwards and started moving his arms defensively in front of him with a sweat drop. "No, No, No, not with Josh….but she _did_ give me an idea. We do need a bait. Something or _someone_ to lure the tiger away while we run…I have a plan!"

The tiger launched forwards towards them again and the group barely dodged. The huge animal destroyed some trees as it landed, creating a big cloud of dust.

The plan was pretty simple; two pirates will get the tiger's attention making it follow them while the others run and hide. Then the couple would split up confusing the tiger. It would follow one of them, but it's easier for one person to run and hide than the whole group. And it was decided…the lucky couple were Penguin and Shachi, who volunteered on their own.

The two mechanics yelled and kicked at the tiger to get his attention so he would start chasing them and when it finally did, they ran away screaming into the jungle until the others couldn't see them anymore.

"Well it was nice knowing you! Take care! Don't die!" Cody, Miyako and Josh yelled after them while waving.

The last thing they heard was Shachi's and Penguin's voices echoing through the jungle, "Cruel bastards!"

~…~

Miyako was sitting on a small boulder, analyzing the map. Josh and Cody were sitting on the ground next to her, Josh laying with a grass stalk as he often did, whistling on it and Cody tossing some pebbles in the air. They were all waiting for Shachi and Penguin to return who were gone for almost an hour now.

"You think they'll know how to return?" Josh finally asked.

"I hope so…" Cody mumbled and then silence fell over them again.

Suddenly something rustled in the nearby bushes. The three pirates quickly stood up taking their fighting stances. Then a cap appeared, its yellow rim peering from the leaves. Soon the rest came into view and they saw Penguin walking towards them.

"Penguin-san!" Miyako exclaimed happy to see him alive. The other two pirates grinned.

"Shachi's not back yet?" The mechanic asked looking around for his friend in worry. The others didn't like his worried expression and they just shook their head seriously, now even more anxious.

Penguin sighed and so did the rest of them. They all had depressed faces as they bowed their heads, as if imitating their first mate.

"He was a good man…and a good pirate," Josh commented and Cody nodded.

"And a good friend," Penguin added and Cody nodded again.

"Who was?" Suddenly a new voice startled them and they all jumped with a shriek looking behind them where the voice had come from. There stood Shachi, blinking confused at his depressed friends.

"Shachi!" They all exclaimed and glomped the mechanic much to his surprise. Even Miyako did, happy to see the man alive and well.

Shachi laughed when they finally let him go but not before taking some deep breathes as they almost suffocated him. "Come on, you don't think I would die that easily, do you?" He grinned and the rest of them smiled. "I managed to lose the tiger near the river, it was shallow enough to cross and he couldn't trace me by scent anymore." He sounded proud with his plan. "And…I found something." He grinned and everyone looked at him strangely.

~….~

The group blinked as they stood near the river where Shachi had been before. He had led them here but kept secretive about what his plan was. But then with a yell of "Tah-daaah!" he showed them a big boulder not so far away that had the shape of the eagles head. The group looked at the boulder and then at the map…yep, it was definitively the same as the one the map showed. They were back on track.

"Treasure, here we come!" Cody exclaimed almost jumping with glee.

The walk to the big boulder wasn't as easy as it seemed and ended up much further than they previously thought. However except the hard terrain it didn't have more perils which the group was grateful for. But even when they finally came to the boulder their journey wasn't over. It was only a mark on the map to see where they had to go next. And so they went, but this time with Cody holding the map and leading the way. He pointed towards South and off they went.

First it was a swamp with quicksand that they barely survived. Josh fell in one of the said sands and had to be pulled out with a jungle vine. On his disdain it was Miyako who threw him the vine and who he had to be grateful to and she just smirked satisfied with his awkward but not pleased look, as he tried to clean mud and sand from his clothes. Next it was the giant mosquitoes which were the size of a human head and the group had to fight them and in Miyako's case cut them down. When they finally came to the next landmark on the map, a giant tree with strange blood red flowers, they still had a good way to go.

There was a big lake with piranhas in it that they had to cross, a pack of wild bores they had to battle, and right now they were looking at an old wooden bridge that swayed on thick ropes holding it and connected two sides of a large cliff. Miyako looked down the cliff and gulped. If someone falls it was a long way down and certain death awaited them.

Penguin was first to dare cross it and he took a step forward on the old wooden boards underneath, clutching the rope next to him for dear life. He walked extra careful just to be sure and nodded when he thought it was safe. Shachi was next and then came Josh, Miyako and Cody last.

Miyako tried not to look down at the long fall but it was hard not to. And it didn't help that the bridge swayed and squeaked more with their every step. She could see Penguin and Shachi already passed to the other side. *_Just a little bit more…just a little-*_ Her thoughts were cut off when she stepped on a grubby board, it squealed under her and then her leg went through. The fall made some of the other boards near it to crumble and Miyako started falling. She only had time for a short surprised scream when she found herself in the air.

Luckily before she could fall, Josh's hand found hers and he grabbed her quickly before she could fall to certain death. Miyako looked up with wide eyes at Josh who tried to hold her hand with his the best he could while he held the rope with his other tightly so they wouldn't both fall down.

But it was hard to hold Miyako's whole weight with just one hand even though she wasn't very heavy. It wasn't helping that the girl's hands kept sweating from the adrenaline coursing through her body. "Josh…" Miyako whimpered when she felt her hand slipping from Josh's grasp.

"Miyako, don't you dare let go!" He growled and gripped her hand as best as he could. But Josh could feel it too, his hand slowly loosing grasp on hers. He heard the yells and screams of Shachi and Penguin behind him but couldn't register what they were saying. He was concentrated on his task completely.

The girl was now holding just with her fingertips and she closed her eyes as she was about to fall down. "I'm sorry, Josh. I can't-"

But just when they thought all was lost, another firm grip took her by the wrist and Miyako's eyes snapped open. She saw Cody holding her while his other hand was on the rope as well. He had come over as fast as he could when he saw what was happening. But it gave Josh enough time to grip Miyako's hand again more securely and the two pirates pulled her up with ease now.

The samurai panted from adrenaline still in her system as she rested on her hands and knees, beads of sweat falling from her brow and on the wooden boards. "Troublesome woman." She heard Josh mutter but there was obvious relief in his voice. She felt Cody's hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok, Miya-chan?"

Miyako blinked a few times and nodded, then smirked. "You know, I hate that nickname," she whispered and Cody looked at her puzzled.

~…...~

Hours later, when it was already sundown and our group of explorers was beat to the bone, they finally reached their destination, a big red X marking the spot on the map. The group was dirty, smelly, wet and full of leaves and other filth in their clothes and messy hair, not to mention they were so tired they could hardly walk. All of them had long sticks they were propped up against that helped them walk on the rough terrain.

"Finally! Finally we're here!" Penguin exclaimed. "Right behind these trees and bushes, just a little bit more!"

They reached for the branches that were in their way and moved them aside so they could see the view of the place that held the magnificent treasure they were all waiting to see.

"I wonder if we'll have to fight someone for it. Or maybe pass some deadly area full of traps. Or solve some kind of puzzle!" Cody thought of everything that could be separating them from their soon-to-be gold and jewels. But nothing could prepare them for what they saw next…

The group stood there silently with shocked expressions on their faces. They were looking at the shoreline where another island's resort stood. Boats were docked on the shore and tourists played on the beach or walked around the resort. Little bungalows were built next to each other in case someone wanted to stay the night.

"W-what is this…?" Miyako stuttered still surprised.

"It looks like another resort…like the one we came from. But this one looks bigger." Shachi explained in a whisper not understanding the situation.

"I-I don't understand! Where is the treasure?" Cody yelled and looked at the map then noticed something written in extra small print just in the corner of the map. He squinted his eyes to see what it said and read it aloud: "Experience the great adventure in the wilderness to get to the _real_ treasure, our brand new and improved resort. If you dare!"

"This is…like a commercial flyer! Just for fun?" Penguin exclaimed.

"Yeah, and look…" Cody pointed to a straight forward path that led through the beach and to the other resort, maybe a half an hour walk.

"I'LL BURN THIS ISLAND TO THE GROUND!" Josh yelled for the first time speaking up and the group held him in his fit of rage so he wouldn't do anything stupid. Yes, it was just a commercial flyer that showed a way through the dangerous jungle on the other side of the island though nobody really thought anyone would use that route. Especially since they had a straight passage from one side of the island to the other, safe and quick.

~….~

Law sipped some of his wine as he sat near the campfire on the beach. In a few hours their log pose will be set and they will be able to move on, but some of his crew was still missing. Most of them were drinking, eating and partying around the fire but his two head-mechanics and two head-medics and his samurai were missing.

"Where could they be?" Bepo asked blinking his small black eyes and looking around. It was already completely dark.

Just as the bear asked that, five forms appeared not too far away, walking on the small path and towards the fire. As they came closer Law's eyes widened with surprise, but he didn't say anything. Bepo on the other hand had his jaw slack as he watched with shocked eyes. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked, almost yelling.

The group of five pirates had mud, dust, dirt and sand all over them. Their clothes were torn in some places and their hairs a wild mess with leaves and twigs in it. They were all prompted up on sticks though they still swayed as they walked. Their faces were sheer look of tiredness and depression, a dark gloom above the whole group. Some of them had mosquito and other small bites on their skin and others rashes from poison ivy and who knows what.

"Where were you?" Bepo asked when he saw his first question went unanswered.

"A walk!" They all said at the same time. It was obvious by their voices they didn't want to talk about it or even remember it and Law instantly noticed so he didn't press the matter. All in all, nothing serious was wrong with them or life threatening and he'll treat their minor wounds later.

The group just walked or rather swayed into the submarine with the dark cloud of despair following them as they went.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I hope you had fun reading this chapter. It wasn't very long but I wanted make a chapter dedicated to; maybe secondary, but still important characters of the story. (Maybe I should've put more action in it thought)<strong>

**Oh well, I was kinda in a hurry cause I know I haven't been able to post regularly these past few days. **

**So after this we're back to another long adventure with more chapters and hopefully I will upload it soon. I don't know if I'll be able to this week but if not, then certainly next weekend. **

**So please be patient (don't blame me, blame my university :P). **


	25. Chapter 25

**I don't like you! **by** BloodyMarryMe**

**Wow, I managed to upload sooner than I thought. It's not very long though and doesn't have much action in it but it's the beginning of the new island adventure, so yay! :D **

**Well not much else to say, so enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a story and is rated Teen for blood and language (mostly blood).

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 25<strong>

Miyako yawned as she played with her food, not really hungry…or maybe it was the appearance of the said food that repelled her. In any case, she wasn't even positive what was this greenish mush on her plate and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Miyako, you work in the kitchen…what is this supposed to be?" Cody asked, taking some of the food on his fork and letting it fall back on the plate with a wet sound.

"I think it should be porridge." Miyako said with a frown, resting her elbow on the table and her head on her hand.

"It looks more like slime to me." Penguin whispered to Shachi and his friend nodded. "You think Munk's trying to poison us?" the dark-haired mechanic continued and Shachi nodded again.

Miyako looked at the captain's table where Law sat with Bepo, interested to see how he was dealing with Munk's food. And as far as she could see he barely touched it, but that could also be because he was discussing with Jean Bart about the new route they took and the islands ahead. She returned her attention back to her own plate and put down her fork with a sigh. "It's because we're running low on..well, everything. It's been weeks since we had a chance to restock, so the food supplies are decreasing. The cooks don't have much to work with," she explained.

Penguin nodded. " Eli says we're even running low on weapon ammo." Miyako thought for a second and then remembered Eli was the master gunner, in charge of the cannons and other weapons they had on the submarine.

"Well, we can always use Munk's cooking." Josh muttered as he continuously stabbed at a piece of rock-hard meat with his knife. You could certainly kill someone with that if it hit correctly.

Suddenly the submarine shook and red lights started blinking as the alarm turned on. The Heart pirates stood up quickly from their tables and headed for the deck. They could hear Sai's voice from the speaker: "We are under attack! All hands on deck!"

Miyako stood up as well, vaguely remembering they had resurfaced not so long ago to get fresh air. *_Is it the marines?*_

She didn't have time to dwell on it as she saw her captain and first mate with the corner of her eye and they were already rushing towards the deck, along with everyone else. So Miyako did the same.

When she opened the doors to the deck, Miyako saw chaos all around as white jumpsuits and colorful caps fought white and blue uniforms. She saw a blue sphere forming not so far away and heard screams as marine parts flew all around. Meanwhile, the crew was fighting with their Kung-Fu and did a pretty good job, she had to admit. Bepo had just kicked a marine in the stomach, sending him flying into five more marines and all of them toppled overboard. However she could see new marines swarming from the big marine battle ship that was next to them. She saw big metal chains leading from the marine ship to their submarine and the marines ran across them to the pirate deck. Miyako narrowed her eyes. *_Well I know what to do first.* _

She started running across the deck to get to the metal chains where they were linked to their vessel. On her way Miyako pulled out her katana, dodged a kick in the head and slashed at one of the marines. She didn't stop running as she sliced through to her goal. She dodged to one side, then stabbed at the marine's throat. Then jumped in the air, slashing another from his head downwards and as she landed, she quickly blocked another sword and hit the marine with the hilt of her sword in the stomach.

It took some time, but she managed to get to where the three chains were and looked up, towards the marine ship. New batch of marines were running down the chains and towards the submarine. *_Sheesh, they just keep coming. How many of them are there!?*_ She didn't have time to answer her own question as she had to act fast, before the marines crossed to the other side. She jumped in the air and as she landed on the chains, she made three quick slash movements. A few seconds later the thick metal chain fell apart and Miyako quickly jumped from it and landed on the other one. Meanwhile, the marines who were on the first chain were now falling in the water below. The samurai did the same procedure with the other two chains, smirking at the falling marines.

She landed back on deck and glanced around, seeing her friends were defeating the marines easily. She even saw Munk among them, punching one marine in the face and sending him flying into others, she had to marvel at the cook's sheer strength. Miyako then noticed her captain slashing through marines with ease and playing with their body parts, sporting a sadistic smirk. The girl sweat-dropped at the frightening expression he was making. *_He's enjoying this waaay too much.*_

However, a shot brought her out of her daze and she turned to see a marine captain who had his gun pointed at one of the Heart pirates. Miyako watched the falling body of the pirate and at first all she could see was the common white jumpsuit they all wore. But then spiky bluish hair caught her eye with an unmistakable red and white bandanna on the forehead to keep the bangs out of his dark eyes. Her eyes widened in shock and horror as her mind already started forming the worst case scenario.

"Cody!" Miyako screamed and leaped towards them. She saw the marine captain pointing his gun at the bleeding body on the floor to finish him off, with a smirk on his face. The samurai's golden eyes narrowed in a dangerous and cold glare, anger and fury running through her body.

The man cocked his pistol and was just about to pull the trigger, but widened his eyes when he never heard a shot. It took some time for him to realize he wasn't holding his gun anymore...or rather, his whole hand was missing and now falling on the floor with blood from his wrist flowing on the ground. It happened so fast, the marine didn't even feel anything, but now a shocked expression started replacing a confused one and that one soon turned into dread while the man kept staring at his cut off hand on the ground, which still clutched the pistol.

He screamed and griped at his open wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but then noticed a person next to him as she put the cold steel blade near his throat threateningly. It was a young woman with a cold and deadly look in her eyes that promised nothing good. There was no sympathy or mercy showing in her dark expression.

The marine general opened his mouth to speak, but never had the chance to finish as his head flew through the air and rolled on the wooden deck floor, with eyes and mouth still wide in horror. Miyako blinked a few times, getting out of her deadly daze as she remembered her friend on the ground and she quickly knelt down next to him.

"Cody!" She called and shook him but he wasn't responding. He was unconscious…or at least she hoped it was only that. She saw a wound on the right side of his chest and put pressure on it with her hands to stop the bleeding.

She looked around for help. First she saw Josh, but he had his hands full at the moment as he was fighting three marines at once. Luckily she saw Law nearby, cutting down the last of the marines. "Captain!" She screamed at the top of her lungs with such desperation in her voice that Law turned around immediately with wide eyes. He could tell by her voice something wasn't right and ran over to them quickly as he saw his medic on the floor. Law narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"We need to take him to the infirmary, now."

Miyako nodded at Law's words and stood up with him as they took Cody under each shoulder and started walking inside the submarine.

"Bepo, you're in charge. Clean up this mess fast." Law ordered his first mate, who responded with a salute and an "Aye Aye Captain!" before kicking another marine in the head with a loud Kung-Fu cry.

"Josh, Garry! The two of you come with me to the infirmary." The captain shouted to the two assistants on his medical staff. They both nodded and came with them. Josh gently took over and carried Cody instead of Miyako, who was left on the deck to stare at the disappearing men with worry in her eyes.

~...~

Miyako walked back and forth in front of the infirmary doors, biting her lower lip.

"Miya-chan, you'll dig a hole in the floor. Relax. Worrying won't help." Penguin said as he leaned on the wall with his arms folded on his chest. It's not like he wasn't worried about their friend, but there was nothing they could do.

It had been an hour since they took Cody to the infirmary. The battle was over a long time ago and they had submerged again, safe under the ocean's surface.

A hand, or rather a soft paw stopped Miyako and made her look up to see Bepo's troubled expression. She noticed his paw was much heavier than she thought, but then again he was a bear after all. "It'll be ok, Miyako." He tried to comfort her and after a short pause, she managed to smile and nod at him.

_*They're right, worrying won't help. And I know Josh and Law are both excellent at medicine, but still…it's Cody.* _Miyako never realized how much she actually cared about all of them until this happened…until a thought of losing them crossed her mind. She had kept saying to herself that they were nothing but partners at the moment and that she had no other choice but to fraternize with the crew until they reached Wano. She didn't want to make friends…and she didn't want to admit she had made them because that would just make things more complicated.

She shook her head. *_No, I can't forget my goal! I need to get to Wanokuni! It has always been that…just that. I can't falter!*_ And yet, at the thought of betraying Josh, Cody, Penguin, Shachi and Bepo and leaving them in Wano…the thought of their faces when that happens. Miyako couldn't help but feel guilty and a slight pain pinched at her chest. Her eyes saddened a little at the thought.

And there was another thing…the constant nagging in the back of her mind. When she thought of her friends, she thought of one more person, yet she didn't want to admit she had formed somewhat of a connection with _that_ person too. Though she couldn't deny they did get closer over this past few months. She thought of those piercing grey eyes staring right into hers as if they were trying to peer into her very soul. And that ever-so-smug smirk he often wore on his handsome tanned face.

Miyako blinked, her eyes wide suddenly. _*D-Did I just thought of Law…as handsome?* _She turned ten different shades of red and shook her head wildly with hands holding her burning cheeks. *_No, no, no! What am I thinking? Miyako, you idiot!*_

Still, for a split of second a thought crossed her mind; What if it was Law who got shot? What if Law would die? And instantly her heart skipped a beat and a slight pain formed in her chest again. Perhaps half a year ago she wouldn't care one bit. Hell, she would push him overboard herself if given the chance. But now…after so much they had been through, she just couldn't imagine something happening to him. Perhaps she would need to betray him and leave him in Wano, but nothing more…She didn't want to admit it, but just the thought of betraying him made her uncomfortable. She desperately tried to silence the little voice in her head telling her that _that_ wasn't what she _really_ wanted…Telling her that leaving Law and her newfound friends was a mistake. She didn't want to listen to it.

_*I just want to return back home….right, home….*_ She thought of the last word a bit uncertain. What is _home_ anymore? She didn't have one in Wano, not after her master died. She was a wanderer…so was Wanokuni even her home? A place where she felt suffocated by their discriminative and regressive beliefs? Where she never really felt free?

Miyako shook her head again, feeling a headache rising. She was overthinking things; she told herself. It was better this way…to keep to the original plan. *_It is better for everybody,*_ She thought a bit sadly, not convinced herself yet denying any other thoughts that kept forming in her already confused mind.

~...~

Thankfully she was brought out of her thoughts with a loud sound of metal doors opening. Everyone turned around to see Law coming out of the infirmary, wiping his wet hands with a towel. He didn't look surprised to see the group there.

"How is he?" Shachi and Penguin asked in unison.

"He'll be fine, he just needs some rest. The bullet didn't damage any vital organs," Law explained and glanced at Miyako when she let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Can we see him?" She finally asked, but was disappointed when the captain shook his head.

"No, he must rest. It's too early," he answered with a serious expression, but Miyako wasn't really paying attention at what looks her captain was giving her. Instead, she sighed again and looked down at her feet a bit disappointed but relieved none the less. She appeared as if she was imitating a certain polar bear.

Meanwhile, the said polar bear put a paw on her shoulder again and she stared up at him. Shachi and Penguin started pushing her away from the infirmary. "Come on, Miya-chan. There's no point in staying here now and we all still have work to do. We'll grill Josh about it later and ask him how Cody is doing," Penguin answered calmly and kept pushing her away, and the girl let him, knowing he was right.

She didn't notice Law's interested gaze as he watched after his samurai. He was definitively thinking about something, but his expression was completely unreadable as always.

_~...~_

Unfortunately Miyako had trouble concentrating even after hearing Cody was fine, because this situation made her think. Mostly, her thoughts started returning where they left off in front of the infirmary and she couldn't chase them away. They especially kept returning to a certain doctor-captain of the yellow submarine.

However, that cost the girl since she managed to cut herself five times, so now she had patches on her hands…both of them. Not to mention she managed to spill almost everything she touched onto her, but luckily nothing was hot this time. She did however manage to burn her hand slightly when she, deep in thought and without thinking, grabbed a hot frying pan. And that was the last straw for Munk. He had watched the girl self- injure herself all day and he had enough.

"Alright, that be it! Get out of me galley!" He finally exclaimed. He didn't look mad, but there was still seriousness in his tone as he put his hands on his hips, gripping his big wooden spoon in one of them.

"huh?" Miyako blinked in confusion at Munk's unexpected outburst.

"Girly, I've been watchin' ya all day, and if ya stay here one more secon' you'll kill yaself…or someone else!" He explained, pointing right at the girl with his wooden spoon.

She traced the spoon with her gaze, as it now rested on her nose, but then sighed and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Sorry Munk." She muttered.

"I ain't cross, girly. But ya better resolve your issues or ya'll end up like sushi!" He pointed towards her cut up hands, making his point. "Now, what be troublin' ya?"

The girl sighed again, but then smiled. "I-It's nothing…well it's just everything that happened with Cody, you know." That was partly true…she was still worrying about him, but she decided to keep hidden the main reason for her odd behavior. It wasn't something she could tell or explain to the large chef anyway.

Munk nodded, obviously buying the story. "Cody'll be fine. He's a strong lad. Ya better be worryin' 'bout yaself….However…" He put on a mischievous grin and Miyako blinked questioningly. He continued, "Well I heard Cody be still in tha infirmary restin', too bad you can't visit 'im. Yet then again…You be havin' some serious wounds here." He looked at her burnt and cut hands. "Ya better get that checked in tha infirmary." He grinned and Miyako gave him a bright smile when she understood what he was insinuating.

"Well come now girly, what ya be waitin' for! Hurry! Go!" He laughed as he shooed her way and the samurai grinned in return and ran back to the infirmary. Before rushing out of the galley, the girl turned around to wave at the pirate as she called back to him, "Thanks Munk! I owe you one!"

~...~

A loud knock was heard on the infirmary door and Law gazed in that direction. He was just finishing with changing Cody's bandages, who was still unconscious due to the anesthetics. He looked at Josh, who was cleaning some equipment and motioned for him to open the door.

The short medic opened the heavy doors, ready to see who was disturbing them now and his eyes narrowed when he saw his friend/nemesis in front of him. But before Josh could say anything, the girl put her hands in front of his face and showed him various small cuts and burns. She had a nervous sheepish smile on her face that looked a bit guilty and for a second Josh thought she had cut herself on purpose just to see Cody in the infirmary, but then decided even she wasn't _that_ crazy.

"This will be good," Joshua muttered with a roll of his green eyes and let her in. After closing the doors, he then turned back to his captain again who looked at the two with a questioning look. "Captain, the Klutz managed to hurt herself in the kitchen again."

Miyako glared slightly in the redhead's direction, but quickly turned her attention back to Law. "Um…got any patches or bandages?" That was a stupid question since they were in an infirmary, but she didn't know what else to say as the captain kept staring at her with an unreadable expression. She couldn't understand if he was mad she came here or what?

After a while, Law sighed and turned around, walking towards a cabinet. "Sit down." He motioned to one of the chairs. Meanwhile Josh returned to his previous task, cleaning the equipment, but looked at Miyako curiously when she started looking around quickly.

She tried to see where Cody was and finally saw a bed with an IV running, but the curtains were hiding the still form from her view. She sneaked a little closer and leaned to the side as best as she could to see Cody and ignored Josh's glare. However a clearing of throat made her turn around on her heel quickly, startled, and she saw the pirate doctor standing there, his hands crossed on his chest and looking at her with a serious stare. He motioned at the chair again. "Sit." He simply said in a calm but cold voice. Miyako complied quickly, but she couldn't understand why he looked so agitated today. *_Is it really because I came here? But I really do need to get treated. Those patches that Munk gave me aren't really helping.*_

Law took her hands gently into his and she instantly felt warmth spread through her body. Now wasn't that strange? Yes, he had warm hands that were currently warming her own as he worked on her wounds, but why did it spread all the way to her chest? She hid a small blush that started appearing for no apparent reason which just made her irritated. She looked at her captain in front of her and noticed his serious look as he treated her hands. It was different from the time when he took care of her burns. Right now he was looking cold and emotionless and Miyako couldn't decipher why.

"Umm-" She tried to start up a conversation and end the awkward silence, but before she could finish Law cut her off.

"What happened to you? Were you so worried for Mr. Cody that you couldn't hold a knife without hurting yourself?" His tone was like ice and he ended the sentence with a troubling sigh. He put more alcohol on her cut and Miyako flinched. She always hated when they cleaned her wounds with alcohol, ever since she was a kid. Law noticed the small movement but ignored it.

"Okay, first; Ow! And Secondly; You sound like worrying for Cody is a bad thing." She looked at him suspiciously though she knew Law certainly meant his medic no harm. After all he saved him, but why did he sound almost accusingly when asking about her worry for the blue-haired boy? She sighed when she saw he wasn't answering. "Sorry for troubling you." She muttered and averted her gaze, being honest in her apology that now made her feel even more awkward. She knew the captain certainly had better things to do right now than take care of her small injuries.

Law didn't say anything, but his touch became a bit gentler and less hurting which she appreciated.

After a minute of silence, the surgeon broke it once again. "It just seems strange to me. A few months ago you didn't even want to be a part of the Heart pirates and you didn't mingle much with them, either, and now you seem so close to them. Especially with Mr. Cody. Is he that special to you?" He ended the question with a little motion towards her hands, obviously referring to the fact that she got this hurt because of being so worried. He didn't know, however, that Cody wasn't really the main subject of her thoughts in the kitchen. She was worried about the medic, but after hearing he wasn't in danger anymore, she relaxed a bit. Instead, there was something else troubling her at the time. But Miyako couldn't tell Law that.

She looked at him with a slight frown, not understanding the captain's strange behavior. Not to mention he had his usual smirk when he said that as if teasing her. However it wasn't something he would normally ask, especially since he didn't usually pry into her personal business. So Miyako wasn't sure if he was teasing her or really interested, although he had a bored expression on his face as if he just wanted to break the silence. *_He doesn't really care, he just wants to kill his boredom.* _It made the girl a little agitated that he chose such a topic to entertain himself. She wanted to say something immature like, 'What do you care!' and end the conversation, but didn't want to be rude to the man who was currently taking care of her wounds, especially when he still had that threatening alcohol in his hands so close to her open wounds.

So instead she just shrugged. "It's been five months since then. And they're not bad people….well maybe one." With that last part, she turned slightly towards Joshua with narrowed eyes, but he just retaliated with his middle finger in the air.

"So Mr. Cody _is_ special to you." Law prompted, his tone sounding more like a statement than a question.

That made the samurai blush with embarrassment, quite startled by his conclusion. *_What's with this conversation? Why is he acting this way!?*_ And what really both puzzled and annoyed her was that Law still had his famous bored look she knew quite well. So why was he insisting on this questioning if he didn't even seem like he cared? She felt even more agitated at the freedom the pirate had allowed himself and she narrowed her eyes in response.

"And what if he _is_ someone special? What's it to you?" She finally said and regretted it immediately. Of course, Cody was just a friend of hers, nothing more, but the surgeon had driven her into defending something that didn't even exist. Ah, that damn pirate, how he could make her all worked up! She heard Josh chocked on air in surprise behind them and turned around sharply with a glare. *_Great! Now I'll never hear the last of it from the ginger either!*_

A sharp sting brought her back her attention to Law as another portion of alcohol was poured onto her wounds. But when she gazed back, she was surprised to see Law had slightly wide eyes as if in surprise. Miyako frowned. "What? First you tease me and when I respond, you look surprised?" She finally said.

His surprise only lasted a second and he quickly returned to his serious and calm self, taking care of the rest of her cuts and burns and bandaging them. He opened his mouth and was just about to respond to her statement, but Sai's voice came out of the speaker and interrupted him. "Everyone get ready! We're approaching a new island!"

They looked up at the speaker and Miyako quickly stood up, happy to be over with the awkward moment and the weird conversation they had just shared. The whole situation was strange and unLaw-like in her opinion. "Well then, I better go. Thank you for taking care of my wounds." She bowed slightly and quickly walked out the door, shutting them a bit too loudly behind her before Law could say anything. The girl closed her eyes and leaned on the metal doors, taking a deep breath. *_Great...now everyone will think I have a crush on Cody. This is all so ridiculous!* _She sighed in frustration and headed towards her quarters to get ready for docking.

~...~

Josh and Law were still in the infirmary, working in complete silence, both in their own thoughts. The pirate doctor might have seemed completely uninterested in the subject he just had with the samurai girl, but truthfully he was very curious…he found it intriguing after seeing her so worried out of her mind when Cody was hurt and operated on. She didn't even look that worried when they were taking care of Strawhat Luffy and he was 10 times worse than the blue-haired medic, so Law found it strange for her to act that way. Especially when she usually kept to herself and at the beginning of their journey she didn't even look interested in the crew. She was right though, it had been 5 months and everything changed little by little. He could see she was closer to the crew more each day and even the two of them managed to make some sort of relationship where he didn't have to worry she'll try and kill him in his sleep.

Still, he was surprised when the usually shy and embarrassed girl admitted she had feelings for the medic. He didn't really expect the answer he got…though that wasn't really a confession. But how else could he interpret the defensive attitude she suddenly showed him.

"Weeell, that was awkward," Josh broke the silence, bringing Law out of his thoughts. The captain raised an eyebrow at the redhead questioningly.

Josh shrugged. "Who would have thought Miyako had the hots for Cody." He grinned, obviously already planning all the ways he could torture her with that information. Though he wasn't sure about that either…Miyako never showed such interest in Cody after all. Well not that she showed such interest towards anyone else either.

Law didn't say anything, but he did give Josh a glare that made the medic shut up instantly. He didn't understand where that agitation just now came from, but somehow he didn't like Josh's words. Actually this whole situation left him a bad aftertaste, although he couldn't tell why.*_It doesn't matter, I'm acting foolish anyway. I'm sure it'll be fine as soon as I get some fresh air.*_ The thought of docking on a new island and finally restocking their supplies brightened his mood a little and he walked out of the infirmary with only that in mind.

~...~

Miyako walked out on the deck and took a deep breath, expecting to get some fresh air, but instead all she got was dust and smog coming into her lungs and making her almost choke to death as she coughed loudly.

Bepo, who was next to her, had his sensitive nose covered with both paws. The ghastly smell of smoke and the sewers was too much for his evolved sense of smell. Even Miyako had trouble dealing with it as she tried to breathe through her mouth instead. She could feel sympathetic towards the poor polar bear.

The new island was called Jade Island, surely by the sickly greenish look of the sky there. The color wasn't nearly as beautiful as you would think when hearing the word 'Jade', instead it just appeared menacing as if there was a plague looming over the island. The large and vast city they were currently docked at was called Point Blank; a strange name for a town, Miyako noted. It was an industrial town with all kinds of machinery and black smoke rising from tall chimneys of the numerous factories. Some people looked poor and sick, while others walked in clean suits, dressed like gentlemen. But the dirt and the bad smell was everywhere and beggars with missing teeth or limbs sat on the dusty streets here or there. It was dirty and loud. The girl from Wanokuni didn't like it one bit.

She noticed the doors opened again and the captain stepped out on the deck, holding his nodachi, which he gave to Bepo before walking on the gangplank and down to the docks. "Let's go," was all he said in his usual calm voice, not even looking at Miyako. The girl shrugged it off and walked as well with the rest of the crew, which dispersed around the big city looking for information and supplies.

Josh nudged her in the ribs when he walked out right behind Law. She looked at him questioningly. "You really like Cody like _that_?" He sounded as if he couldn't believe it, looking at her suspiciously.

The girl rolled her eyes, annoyed with the whole subject already. "Of course not, I was just pissed off at Law's questioning. Ok?"

Josh sighed with relief, believing her. "Phew, Thank God…it would be way too weird otherwise."

Miyako rolled her eyes again. Of course she didn't have a crush on Cody, but she didn't see what the big fuss was all about? Was it really that important who she liked? And why would it be so surprising to like Cody? She didn't comment on Josh's statement though and decided to keep her opinions to herself; that was the safest thing to do. She was overthinking the whole situation anyway.

"And captain was acting all annoyed and weird when you left," Josh noted while still in thought. When he saw her puzzled expression, he shrugged, silently telling her he had no idea why.

The samurai sighed. "He was being weird while I was still _there,_" she corrected the redhead.

"Well whatever you did, _undo_ it! I don't like the captain acting strange and unnatural like that. It's scary and I don't know what to expect!" Josh had a serious but paranoid look on his face

Miyako glared at him. "Why is it my fault?"

They were both still whispering with an edge in their voices and they were now silently arguing right behind Law's back who pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Miss Miyako, Mister Joshua…if you're done, do you think we can go now?" He finally turned around with a questioning look and a raised eyebrow, making the two of them stiffen and shut up immediately. He motioned for the group to follow as Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, Josh and Miyako followed their captain into the awaiting town.

* * *

><p><strong>Okie, so as I said this is just the beginning and hopefully there will be more to come soon. <strong>

**I hope you liked it. **

**So see ya in the next chapter! :D **


	26. Chapter 26

**I don't like you! **by** BloodyMarryMe**

**I'm glad I managed to write and publish this much sooner than I thought. And in a few days I'll be able to continue with my fast pace too, so I can't wait. :D **

**Oh, before we start; Izzie, you asked if I'll go up to the whole Punk Hazard arc and the answer is; Yes, eventually. :P Since my story is set in the span of those two years, I'll eventually come to the manga part as well but before that I need much more info on what is exactly going on. (Since we have no idea what happened to Law's crew and what exactly is going on still.) So it'll take some time before I reach that part anyway. **

**Also NightDreamer567, you're guessing right, there's gonna be a lot more progress in their relationship. ;) (And I love all Miyako/Law moments too. :P) **

**Thanks for everyone else's comments as well. And I hope Law jealously isn't too OoC here. (I'm trying to make it Law-like, whatever that would be XD) **

**So without firther ado, let's go! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a LawXOC story, rated T for blood and language.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 26<strong>

Miyako stopped and looked up into the greenish sky when a droplet of water fell down right onto her nose. She blinked and looked down to avoid other droplets falling onto her face as rain started falling down, harder by the second. People all around them started running towards shelters from the streets, but a bit too hastily in her opinion. Of course they didn't want to get wet, but they looked as if staying in the rain would harm them somehow.

"This rain seems strange," Josh noted and started scratching his hand a bit, which now had reddened skin. "And why am I so itchy all of a sudden?" He muttered, scratching harder.

Miyako noticed her neck had the same problem where rain fell on her bare skin.

Suddenly Law stopped walking and turned towards the group. "Quick, this way." He quickened his step towards the nearby tavern and opened the old wooden doors. The group followed him inside as they found a vacant table and sat around it.

"What was that?" Penguin asked, taking of his hat and trying to rinse it dry. "That rain seemed strange."

"Oh, you got caught in the rain did you?" A new voice startled them; well most of them, Law didn't even seem fazed as he just glanced in the direction of the new voice with his usual expressionless face. The group looked up at a busty waitress around 40 years old. She was quite a big woman; they all noted. She had her hands on her hips and a welcoming smile on her face, as if she wasn't least bit worried she was talking to an infamous group of pirates.

"What about the rain?" Law inquired as he leaned back in his chair.

"It's called acid rain. It's because of the polluted sky around here. It's not like you'll melt or anything, but it can do some damage to your skin none the less. It even corrodes the buildings around here, bites through the stone little by little over time," the waitress explained.

"Oh, I've heard of that…Well no wonder with all the smog and smoke around here," Shachi commented and leaned on his hand.

The waitress sighed. "Yes, well Point Blank is an industrial town after all…Though it gets worse every year. I really don't think we need all those machines, but the Baron insists on it. He says it will bring this island prosperity, but all I see is sickness and dirt." The waitresses' smile turned into a frown as she continued.

"The Baron?" Miyako asked. The last time she heard something about barons was on Howl's Island, with the Red Baron, and that was a name she wanted to forget. She had enough barons for her lifetime and didn't want anything to do with any more of them.

A man who was sitting a table next to them turned and joined in the conversation. Miyako could tell he was a little tipsy from the way his face and especially nose were red and his eyes glazed. And not to mention his somewhat goofy grin. "Ah yes, Robber Baron- '_Hic_'- He runs the Island here-'_Hic_'.

The waitress pulled out a newspaper out of nowhere and hit the drunken man on the head with them. "Hush now, Earl! If the Baron's men heard you call him that, they'd have you hanged!" She turned to the group again and saw their questioning gazes. "His name is Vladimir Farquash. He's a bit…strict. The townsfolk gave him the nickname of Robber Baron because of the way he treats us, no money for us while he has loads," she admitted with a sigh.

The drunken man laughed beside her. "That's an understatement! He rules with an iron glove...or however you say it." Then he turned back to the waitress. "Did you hear, Miriam, he raised taxes again…We practically live out of nothing as it is!" Then he turned back to the pirate group, leaning towards them and almost falling from his chair. "The people here almost work for free…he is using us for labor and paying almost nothing. Even kids from the age of 10 and higher have to work in his bloody factories…child labor I tell you! I heard Billy's son got his hand crushed while working on the assembly line today. Not to mention what he did to our town…it's disgusting!"

Earl got another smack on the head with the newspapers. "That's enough Earl!" Said Miriam, a bit harsher this time. She leaned to the man and whispered, but the group could hear it too, "You know he has his spies everywhere! Do you want a wrong person to hear you, huh?"

The man looked as if he sobered up immediately and his look became deadly serious. He straightened in his chair, looked away from them and continued drinking his ale in silence. The pirates looked at each other with puzzled stares.

"Why don't you tell the marines about all this?" Miyako suggested.

But the waitress just sighed sadly. "It's no use…he gives them a large sum of money and they pretend not to notice anything."

"Rotten bastards...," Josh muttered, obviously irritated at the high-and-mighty symbols of justice in the world. "Symbols of justice my ass." He commented aloud on his thought.

The waitress cleared her throat. "Enough of all that. Now, what will you be having?" She asked with a smile on her face again. Her expression became a bit more serious suddenly as she remembered one more thing. "But just a word of warning…don't stay here too long, he has his men everywhere and he doesn't like outsiders. Especially infamous pirates. So don't overstay your welcome here."

As the group ordered their drinks, Miyako took that time to look around. The tavern was half empty with only a few tables full. Everyone kept to themselves, drinking in silence in a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. The tavern itself was rundown and shabby, with cracked wooden walls and floors, where Miyako could see some bugs crawling from one hole to the other, every once in a while. The bar didn't look any better and Miyako grimaced when she saw an especially large cockroach run across it, but it got splattered by the bartender's large hand. She was glad at that moment she only ordered a drink and not something to eat…she didn't even want to think about what the food looked like here.

"Hey look at this!" Her disgust was forgotten when Penguin's voice brought her back to reality. He was holding the newspapers Miriam had only moments ago. "Our bounties went up again!" He grinned.

Miyako's eyes widened a little when she saw her wanted poster. _"Burning-Eyed Miyako; 850 000 Beli,"_ it said. "Ugh…" It felt like her soul rushed straight out of her body and she laid her head on the wooden table with no energy left. "Not again…" She whined, sounding muffled from her own arms, but the group heard her anyway and chuckled, while Law smirked in response.

The rest of the crew got higher bounties as well, but unlike a certain samurai, they seemed happy about it and even toasted with their ales. Law just kept his smirk, but was also pleased when he saw his bounty now reached 300,000 000 Beli.

"Well we were quite busy lately. And we did kick a lot of marine butts these days," Shachi said with a grin. It was true, they had encountered more marines than usual and had to fight them off. That made Miyako remember the last encounter with them; when Cody got shot, and her eyes narrowed a little at the memory.

As the pirates still celebrated their high bounties, Miyako noticed dark looks around them. They were the loudest in the tavern now, though they were just talking normally. But it seemed their talk intrigued the locals around and they stared at them with strange looks. _*Well I can understand…All these people are poor to the bone and here we are, high-bounty pirates as if tempting them.* _She didn't like the looks they were receiving and wanted to get out of there, but the rest of the Heart Pirates seemed oblivious to the changing mood around them.

Luckily her captain, sharp as always, noticed the same thing and he finished his ale quickly before getting up. "The rain has stopped, let's go."

The others whined, but stood up anyway. "Already? Why so fast?"

The captain didn't answer, not having the time nor the will to explain it to them. So he just started walking towards the exit and the pirates followed. Miyako looked around carefully in case someone tried something, one hand on her katana, but no one dared to oppose the infamous Surgeon of Death.

But after a while as they left the tavern, the samurai started having a feeling they were followed. She allowed herself a quick glance behind her with the corners of her eyes and noticed some suspicious people that could be following them. It was confirmed when the pirates turned a few corners, but the men kept walking behind them.

"Captain." Miyako started, hurrying her step so she could walk next to Law.

"I know," he muttered.

When the girl looked at the rest of the pirate group, she noticed Penguin, Bepo, Josh and Shachi all had serious expressions on their faces. They all must have realized it also.

~….~

Six poorly dressed men turned into an alleyway. They were dirty with clothing that almost resembled rags by now, had messy greasy hairs and stern faces. Their ragged bodies showed that they have been through a lot. They were armored by simple picks, pitchforks or hunting knives…anything they could find that could help them in a battle.

As they turned the last corner, they stopped suddenly at the sight before them. Trafalgar Law, the captain of the Heart Pirates was sitting on a crate with his chin resting on his hands that were joined by tangled fingers. He had a small amused smirk on his face as he stared at them with his cold grey eyes. His crew was standing around him protectively, but didn't seem too worried by the incoming group of locals.

"Well gentlemen, how can we help you?" Trafalgar Law asked, still sporting that smirk of his.

The group of men gulped, but stood firm and prepared their weapons. They were desperate, that much was obvious. And desperate men did desperate deeds. "W-We came for your bounty, Trafalgar Law!" One of them, the youngest, exclaimed.

Law's smirk grew wider, turning into a grin. "Is that so?" He had his nodachi resting on his shoulder and he lightly put one hand on it. "And how do you intend to do that?"

The men clutched their weapons. "Whatever it takes!" Another said and they rushed forward.

Miyako appeared in front of the youngest and took out her katana, bringing the hilt right into his belly in the process. He let go of his knife and fell on the ground, clutching his stomach. She then slashed at the pitchfork another one was holding, slicing off the wooden handle. Before the man had time to react, she hit him on the head with the blunt side of the sword, sending him into unconsciousness.

Bepo kicked away the other's pickax and then kicked the man in the face, rendering him unconscious as well. Meanwhile Josh, Penguin and Shachi took care of the others. It was all over in a few seconds. After all, the group was only some old locals who thought they could earn some money by capturing pirates. They weren't fighters, just desperate worn-out men. Miyako was glad nobody got killed in the process. They didn't deserve to die just because they wanted to be able to pay for their next meal.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a loud whistling sound. She looked up and the pirates rushed to the exit of the alley and saw people running in the streets. "It's the Baron's men! Quick, move out of the way!" They heard a random voice in the crowd and it didn't take long before they could see the marching men coming down the street. They wore black uniforms with shining black boots and had red sashes tied to their right shoulder. They had blood red helmets with spikes in the middle. The soldiers held guns leaning on their left shoulders and sabers tied to their waist. As the austerities marched down the street, they all had a serious dark aura around them that promised nothing good. They were obviously feared by everyone around here.

"We should go, captain! It won't be good if they see us!" Bepo suggested, a little panic attack already bubbling inside of him.

The pirate captain nodded, agreeing with his first mate. "Let's go." He muttered and they tried to blend with the crowd until they got back to the docks or at least somewhere darker and out of the way. But it was hard to blend in when you had a man holding a big nodachi, a walking bear in an orange jumpsuit and three guys dressed in white jumpsuits and colorful hats. The only one who looked inconspicuous among them was Miyako.

They heard another whistle and then a call from one of the soldiers. "You there! Stop!"

The pirates turned around to see the soldiers looking right at them.

"Fuck, they spotted us!" Josh yelped. "What now?"

"Now we run!" Penguin and Shachi yelled in unison.

"But we shouldn't lead them to the submarine." Miyako noted, her hand already gripping her katana just in case.

"Go East, I saw some alleyways there. We could lose them there." Law explained and the group started running. They could hear shots being fired behind them and screams from the townspeople, but didn't have time to turn around and look at what was happening. Law did, however, turn once and called out his Room, slashing with his nodachi and taking care of the soldiers that were right behind them. But there were many more coming and Law had to retreat quickly with the rest of his group.

They ran into the little alleyways that were connected like a maze in the town, yet the soldiers were relentless, running after them. Then the pirates suddenly had to come to a stop when they reached a dead end.

"Damn." Law cursed under his breath, something he did extremely rarely, but always when very agitated.

They could hear footsteps getting closer. "They're coming!" Josh exclaimed. The group prepared for a fight.

Just then they heard a small sound. It was so quiet, Bepo first thought he had imagined it when he picked up on the sound with his sensitive ears.

"Pssst." The sound came again and Bepo's ears perked up then turned in the direction of the sound. The bear turned to see a small shaft that was barely visible, and noticed two eyes gleaming in the darkness beneath it.

"Captain!" The bear quickly called out to Law and pointed towards the person.

"Quickly, follow me," the voice whispered.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed, seeing no reason why he should trust this strange person. For all he knew it could be a trap. Still, when he heard more voices and footsteps, louder now and coming closer, he decided they didn't have much choice. He walked over to the shaft and lifted it, seeing a boy around 12 years old, with messy dark hair and equally dark eyes staring up at him. He wore simple old attire as everyone else in town and his skin seemed oily and dirty. The boy motioned for them to follow him and started climbing down the metal ladders into the sewers. "Be careful, it's slippery," he warned.

The pirates looked at each other in puzzlement for one second before following down after him. Josh, who was last, closed the shaft behind him and jumped down, the water splashing around him. The look of the old tunnel in the sewers was awful and the smell was even worse. Penguin and Shachi plugged their noses with a disgusted look on their faces. Josh just rolled his eyes. "Babies." He muttered, getting a glare from them.

Bepo was holding his nose as well, dizzy from the strong smell of rotten fish and who-knows-what.

"Why did you help us?" The captain broke the silence with a serious tone. He was still suspicious at this whole event and he narrowed his eyes as he stared powerfully at the boy. Perhaps other people wouldn't be suspicious when they saw the young, seemingly innocent boy or they would go easy on him, but Law knew better than let appearance fool him. He knew a 12-year-old boy was enough to get them all in trouble.

Unexpectedly, the boy smiled. "I saw you earlier in the alley…you're Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates, right? I saw your wanted poster, so you must be strong. I didn't want the Baron's men to get you. And Zuko may be pleased that I brought you."

"Zuko?" Law inquired, making the boy smile wider and nod.

"Mhm. Zuko is the leader of the rebellion here. We're getting more people by the minute. Everyone wants Robber Baron out of Jade island."

Law's expression stayed serious despite the boy's innocent grins. "A rebellion, I see. But why do you think we would help you?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. Zuko was interested in you and wanted to meet you so I saved you. I will show you to him. I don't know about the rest, you'll have to ask him."

Law sighed exasperatedly, but realized there was no point in questioning the boy any further. It seemed he'll find out everything in due time.

They walked for a long time, going through tunnels and barred doors, deeper into the sewers until they finally found another shaft and the boy opened it. He got on his hands and knees and started crawling through the small tunnel. It was just about enough to fit an adult person. "Come on!" He called behind him.

Law sighed once more, not really liking the idea of crawling through the dirt and muck of the sewers. And neither did his men by the looks of their expressions. Trafalgar Law just didn't….crawl. However he had no other choice so he gritted his teeth, getting onto his knees. He tied his nodachi to his back to move more easily and started crawling. It took some time before the tunnel took a sharp downward path that made it hard to move without falling down the slippery ground and through the tunnel. The captain managed to keep a slow pace though it and exhaled in relief silently when they finally got out. He examined his surroundings to see a large lit area with people and tents all around them. He couldn't believe they were still in the sewers.

"How deep underground are we?" Shachi mumbled as he walked around.

Everything and everyone seemed busy and moving as if preparing for something. The boy appeared used to it though as he greeted people left and right, still leading the Heart Pirates. "This is our headquarters, hidden from the Baron," he explained. They finally stopped in front of the large tent and they could hear two voices talking inside. It looked like a battlefield preparing for another attack here.

"There, go inside. Zuko is in here." The boy smiled and motioned for Law to enter. Bepo came with him, holding captain's nodachi for him, while the rest waited outside.

~…~

Law opened the tent and walked in, his first mate by his side. He saw two men leaning over a map of Point Blank city and writing something on it. When they heard the pirates come in, the men stopped talking with suspicious stares. One of them nodded to the other and the second one left the tent, taking some papers with him.

Then the man who must have been Zuko turned towards them in his seat and stood up, quickly walking over to Law with an excited smile. "Ah, Trafalgar Law! So Peaty found you."

The captain rose an eyebrow questioningly. Zuko cleared his throat. "Oh sorry, you must be wondering what's going on. Well this is the rebel army, we're increasing in numbers every day and soon we're planning a final attack on the Baron's palace. We worked well these past few years, bombing some of his shipments or big events he was involved in….even tried a few assassinations, but unfortunately that didn't go well. However, we are planning a final attack in three days. So when I heard a strong pirate like you is in town, I just had to meet you…and ask for your help."

Law tilted his head. "And why would I help you, mister Zuko?"

"Well, I don't expect it to be for free of course. The Baron is a very rich man; he has an unbelievable amount of gold in his treasury. I can't give you all of it since it's the people's money and has to be returned to them, but I'm sure we can strike a good deal here. And you pirates would do anything for money, right?"

The said pirate narrowed his eyes just a little at Zuko's last statement. He didn't like it. And he didn't like this situation either. Usually he wouldn't say 'No' to large amounts of money, but this time something didn't seem right. He didn't like this whole situation nor did he trust this man. Besides, they had enough money left from Maple Town. So Law decided this was not a problem he wanted to get involved in. This wasn't his fight anyway.

"Sorry, not interested. Thank the boy for saving us, though." He turned around and started leaving.

"Hey, wait!" Zuko started after him and walked out of the tent after Law and Bepo. "If I said something wrong I'm-"

"Captain!" Josh exclaimed when he saw his captain coming out of the tent and Trafalgar immediately knew something was wrong by the expression on the redhead's face.

Penguin and Shachi ran over to him as well, with equally anxious expressions. If he had to guess, he'd say it was 'Worry' written on their faces.

"Miyako is missing!" Josh exclaimed, a bit too worried for someone who claimed he didn't like the girl. Josh was just a big softy inside after all. Law would smirk at the thought if not for the disturbing information. Instead, his eyes widened and he cursed his foolishness mentally. He was so deep in his own thoughts and careful about everything going on around him in case it was a trap that he didn't even notice one of his nakama was missing. *_How could've I not noticed!? Now that I think about it, I can't remember seeing her after we got into that alley.*_

"What's wrong?" The rebel leader asked the captain, interested in the sudden twist and the Heart Pirates gave him a suspicious look in return, but Bepo finally decided to answer. "One of our nakama is missing. A samurai girl."

"Hmm…" Zuko put a finger on his bare chin and frowned in thought. Then he saw the boy from before walking by. "Hey, Peaty! When you led them here, was a samurai girl with you?"

The boy shook his head with a confused look, obviously not knowing what his leader was talking about.

"So she probably disappeared before we got into the shaft," Penguin concluded.

"Dammit, that troublesome woman!" Josh yelled in annoyance, but more out of worry than anger.

Bepo grabbed his fuzzy head with his hands in panic. "What if she was taken by those Baron's men! Oh no! What if they're torturing her and doing all kinds of nasty stuff!" he was in full panic mode now.

"Shut up Bepo, you're only making it worse!" The dark-haired mechanic yelled in anger, not wanting to think about such ominous possibilities.

Bepo immediately stopped and bowed his head in depression. "Sorry."

The group ignored him and Law pinched the bride of his nose and closed his eyes so he could concentrate and think. Where could she be? And if she was really taken by those soldiers, how do they get her back? A soft clearing of throat caught his attention and he opened his eyes to look at the source of it.

It was the rebel leader and he was looking at the doctor with a hopeful look in his eyes. "If she was taken in the Baron's castle, we can find out. My information sources are fast and reliable, so we'll know. And if she is there…then you'll need to get into the castle. It's like a fortress and it's not easy to get out or in…but in the chaos of the rebellion and the battle, you can set her free. So if you agree to help us, we can help each other," Zuko explained carefully.

The pirate captain didn't like the idea much. He didn't trust this guy and he didn't want to get involved in this whole rebellion either. But he knew there wasn't much choice since he needed Zuko's help at the moment. They can't storm a whole castle by themselves; it seemed Baron Farquash had quite a bit of an army on his side. Law pierced the young man with his grey eyes, staring at him for a while and thinking of all the options. But If Miyako was in that castle they'll certainly need Zuko's knowledge of the place and his manpower to get her back.

"Fine. We will lend you our power if you help us get our nakama back," Law finally said. "Now tell me, how long does it take for the log pose to set here?"

"Two days." Zuko answered with a grin, happy to have the infamous pirate on his side.

"Then we will storm the castle in two days." Law said.

"What? No! The attack was meant to be in three days, not two. We're not ready-" Zuko begun with wide eyes.

Trafalgar glared at the young leader, not in the mood for arguing. "Two days, or we go without you. Your choice." The captain all but growled at the young man who gulped a little. Law wondered for a second how did someone like him manage to organize this whole rebellion and how will he be able to lead the attack. *_He better be. I don't want amateur mistakes when the life of my crew is on the line,*_ he thought bitterly. He didn't like when he was forced into a decision, especially when it involved the wellbeing of his crew. But what choice did he have?

"Alright. In two days." Zuko finally nodded. "Now please, come into my tent so we can discuss the plan further…." The young man led them back inside and later Law found a den-den-mushi to contact the rest of his crew that were on the submarine and tell Jean Bart, his trusted navigator and crewmate, their new orders.

~….~

"Law is going to kill me." Miyako muttered as she sat on a small bed in her cell, an elbow resting on her leg and her head in her hand. *_Why do I always get into situations like this…?*_

She thought back at what happened in the city. They had just turned to a new alley and saw it was a dead end. While her crewmates were fussing over something there, Miyako peered behind the wall to see where the soldiers were. And that's when she noticed it; a small child sitting on the road, lost and crying. The people around him didn't notice since they were all running in panic in fear of taken by the Baron's army. And what was worse, the girl saw a small carriage with a horse approaching the child and going through the crowd. The old man driving it wouldn't even notice the small boy sitting on the street. Miyako reacted on instinct and ran over to the child. She was sure she could save him and then run back to the alleyway in time. And she managed to get the boy out of the way, but as she was kneeling and holding the boy and was just about to stand up, she noticed a gun pointed at her. And then dozens more.

"I found one of them!" One of the soldiers said and showed his commander a wanted poster of Suzune Miyako. She face-palmed herself mentally but was still glad she was able to save the child at least. *_At least one saved life here,* s_he thought bitterly.

The soldiers had taken her into the big castle and down into the dungeons, taking her katana in the process. She wondered where the rest of her friends were, but it seemed they weren't taken by the soldiers since they weren't in the cell with her.

"hihihihi So I've finally got some company." A raspy voice of an old man exclaimed, bringing Miyako out of her thoughts. He was sitting on the floor in the cell across hers, with his legs and wrists shackled to the wall with long chains. She was surprised when he talked since she thought he was a corpse when she first came here. He had been unmoving and his tiny and thin frame looked almost skeleton-like.

"Who are you?" Miyako asked, forgetting about her manners for a second.

"Hihihih. It's polite to introduce yourself first when you ask someone for their name," the old man noted.

The samurai smirked. "Right. Sorry. I'm Suzune Miyako." She waited for the old man to tell her his own name, but the answer never came. "Wha-" Her eyes widened when she saw the man had fallen asleep right in the middle of their conversation. Her expression changed into an annoyed scowl. "Oy!" She shouted at the old man.

"Huh? Wha-!" He woke up suddenly, startled. "I'm Hirane!" He exclaimed quickly.

"Why are you here?" she prompted. She was bored as hell in here so she wanted to at least pass some time with a nice conversation. But the man was making it difficult for her. He had fallen asleep again. "You have to be kidding me…Oy, Hirane, stop falling asleep when you're talking to someone!"

The old men woke up with a start again. "What?"

"I asked; why are you here?" She repeated.

"oh….ah, well, I disobeyed the Baron. Hihihihi" He explained and Miyako didn't understand why did he keep laughing like that. She didn't see what was so comical about his state.

The old man made a nostalgic look and continued. "You see, I am an inventor. I had invented most of the machines and made it possible for all those factories to work. I really thought it would make work easier for the people and that it would give us more goods and therefore prosperity. However when I saw what the smoke did to my poor island and how the Baron used these machines, I decided not to make them anymore. So the Baron put me in prison when I didn't want to work for him anymore."

"I see…That's horrible," was all Miyako said. She disliked this Baron guy more by each passing minute. *_Are all Barons bad guys or something?* _The thought crossed her mind quickly.

"Ah, well such is life! Such is life! Hihihihi!" The old man said as if he wasn't even worried or sad by his captivity. As if he couldn't care less. Miyako tiled her head in confusion. What a strange old man.

"How long have you been here?" She asked. No answer. Hirane decided to fall asleep again.

The girl was getting really annoyed by it and her eye twitched in said annoyance. "OY!" She finally yelled.

The man opened his eyes suddenly. How he could fall in and out of sleep so fast, she just couldn't understand. "Let's see…I worked for Lord Farquash for 5 years…so I'm here….6! Yep, it's been 6 years since he locked me away!"

Miyako's eyes widened. "That long! All by yourself?" Now she was slowly understanding why the man was acting so strange. He was probably slowly slipping into madness from his time here in the dungeons.

"hihihih well I got some company now and then…usually men awaiting their punishment. They never came back once they left here, though. Hihihih." And then the old man made a motion with his finger as if slicing his throat with it. Miyako gulped as she understood perfectly what he meant.

Suddenly she heard heavy footsteps on the stone floors and saw two guards approach her cell. "The Baron has sent for you!" One said in a serious and stern voice while the other opened the cell and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hey, hey, I can walk by myself you know!" She tried to get out of his iron grip but to no avail. Today was just not her day. The grip just tightened more and she was pushed and dragged out of the cell and through the halls. She could hear the old man laughing in his cell, "Too bad you had to leave so soon! Good Luck! Hihihihih"

She sighed at the ominous laugh as they continued to climb up the stairs. At least the other floors appeared easier on the eye than the cold, dark dungeon.

~….~

Miyako stood straight in the middle of what looked like a dining room. Her wrists were still shackled, but thankfully the guards took off the chains on her ankles so she could walk more freely. In front of her was a man in his forties. He was high and well-built for his age, gleaming with pride and ego. His well-groomed brown hair fell down carelessly to his shoulders and he would move the strands away from his face every now and then. He put one of his sharp long black-painted fingernails to his chin, playing with the beard there as he walked around Miyako in thought. He looked like a hunter examining and circling around his prey. The samurai followed him with her eyes, but stood there silently and motionless. However, his thoughtful stare as he watched her from head to toe, started to annoy her.

"Can I help you?" She finally asked with a frown once the man did a full circle around her again and was now standing in front of her.

The Baron smiled, showing off white shiny teeth. The smile didn't look pleasant though. It didn't reach his dark blue eyes and it looked feigned. "Actually yes, yes you can." His voice was deep and raspy. "You can tell me where the rest of your crew is? I want to find your captain."

Miyako shrugged, not indenting to tell the man anything. "I really don't know, I got separated and lost." Well that was at least _partly_ true. She kept a completely calm and straight face in front of the man.

Unfortunately lord Farquash didn't believe it. "Is that so?" He smiled, but once again it seemed forced. The sly man walked closer to her and grabbed her chin lightly to lift her head so she was forced to look into his eyes. Her gaze didn't falter as she withstood his piercing glare. If she could withstand the knowing look her captain would sometimes give her, then she could certainly have no problem keeping a calm gaze with this man.

"I find that hard to believe…you should at least know where the rest of your crew is. We searched the docks, but there was no sign of your ship. Now how is that possible, hmm?" He continued and trailed a finger down her cheek. His sharp fingernail broke the skin lightly and made a small diagonal cut on her left cheek.

The girl kept a calm exterior even then, but she was thinking hurriedly inside her mind. For just a split second a thought crossed her mind that Law left her and sailed away, but then her mind reassured her with a likelier thought. *_They must have submerged and moved away so the soldiers couldn't find them.*_ At least that probably meant Law and the others were safe and managed to escape. That made her more at ease. "I wouldn't know. Maybe they sailed away already and left me here," she answered, hoping the Baron would believe it.

Farquash's smile disappeared at her words and he slapped her across the face harshly with the back of his hand. Perhaps the blow wouldn't hurt so much if he hadn't had numerous golden rings on his fingers, making the impact much more painful. Miyako's head was sent to the side and she narrowed her eyes, wanting to choke the man with the chains on her wrists. However both doors in the room were guarded with two guards and another two stood on the other side of the door. Which maybe wouldn't be such a problem if they didn't have guns and unfortunately Miyako wasn't bulletproof. There was only so much she could do while disarmed. So instead she kept silent and calm.

Vladimir Farquash grabbed her chin again and roughly turned her head towards him. His '_pleasant' _smile was completely gone now and replaced by anger. Miyako could almost see fire in his eyes. "I don't like to be played with Burning-Eyed Miyako! And I will get all the information out of you one way or another! Now tell me what you know," he demanded.

Myako sighed. *_Maybe if I give him _something_ he'll leave me alone.*_ She decided which piece of information would be harmless for her crew and decided to tell him how they ran away from the soldiers into the alleyway, but then she saw the child in distress and got separated from her crew and captured. "I don't know anything else," she admitted. It seemed Farquash didn't know their ship was actually a submarine so she didn't mention the reason why it was miraculously gone now.

The Baron let go of her chin and looked at her with narrowed eyes as if trying to decide whether she was telling the truth or not. "Miss, I am very good at reading people. And I believe you're still keeping something from me."

She tried to change the subject. "Well if I may ask something now…Why are you interested in the Heart Pirates anyway?"

Vladimir walked behind her. Miyako tried to keep calm but she stiffened a little at his movement. She hated not knowing what the man was going to do and she couldn't see him now. She didn't know what to expect and that was always dangerous.

"Your captain is quite the famous rookie. His bounty is 300,000 000 Beli, no? If I can get my hands on him I would earn quite the sum. Not to mention I would get on the good side with the marines. And that is always a plus, especially…to my plans."

Miyako turned her head a little and watched the man with the corner of her eye. "You mean, because you can keep bribing them and they can keep turning a blind eye." Her voice was colder now.

To her surprise, the man chuckled. "I see you've heard some stories about me…ah, people talk, I can't stop that."

"So I have…Robber Baron." She smirked, remembering the nickname the townspeople had given him. "Besides, my captain won't be that easy to capture. You should give up on that." She couldn't believe she was standing up for Law, but she knew it was the truth. Trafalgar Law wasn't just any ordinary rookie that you could beat easily. She knew that much.

Even though Miyako couldn't see it, the man's smile disappeared. She stiffened more when she felt hands removing some hair from her neck and then sharp fingernails moving across her neck, making thin red lines on her pale skin. "Are you purposely trying to make me mad, girl?" His voice was soft and calm, yet cold and deadly. And his hot breath tickled her ear as he spoke into it. Miyako flinched as she realized the man was too close for her liking. She felt him pull slightly at her red ribbon, untying her hair and letting it fall down freely. Before she could respond, a hard yank pulled her head backwards as the Baron gripped her hair tightly and pulled it back. She yelped in both pain and surprise before her eyes met his again. She could see his face, distorted in anger once again. "Because I really wouldn't recommend it!" He added to his previous statement.

The samurai gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the pain in her scalp. "I told you everything. What else do you want from me," she growled in anger.

The Baron yanked her hair harder. "You're lying, girl! Where is your crew and your captain?" He yelled.

"I don't know," she said slowly, emphasizing each word and glaring at him.

The man narrowed his eyes, but let go of her. "As you wish…I tried to do it the nice way, but if you insist, then we'll just do it the _hard_ way." He walked in front of her again and gave her a sadistic smile that promised nothing good. He nodded towards the guards and two of the soldiers came up to them, grabbing Miyako's arms.

"Take her to the torture chamber." The Baron ordered, his blue eyes glowing with excitement and that sadistic smile still plastered on his face. "Then let's see if she'll talk."

* * *

><p><strong>Well that would be it. I'm gonna start writing the next chapter imidiately (since I have some time at the moment) and hopefully I'll finish it soon. I may be even able to post it tomorrow. :) <strong>

**Hope you guys like it. This arc will probably be a bit shorter than my previous ones, but all in all, we'll see. The truth is I just write without any special preparation so who knows where this is gonna go and end up. XD **

**Reviwes, comments and oppinions are always welcome and I hope you liked it. **

**See you in the next chapter!**


	27. Chapter 27

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Finally, a new chapter! Sorry for the wait but it's finally here! Yay! ^^ And I have a feeling some of you will kill me after reading this…XD **

Anyways**, fearlessX1025; **yep, Farquash's name just popped into my mind out of nowhere and I thought; well what the heck, why not! :P

The same thing happened with Zuko's name…As I tried to think of a name that one kept popping out so I finally gave in. XP

Also** Izzie; **I think your right, that was the first time Law connected Miyako to the word nakama :) But she is a part of his crew after all and they all did get a lot closer during the trip.

Also, Miyako's hair is a very dark color with a blue hue…So it's dark blue I guess. ^^

Oh and I'll think about your suggestion about the whole guy/girl pursuers of our characters. It's not a bad idea, but it'll have to wait a bit longer though. But for now there is that whole Miyako/Cody mix up that they still have to settle. (I think I made it look different but Law still thinks Miyako likes Cody cause he didn't actually hear what Josh and Miyako were talking about. So I have to work on that too.)

Well then let's finally start!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a story rated T for language and blood.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 27<strong>

Law analyzed the map of the Baron's castle one more time. He made sure he remembered every path and corridor, especially the one leading to the dungeons where Miyako was probably imprisoned. Zuko was right about one thing; his sources were quick and thorough and it didn't take long before they found out there was indeed a pirate captured recently and taken to Farquashe's castle. And who else could it be than the troublemaker samurai.

It was one day before they were supposed to storm the castle. Just one more day and then he'll find Miyako, and oh, will he make her regret going off on her own. Right now he didn't know if he was more angry or worried, but he decided he'd rather be angry….for his reputation's sake.

Yet he had a bad feeling about this. He couldn't explain it well, but it was as if something bad was going to happen and he had to hurry…yet it was impossible. He made a deal with Zuko and he had to wait one more day for everything to be ready. Then right as if on cue, Zuko stormed into the tent panting slightly. Law lifted his head and gazed at the young leader with a questioning eyebrow.

"There has been a leak and my sources tell me Farquash somehow found out we were going to attack soon!" Zuko said, still trying to catch his breath.

"So you have a mole in your army," Law simply concluded in a calm voice.

Zuko's lips formed a thin line of displeasure. He certainly didn't like the idea of having a spy among his men, though that seemed most likely at the moment. "Perhaps…but this changes everything. We can't wait for another day or Farquash will prepare for us and we'll face utter defeat. We have to move immediately and strike now while we still have a chance of surprise."

Law nodded, agreeing with the man. He was right and Law couldn't be more pleased by this change of events. Yes, perhaps the Baron's castle will be more guarded now, but Law won't let that stand in his way. Nothing will, not when the life of one of his crewmembers was on the line. A quick flash of Miyako's face crossed his mind, but he decided to ignore it. He didn't have to remind himself of why it was important to succeed…he already knew. And he was glad he will be able to get this over with now and save his nakama. Besides, that bad feeling in his gut was really starting to irritate him and he didn't want one more day of that annoyance.

Law took his nodachi that rested on the back of a chair and smirked at Zuko. "Then let's go."

The rebellion leader seemed a bit surprised at Law's pleased face, but didn't comment on it as he turned to leave the tent and get everything ready. "We leave in two hours," he announced.

"You think Miyako will be alright?" Bepo asked a bit uncertain as Law walked out of the tent.

"Of course she will…she has to. Or I'll kick her ass personally." Josh added, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Hehe…so you care after all, hm? You big softy, you!" Penguin exclaimed with a grin and grabbed Josh's head under his arm, making the medic's hat fall off, as he rubbed the top of the redhead's scalp with his knuckles. Josh protested and tried to break free, yelling insults at the mechanic who just laughed along with Shachi.

Law smirked himself. *_Well they don't seem too bothered.*_ He knew that wasn't entirely true though. They were worried as well, but just like him, knew there was nothing to be done about it…yet. Still, he was sure they'll show their determination when need be. He knew his men always pulled through in a fight and they would never let their nakama down. And Law knew the boys started trusting Miyako as both their crewmate and friend. Personally, he also trusted her more each day…but he still wanted to keep a close eye on her just in case. It was better to be careful than sorry later, after all. And he still remembered that they didn't really meet under best circumstances and her joining the crew wasn't all that _willing_. Though at that moment Law started wondering if that was the only reason why he wanted to keep a close eye on her…or was there something else. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he chased it out again. He was _not_ going there. There was just some parts of his mind that needed to stay shut and he made sure that they did. Yet just sometimes, in mare seconds, those thoughts would escape the dark corners of his mind and run through his head, making him regret them immediately.

He turned to his crew again, seeing Bepo was now holding Josh in the air and trying to calm him down as the raging redhead tried charging at Shachi and Penguin who just continued laughing at him. And it seemed Josh was trying to take a bite out of Penguin's head now, his hands still restrained by Bepo.

~….~

Miyako opened her eyes slowly, taking deep breaths as she panted deeply. She tried to gather some of her strength, but her body kept failing her. In the last half an hour she was held underwater until she felt her lungs were going to burst. She would be yanked back out of the water by her hair, taking a much needed breath just to be pushed downwards again. After that came the strange mechanism that would stretch her limbs until she thought something would get dislocated or worse. Other than that, there was the beating from the guards she got. But Miyako was able to endure all of it with gritted teeth and strong determination to protect her crew. However her body was so tired and sore she could hardly move. The only thing that kept her up were the chains that held her arms in the air, making her hang rather than actually stand in the cold dark cell. Her shirt had been tossed somewhere in the corner so the guards would have more bare skin to work on, but luckily they left the bra on, leaving her with some dignity as well.

She was able to get out of her tired daze for a bit when she heard heavy footsteps of about three people coming closer to her cell. She gritted her teeth hoping it wasn't another round of torture. She barely handled the first one, but she had no intention of telling the Baron anything. She promised that to herself. It was a matter of pride and principle and she would never betray her friends no matter what. She still had her doubts and dilemmas about the Heart pirates, but they had been through too much together for her to just betray them.

The old cell door squeaked loudly and she saw lord Farquash and two of his guards come in the cell. He had his arms behind his back, holding something though she couldn't see what.

"My men say you haven't said anything yet… You did well to stay silent through all this, but I can see you are at your limit. Give up now, tell me what I want to know and I'll leave you at peace. Hell, I may even let you go afterwards, it's your captain I want. I feel very generous." Vladimir said with a sadistic grin that reminded her of a certain pirate captain. "Where is your captain?" Farquash said in a more serious tone.

"I….Don't. Know." Miyako was able to pant out, barely hearable.

Farquash's face remind calm and unchanged. But Miyako knew it was only a calm before the storm and a chill ran down her spine. He walked closer to her and revealed what he had in his hand; a carefully folded whip just waiting to be used on someone. He lifted her fallen head with its hilt, making her look at him with her half-lidded golden eyes. "Then where is your ship and your crew? Where did you anchor?"

"In the docks….if…they're not there…then they already…left…" She managed to breathe it out in a soft whisper.

The Baron's eyes narrowed. That whip was still threateningly close to her face. "I got an interesting piece of information from my spies today…" He walked around her hanging body just like before. "Did you know there was a rebellion forming against me…? It has been for a couple of years now. And it seems they are about to attack soon."

"And that concerns me how?" Miyako asked, gaining some of her breath back finally. However it was soon forced out of her when she received a hard slap with the back of his hand across the face. A small trickle of blood trailed down from the corner of her mouth.

"Don't interrupt me or be arrogant with me, girl! You should know your place!"

Miyako glared daggers at him yet didn't comment on his outburst. Instead she kept silent so he could continue with his ramblings. At least that was better than being tortured again. But she kept a close eye on the whip in his hand. Somehow she felt the inevitability of it.

"And my sources tell me a strong pirate decided to join the rebellion. Somehow I have a feeling who it might be," Farquash continued with a grin on his face. "So where is he, hm? Where is the rebellion army hiding along with your captain?"

"That doesn't sound like something my captain would do. Why would he help a rebellion he has nothing to do with?" Miyako countered.

The Baron sighed and tapped a finger on his bearded chin. "Now that's a good question…To save a certain crewmember perhaps?" He grinned and held her chin with his hand, lifting her head again.

Miyako smirked. "Perhaps. How nice of him." Her voice sounded mocking. Something she knew the Baron wouldn't like, but the hell with it, she was being too nice to him as it is.

He smirked back and gripped her chin more tightly. "Where are your captain and your crew? And where is your ship? I'm sure you know something…I can _tell_ you know something and you're not saying it. Whatever it is, I _will_ get it out of you."

Miyako smirked again, but pursed her lips shut in a tight line, indicating she had no intention to talk. A part of her screamed at how foolish she was being since she knew exactly what was to come next, but she held her ground and kept silent.

The Baron sighed and walked behind her. Miyako's body stiffened in expectancy of something bad to come. She felt rough hands on her neck as Farquash trailed his sharp finger along her neckline and all the way down her back, digging into pale flesh. She squirmed uncomfortably, trying to get away from his hands as best as she could, but that was impossible since she was still shackled. This guy was touching her waaay too much.

"Is that really necessary?" She asked firmly when his hand still trailed down her body, resting on her hips now. Miyako tried to look behind her at the man, but she could only see a glimpse of his right side. Nothing that would indicate what the guy was thinking. Still, one thing was for sure; he was creeping her out.

"Such beautiful skin…to bad it has to be ruined." He muttered, completely ignoring the squirming girl.

Miyako felt his hands leaving her and sighed in relief. Her relief didn't last long however since only a few seconds later she felt sharp pain on her back. It was stinging and hurting at the same time and she felt as if her flesh was burning there. Miyako's eyes opened wide in surprise and she took a sharp intake of breath both in surprise and pain.

"Tell me what you know!" Vladimir yelled.

Miyako gritted her teeth and then bit her lip to try and endure the pain. A small trickle of blood flowed from her bruised lip and Miyako tried to focus on that pain instead of the burning one on her back. But that was impossible. "Bite me!" She growled at Farquash.

The Baron actually laughed at the statement. It was a loud throaty laugh that sent chills down her spine. It sounded sadistic and promising of the things she definitively didn't want. "All in due time, dear."

Another whiplash cut through the air and collided with her skin, making Miyako groan and bite her lip harder. She shut her eyes tightly in pain. The baron stopped asking questions and everything went silent except for the sounds of whiplashes cutting into the girl's flesh and Miyako's small yelps and sounds of pain that she tried to stifle as best as she could. She didn't want to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing her scream in pain. But as much as she tried, the pain got worse and worse with each hit until it was unbearable. A particular lash hit her in the place where she already had one from before and Miyako yelped loud and clear in pain and shock. The sound came out of her unwillingly, but it was too late to do anything about it, and she just knew Farquash was grinning behind her. He started aiming his hits over the existing wounds, which wasn't that hard since her whole back was a bloody mess with burning broken skin. The girl tried as best as she could to grit her teeth, but every so often, a scream would escape her lips.

She didn't know for how long the Baron kept whipping her, but at the end Miyako's throat was dry and sore and she didn't even have the voice to scream anymore. All that came out of her were little whimpers when the whip hit her. She wasn't standing on the ground anymore, but hanging, only the shackles holding her so she wouldn't fall on the floor completely as the steel cut into her wrists painfully. But she didn't even feel it, since all she could feel was the pain in her back. A strong smell of her blood was in the air and she could feel her back was completely wet and sticky from the red liquid and sweat. Her body was completely limp and her head was bowed down since she didn't even have the strength to keep it up. Her long hair fell forward, hiding her face and she was grateful for it since she could feel treacherous tears of pain stinging her eyes and threatening to fall no matter how much she tried to keep them in her half-lidded, tired eyes.

Miyako had been cut, broken-boned, kicked, punched and a lot more….But she had never felt a pain as intense as this one. Not even her torture before could compare with this, even though her body was all black and blue, bruised and cut up from the previous torture she endured.

She could hear footsteps and soon saw familiar black boots in front of her. That's the only thing she could see as her head still kept falling down. She panted with shallow breaths, trying to regain her breath and get rid of the pain. A hand touched her cheek and lifted her head. Miyako saw Vladimir Farquash in front of her, with his serious blue eyes piercing into hers.

"Well now…will you tell me what you know?" He asked softly as if showing her some sympathy. Yet Miyako knew even through her daze that it was just a farce. A stupid trick so that she would soften up from his sudden kindness and tell him what he wanted.

Well she knew better than that. She promised to herself that she wouldn't tell this man anything. And this wasn't just the matter of her crew anymore…it was a matter of principle as well. "I…will _not_…tell you anything…," Miyako breathed out.

Farquash sighed as if bored with the whole situation. The samurai hoped he would just leave, but she wasn't that naïve. He tilted his head and lifted the folded whip in front of her eyes. She could both see and smell her blood on it. "You are a stubborn girl…_too_ stubborn for my taste. Then how about we continue? But perhaps this time we should play with your face a little, hm? Or maybe cut off your fingers? You are a swordsman after all so that would be worse than death to you, wouldn't it?" He smiled a little, showing his pearly white teeth.

Her eyes widened in true terror. *_No! Not that! Anything but that!*_ Her mind was racing now and she couldn't stop the fright that kept bubbling inside her. Farquash was right, cutting off her fingers and disabling her to use a sword ever again was worse than death to a samurai. She would rather he blinded her, she could even survive that and get used to it…but not her hands. She knew her terrified look would be a hint that he was on the right track and she was doomed, but she couldn't calm herself after hearing his threat. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, her golden eyes still wide.

But just at that moment, rushed footsteps echoed thought the dungeon and a soldier appeared, trying to regain his breath. Before Farquash could even ask what was wrong, the soldier blurted out suddenly; "We're under attack! It's the rebel army!"

Robber Baron gritted his teeth in annoyance and narrowed his eyes as he turned back to the half-unconscious girl. "I am not done with you yet…just you wait. Even when I catch your captain, I won't release you. You blew your chance." Then his frown turned into a sadistic smile. "Maybe I'll keep you as my personal slave."

Just the thought of it made Miyako sick and she was glad when he turned and finally left, closing and locking the cell doors, leaving her to hang there. Not like she could escape anyway, not in this state. She could hardly move. She let her body slump down as best as it could, though her arms stretched painfully by the action.

~…..~

A man was standing on the old table of the wooden tavern, a big number of people around him, all trying to hear and participate in the conversation…or should it be called a speech?

"I'm sick of this way of life! We don't have anything! The marines won't help us, so if we want to do something, we need to do it ourselves! As we speak, Zuko and his army are fighting for _us_ and _our_ freedom! What kind of people would we be if we don't help them!" The man yelled so everyone could hear and agreeing sounds of other men came from all around him.

"But the Baron has his army! How can we beat that? And with what? Torches and a few guns?" Another man countered, obviously not liking the idea of joining the rebellion and attacking Farquash's castle. He didn't want to die yet.

"And we have our army! The rebel army that is fighting for us! For you too, Tommy! It's time to act NOW!" The man on the table pointed at the suspicious man who still didn't sound pleased with the idea. However, the man got more encouraging noises from the crowd.

"It's time we show that Robber Baron we ain't as weak as he thinks!" An old lady said. Her resolve was stronger than the burden of age she carried.

"Yeah! We can fight too!" A young boy yelled, but his mother quickly shushed him with a slap on the back of his head.

The tall man raised a glass with his ale in the air and yelled, "Grab anything you can find! Anything that can be a weapon! And let's show that Robber Baron what Point Blank is really made of!"

The big crowd cheered though there were still those who didn't like the idea. However, the townsfolk started gathering their pitchforks and picks, and guns and knives…anything they could find. And the crowd soon started walking up the big hill, where Robber Baron's castle stood ominous and dark, with their weapons high in the air.

"What do we want!" The tall man who had stood on the table in the tavern yelled, asking the crowd while he led the people upwards.

"FREEDOM!" The people responded with equal strength in their voices.

"When do we want it?" the tall man asked.

"NOW!" The group answered again.

~….~

Law walked down the hall, resting his sheathed nodachi on his shoulder. Behind him was a trail of deformed, bloodied, unconscious or dead bodies. Groans and yells of pain echoed through the corridors as his crew and the rebel army fought against the baron's soldiers. Law had more important things to handle right now, and that was to find the doors that led to the dungeon and rescue his crewmember. _*It should be here somewhere. Just around this corridor.*_ Law's pace quickened just a bit as he got closer to his goal. He saw Jean Bart lifting a soldier in the air and throwing him into four others with ease. Law requested the big man for this mission and met up with him before leaving for the castle. He knew he would need the former captain's strength and as usual he was right.

However he had to stop when more soldiers came in front of him. Law didn't seem surprised nor worried. But he didn't have time to deal with this small fry either. He didn't even have to say anything; his first mate was already in front of him and attacked the soldiers with a battle cry. Bepo kicked and punched at the soldiers, knocking them all down before they even had time to fire a shot.

Law's instincts tingled instantly as he felt something approach. He created his Room immediately and it was right in time as something crashed through the wall, aiming right at Bepo. It was a large and heavy steel ball the size of Bepo's head and had metal spikes on its surface. Surely a hit from that could crush a normal human body in an instant. The ball was linked to the chain, but the debris from the destroyed wall made it impossible to see what was on the other end of the chain. Bepo's eyes widened as the bear saw the strange weapon right in front of him, but in a second he was switched with an unconscious soldier who got blown away and crushed under the heavy impact.

Bepo, who was now standing near Law, sighed in relief as little beads of sweat appeared on his white fur. He was saved by Law's devil fruit power. And Law was just glad he managed to improve his Kenbunshoku Haki enough to be able to feel such a presence approaching. After all, it wasn't as if he did nothing on this journey. The whole point of not going to the New World yet was for him and his crew to get stronger here.

A loud crunch was heard and he saw a man as big as Jean Bart and just as muscular step through the hole in the wall in front of them. Law's eyes pierced at the big man in front of him, though his look remind calm but serious. This new guy didn't look like the rest of these weaklings lying on the floor. He was stronger, Law could sense it. Bepo took a defensive kung-fu pose as he prepared himself for battle. Law also prepared himself, unsheathing his nodachi. But just at that moment, Jean Bart ran to them and stepped in front of the two pirates.

"Wait captain!" The former captain Jean Bart called. "Let me take care of him. Miyako could be in danger…" The navigator of the Heart pirates didn't say anything else. It was all clear after all; Law shouldn't be wasting time here, he had a crewmember to save. The captain was a bit surprised at Jean Bart's words. He knew the usually silent man only talked a few times with Miss Miyako and they never really seemed that close. So Law didn't expect Jean to care about the girl's life so much. But it seems the samurai girl got under everyone's skin. Even under the captain's, though he would never admit such weakness and the whole subject seemed too sentimental for his taste.

"Hey, Jean Bart, I can take care of him! Don't step in front of me!" Bepo complained, but stopped when he saw Law nod at the navigator.

"Bepo, you come with me." Law turned to his first mate and Bepo complied immediately without any complains. The bear didn't even seem bothered that he had to give up a fight he wanted to be in; not when there was something his captain asked of him. Law couldn't help but smirk at his always protective and loyal first mate. Law knew the bear would give his life away to save his without a second thought, and that smirk only widened from the thought. One could dare say it was as closest to a smile that you would see from the Surgeon of Death, and it was a privilege only Bepo would get. Law's trust in his first mate was as strong as Bepo's loyalty to him.

~…..~

Jean Bart watched as his captain and the strange bear left, keeping a close eye on the big man near them. To Bart's surprise the man let them pass peacefully and they disappeared around the corner. Everything went silent between the two men staring at each other while the battle noises raged around them.

The big man smirked and lifted the ball with one hand, while holding the chain with the other. He was careful to lift it only with the tips of his fingers so he would avoid the sharp spikes.

"Well you look strong. This should be fun. I didn't have a challenge in a long time, but don't expect to defeat me…I am Zashi, one of the Defenders of this castle and I am undefeated."

Jean Bart cracked his knuckles and got ready. "Say that _after_ you win." Jean Bart was never one to brag. He let his strength do the talking for him and that's why he himself never had to say much. However, he did get interested when Zashi said something about Defenders. *_I'll have to ask him later if he'll still be alive,* _Jean concluded. It was too late now, Zashi already started preparing for the attack.

Zashi's smirk turned into a smug grin. "I like your attitude, but that won't be enough to defeat me!" And with that he started swinging the strong chain, sending the ball in circles above his head, getting more speed and force from the movement. Suddenly, he stretched his arm forward, sending the ball on the chain flying towards Bart. The navigator dodged, surprisingly fast for such a large man, and the ball broke a hole in the wall behind him. If it hit, that would probably be his head. Zashi didn't stop his attack as he pulled at the chain and flicked his wrist, sending the ball at Bart again from behind. The navigator noticed and moved again, once again avoiding a strong blow. But he couldn't keep dodging forever. _*I'll have to switch into the offensive soon…but he's not giving me many openings to do so.*_

Jean Bart prepared himself as Zashi swung the steel ball again and sent it flying right at the navigator. With a loud war cry, Jean Bart put all his power and determination in his fist that went right towards the ball coming at him. The two powers collided and Jean Bart felt the pain of the spikes piercing his closed fist, but ignored it as he punched the iron ball and didn't falter. After a battle of forces, the steel ball broke in half and fell on the ground with a loud thud.

Zashi watched in surprise and disbelief as his weapon ended smashed on the ground. Bart panted slightly as crimson blood fell from his wounded knuckles and onto the floor. "Now, forget about your toys and fight like a real man!" The navigator of the Heart Pirates growled. Zashi smirked and nodded. The two rushed at each other as their large bodies collided; each gripped the other's hands as they started wrestling to see whose strength will prevail. Both of them seemed to be matched.

The Defender grinned and pulled his head back, delivering a strong blow with his head against Bart's. Bart had to admit; for just a second everything was a blur as a loud cracking noise echoed as bone hit bone. Zashi took the advantage of the situation and threw Jean Bart back into the wall.

"Well I'm impressed your skull didn't split open just now. I'll acknowledge your strength," Zashi commented while showing a big grin on his heavily scarred face. "But every part of my body is as hard as steel and can be used as a weapon. You can't beat me, not even with your strength!"

"You are quite strong, I can tell that much…but I will not falter," the navigator answered. He stood up straight and rushed at the scarred man again. Bart threw a punch first, but Zashi caught it with a grin. However Bart's other hand flew from downwards and an uppercut hit the other man right in the jaw, surprising him as his head flew backwards.

Zashi stumbled slightly, but Bart didn't want to give him time to regain his composure as he rushed at the castle Defender again. Zashi was able to dodge and move to the side, before throwing a punch at Bart, but on his surprise the navigator dodged and then caught that fist with a fierce and determined look in his eyes. Before he could respond, Jean Bart punched the other man square in the head with as much force as he could. He put all in that one punch even though it was the same fist he had injured before. Yet it was worth it. At first no one moved and Zashi just stood there with his eyes wide open, Bart's blood flowing down Zashi's face from the open wound. But then the man's eyes fluttered closed and the large Defender fell down with a loud crash.

Jean Bart looked at the unconscious man before stumbling slightly and leaning against the wall. That headbutt was stronger than he had thought and now that the adrenaline was slowly leaving his body, the pirate found himself with a growing headache and a hazy vision. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to relax, before sighing. _*Oh….I forgot to ask him about those Defenders.* _

~….~

Josh jumped in the air and landed next to Penguin and Shachi who seemed a bit out of breath just like their redheaded friend.

"How about you stop dodging and starting fighting, little worms!" A loud voice of a woman called out as she stood before them. She was dressed in tight leather; blood red clothing with a reveling cleavage. The clothes showed off her perfect curves and much more. Long curly blond hair fell down and framed her pretty pale face with bright red lipstick and black mascara that accented her large green eyes. All in all, a real beauty…now if only she didn't have a large 5-meter long dangerous whip in her hand with electricity coursing through it. Every time she would bring it down, the ground would split open a little in that spot and the pirates had to sigh in relief that it wasn't their bodies instead.

"Dammit! We can't even get close to this chick!" Josh yelled, irritated at the lack of options he had in this fight. Every time they tried to attack her, she would just swing her weapon at them and they had no option, but to dodge and move the way she wanted them to.

"Yeah…." Penguin muttered though he didn't seem like he really heard the medic. Right now he and Shachi were too busy drooling over the dangerous beauty and their thoughts were quite limited.

Josh glared at the two mechanics. "Snap out of it, you two! Don't get enticed by the enemy, idiots! We gotta think of something!"

"Aha…enticed…do something...right" Shachi answered absentmindedly as he gazed at the woman with a slight blush on his face.

Josh sighed and shook his head. *_Those idiots are hopeless…they're gonna get themselves killed.*_ He glanced back at the woman and eyed her whip as high-voltage electricity ran through the weapon. He didn't understand how that was possible, but he had no time to think about it either. *_And what was that about some castle Defender and that she was one of them…? What's a castle defender anyway?*_ Josh thought, annoyed by the whole situation and especially the two drooling mechanics by his side.

He didn't have much time to think about it as the woman swung her whip though the air again, making a loud noise as the weapon cut through the air and she brought it down near Shachi and Penguin who barely had time to move. The two mechanics jumped to the side as the ground split open with a loud slashing noise, where they once stood. Josh took that time and charged at the woman, jumping in the air and taking out scalpels that he would sometimes use as weapons. He threw the scalpels at the woman, but she flicked the whip sending it in the air and with one movement stopped the flying weapons, making them fall to the ground with a metal sound. Josh, who was still in the air, took out some poisonous senbon in each hand and threw it at her. However she flicked her wrist again and sent a part of the whip back in front of her face to block all the senbon. Her whip was like a snake; with just a flick of her hand she could make it bend, pull back, attack…anything she wanted.

Josh cursed under his breath as he landed on the ground again and quickly jumped aside to avoid another blow. Meanwhile, he glanced at his two useless fighting partners and gritted his teeth. "Hey, snap out of it! We are here to save Miyako aren't we? You really want to let her die just because of this big-breasted broad!"

Surprisingly his words had an effect on the two mechanics and they flinched, stiffened and then turned to look at each other before nodding with determined looks that were hidden under their hats.

"He's right! We're here to save Miya-chan, we can't let he down!" Penguin exclaimed and stood in an attacking pose.

"Yeah, let's get this babe!" Shachi answered and prepare for a fight as well.

The blonde woman, one of the Defenders of the Baron's castle, smirked and licked her blood red lips. "I'm glad you finally decided to get serious boys. Now the _real_ fun can start."

~…..~

Law walked with Bepo right behind him, down the dark corridor of the castle's underground, holding his nodachi loosely. The other hand was carelessly in his pocket, as he looked seemingly uninterested and bored with the whole situation. But then again, a calm but serious facade was normal for the Surgeon of Death. The situations where he showed his shock or worry were unbelievably rare.

"Captain." Bepo called and stopped suddenly, making Law stop as well and look at his first mate questioningly. The bear was sniffing the air, facing behind them and his ears twitched ever so often as if listening to something. "Someone's coming." He finally said, though by now Law could have guessed it as well.

And it didn't take long before a tall man stood behind them. Law turned around completely and observed the newcomer. He was at least 2 meters tall and slender with long limbs. He had a simple suit as if he was the butler, but his face was hidden by a simple white mask with hollow eyes. One part of the mask smiled while the other had a sad expression.

"Hello." The tall man bowed a little. "I finally caught up with you. My name is Abaddon and I am one of the four Defenders of this castle." The man's voice sounded a bit muffled underneath the mask, but was calm and quiet, almost submissive as if the man was truly a servant. Yet there was something chilling in that tone…something Law didn't like. "Unfortunately I cannot let you proceed any further." The slender man took a step forward and as he moved, it seemed as if his limbs got even longer as they moved kind of unnaturally in Law's opinion.

Bepo stepped in front of his captain protectively. "Captain, you move on! I will deal with this guy."

Law thought about his first mate's suggestion. He knew Bepo was strong, but he had a bad feeling about this man. Something just didn't feel right about him and Law didn't want to risk Bepo's life leaving him alone with this opponent. However just as he was about to say 'No' to his subordinate, Bepo turned with a resolute look in his small black eyes. "Captain, go save Miya-chan." The next instant, the bear realized he had just given his captain an order, two actually, and he gasped with a panicked expression. "S-Sorry!" He bowed his head quickly with a depressed look.

Law smirked at the polar bear's reaction and nodded. "Alright Bepo. But be careful, there's something wrong with this guy," he warned before turning around and going deeper down, towards the dungeon.

~…~

It didn't take long before Law found the cells of the dungeon and walked down the main hall, carefully looking at each cell and searching for his lost samurai. Absentmindedly he reprimanded himself for thinking of Miyako as _his_ samurai and wondered when he started to address her like that, but soon pushed the thought away as he had more important matters on his mind now. He looked into one cell and saw an old man shackled and sitting on the cold cell floor. He was a bit surprised when the man lifted his wrinkled head since he assumed it was only a corpse, but of course Law didn't let his surprise show.

The old man looked at Law with his hollow eyes and grinned, showing yellow decayed teeth with a few of them missing. "hihihihi, why what do we have here? A visitor! This place is full of visitors lately! Hihihi" The man had a high pitched voice that annoyed the pirate, but there was something that caught his attention.

"What do you mean by that?" The doctor asked calmly.

"Oh why just a while ago, that little girl came in. Hihihi Too bad she didn't stay long." The old man, who introduced himself as Hirane to Miyako earlier, answered.

"Where is she?" Law's voice was still calm, but a hint of deadly seriousness in his tone showed that he didn't want to waste anymore time.

The old man grinned. "Well why don't you free me and I'll show you. I'm Hirane, by the way."

Law's eyes narrowed. He didn't like to bargain and he was sure he could find Miyako on his own. She was here somewhere for sure, so he didn't really need this man's help. However he didn't want to waste more time looking into each cell and this geezer leading the way could be quicker after all. If he could even walk, that is. The old man certainly wasn't looking like he was in his prime and that was an understatement. Still, Law walked to the old man and lifted one hand, creating his Room. Hirane watched at the blue sphere in interest and some awe as well, so he barely noticed when Law used his nodachi and removed the shackles easily.

"Free! Finally! It's been a long time…too bad I probably have nowhere to go. HIhihihi!" Hirane laughed in his high-pitched tone, but Law gave him a warning look, silently telling the old man to hurry. And so the old man did, showing Trafalgar the way. The pirate was just glad Hirane could still walk on his own.

Law saw a guard sleeping in front of a cell door on a small wooden stool, but he quickly awoke when he felt the cold steel of Law's nodachi poking his face. Before the guard could ask anything Law ordered, "Open the doors." The guard gulped and did what he was told as he picked one of many keys on his belt. He didn't have time to even turn around as he got hit with the hilt in the head and was knocked out cold.

The captain opened the doors completely, sheathing his nodachi in the process and his eyes widened at the sight. The smell of blood was strong and he soon found out why. He leaned his sword against the wall and came towards the bloodied mess that was his samurai. The woman in front of him seemed barely conscious as she hanged bound by the shackles that were connected to the ceiling with chains. She had numerous cuts and big bruises over her body and exposed skin. Law saw her white shirt discarded in the filthy corner of the cell. He examined her body and his eyes narrowed when he saw the still fresh lash marks obviously from a whip. He could feel fury rising inside of him. A fury at seeing what they did to one of _his_ nakama, to one of _his_ crewmembers...to _his_ samurai! He took a mental note to find this Baron and make him experience pain that would make him beg to be killed.

Law walked towards the girl and looked at her bruised face. He was already examining her wounds and planning which treatments he'll have to use when they get back. With his fruit powers he opened the shackles and caught Miyako as she started falling forward. The girl had no strength to even stand on her own. But even though Law was furious at the sight, he felt somewhat relieved by the fact the girl was finally by his side and safe. He gently held her up by her hips thinking of the best way to get her out of here without much trouble.

"Hirane!" He called the old guy who was still standing near him and examining the girl with a worried stare. "Take those." Law ordered and pointed at Miyako's shirt and his nodachi with his head. He didn't feel great about giving his sword in the hands of this crazy old geezer, but he didn't have much choice since his hands were full.

Meanwhile, Miyako was clutching his hoodie both in support and comfort and buried her face in it. And Law found it didn't bother him at all. Somehow it just felt…right.

~…~

Miyako's hazy mind could barely register what was happening. She knew there were people here…someone was in front of her, but she was too tired to even try and look up. She just wanted to sleep. At this point she didn't even care if it was Farquash who returned to keep his promise to her, or rather a threat.

But she was a bit surprised when her wrists were released from their painful bindings and she found herself wrapped in a strange warmth. It was soft and warm and had a familiar scent. A fresh and salty smell of the ocean. Yet she couldn't remember why it was so familiar. Who was it in front of her? It frustrated her as it was just right there in the back of her mind; So close yet impossible to remember.

She willed her eyes to open a little more so she could focus on her surrounding and noticed something black and yellow in front of her. Once again, so strangely familiar. She furrowed her eyebrows as her mind and concentration started returning to her. With her best effort she tried to around her, but the first thing her eyes fell on was a long nodachi leaning on the wall in front of her. Miyako blinked and opened her dry mouth to speak.

"Law?" It was a barely an audible whisper, but he obviously heard her as he pulled her closer into him.

"Mhm," was all he said in a low voice, before he added, "Mister Josh is right; you really _are_ a troublesome woman."

The girl started to become more aware of her position and surroundings. She could now feel strong but gentle arms wrapped around her, careful not to irritate her wounds, yet still held her firm so she wouldn't fall to the ground. She could feel the warm fabric of Law's hoodie she was clutching so desperately and sense his oceanic smell…Yes, now she remembered. It was Law's scent. Perhaps in any other situation Miyako would move away, embarrassed and red in the face, but her body was limp and without strength. She was too tired and too much in pain to even think about embarrassment. Instead, she felt warm and safe and didn't want to leave the only support for both her body and mind she had right now.

She smiled slightly at her captain's comment and nuzzled into the warm heat of Law's chest. "Sorry," she muttered, muffled by the fabric in her face. It was more of a subconscious movement and she didn't even realize she made it. But Law's body stiffened just slightly with surprise at first, before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her waist, where she luckily didn't have lash marks, more firmly and securely so she wouldn't slide from his grip.

Law was interrupted by a clearing of throat behind him and he turned around to see Hirane still standing there. "So can we leave or….?" The old man said with a questioning look and pointed with his thumb at the exit behind them. Law gave him a warning glare, but knew they better go. They still had to meet up with the rest of the group who were probably fighting baron's men. He didn't worry about them though, he knew they were strong enough to handle themselves. However a flash of worry came over him when he remembered Bepo and his opponent and hoped his first mate was ok.

"Miss Miyako, I'm going to lift you up now. If something hurts, you'll have to endure it." He didn't get a response and Law realized the girl had fallen unconscious. With a sigh he lifted her bridal style and carefully held her, avoiding the lash wounds. "Let's go." He said to Hirane who was still holding their stuff, but didn't seem to mind. Though he appeared to have a problem with carrying Law's heavy nodachi with his fragile skeleton-like hands.

~…~

After some time of walking, Law and Hirane stopped suddenly at the sight and the second time that day, Law's eyes widened. He saw Bepo lying on the floor, badly hurt and the masked man not far away, his limbs appearing even longer than before.

The bear managed to turn his head and look at Law, getting in a sitting position and leaning against the wall. "C-Captain…be careful…He's-"

"So you were still alive. Ah, and I thought I had killed you." Abaddon cut Bepo off, his head turning towards the polar bear though it was hard to say where he was looking due to the mask. His voice sounded bored and uninterested, but also a bit of disappointment was in it when he realized the bear wasn't dead. Then his head moved slowly towards Law and he tilted it a little. "Oh, so you found the girl...so master Farquash was right, you came here for her. Ah, but too bad you won't be going any further." He moved towards Law a little, his limbs seeming to shorten as he walked closer. Or if that could even be called a walk; it looked as if Abaddon was sliding and moving in a fluid motion, and there were no sound of footsteps as he moved.

The captain set Miyako down near Bepo and took his nodachi from Hirane, who hid somewhere immediately. The pirate captain was _not_ in the mood for this. He had enough of this place, this people, and this whole island. He couldn't wait until he was back in his submarine and sailing again. This was all starting to annoy him and he hated how they managed to piss him off. Law didn't get pissed off easily, but he _was_ now.

* * *

><p><em>Senbon <em>is a weapon that looks like a long needle. Often used by ninjas.

_Abaddon _– It means "destruction" in Hebrew and is one of the names for the Devil.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked it and sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Also I hope there won't be any angry readers trying to kill me after I tortured Miyako. XD But it wasn't that bad…right? ^^'<strong>

**Also, there was a Jean Bart part! Yay! I felt like I haven't involved him enough in this whole story so I thought; Why not put a Bart scene! :P**

**Anyways, reviews and comments are always welcome so please tell me what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter. (which I'll try to write and post as soon as I can.)**


	28. Chapter 28

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Finally, my new chapter is out! Actually I wrote it yesterday, but my net wasn't working so I couldn't upload it. -.-' **

**Sorry, for the long wait. I had a lot of school stuff. But I'll have a few days free now, so yay! Hopefully the next chapter will come out soon! :D**

**Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and reviews, you guys always bring a smile to my face when I read them. :)**

**Now for some question/comment-answering! **

**Torch Phoenix: **No, you shouldn't be considered bad XD Actually I really liked the torture scene as well (it was one of my favorites in that chapter) and I see a lot of others liked it as well. So yay! ^^ And I also think that Miyako would succumb if Farquash really tried to cut off her fingers. That's why I stopped there. I don't think it would be believable if she just nonchalantly let him cut off her fingers and still kept quiet.

**Izzie: **haha I think a celebrity is a bit too much. ^^' And I'm the one who feels all giddy when I see all the wonderful reviews you guys leave for me. Also, I don't read Bleach though. (I watch maybe 5 episodes of the whole anime ^^' I dunno why; it looks good but I just never finished watching it.)

**AceIsTheOnly: **Unfortunately I don't live in Japan, but I do own learn Japanese here. But I still have a lot to learn. ^^'

**SeaDevil: **Well her katana doesn't have a name, but you gave me a brilliant idea :D I really should give it a name! So I'll make the katana-naming a part of the story soon. :)

And finally, **Yueres De Leo **I hope you'll find the Baron's end satisfying. ;)

**And without firther ado, let's go!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

This is a LawXOC story, rated T for violence and language.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 28<strong>

All three pirates jumped in the air and attacked the blond woman, who just swung her long whip, deflecting all of their attacks. Another bad thing for Penguin, Josh and Shachi was that they couldn't even be touched with her weapon if they didn't want to be blown away. Perhaps their boots would protect them from electricity if they tried blocking that way, but those wouldn't protect them from the destructive power that whip's blow had. So all the three pirates could do was dodge, attacking now and then, but with no real results since they couldn't even get close. And they were getting tired.

"We have to find another plan," Josh concluded while panting slightly.

"You mean there was a plan until now?" Penguin rose an eyebrow in surprise. "I don't think just running around is a very good plan…," he added, making Josh glare at him, which made the mechanic shut up. This wasn't the time to be arguing anyway.

The woman jumped in the air to block more of Josh's senbon and then landed back on the ground as her high heels made a crushing sound when they broke the stone floor underneath. The woman put one hand on her hip and smirked, piercing them with her green eyes. "Little ants, you won't be able to dodge forever."

"She's right you know…" Shachi said in a serious tone. He was in a defensive pose.

"Guys!" Josh called to get their attention and Penguin and Shachi came to him. "I have a plan." He said in a serious tone and the three pirates started whispering about something.

The woman's eyes narrowed, not liking that she was forgotten. "Like I'd let you talk here and create a plan! Think again!" She yelled and swung her whip, which the pirates dodged and Josh threw more scalpels at her. At the same time Penguin and Shachi rushed at her from both sides. The woman made quick round movements, sending the whip all around her as a protective shield, deflecting the scalpels and both pirates. Luckily, the pirates realized; Even though the whole whip had electricity in it, only the tip had that destructive power to split the ground while the other parts of her whip had more of a defensive nature. Because of that, Penguin could step on the part of the whip and use it as a springing point to jump in the air and above the woman.

The woman flicked her wrist to move the whip towards Penguin, but then realized she couldn't move it. Her eyes widened as she pulled at the whip, yet it was no use and she looked behind her to see the cause of her problem. While the blonde was distracted with the two mechanics, Josh used his weapons to nail the whip down to the ground. And Shachi's boot was holding it down as well. The woman growled and yanked at the whip with all her might which was enough to free it somewhat, but it was already too late. As she turned, she had just enough time to see Penguin's heavy boot collide with her face. The woman crashed into the ground, Penguin's boot still on her face, before the pirate jumped back in a somersault and landed next to his two friends.

"I-I can't believe I did this to a woman!" Penguin freaked out in a high-pitched voice and grabbed his head.

"Yeah dude…that wasn't cool at all. You didn't have to hit her _that_ hard." Shachi commented, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Shut up! You helped too!" The other mechanic yelled, feeling annoyed at his friend.

"Who cares, she was the enemy! Just be happy we're alive." Josh intervened, stopping the fight between the two mechanics.

They all gazed around the room; it was full of holes and cracks, with some parts of the wall completely destroyed. And of course, the woman lying unconscious in a hole in the ground. All in all, complete and utter chaos, but luckily one that the Heart pirates managed to survive due to their teamwork.

~…...~

Law unsheathed his nodachi and lifted a hand, creating his Room. The masked man in front of his just tilted his head, but didn't say anything. He seemed strange to Law, almost unnatural. The way he moved and reacted seemed unfit for a human.

Abaddon moved closer and stretched out his hands. He started becoming longer and longer as more hands came out of his body until they branched out on both sides. His fingers became longer as well. The extra arms started moving through the room, tangling in everything they could.

Law's eyes narrowed. *_A devil fruit user? But what is his power? He stretches similar to Luffy-ya but in a more flowing motion. This certainly isn't rubber.*_ Law looked at the substance that seemed squishy, but couldn't detect what it was exactly.

Still, whatever Abaddon's power was, it made it possible for him to stretch all around the room, as his suited body and his legs hung in the air. It didn't take long before the tentacle arms started coming towards Law from all directions. The pirate slashed at the appendages and cut off some of them, but only new ones and more of them sprouted out of the cut limbs. They were just about to catch him by his legs when he jumped backwards, yet on Bepo's surprise who was still half-conscious, the Room didn't disappear.

"C-captain? You managed to get your Room to stay even when you lose focus on it" Bepo's voice sounded surprised and thrilled, at least as much as it could since the bear was injured.

Law just smirked at Bepo's exclamation. "I told you before Bepo. We have to get stronger if we want to go to the New World." And Law was training hard on his own to become as strong as he needed to. Every time he fought with his enemies, he tried to keep a focus on his Room while also being able to partly focus on something else as well. And little by little, it worked.

He didn't have time to marvel the results of his training though since the tentacled limbs kept coming towards him from all sides. They moved slow as they slithered toward him like snakes, but the number was enough to keep him busy and Law kept slashing at them with his sword. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him with his Haki and he turned around just in time to see that three of those limbs were heading towards him and fast. What's more, they looked sharp now, like spears made of that same white substance. He slashed at the spear-like objects and then turned around to swing his sword right towards Abaddon, but on his surprise the suited man was gone. The branch-like limbs were still all around Law, like spider webs just waiting to catch their prey, but the main body was nowhere to be found. What made it even worse was that the room had all kinds of pipes, balks and posts that made it easy to hide among. So Law was at a big disadvantage.

Suddenly, those spear-like limbs came at him at every direction and he swung his sword again to cut at them, yet they just kept coming. It was getting hard to avoid them as they were everywhere. That was when the captain noticed a shadow slithering behind some pipes in the ceiling and cut towards it. More of those limbs fell down and what appeared to be a piece of black fabric. Law smirked a little, knowing he got the body. On his surprise, the body slithered on as it looked longer and almost snake-like. Abaddon came before Law again with his long, branched limbs still holding him in the air. The pirate could see he was missing a piece of his suit on the sleeve.

"It's useless…You can't defeat me with your sword. I am a Logia type. I ate the sliver sliver fruit that turned me into this almost fluid-looking form" The tall man said in a perfectly calm and soft voice. It looked as if the battle so far didn't take any toll on him and he obviously didn't mind getting his limbs cut. And why should he when new ones would just sprout out.

Trafalgar rested his nodachi on his shoulder. "We'll see about that. This fight isn't over yet." He smirked and cut more of those tentacles coming at him without even batting an eye. But then he noticed something…the limbs started coming around Bepo, Miyako and Hirane, who tried pushing them away unsuccessfully. Law's eyes widened a little when he realized Abaddon was going for his crewmembers. He swung his nodachi a few times and cut through the tentacles, freeing his two nakama and the old man. "What do you think you're doing? Your fight is with me." Law's smirk was completely gone and replaced by a dark glare. Before Abaddon had time to respond, the man swung at him and cut through the slender body that separated for an instant. But then fiber-like threads started growing from one split half of the body and reattaching the other. The body was whole again in an instant.

The pirate captain cringed his teeth in annoyance. With a corner of his eye he saw tentacles moving around now-unconscious Bepo again as they started dragging him towards Abaddon. Law rushed forward and cut them, just to see Miyako's limp body lifted and moving towards the slender man as well. Meanwhile, Hirane was screaming at the limbs and trashing so that he would wriggle out of the tight grasp. But Law didn't care much about the old man, now when he had his crew to worry about.

A gurgling sound that resembled a laugh came out of Abaddon's throat. "What will you do now when I have your crew, Captain? This seems more fun than to kill you right away…I think I'll kill your crew in front of your eyes first." He slowly started pulling the three people towards him until they were near his body and Law's eyes widened as Abaddon slowly started absorbing his comrades into his peculiar body.

The man's glare got even darker and deadlier. He lifted his hand with two fingers outstretched. "Tact" He simply said and the pipes around started screeching loudly as they started moving from their place and detaching from the ceiling. Some of them flew directly at Abaddon, piercing his tall form but not hitting any of the three people, while other flew at his limbs that were still holding his crew and Hirane, detaching them from the rest of his body. Law watched as the pipes that pierced Abaddon slowly started to get absorbed as well, but luckily Law's plan freed the three people from the strange man. Hirane fell on his behind with a yelp and a thud while Miyako and Bepo fell on the floor still unconscious. Before Abaddon had time to react, Law raised his nodachi, doing a few quick slashes. He cut a hole in the ceiling, raising his hand and manipulating the fallen stones at his enemy. He also cut the posts that held the whole room and the ceiling and the stone poles came clean off. A rumbling sound was heard all around as the area shook. Before everything fell down, Law raised his two fingers again. "Tact" His Room was even bigger now. The three bodies flew through the air and through the hole onto the floor above and Law jumped, following after them. The ground in front of them that wasn't supported by the posts below crumbled and fell crashing down on Abaddon.

Hirane looked down at the hole and blinked, not seeing any trace of the slender man. "You think it managed to kill him?"

"No." Law said with a dark look. "He's a logia after all. But it will slow him down. Let's go."

They moved quickly through the halls and Law stopped slowly when he saw Jean Bart resting, leaning against a wall. When the large navigator spotted them he stood up and walked over, nodding to Law. "Captain."

Law nodded back, only taking a quick glance at a large opponent that lay unconscious on the floor. Jean Bart did good.

He looked back at his navigator and handed Miyako and Bepo over to him. "Mister Bart, take them to the submarine and let the medical staff take care of them. In the meantime, you prepare the submarine for setting off. "

Jean Bart nodded and flung Bepo over one shoulder while cradling Miyako in his other arm. He didn't seem bothered by the weight of two bodies at all.

Law also put Miyako's shirt on her and then took his nodachi from Hirane. Then he turned to the old man. "You should escape as well."

"hihihihi. Don't worry about me…there's just something I need to do first…. I will part my way with you here."

"What about you captain?" Bart asked.

Law's eyes darkened a little as he looked at two of his unconscious nakama. "I still have something to do." His voice sounded cold and serious. Jean Bart knew instantly what Law wanted to do before he leaves. He wanted to make everyone involved with the Baron pay for hurting his nakama. And he had a plan especially for Vladimir Farquash. Soon they will know why Law was known for his cruelty. Jean Bart didn't ask any more questions. He just turned on his heels and left quickly to follow his captain's orders.

~…..~

Zuko panted hard as he walked slowly through the halls, leaning on the wall for support and leaving a trail of blood behind him. He had just finished fighting with one of those Castle Defenders and he barely managed to beat the fellow and survive. But Zuko had a few broken ribs, a serious gash on his side and many cuts and bruises to go with it. He was in no condition to even stand. Yet he was still walking steadily, searching for the owner of this castle and determined to fight Robber Baron and finish him off.

He heard sounds coming towards them and shadows dancing on the wall, soon to come from behind the corner. The rebels leader hid behind a wall and took a peek, his eyes widening when he saw three soldiers and the Baron himself. He was holding bags of money and gold and so were his guards and he kept rushing them and cursing as they walked hurriedly. Zuko put a hand on the hilt of his sabre and was just about to rush at them when he saw the Baron palming the wall. Soon Vladimir found a certain stone and pushed it in, and stone doors opened and closed behind them as the group went in. Zuko's eyes narrowed and he stepped out of his hideout. *_I've got you now, Robber Baron!*_

~…..~

"Hurry up you incompetent fools! I want this room sealed and barricaded so not even a fly can enter inside!" The Baron yelled at his three guards as they kept barricading the only exit except for the hidden doors they went through. The Baron got the most recent reports and he was _not_ happy with the situation. Three of his Defenders were defeated and Abaddon, the strongest one, was missing. His army was fighting the rebels, but then suddenly, the townsfolk barged in and started fighting as well, as both groups started to push the Baron's army back. Farquash knew he didn't have much time to run away seeing the situation was hopeless. So he took all the gold from his room and then proceeded to the treasury to get the rest of his treasures before he sneaked out of the castle somehow. And so here he was, barricaded in the treasury, greedily taking all the money he could carry.

A loud cry of pain made him turn around in surprise and the baron saw two of his men lying on the floor and the third falling. Farquash's wide eyes narrowed as he recognized the most wanted face in Point Blank, the rebel leader Zuko. "You!" Farquash growled through gritted teeth, releasing the money bags and taking out his sword.

Zuko already had his sabre out, bloodied and ready for more. However the young man was in pain and his body barely had any energy left. He was standing only because of his determination and will.

The two men made their swordsmanship stances and in an instant rushed at each other. Zuko swung at the Baron, who blocked the strong blow and went for the side of Zuko's head, but the young man quickly made a step back and avoided the attack. Then he proceeded with a stab at Farquash's head which the baron dodged. This went on but it was obvious the more the fight drew out, the less energy the young rebel had. He was already barely standing and the Baron noticed it. In his new attack, the baron went for Zuko's side, which the young mean blocked, but that left his other side open for a kick. With a grin, Vladimir kicked right at the big wound the other had on that side, making the young man scream in pain and lose his breath. That gave the baron the advantage to disarm the latter and trip him, as the man fell on the floor. Before the rebel could do anything, a sword was pointing a few centimeters from his neck. The Baron's grin widened into a sickly sadistic one as he watched the young man pant and grab his side in pain. The rebel still gave him the best death glare he could muster.

"Well, well, well…what's wrong little Zuko? You don't look so good," the baron taunted with a smirk. "Too bad your little plan didn't work. You will die, and I will escape from here with all the gold and money! Now prepare yourself!"

"I don't think so." A new voice was heard somewhere from behind them and the baron turned around sharply. It didn't take long before he found the owner of the low voice.

Baron's eyes narrowed. "Trafalgar Law."

Law was sitting on a big pile of gold, clutching his nodachi. There was a dark look hidden underneath his hat that promised nothing good.

The Baron smirked. "I seem to be very popular lately." Just at that moment a loud sound was heard as something crashed at the door from the other side. The rebels and the townsfolk had found him and were trying to break in. Vladimir narrowed his eyes again before returning his gaze to Law. His sword was still pointing at the young man on the floor, just daring him to make a wrong move. However as Farquash looked up at the pile of gold, Law was gone. The Baron growled and turned around again to gasp in surprise. Instead of the rebel leader, there was one of his dead men lying on the floor beneath his sword, while Zuko was lying at a safe distance. Also, as the baron turned he met face to face with cold grey eyes that pierced through him. The baron stumbled back, but it was too late.

Law made a grin…a wide sadistic grin as his eyes widened in almost a psychotic-looking sight. "Let's have some fun." He slashed at the Baron and Farquash split in two at the waist, both parts still floating in the air.

The baron looked at his waist and legs with wide eyes as they floated right next to him. He noticed a thin film of blue around the room. "W-what have you done? I command you to turn me back this instant!"

Law's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Command me?" He slashed again and the baron's head came right off.

The man looked nervously at the pirate captain. "Ok, Ok...look. I'll give you money, gold…whatever you want. Look, you can have all of it!"

Law's expression turned bored now. He sliced again and the man's torso split in two diagonally.

Baron growled in anger and narrowed his eyes. He was furious. How could he…how could this pathetic pirate rookie do this to him! Alas, the baron was tricked into believing that he was somewhat safe as he realized the pain of these cutting attacks wasn't that bad. It was more a growing numbing feeling and the baron could take it. He grinned cockishly. "heh…you're nothing after all. You're weak and my army will soon defeat the rebels and find me. And then you will suffer the same fate as that girl did. Yes, you should've seen how she screamed…music for my ears. But I guess you'll soon feel it for yourself. Should I tell you what I did to her?"

Law's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Farquash did to Miyako, he saw it for himself. His face was serious and dark, but not showing any real anger. He wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure of seeing his anger. Instead, Law rose his two fingers lazily. "Tact" With that, the baron's arm twisted in an unnatural way, and the elbow flew upwards. The baron screamed in pain as his arm broke in two as if somebody was breaking a twig. Farquash stared at Law wide-eyed as he panted slightly. "H-hey…wait. I-I.."

But Law had that sadistic gaze back. He looked almost like a child that found an interesting new toy and was preparing to play with it. As if he was just waiting to see everything he could do to the baron. "I can't wait now…I've just started." He rose his fingers again.

The baron's kneecap moved backward, as the knee broke easily. Then the shin came in the other direction and Farquash screamed as it broke the skin. He looked down and saw the bone of his leg sticking out, blood flowing from the open wound.

"Don't worry…I know exactly what to do to keep you alive long enough and prolong your torture to the maximum." Law smirked and kept moving his fingers as bones started crushing and moving in all directions. Every time they broke, they would make a sickly snapping sound that made Vladimir panic more. After that came the organs, which Law first removed and then moved in different places in the man's body. Baron's screams of pain and agony could be heard throughout the castle and the banging on the big doors were louder and louder as they were about to break down under the blows from the other side.

"I wonder how long you will survive with your organs mixed up like that…I'd give you…maybe 10-15 minutes? After all I left your heart as it is, so it should keep you alive a bit longer." Law's smirk widened though the baron was too far gone to even hear him or understand what the pirate was saying.

"P-please…," the baron pleaded in a soft whisper as he tried to catch his breath. "I'll g-give you a-anything…," he stuttered. Hss face was compltely distorted by fear and pain, tears and saliva streaming down his face as he choked on it.

Law's eyes narrowed. "I don't want anything from scum like you."

Soon after that, the baron's screams continued.

Before Law walked out through the secret passage he heard a soft whisper behind him. "T-Thank you." He turned slightly to see Zuko leaning on the wall and holding his side.

"You don't have to thank me, I didn't do it for you. I was just tired of that man getting what he wants." With that, the captain of the Heart Pirates left the room.

~….~

When the rebels and the townsfolk finally broke into the room they found three dead soldiers, a wounded and unconscious Zuko and a weird deformed body on the floor. Its torso was turned on the wrong side; its hands were in the places of where legs should be and vice versa. The body had large number of bones sticking out of its bloodied flesh and it was twisted in numerous places. However the face, which was intact, clearly showed that it was the Baron, Vladimir Farquash. His eyes were wide and there were trickles of blood coming from his eyes, nose and mouth. Still, the body moved a little and the mouth opened letting a whisper come out. "P-Please…H-Help me…"

When the people came out of their shock from staring at the sight, they realized the baron was still alive and asking for help. Someone from the crowd yelled; "The bastard is still alive! Let's make him pay!" "Kill him! Kill the Baron" Another yelled. "Finish his off! Let us be free of him for good!"

A group of people with guns, pitchforks, picks, knives and swords came at him all at once. The baron's eyes widened in fear; "N-No…wait…wait! NOOOO!" Stabbing and slashing sounds could be heard in the room as the group mercilessly attacked the deformed body.

~…...~

Law was walking lazily towards the exit, his nodachi resting on his shoulder.

"Captain!" He heard the familiar voice that belonged to Penguin and turned to see his crew.

Penguin, Shachi and Josh ran together towards him, but Law rose an eyebrow when he noticed one more person with them; Hirane. He had that big grin on his face that showed off his yellow and missing teeth. Then Low noticed the hurried expressions on his crew's faces.

"What is it?" Law asked, knowing there was something wrong.

"W-well…we were looking for you and then we saw this strange room-" Josh started, but Penguin cut him off; "We found a room with all the engines for the machinery in the castle. And then we saw this crazy old guy working on them." He pointed at Hirane. "Anyway…," Shachi continued. "The guy sabotaged all the machines and they're going to blow up _very_ soon!" His voice sounded somewhat panicked.

"Hihihih, well I was the one who designed all those evil machines….so I should know best how to destroy them. And it is time to say goodbye to them…along with this castle." The old man grinned, yet had a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"We found the rebels and the townspeople on the way and warned them. They should be heading towards the exit as well."

As if on cue, a bunch of men and women appeared behind the corner and started running out of the castle. They helped each other and the wounded as they rushed. Suddenly, Hirane's eyes widened in shock and his face got serious. "Z-Zuko…?" He whispered.

One of the rebels was helping the newly-conscious rebel leader as they slowly walked towards the exit. As the young leader heard the voice calling him, he looked up tiredly. At first he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but then his eyes widened. "F-father?"

The Heart pirates exchanged glances in confusion as the young rebel and the old man embraced each other tightly.

Law cleared his throat, cutting off the touching moment. "If you don't get a move on, you'll be blown away along with the castle." His crew looked at him with a sweat-drop; *_Blunt as ever…,*_ as they all thought the same thing.

Not long after they all left the wretched castle behind and went down the hill, a loud explosion was heard and then smaller ones. Soon, the whole castle was set in flames as it crumbled to the ground. The people stood and watched with relieved expressions on their faces, while others even cried. Finally after so many painful, long years; They were finally free.

~…..~

"Thank you for everything." Zuko stood in front of Law and the Heart pirates, supporting his weight on a cane with one hand and holding his father's shoulder with the other. He was bandaged all over and needed rest, but he wanted to see the pirates off. After all, they did so much for this island.

Law made a small frown. He didn't like to be treated like some kind of hero and that was happening a lot lately…a little _too_ much for his taste. "I told you we didn't do it for you…You do not have to thank us."

"Still…if it wasn't for you this probably wouldn't succeeded and I would never find my father." Zuko turned to Hirane with a smile, who smiled back. "After he refused to work for the Baron all those years ago and Farquash took him away, I thought he was dead for sure...I never saw him since. Even though I was a kid then, it was the day I started plotting to rid ourselves of Farquash's rule. And finally we made it!"

Law rose an eyebrow. "So it was all for revenge?" The captain's bluntness made the rebel leader uncomfortable thought they both knew he was right…at least partly.

"At first yes…but then I realized it had to be done so everyone would get their freedom back. He smiled with fire in his eyes. "I hope your nakama will be alright as well."

"Ah yes! Send that missy my regards! Tell her I enjoyed her company. Hihihihi" Hirane laughed as he remembered the girl in the cell.

Law smirked. "You don't have to worry. My nakama are strong. They don't die so easily."

The Heart pirates who were still around looked at each other and grinned at Law's words. They were leaning on the railing of the submarine that was now docked on the surface, waiting to sail on. After a while, Sam went out of the vessel. "Captain! We're all ready to go!" Law nodded and walked the gangplank up to the deck.

"You take care now!" Hirane yelled and he waved to the pirates along with his son.

Law turned around one more time, looking at the two men before walking through the metal doors and into the submarine. He walked into the control room and sat on the big chair leaning back in it and putting his hands behind his head. He gazed through the big window in the control room. "Take us under, Mr. Bart." With a smirk he gave out orders and saw the submarine diving until there was only the dark of the sea visible. The sonar and radars made a steady sound that indicated there was nothing in their way and the submarine moved quickly through the deep blue sea.

~….~

Kizaru moved some rocks with his foot as he looked at the devastation before him. The former castle of Vladimir Farquash, the Baron of Point Blank was no more than ruins now and the body of the baron himself was barely recognizable. They had to identify the man by his teeth.

"hoooo…this is quite a mess hereee…," Kizaru muttered as he looked around.

"Admiral Kizaru!" A marine came to him and saluted. "No survivors were found in the ruins of the castle. However we are still searching for the people responsible. The townspeople won't tell us anything, but we have reports that the Heart Pirates were here only a few hours ago. They most likely did this."

"oooh….Heart Pirates. So that Trafalgar Law is responsible…he's been quite troublesome lately, neeee?" He looked at the still saluting marine and the man gulped. "Round up the townspeople...I will question them personally."

"H-Hai!" The marine said and turned on his heels, quickly heading back towards the town.

Kizaru then noticed a movement among the ruins. He saw a white mass slithering through the rocks until it finally got out and started forming and rising, turning into a tall slender man with a black suit and a mask on his face.

"oooh, Abaddon. So you survived…well that was to be expected."

The tall man tilted his head at Kizaru. "Yes, they gave me some trouble though." Hi voice was calm and lazy as always, not a bit of anger or any other emotion in it.

"It seems your job here is finished anyway, neee? You will go back with the marines, to Dr. Vegapunk. He might want to make sure his latest work is alright and unharmed."

"I see. Then, I will return to the Doctor." The man responded in his usual emotionless tone.

~…..~

Miyako was lying in the infirmary on her stomach, on one of the beds there. Her head and face were buried in her arms. Law was sitting on a chair near the bed, cleaning her wounds and taking care of them. She had received first aid when Jean Bart brought her on the sub and was left to rest soon after. A few hours later, Miyako had woken up with a splitting headache and a sore body, but her lash wounds opened soon after that and needed another treatment. Law came to do that personally and that was the first time she saw him after he had saved her in the cell.

She didn't know what to say to him and it felt awkward. And not just because she had remembered how she accidentally reacted to him in the cell, but also because she felt guilty that she caused everyone so much trouble. They had all fought to save _her, _because of _her_ foolishness. Because of that, Josh, Penguin and Shachi had some minor bruises and cuts, Jean Bart suffered a minor concussion and Bepo was quite injured. He left the infirmary only a few hours ago to rest in his quarters.

Miyako squirmed a little, more because of the uncomfortable silence and nervousness than Law's ministrations.

"Stop squirming." A serious and warning tone entered her ears as Law kept cleaning her reopened wounds.

"Sorry." She muttered…"And thank you…for saving me. And sorry I gave you so much trouble." Miyako somehow rushed everything out in one breath.

"You shouldn't just thank me. Others helped and fought for you, too." After that, everything fell silent for a while again. Miyako decided to broke that silence once more.

"I know. I'm thankful to them too."

"It would be more helpful if you stopped being so rash." Law's voice was relentlessly stern.

The girl stiffened a little. "S-Sorry….it seems I'm a bother to everyone after all."

She heard a soft sigh behind her. "No, you're not. Just…think before you act."

Miyako had told Law what actually happened when she got taken and Law wasn't really surprised. He knew it _had_ to be something like that if Miyako acted rashly and let herself be caught. Still it didn't change the fact that she acted without her captain's permission and brought everyone trouble. She had no right for excuses, and Law was glad to see she wasn't trying to make any. Though he also knew she probably wasn't even regretting jumping out on that street to save that child. The thought brought out another sigh from him. Still he had to feel a certain amount of respect for her as she risked her life to save another.

His gaze became a bit softer at the thought. *_What am I going to do with you?* _He thought absentmindedly. He moved a strand of her long hair from her neck so it wouldn't stick onto the wounds. "I already told you to be more careful." His voice was a bit softer now, some of that sternness gone. But it was still serious enough.

"Yeah…I'll have the scars on my back to remind me of that from now on." The samurai muttered into her arms, somewhat bitter. She hated being 'marked' by that man…She will have the reminder of that Baron on her back for the rest of her life. Luckily, those were the only scars large and deep enough to stay…but those lash wounds were quite enough.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she realized Law's hand had stopped moving on her back. She could still feel the cloth damp with warm water on her skin and Law's presence was definitively here, but he had stopped all movement or sounds.

She moved a little, propping herself up on one forearm and turned around so she could see him. She blinked at the sight of the man who had his head bowed down a little, the shadows of his hat hiding his eyes. But she could see his mouth formed into a thin line, a serious expression on his face.

"Law…-san?" She asked a bit uncertain and quiet. There was a dark aura around the pirate, but she couldn't understand of what kind.

Her call brought him out of wherever he was and he looked up at her, his grey eyes momentarily meeting her golden ones. But then he blinked and quickly turned to look away.

Miyako blinked in puzzlement and frowned, thinking how rude it was of him to do that…until she remembered she was half-naked since he needed her back bare to tend to her wounds. With a slight yelp she quickly turned around, laying on her stomach and turning all shades of red. "S-Sorry!"

After some attending, Law was finally finished. Miyako sat up, but kept her back turned to Law. She had her hair pulled in the front and from her back so it wouldn't get in the way and she looked to the side, still a slight pink in her cheeks. The picture would be perfect if not for the bright red whiplash marks staining her pale skin.

"I should bandage you now." Law stated simply in his 'doctor' voice and it made Miyako feel slightly more at ease when she knew the man behind her wasn't looking at her in _that_ way. Still, the thought of him bandaging her exposed skin made her a bit uncomfortable. Law sensed it and reassured her; "Don't worry I'll pass you the bandage to the front so I will only see your back."

"T-Thank you," she quickly answered, relieved that she could at least keep some of her dignity intact. Her past few days were stressful enough as it is. She saw Law's hand passing her the bandage and she rolled it around herself, passing it to Law again to the other side and they started working in silence.

The girl sighed when they were finally done. "Well, all done…guess I can go now." She grinned sheepishly with a nervous sweat-drop, trying to run away from there and avoid any more awkward situations. Just as her toes touched the floor, a stern voice stopped her.

"Not so fast, Miss Miyako."

Miyako turned around towards him nervously and tried to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

The captain obviously didn't like it and his stormy eyes narrowed. "If you exert yourself, the wounds will open again. Until you've fully healed, you need maximum rest, so you will stay in the infirmary until you've recovered, under medical care."

The samurai frowned a little. _*I knew this would happen…* _"But what will I do here all day? I'll be bored to death."

The doctor crossed his arms on his chest and looked at her with an unfazed expression. Then he turned around and went to his desk, taking a book. "Here." He gave her the book she bought in Maple Town.

She blinked in confusion. *_Why does he have that?* _

He obviously realized what her expression meant and explained before she had time to ask anything. "I knew you'd be here for a while, so I asked Mister Joshua to go fetch it for you…Oh yes, that reminds me, you owe him 100 Beli for that favor."

Miyako's eyes widened. "Eeeh? Why do _I _owe him the money? And…You let Josh go through my stuff!?" Her voice was a few notes higher than usual. By now she had completely turned towards him, forgetting she was still only in her underwear and bandages.

Law leaned closer, putting a hand beside her on the bed. His face was inches from her own, his eyes staring right at hers. Miyako's breath stopped and a slight shade of red appeared on her cheeks as she stared back at him with her big golden eyes.

"I don't think you have any right to complain at the moment," he said in a low voice with his usual smirk plastered on his face. His breath tickled her skin and lips and Miyako realized how close they were exactly. A little in a daze and absentmindedly she wondered what would happen if she just moved an inch and leaned forwards, closing that distance. It was more of a question out of curiosity than anything else. But as she realized what she just thought of and what that would result in, Miyako's face turned bright red.

"Kyaa!" With a small embarrassed scream, she put her book in front of her face, both as a wall to shield her from Law's face and to hide her embarrassment as she closed her eyes tightly. Miyako could hear an amused chuckle from the other side and frowned a little, opening one of her eyes and lowering her book a little to look at Law over her shield. "Why do you always do that?"

Trafalgar, who was now standing upright again, folded his arms on his chest and smirked. "Because your reactions are always amusing." Even though his expression seemed just like usual with that amused look on his face, Law had to admit he was feeling a bit strange himself. True, he teased the girl with her shyness a lot, but this time he caught himself wanting to close that small distance and he almost did. It took all of his self-control not to just kiss the girl and right now there was only one thing going through his mind; *_What the hell is wrong with me?_* He was a pirate, a captain, and he couldn't let something as trivial as emotions have any control over him, it was just too dangerous. Trust was not something Law gave lightly to others. It was something you had to earn in his book. And the path he was taking with Miyako was way too dangerous for him. A part of him kept warning him he would regret it later if he let his desires or emotions take the best of him. After all, he was Trafalgar Law, a calm and cool-headed man who never let his emotions rule any of his decisions. And that is how it has to stay. It just _has_ to. That's what he kept telling himself at least.

That answer only deepened Miyako's frown. She saw her captain turn around and leave, and she stuck her tongue at his back.

"That's very unrefined, Miss Miyako." He said simply in an amused voice, with a smirk still present, still turned with his back to the girl.

Miyako stiffened and straightened up nervously, putting on a straight face with a sweat drop immediately. *_H-how did he know?* _Her expression soon turned back into a small frown thought as she remembered she was stuck here for a few more days. She glanced at her book again. "I can read this book three times in the time I need to stay here." She complained, hopeful that her captain would let her leave early. But she knew that was just optimistic thinking.

"Then read slowly," was his only answer, still with that amused voice that always made her frown. As he said that, Law went out of the infirmary and closed the door behind him, leaving Miyako and her book alone in the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Waah, finally done! I hope you liked it and sorry it took so long. <strong>

**Also as you can see while Law was fighting, there were a lot of new abilities that he could do, but seeing as he can lift a whole ship in the air and make it stay there and operate anything in his Room, I think he could also do the stuff that I put here. (So I hope it didn't look too out of his Devil fruit ability. o.O)**

**Anyway, stay tuned for another chapter, which will be here much sooner than this one was. (Cause I have some free time over the weekend! Yay! :D) So see you soon! **


	29. Chapter 29

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Finally, another one out! :D Not much to say really, you'll see everything while reading. :P**

**But before that, as always, let's turn to some comments:**

**Elielephant: **About the Wano thing, yeah I'm interested how it'll turn out and how my story and the info we'll get will fit together. It depends on how much info we'll actually get in the manga. From the info we have now it seems Oda made Wano very similar to real feudal Japan so I concentrated on that, and I don't think I'll be very off in the end. :) However some things that I made up like the Great Restoration War won't match but then again it doesn't mean it couldn't have happened so maybe it won't turn out so bad. ;)

Sorry about the mistakes, I know I will miss some. I didn't even notice I made wonder/wander mistakes. I might be during the Word autocorrect I use. O.o Anyway, when I'll have some free time I'll go check it out. (if you maybe remember in what chapters you saw those mistakes, that would be a great help too. :) ) Also, since my first language isn't English I sometimes have trouble finding the right words to express what I want to say so sorry about that too. ^^'

So about the money; Since Miyako's first priority is getting back to Wano it's much more important and she could find a way to earn money when she gets back there anyway. True, it would be better if she _did_ have some money now but there's also one problem I mentioned; Law is in charge of the finances so all the money they have is in the safe so if she wanted some money of her own she would have to work or something similar, but I guess she didn't have much time for it since it's always been busy when they came to an island. ^^' However it's not a bad idea that she _does_ find a way to get some money of her own, so I'll definitively think about it and try to add it to the story somewhere.

I knew the Baron thing would be repetitive. ^^' But truthfully, I wanted to use Robber Baron more out of personal reasons than story ones. The two really have no connection other than the title. But don't worry, there won't be any barons anymore. :P

**Ok, that was a long answer! But I don't think I forgot anything. o.o **

**And yeah, Torch Phoenix; **Still haven't completely decided on the attack names, or rather should I name them…maybe if I wrote them in italic and not like she's saying them, it won't look so odd. I'll think about it.

**Now let's finally go to the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 29<strong>

Miyako read her book in the silence of the infirmary.

Law was sitting behind his desk, working on some research. Lately he was trying to figure out the sword he took from Jonny which was designed by Vegapunk. He was still interested in how the doctor managed to get a weapon to absorb a devil fruit, but with all the commotion lately, the pirate captain didn't have time to deal with it. He had more pressing matters such as fighting marines and saving his crewmembers. Finally though, he managed to get some time of his own to study the peculiar item.

The silence along with Law's and Miyako's concentration was broken when they heard a light knock on the door. The girl turned her head questioningly just in time to see two familiar hats peering through the metal doors, followed by two more and finally a big white fur of the polar bear.

"Miya-chan! We came to keep you company," Penguin exclaimed as he waved while walking over to her.

"Yeah, we thought you'd be lonely here," Shachi added, waving as well.

"Sorry if we're interrupting," Bepo quickly bowed his head in unneeded apology.

"Like she'll have anything better to do now," Josh muttered and came to Miyako's bed and on her surprise ruffled her hair. "Troublesome girl."

She frowned a little with one eye closed, as Josh treated her like he would a child. "Hey, stop that!" She pouted, but there was no real anger in her voice. She was too happy to see everyone again to be angry at the moment. Since she never left the infirmary, she wasn't able to see her friends and she was wondering how everyone's been doing.

"I'm glad to see you're ok, Miyako." Another familiar voice was heard and Miyako turned to see the tall medic, his blueish hair high in the air, the bangs held by the red and white bandanna.

"Cody!" Miyako exclaimed happily to see the pirate healthy and well before her. She wasn't able to see how he was doing at all. But it seems Cody was just fine, he didn't even have his bandages on anymore. "You're ok!"

Cody laughed at Miyako's beaming face. "Well of course, you know I don't go down so easily." He sat on her bedside and put an arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner.

However that action didn't go unnoticed by a certain pirate captain who was still behind his desk, working on his research. Or at least trying to since the loud voices echoing throughout the room were braking his concentration. And the fact that Mister Cody was hugging Miyako wasn't helping either…thought that part Law didn't completely understand yet.

"I didn't even see that shot coming. Josh told me you really saved me that day. Thanks Miyako," Cody continued and patted the girl's head.

"Geez, is everybody going to treat me like a kid today." She muttered yet loud enough for them to hear, as she complained about the treatment. However her sulky complaints only made the group lough.

"Well that just proves my point…that you're a brat." Josh said with his index finger high in the air to emphasize his point and he ignored the glare the girl gave him.

"You're one to talk, you look like a 12 year-old boy scout," Miyako muttered in response and then smirked when she saw Josh getting red in the face.

"Ok, Ok, break it up you two. We're not here to fight." Shachi calmed the situation.

"Oh right, I have something for you!" Bepo exclaimed getting everyone's attention. He pulled out a red piece of fabric from his pocket.

"My ribbon!" The samurai exclaimed happily. She could've hugged the bear from gratitude. That red ribbon was the only thing she had from her late mother. She didn't even remember her parents mostly and this was all she had left of them. Her mother gave it to her when she was leaving Miyako all alone. So that red ribbon made a great deal to her.

She took the ribbon from Bepo's paws and tied her hair with it immediately. "Thank you, Bepo." But then she remembered something and blinked in confusion. "But where did you get it? The Baron took it from me on that day when they captured me." As she said the words, a slight shiver ran down her spine from the memory. Something she wanted to forget, but knew it won't happen anytime soon.

"w-well.." Bepo started a little uncertain and then turned to look at his captain who was still writing something at his deck without saying a word.

Miyako followed the bear's gaze and furrowed her eyebrows in thought. _*Now that I think about it, Law was the one who defeated the Baron…_* As she was resting in the sub, she talked to one of Law's medical staff to ask what had exactly happened and they told her how Law defeated the baron and afterwards they blew up the castle. In any other circumstances, Miyako would think blowing up the castle and creating so much damage would be taking it over the top, but in the Baron's case she couldn't help but hope the guy suffered to the very end of his existence. She looked at her young captain. *_So he was the one who took it back for me.* _The girlcouldn't help but feel gratitude.

"Um..captain told me to give it to you when you wake up...it was while you were still unconscious. I guess he was too busy….Sorry." Bepo trailed off into a silent mumble and finally ended it with an apology.

Miyako chuckled. "That's alright Bepo." She then turned towards Law again who seemed to be ignoring them, deep in his own thoughts as he worked. When that man started working on something there was nothing that could pull him out of it. "Captain." She called and the man looked up questioningly. The girl bowed her head as a sign of gratitude and smiled slightly, her long hair falling and framing her face. "Thank you."

At first the captain seemed like he didn't know what she was talking about, but then he nodded in return. Still, as he gazed at her bowing form he simply stated, "Don't do that, the wounds on your back will reopen." And that was the end of it.

She stood up straight again and sighed. That man was always so closed into himself and once again she didn't have any idea what he was thinking. Meanwhile, Law turned to his crew and gave them a reprimanding stare. "And you shouldn't bother Miss Miyako so much. She needs rest."

"Aww, come on captain. We just wanted to see how she was doing. I bet she's bored here," Penguin said, silently pleading at Law to let them stay a bit longer.

"Yeah, yeah, and we'll make sure she rest,." Shachi added and he started dragging the poor girl back to bed.

"Hey, wait a min-" She tried to protest, but was cut off as Shachi made her lay on the bed and Penguin pulled the sheets up as if tucking in a child.

Both mechanics grinned innocently at their captain.

The said captain tried his best not to roll his eyes at his two best mechanics. "Fine. 10 more minutes." He agreed in a serious tone that left no room for anymore bargains before returning to his work.

Shachi and Penguin grinned at each other and then at Miyako, but then they saw that the girl was deep in thought with a somewhat troubled expression on her face. "What's wrong, Miya-chan?"

"Well, I just remembered…what of my katana?" She looked up questioningly at the group and the men glanced at each other a bit awkwardly. Even Josh had a guilty expression on his face.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to retrieve it…The castle was about to blow up so we didn't have time to look for it," Shachi explained.

"Oh…" Miyako's face saddened a little. She understood the situation and she was grateful to her friends. She didn't want to act like some spoiled child who didn't get everything she wanted. But still, that katana meant a lot to her and she felt bare and unprotected without it.

"So, you'll just get a new sword on the next island we come across," Josh folded his arms on his chest. "No big deal."

Miyako sighed. "Well it is to me. Master gave me that katana. It was my first katana and I really went through a lot with it. It had sentimental value…And it was a meito." The girl looked down sadly, fumbling with the a-bit-too-long-sleeves of her button-up blue shirt that reached down her thighs. She needed something loose and easy to wear so it wouldn't irritate her wounds and luckily she had just the thing in her closet. "And now I'll be defenseless in a fight. I need to find another katana." Miyako wasn't too fond of the idea. She didn't want just _any_ sword. A samurai needed a certain connection with their sword, only then they could bring out the best of them and their skills. When she fought, her katana was like an extension of her, which allowed her to control and wield it perfectly. She had this sword for years so it already came natural to her. She doubted she could make such a connection with any other sword, especially one that she'll just buy in some cheap weaponry store. And that reminded her of one more issue…she didn't have money, and that meant she would have to ask Trafalgar for some. Miyako remembered the last time he did her a favor, which led to her dragging bags and boxes all around town and she didn't want to do _that_ again.

"Well until you get a sword, we'll protect you." Bepo said suddenly with a small blush on his cheeks as he scratched his cheek with a talon. And Miyako couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, we're here for ya!" Penguin exclaimed.

"Thank you guys…for everything. Especially for saving me back there." Miyako bowed her head slightly with a smile. In the end, the Heart Pirates really weren't a bad bunch. Miyako had been suspicious of the pirate men for a long time, but they proved to be trustworthy and loyal, to both their crewmates and especially their captain. They were good people. Absentmindedly, she thought that being on this submarine and with these people wasn't such a bad thing…she could've ended up worse after being sold in that auction. She could've ended up as some Tenryuubito's pet.

However, as the thought crossed her mind, she remembered her home island and her stubbornness and pride just didn't let her yield. She was to go back to Wano and that was final!

A clearing of Law's throat made everyone look at him and stop their conversation. "Miss Miyako should rest now. You can see her again tomorrow." His voice left no room for argument this time.

The group sighed, but nodded knowing there was no point arguing.

"Well see you soon Miya-chan." Penguin called as he and Shachi turned to leave, the rest shortly behind.

Cody elbowed Miyako playfully and grinned. "Don't worry, Josh and I have to work in the infirmary tomorrow anyway so we'll keep you company. That way you won't get too bored."

Before Miyako had time to respond, Josh pulled Cody by the ear and away. "Come on, lover-boy."

Cody blushed ever so slightly, but then grinned and waved at Miyako as Josh dragged him along. The girl smiled nervously with a sweat-drop and waved back as she saw he friends leave.

~...~

Law tapped his pen on the paper in front of him as he impatiently waited for everyone to leave the infirmary. He needed some peace and quiet to work and also sort his thoughts that seemed unusually chaotic lately for a level-headed guy such as himself. At least when it came to a certain samurai woman.

His thoughts were broken when the said samurai leaned over his shoulder.

"Sooo…whatcha doooin'?" She asked innocently as she stared at his papers with her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Let me guess…you're bored?" he muttered not even taking his eyes off his work. And he didn't have to, he knew her well enough already to know exactly what face she had on. Just about now she'll put on a frown and say some smart-ass comment.

"Well you're the one who hurried them away."

Ah, he knew it…Though instead of a frown, she decided on a pout which she rarely used. But that got him to another conclusion…she wanted something.

"What do you want, Miss Miyako." Law asked in a somewhat bored tone, indicating he wasn't falling for her innocent act about wanting to chat all of a sudden.

"Weeell…as we were talking about earlier, I'll really need to buy a new sword so...," she trailed off.

"Ah, so it's money issues." He finally stopped writing and leaned back into his chair, putting his hands behind his neck and looking up at the girl who was still bowed down and close enough to reach if he just extended his arm a little. If he extended his arm, pulled her head down a little more and-

Law cut off his own thoughts and concentrated on the conversation at hand instead. "You want me to give you money for a new katana." He stated simply, not even forming it into a question.

"Yeah…oh and while you're at it, can you lend me additional 100 Beli?" She added as if just remembering something else.

Law gave her a questioning look with one eyebrow raised and disappearing under his hat.

"Josh…" Miyako just said with a sheepish smile, nervously scratched the back for her head. At that moment Law remembered Josh still wanted those 100 Beli for the book fetching, and the memory made the man sigh.

His thin lips formed his usual smirk as he got an idea. "Alright…and if I give you the money, what will you do for me?"

Miyako frowned. "Can't you just do it out of the goodness of your heart for once?" She asked dryly, knowing the answer to that one already.

The pirate didn't say anything, but kept that smirk and Miyako knew exactly what it meant. She sighed as she saw there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. "Alright...so what do you want?" Her voice and expression immediately became more cautious, wary of the man's smirk and even warier of his mind. Who knew what the pirate captain had in store for her this time.

He was silent for a while as if thinking, that smirk still present while the girl's expression became more skeptical by the minute.

"Hmm…You still need a few days of rest so there's no point in asking anything of you now. I'll just let you know when I need something," his smirk widened.

"So I'm just supposed to wait at your back and call….when I least expect it?" She didn't like that idea…not one bit. At least when he told her beforehand she knew what she had to prepare for. But now it could be anything, anytime, anyplace and for a person like her, who wanted to have everything in control, it was pure torture. And she was sure Law knew that too, which was certainly one of the reasons why he decided to do it.

"Mhm. Exactly." He answered, his smirk turning into an evil grin.

"Oh, that sounds exciiiiting!" Miyako's voice was full of sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

"Do you want a new katana or not?" Law rose his eyebrow, his face suddenly more serious. He didn't really appreciate her mocking tone. She was still talking to her captain after all, and no matter what, he still wanted respect from his crew, including her.

"Fine." She muttered with a frown as she finally rose from her bowed position. A few moments of silence later, she proceeded, "And the 100 Beli?"

Law sighed. "And the 100 Beli."

~….~

Miyako rolled a few times in her bed, hissing in slight pain when she rolled on her back, forgetting the injuries that put her there in the first place. You wouldn't think a person would forget it, but currently her mind could only think of one thing…._Boredom!_ She was bored as hell! It had been two days and her lash wounds more or less healed; not completely, but enough to not reopen.

She sat up abruptly in the bed, tossing the sheets away. "That's it! I'm going to die out of boredom! I'll be the first person actually killed by boredom!" She exclaimed to the empty room since she was currently all alone in it. True, her friends would sometimes come to visit, but they had work of their own to take care of, and Law also spent most of his time in the control room or his quarters so she usually spent her time alone, with her book that she was reading for the second time. At one point she actually hoped someone would get sick so they would be transported to the infirmary and keep her company; but as soon as she thought it, she took it back and then scolded herself for being a horrible person who wished ill to others for her own gain.

The doors suddenly opened and she saw two mean-looking red eyes staring at her…mean-looking red eyes on Josh's hat that is; and soon after the short redhead walked into the room. "Alright, captain told me you're free to leave the infirmary. Your days of rest are over so get your ass back to the galley, Ugly." He announced as he walked completely into the room.

He didn't even have to finish as Miyako hopped from the bed and started looking for her clothes. "You know I could hug you from glee right now, but I don't want to get jerk germs." She grinned and found a pair of plain blue jeans she previously bought and that were left for her once she recovered. She straightened her button-up shirt and put her black boots on, pulling the jeans over them.

"But the captain said not to exert yourself for a few-" Josh was cut off though by Miyako almost running out of the room.

"Yeah, yeah, gottcha!" She yelled back, happy to be moving and out of the room again. She hoped they would surface soon so she could catch some fresh air and sun…hell, she'd be happy with a blizzard right now as long as she's outside, but that'll have to wait. So instead she went to the galley, stretching as she walked.

~...~

The kitchen was busy as usual and Miyako smiled a little when she saw Munk ordering the chefs around, hitting some of them with his big wooden spoon when they messed up.

_*Aah, nothing has changed I see.* _

When he turned around, he finally saw her standing there and placed his hands on his hips. "Well look who it be! All betta' I hope!" He had that friendly grin he wore the first time they met, but this time Miyako wasn't feeling so awkward. Instead, she grinned back and walked inside the galley, putting an apron on.

"Yep, and ready for work." She smiled.

"Well that be good tha hear, girly. Now dontcha just be standin' there! Ya be havin' work to do!" He took a big basket of potatoes and handed it to the girl who almost fell forwards because of the sudden weight.

She took her usual seat in one corner and started peeling, chopping and anything else that needed to be done. Once again she was sitting and pretty much being inert, but she was at least doing something useful and not just lying around. And for the first time, the noise of the kitchen didn't bother her. Instead, she welcomed it.

After work Miyako showered and went to dinner where she met up with her friends again. She was beat but happy to be doing something of use again. However, their dinner was soon interrupted by Sai's voice over the speaker; "We are reaching a new island in half an hour. Everybody, prepare for surfacing."

"Finally a new island! I was wondering when we'll reach one." Penguin exclaimed, happy to get some fresh air again.

"Yeah, it was starting to get really stuffy in here." Bepo said as he pulled on the collar of his jumpsuit a few times.

Shachi sighed, looking at the bear. "You _always_ feel stuffy when we're underwater."

"Sorry." Bepo bowed down his head suddenly.

"You're too easily defeated!" Penguin yelled at him, causing the bear to apologize even more.

The samurai eyed the arguing pair, rather Penguin simply yelling at Bepo, with a sweat-drop. She felt sorry for their first mate. "Well it can't be helped. He's a bear, after all. I'm sure it's really hot in that fur _and_ a jumpsuit," she tried defending him.

However Josh cut her off as he turned towards her. "And you!" He started, pointing a fork right at her nose which made her frown. "You, stay away from trouble this time! I don't want to be saving you again."

The girl sighed, feeling defeated. "Hai, hai…."

~...~

It was already dark when they docked so Miyako couldn't see much of the island or the village they came to. There were some lanterns illuminating their way as they walked towards one of the taverns. Since it was dark, Law decided it would be better to gather information and supplies in the morning. So he only took the usual group with him to find out when the log pose sets here; Penguin, Shachi, Josh, Bepo, Cody and Miyako.

"Captain, are you sure it's a good idea to bring Miyako along. She might get into trouble again and she doesn't even have a weapon to defend herself," Josh said to Law, grinning at Miyako like a brother trying to taunt his sister on purpose. He knew she wanted to get out of that submarine already, and in her mind she was _not_ staying behind.

Surgeon of Death glanced back at the girl who was currently glaring at Josh with a frown and stuck her tongue out at him when he began snickering. Law rose his eyebrow at her actions so she quickly put a straight face with a sweat-drop. The captain smirked.

"Don't worry Mister Joshua, she'll be fine. Miss Miyako will stay by my side this time to avoid such situations." He looked at the samurai, who blinked in surprise a few times. Then she looked away suddenly, finding the ground very interesting, yet she didn't say anything. Trafalgar was staring at this unusual action with a straight but unreadable expression though he didn't ask anything either.

Miyako didn't know why she felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. It wasn't so much that she didn't like being in Law's company...she had to admit he was an intelligent man and conversations with him were interesting, not to mention it was always fun to try and best him in the smart remarks they shared. Though it seemed he was winning in those lately. Still, the girl felt a bit different around him lately, even strange. She couldn't really describe it and she couldn't even tell if it was a bad feeling or not; but she knew it made her feel a certain way that she couldn't understand and she didn't like that. She didn't know why the man suddenly had such an effect on her…though she couldn't really say it was suddenly, either. She wasn't sure when exactly it started, but it seemed to be increasing lately, especially after the Point Blank incident. At first she just thought it was guilt that made her feel all awkward and weird around him, and that it was gratitude that would make her heart start beating just a little bit faster and harder in her chest when she saw him; but in the end she decided those couldn't possibly be the reason why. And she even seemed to be blushing more and was more embarrassed because of him lately. All in all, those sensations and reactions almost frightened her and made her uncomfortable, yet no matter what was the reason behind them, one thing was certain; Law had something to do with it.

"Miss Miyko?" A voice brought her back to reality.

"Huh?" She blinked and gazed up with a slightly confused look, to see Law standing there with a questioning gaze. The group was already far ahead.

"Try not to be left behind. You never know what could happen," he said in his usual serious but calm voice that showed neither worry nor anger. Just a simple statement.

"O-oh, right! Sorry." She hurried towards him and started walking by his side, already feeling a touch of hotness in her cheeks. _*What's wrong with me!? Am I sick or something?*_ However, the thought of a certain doctor examining her only made her blush even more as that heat intensified. *_Waaah, I need to calm down!* _She put both hands on her cheeks and shook her head as she tried to calm herself and get rid of the incoming blush.

Law raised an eyebrow for the nth time that day when he saw his samurai act strange and unusual. Luckily for Miyako it was too dark to actually see her blushing face, but her peculiar actions were enough to raise a question mark over his head. *_Strange woman…* _The though crossed his mind as he couldn't decide whether to be amused by this or interested in what was going on inside her head right now. In the end, he decided to just leave it alone, since they still had to find a tavern and the rest of their group was now waiting for them up ahead impatiently.

The girl continued to walk as she finally got all the embarrassing thoughts out of her head and managed to calm herself. She walked silently with her head slightly bowed as she still stared at the ground in front of her. Only sometimes she would glance around, which suddenly made her realize the village seemed awfully familiar. She couldn't really understand why since she certainly never visited it before. Still, the buildings and the structure of the whole village looked awfully familiar.

Only when they walked inside the tavern and Miyako saw the village folk did she understand why. They were dressed in simple clothing that people of Wano wore. That's when she realized the whole village along with the wooden and stone buildings and houses looked like a typical Wano village.

"This village looks just like the ones in Wano" She stated to the rest of the group, who stared at her with surprise and interest.

"Really? But we're not even in the New World! Why would it look the same?" Penguin asked with a tilted head.

Miyako just shrugged, not knowing the answer either.

"Well let's just ask." Shachi proposed with a smile and walked to the bar to sit down. The rest of the group found an empty table nearby and sat down as they watched Shachi converse with the innkeeper. After a while, he returned and sat down with the group.

"So? What did he say?" Josh asked. They all seemed interested in what Shachi had to say…well except Law, who just laid back in his chair and looked as if he didn't have a worry in the world. Though he was also carefully listening to his mechanic's words.

"Well, for starters it takes 5 days for the log pose to set here, so we'll be staying for a while," he started with a sigh. "Also, it seems that long ago some people from Wano came here and established this village and all the traditions from Wano remained, such as clothes or architecture. That's why it looks like an exact replica of a Wano village…though their ancestors were from Wano, they also had a lot of newcomers from different islands here over the years so there's a lot of variety among people." Shachi explained and took a pause to catch his breath.

"Well that's one thing that's not the same as in Wano," Miyako muttered as she rested her head on her hand. Wano didn't like outsiders or foreigners and didn't even let them enter legally without a whole complicated procedure.

The group didn't comment on her muttering, however, and the head mechanic continued. "The island's name is Akai no Shima and the village is called Kyonin Village," he explained.

"Kyonin Village? That's the name of one of the oldest and biggest villages in Wano. It has a lot of history," the samurai explained as she remembered her home island. "Actually, I grew up in a town not far away from there." She said in thought, more to herself than others.

"So they must've named it that in honor of the real Kyonin Village," Cody concluded and the group nodded, agreeing.

Miyako leaned on her chair and stared at the ceiling with a nostalgic look in her eyes. "It really makes you feel homesick when you look at all of this."

As soon as she said that, a man crashed down into one of the tables and everything went flying. A few loud voices were heard as a fight started. The pirate group looked at the scene with a sweat-drop.

"Does this feel nostalgic too?" Josh asked with sarcasm.

"Well actually…." Miyako started with a sweat-drop. The truth was scenes like this one weren't rare in Wano. She experienced a lot of fights in inns and taverns between drunken men or even samurai on her journey as a rounin. Sometimes the fights would even become more dangerous and the men would take out their swords and weapons. Since Wano was a land of Samurai, duels weren't that unusual. Samurai there would get into duels over the most trivial things. Anything could make their blood boil if they felt their honor had been offended. Especially those who were always quick to draw their swords, but Miyako found such men foolish and usually they weren't that good warriors either. They usually just wanted to show off their limited skills and impress the ladies. In Miyako's opinion, true samurai knew when to draw their katana and when to leave it be.

Meanwhile the fight in the tavern looked as if it reached its peak and both parties took out their swords. The weapons appeared similar to Wano katana, but the girl could see they weren't as skillfully made as those in Wano. After all, Wano was known for making the finest katana, it wasn't just a trade but also an art. Thinking about all this just made Miyako more depressed as she remembered she lost her sword so easily.

Soon after, the whole tavern became a chaotic mess as everyone started fighting and then she heard warning whistles as the authorities ran towards the tavern, ready to stop the whole trouble.

Law stood up slowly, one hand holding his nodachi on the shoulder and the other in his pocket. He looked bored an uninterested in the chaos around him as if he wasn't bothered by it at all. "We should leave before the authorities come here."

The group nodded and stood up as well. Just as they were about to leave, the authorities came inside. There was at least a dozen of them. They started clearing out the mess and the Heart pirates took that chance to escape the scene unnoticed…however it didn't work out so well.

"Hey, you there! Stop!" A voice called behind them, as one of the young officers called out to Law and the group.

Law stopped and looked behind him lazily with the same bored expression. He didn't say anything as he stared at the officer.

"Aren't you Trafalgar Law, the captain rookie." It was said more like a statement than a question though. Hearing those words, the rest of the officers turned towards the pirates. And so did the rest of the tavern.

"And what if I am?" Law asked simply.

The officers surrounded the pirates, leaving the drunken tavern men alone for now. Currently, the pirate rookie with the bounty of 300,000 000 Beli was of more importance.

"Surrender peacefully or we will use force!" The officers took out their sabers and pointed them at the group.

Miyako sighed. "And we were so close to the exit too…"

"Heh, I'm not complaining. I needed a workout anyway." Josh smirked and raised the sleeves of his jumpsuit to his elbows.

Cody turned towards Miyako, a little worried. "Will you be alright without a sword, Miya-chan?"

Miyako smirked and looked at the young officers. "Don't worry. I'm not completely powerless without a weapon. At least not against _these_ guys."

"I-If you don't surrender, we will have no other choice but to capture you by force…even if we have to hurt you!" The young officer warned. He looked unsure of himself, more so by the minute, as the pirates weren't backing down. And their captain was smirking as if amused with the whole situation. They didn't look worried at all. On the other hand, the officers had heard of The Surgeon of Death and how he was known for his cruelty, and that made them even more anxious.

As the officers attacked them, Law didn't even have to lift a finger. The men couldn't even get to him through his crew, who beat them quick and with ease. One of the officers tried to stab Miyako, but she moved her head to the side and put her hands on both sides of the sabre, then turned it sharply until the officer lost the grip on it. She caught it by the handle in the air and sliced at the officer without warning. The sabre felt weird and much lighter than her sword, but she didn't have much problem handling it, as she sliced through the rest of the men. She noticed one of them managed to get to Law through the chaos, but the captain just looked at the incoming officer with boredom. Before the young man managed to get a hit, Bepo appeared out of nowhere and kicked the officer away. The polar bear was always watching out for their captain, always ready to protect him.

In a matter of minutes, the dozen officers were defeated and grunting on the floor…at least the ones who weren't unconscious or dead. The pirates looked at the mess.

"But where will we stay now?" Penguin scratched his head with a troubled expression.

Trafalgar gazed up at the innkeeper who gulped. Without even the pirates having to ask, the man started talking; "W-well, there's also a small motel just down the street..." It seems the man wanted to be rid of the pirates as soon as possible.

the Dark Doctor walked out and towards the said motel, leaving the folk stare at each other with discomfort.

~...~

Once in the motel, Miyako finally thought she'd be able to relax. However it wasn't that simple. The master of the motel had only three rooms available and there were 7 of them, not to mention the rooms only had two beds each.

Miyako laughed nervously and turned around. "W-well, I guess I'll just…umm….stay outside! Yeah, it's a nice night, It'll be fiiine." She said, not liking where this was going. At that very moment a thunder was heard outside and the wind started blowing even harder than before. The girl glared outside the motel's window as she cursed Mother Nature. *_Traitor!_*

"She can stay with us!" Penguin said a bit too excitedly, as a small blush appeared on his smiling face, betraying his dirty thoughts. Meanwhile, Shachi was nodding vigorously next to him.

*_Aaand that's exactly what I was worried about.* _Miyako sweat-dropped.

"Well that's good because she's not sleeping in our room." Josh said and crossed his arms on his chest, his nose high in the air.

The Wano girl sighed. "Look, you don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll just-"

"Miss Miyako will stay in my room," Law cut her off.

The said girl turned around towards her captain sharply. "Excuse me?"

"Mister Joshua obviously doesn't want you nearby…" Law begun to explain, conveniently letting out the real reason he didn't want Miyako sleeping with Josh and Cody. Of course Josh didn't really have a say in the matter and if Law ordered it Miyako would have to stay in their room, but the captain didn't like the thought of Miyako and Cody sleeping in the same quarters. "Bepo never sleeps on the bed so if he sleeps in your room, it would be a waste of a good bed," he continued on.

Miyako rose an eyebrow questioningly at the bear.

"I'm just not used to it…it seems unnatural," the bear explained with a shrug.

Miyako's eyes narrowed a little. "And yet you find it perfectly natural to wear clothes?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Sorry." Was all the bear said and the girl suddenly felt bad for asking, since it sounded like an attack.

The captain ignored the couple and finished, "So would you rather sleep with Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya?" He asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer. The two mechanics looked at the girl excitedly at the mention of their names.

Miyako didn't want to offend them, but…"Ok, I get the point." She muttered.

"Why? What's wrong with us?" Shachi exclaimed and tilted his head.

"You're perverts, that's what's wrong!" The redhead yelled at them and the three pirates started arguing.

~...~

Miyako looked around the room. *_Well at least it's not that bad_.* The room had old wooden floors and walls, but looked relatively clean and in order. There wasn't much in it, just two beds and two nightstands with candles on them. However, they even had a small bathroom, much to Miyako's surprise. She looked out of the only window in the room as the storm kept raging outside. A thin willow tree right outside swayed wildly on the wind, as its branches kept banging on the window glass.

However she couldn't get the awkwardness of the situation out of her head. She was about to spend the night together with her captain, with _Law_, with a person she could hardly stand being in the same room about 6 months ago unless it was to try and piss him off of course.

_*I can't believe I'm sharing a room with a man…and with Law of all people! Maybe I should just ask to spend the night with Josh and Cody, that would be less awkward. And who cares what that shrimp thinks anyway!* _Miyako turned around with a new-found plan just to gasp, startled, and gape at the scene before her.

Law, who was in the shower just moments ago, was now in the room with only his pants on.

The Wano girl quickly looked away as memories from that night in Maple Town's mansion came rushing back. "Okay, you _got_ to stop doing that!" she refused to look anywhere else but at the floor in front of her as she caught his movement from the corner of her eyes, who seemed to fold his arms on his chest.

"Doing what?" He asked in amusement, thought he obviously knew what the problem was. It was pretty clear, with the girl staring at the floor and blushing madly.

"Anyway…I think I'll go sleep in Josh's and Cody's room after all," Miyako said and turned towards the door, but before she could go out of the room, Law's voice stopped her.

"No." It was said sharply and seriously, that left no room for arguing. In his "Captain voice," as Miyako called it. It reminded her of the time she wanted to follow Luffy into the jungle at Amazon Lily and see how he was doing, but Law said the same-toned "_No_" then.

She looked up and put her hands on the hips, her feisty side getting the best of her. "And why not?" The said feisty side faltered a little as Law was _still_ half-naked. She didn't let it bother her this time. "And would you please put some clothes on?" She added, pointing with one hand at his naked torso.

The captain's eyes narrowed a little. It was too late to have an argument and he wasn't in the mood for it. "All the arrangements were already made so there is no reason for you to go troubling Mister Joshua and Mister Cody, is there?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or does my presence bother you _that_ much?"

Miyako wasn't sure how to answer that. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her shirt for a while, thinking what to say. After a while of silence, she looked at him with a smirk and raised an eyebrow of her own. "And what if it does?" She decided to stop acting like a little girl. He was throwing her mind out of balance too much lately and she wanted to get back to the secure and determined Miyako she was before…the one that was slowly slipping away and being replaced by a constantly blushing and awkward girl every time she was around him. It was easy to put on a mask, to pretend…she did it a lot before, she could do it again.

Trafalgar's expression remained calm but serious as he didn't look even a little bit thrown off by her statement. However, his voice was low and cold and even though it was calm it had an edge of danger in it. "I don't have any reason to explain myself to you any further. You got your orders, from your _captain,_ so you are staying here and that is final." Of course Law couldn't say he didn't want her sleeping in the same room as Cody, and the fact that she was insisting on it was making him even angrier. And he was angry enough because of her lack of respect and defying of his orders. Her last statement didn't help his mood, either. He thought they were passed that whole part of her not liking him and giving his snarky remarks all the time. He admitted it could be cute and amusing sometimes, but not now.

He knew his reasons were irrational and even if Miyako _did_ like Cody that was none of his business. And yet he kept repeating that scene in the infirmary when Cody was hugging her and being all close to her…too close for his liking. Irrational or not, he didn't like it and if Law doesn't like something, it _has_ to go away. Of course, the doctor had nothing against his medical assistant. Cody was trustworthy and a good subordinate and the captain would never do anything against his crew, but that didn't mean he had to stand and watch Cody get all close and lovely with _his_ samurai. Law was a bit surprised at being so possessive and out of character, but for once in his lifetime he couldn't help it.

The samurai wouldn't have any of it, though. She didn't like the way Law was talking to her and her stubborn side just couldn't keep still. She couldn't fight the urge to defy this man just to spite him. "You know what…I think that's something I have a right to decide for myself. So excuse me, but-" she turned around and started walking towards the door again, before she felt a grip on her wrist and was sharply yanked backwards. Before Miyako even knew what was happening, she was thrown on the bed, looking up wide-eyed at Law who was towering over her on the bed while pinning her down. In the back of her mind she cursed herself for being such a fool and letting her guard down. *_I _knew_ I was beginning to trust him too much!* _But the other part of her mind was trying to stifle the slight panic bubbling inside her gut. This was not a position she ever wanted to find herself in.

"What do you think you're doing? Let me go." Her voice was cold and demanding as she glared up at him and tried to wriggle out of his tight grip. She refused to show any sign of worry though and wanted to stay as calm as possible. But he was just making it impossible as he had a completely serious and straight face with an unreadable expression. However, his eyes pierced right into hers and he remained completely unmoving.

After a while Miyako stopped struggling and looked at him, a bit skeptical. She couldn't tell what the man was thinking at all nor what he wanted and that just added to her uneasiness. "W-what?" She asked, sounding a bit more uncertain than she wanted to.

"Stay." The word pierced right through her. Law on the other hand didn't even flinch nor change his expression as he said it, while she just stared at him in bewilderment. Of all the things, she didn't expect to hear that one, and especially not in this tone. It sounded like an order, but not in the cold, sharp voice he used before. It sounded softer. Still, he didn't let go of her wrist and Miyako found it was impossible to get free. How strong _was_ this guy!?

For a while, everything seemed still and silent. She didn't know how long they stayed that way before she got over the shock. She was brought back to reality as a droplet from his wet hair fell on her cheek and slid down it.

"Huh?" It was all she could get out of her mouth right now as she still stared at him with wide eyes. The golden of her eyes glowed slightly in the dim room, which was illuminated with only two candles that cast flickering shadows on the walls.

"Stay." Law simply repeated, even softer this time, and Miyako found it hard to say no.

However she didn't want to seem meek. She cleared her throat to get her normal voice back. "Will you let me go if I do?"

Without a word, Law let go of her wrists and stood up from the bed. He watched her carefully though, analyzing her every move to see if she'll keep her end of the deal.

"Fine." She said in a low voice as she gave up, and she turned to get ready for bed. Still, she felt extremely uncomfortable when thinking about stripping in front of the man, but as she turned towards him, she saw he was already lying on the bed with his back turned to her and his candle out. Miyako realized he did it out of courtesy so she didn't have to feel uneasy, and really, it made her feel a lot better. She stripped down to just her underwear and got under the blankets. For a while she stared at his still back, then with a sigh blew out her own candle and closed her eyes.

Just before they both fell asleep a silent "Good night" came out of her mouth and echoed in the darkness. She didn't get a response, but she wasn't expecting one anyway even though she knew he wasn't sleeping yet. Nevertheless, this whole situating has been weird and she wanted to forget it as soon as possible and she suspected Law did too. Especially when she started remembering actually how close they had been, the feel of his hot breath on her face, his grey eyes piercing into hers as if trying to see right into her, that intense expression on his handsome face when he asked her to stay, her heart beating so loudly in her chest- *_Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute! I am _not_ going down _that_ road! Nothing happened, everything's perfectly fine and I just have to forget all about this…and never think about it again because it's driving me crazy!* _She was irritated by her own thoughts that just kept thinking of all the wrong things today. She realized she started thinking about things she never should, and even more worryingly, she started thinking of Law in a way she never had before. That both annoyed her and freaked her out.

As she tormented herself with her own thoughts, Miyako had no idea Law wasn't any better off at the moment. Right now he was cursing himself for losing control like that and doing and saying things he _really_ shouldn't have. He moved on his back and closed his eyes, putting a forearm over them. So now he was once again lying in the bed with his mind filled with troubling thoughts and the whole scene just seemed too familiar. Yes, this was exactly how it went that night in the mansion a few months ago. He turned his head and looked over at Miyako's bed, but couldn't see much through the darkness. He saw a still form, probably already asleep. *_What the hell am I even doing?*_ Even more troubling thoughts started running through his mind; She doesn't want _you_. The only reason why she's on your ship and following your orders is because you made her. She's not yours and never will be.

Law gritted his teeth, annoyed at his own thoughts that kept flooding him. It made him angry even though he wasn't sure who should he be angry with. At first it was himself, but little by little that anger was slowly being directed towards Miyako. He knew it didn't make sense and once again he was irrational, but a part of him was blaming her for it, saying it was her fault. It was her fault for getting so damn close to him and getting under his skin. That she was manipulating him and just acting all clueless. Suddenly all kinds of different theories and possibilities crossed his mind and unfortunately the worst ones stayed.

But then he would remember the girl's innocent and smiling face, or that blush she would always get when he came close to her. She always tried to hide it and Law would pretend not to see it, but he always had to hide an amused smirk or a chuckle when seeing it. It was like a little game they would play. So could such a girl who seemed clueless when it came to men really be all manipulative? True, she was intelligent and when it came to dealing with certain situations or problems, or getting out of a pinch, she was very good at it, but to be able to make him trust her and even develop….some sort of feelings for her that even Law couldn't decipher himself yet, could she really be capable of doing all that?

Law was in conflict with himself; arguing and thinking of arguments for both sides, but for the first time his calculating mind wasn't helping him solve the problem. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind completely. It was hard to let go of the chaos currently inside his head, but after a while, darkness overtook him completely. And yet the last thing he saw before completely falling asleep was _her_ face.

* * *

><p>hai - means 'yes'<p>

Akai no Shima - Means "Red Island" in japanese.

Kyonin - Doesn't have a meaning, just something I made up. Though when I googled it later it seems it's a name for a place in something called Pathfinder. o.O

**So they're finally at the new island. This one didn't have much action and it was more focused on Miyako's and Law's relationship and the tension/confusion between them :P **

**Also, at first I thought I'd return Miyako katana to her but since I didn't mention it in the last chapter at all I thought of a better idea; Why not give Miyako a new one that I'll name from the start. :) **

**Anyways, I hope you liked it and tell me what you think! Comments, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome. **


	30. Chapter 30

"**I don't like you" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Here's another one! It took me longer to post this than to actually write it ^^' I barely found the time to upload it. But finally it's here! :D**

**So before we go to the chapter, as usual let's answer a few questions from your reviews. :)**

**Yuzen: **Yeah, I suck at writing titles. I'm never good at naming. I'm not really satisfied with the title myself. ^^' But I'm glad you changed your mind. :)

**Elielephant: **First I got to say; Thank you very much for taking the time to find all the mistakes in the last chapter and hopefully I managed to correct them all. :)

Secondly; Oh, by no means will Law give up. Of course he'll go after what he wants (It's Law after all :P) However he's still human and all humans have doubts, you can't really change that. Yes, Law is level-headed and cool 99% of the time, but I also want to portray that 1% that shows his more "human" side such as emotions, doubts, suspicions...Without it he would seem more like a robot than a person, and I think without it there would be no way for Law having a romance with Miyako either.

**Izzie: **I see where you're coming from. I guess Miyako getting a new sword _is_ a big change and in a way a new step in life for her.

**Akagami hime chan: **What a coincidence, I've been writing this all yesterday morning instead of studying for _my_ exam today. XP

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><p><strong>So that would be it, and before continuing; one more notice I forgot to mention so far. This is story is also being translated to French by <strong>_**Zoro et Robin**_**!****So if there's anyone who would prefer to read it in French, now you can! :D I'll put a link on my profile since I can't here or you can find her penname in the reviews. So many thanks to Zoro et Robin for taking the time to do that. :)**

**Now let's go to the story finally!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 30<strong>

Miyako walked down the muddy street with the rest of the pirates as she excitedly looked around. Now that it was daylight she could clearly see the similarities with the Kyonin Village in Wano. The main street, which was full of small stores, dango-shops and tea-houses, was alive with people everywhere. Completely different from last night. But that was probably because of the bright sun that gave warmth to people in this fresh morning, as everything glistened from yesterday's rain. They say sun comes after the rain, and in this case it was definitively true. Though Miyako could see the affects the big storm had on the village as there were leaves and mud everywhere and everything was uncomfortably wet. Not to mention some of the villagers had to repair their roofs as the wild wind blew parts of them off.

Even though everything seemed alive Miyako could feel tension in the air. The villagers seemed nervous as they glanced at the walking pirates and whispered things in worry. At first Miyako thought they were just scared of the notorious Surgeon of Death but after listening to some of their conversation, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Did you hear? Yesterday night a woman disappeared?" A woman whispered to her friend as they sat in front of the teahouse.

"what? Who?"

"A maid working in the Kuyaki household. She went out in the storm and never came back."

"Oh my…She must have gotten lost in the storm. Maybe she fell from the Black Cliffs...she wouldn't be the first. "

"That's what the Kuyakis think too…but don't you think it's suspicious...? She went missing on the same night those pirates came to the island."

"Oh, you don't think-!" She stopped talking when she realized the said pirates were passing by.

Law didn't even look at the two gossiping women as he went on with his own business. The rest of the Heart pirates looked at each other in surprise. Miyako wanted to talk to Law about it. If this continued the villagers might be a problem for the pirates and they had to stay here four more days. Still, Law didn't seem worried at all. Miyako couldn't understand how a person could seem this calm and without a worry or care all the time. But even if Miyako wanted to speak to him, she didn't know how to approach her captain…not after what happened last night. She still didn't know what to think of the whole event and she just knew if she went to Law it would be all she could think about and she wouldn't be able to even look him in the eye. So instead she kept a good distance from him.

Law also didn't mention anything about that night and he didn't talk to her at all this morning except a few orders. When she woke up this morning he was already gone and talking to his crew about their next plan of action, which spared her the trouble of the morning awkwardness.

So Miyako stayed quiet and just passed by the two women as well, but with a troublesome look on her face. The women gave her a nervous look in return and that was the end of it.

After a while Miyako learned to ignore the tension in the air and instead focused on the little stores around her. She wanted to see if there were any katana shops here but then she remembered she would have to ask Law for the money…and her enthusiasm decreased a little.

Bepo's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she looked at the bear who was looking at a shop's window. "Pretty!"

She came next to him and a little smile crossed her face. It was a store with traditional Wano dolls. They had colorful kimonos and yukkatas on, while the male ones wore hakama and gi. It even showed scenes from their everyday lives, weddings, samurai duels…And everything was made with perfect precision. In Wano, making such dolls was a respected and a hard trade. And these dolls were all sizes and some of them looked almost like real people.

"Wow, some of them are really realistic." Miyako said in surprise as she watched at one specific doll that was a size of a human. Her black long hair looked soft and real. And so did the rest of its features. But her eyes were glassy and plastic, starring at Miyako, and proving it was only just a doll after all.

Josh and the two mechanics walked over to the couple, while Law and Cody continued walking and deep in their conversation about the "White plague", a disease discovered a few years ago on a certain island in the New World. It got its name cause of the white rash that would start appearing on the people's skin and after that the person would die in a matter of days. The plague wiped out the entire island's population in 10 days and they still haven't found the cure for it.

"You're looking at _dolls_? Seriously, Bepo?" Josh eyed the first mate with a suspicious and unbelieving expression.

"But look at them, they're so realistic." Bepo defended himself as he pointed at the few human-sized dolls. "Actually, it's kinda creepy…"

"Wow…you're really turning into a girl, aren't you?" Penguin snickered as he teased the bear.

"Well I'll agree with him on one thing…the human-sized ones really _do_ look creepy." Shachi said a bit nervously as he stared at a doll of a man in his forties, dressed in simple Wano clothing and carrying a kodachi on his waist.

Josh rolled his eyes. "So now we have three girls in our crew."

"Shut up shortstuff, you're afraid of _frogs_!

On this Miyako's ears perked and she looked at Josh with a big grin. "What?" There was obvious delight in her voice after finding such a fact about him. A big, scary pirate was afraid of frogs!

Josh got red in the face from embarrassment. "S-shut up! I'm not afraid of frogs! It's just...the way they croak…especially at night. It sounds like some kind of demons."

As soon as Josh finished a loud laugh was heard as Miyako almost fell on the floor with laughter. She clutched her stomach and doubled over as she laughed so hard tears started forming in the corners of her eyes.

Meanwhile Josh yelled at her to shut up but she ignored him still in her laughing fit. "Who…gets scared of frogs…?" She panted out in between her laughter.

"It's _not_ the frogs!" Josh protested.

"Oh right! It's the way they croak! That's _much_ better then." Penguin said and grinned as well, patting the short medic on his back.

"Yeah, I have to say I don't get it either." Bepo shrugged blinking at Josh questioningly.

"Shut up Bepo! Not you too!" The redhead yelled and the bear apologized immediately.

"Hey, don't get mad at Bepo because of your weird fears!" Miyako reprimanded, still giggling slightly but trying to calm down.

Josh glared at her but she ignored him, not the least bit phased by his death look. But then he got an idea and a sly smirk appeared on his face. "Well what about you? You've been avoiding captain all day, are you afraid of _him_ or something?"

That shook Miyako's stable mind a little. "W-what do you mean? I'm not avoiding him at all." An obvious lie.

Penguin and Shachi looked at each other in confusion. "Really? We haven't noticed it." They said almost at the same time.

Josh rolled his eyes. "That's because you're dimwits." He simply stated and then turned back to Miyako with a smirk. "Yeah, so what exactly happened last night hmm? Why are you getting all worked up about it?"

Miyako scowled and clenched her fists. "Nothing happened and it's none of your business anyway, shrimppy-boy!" Her voice became a little too loud as she continued. "And the only reason I have for avoiding him would be because he's is an egotistical, sadistic, perverted, always-has-to-be-right jerk!" Miyako tried thinking of every insult she had thought of Law since they met, and luckily she had a lot of material from those few months when Miyako couldn't stand the captain. True, she almost never thought of Law like that anymore unless he'd really piss her off…and the pervert part which she still firmly believed, but Josh didn't have to know that.

"And who exactly are you referring to, Miss Miyako?" Law's voice came from somewhere behind her and the poor girl jumped in surprise.

The rest of them did too, since nobody noticed their captain, except Bepo who already knew he was coming by scent, and yet the bear kept quiet not finding it necessary to tell the others. If the others knew, however, they would probably skin him alive. Maybe even Miyako, who seemed in most trouble now because of not noticing him.

The samurai girl turned around slowly, and saw Law and Cody standing right behind her. Cody had a puzzled expression as he blinked in confusion as to what is going on here, while Law was just smirking with amusement written across his whole face.

"Um..I was just…talking about Josh here!" She finished with a nervous grin and leaned on Josh's head with her elbow, indicating to him not to say a word.

Law raised an amused eyebrow. "Is that so?" He looked at Joshua who surprisingly kept quiet but looked as if he was about to explode with annoyance any moment now. However he didn't and the reason for it was very clear even if Law didn't know it; Miyako was giving Josh her best 'If-you-keep-quiet-I-won't-tell-the-whole-crew-that-you're-afraid-of-frogs.' And Josh was returning it with his own; 'It's-not-the-frogs!'

"Is that so?" Law smirked and looked at Josh who didn't seem too pleased to answer.

Still on the captain's surprise Josh covered for the girl. "Yeah…Miyako was just insulting me as usual…I'm the egotistical, sadistic, perverted, always-has-to-be-right jerk." He said through gritted teeth.

Bepo scratched his head in confusion since he knew that's _not_ how it went and opened his mouth to remind his poor forgetful friends of what _really_ happened, but Shachi and Penguin grabbed him and put their hands over his mouth as they nodded to Law with agreement and a nervous grin as well.

Law had to admit the whole scene was amusing. Finally he turned around to leave. "Let's go." But as he walked a few steps, Law stopped as if he remembered something suddenly. "Oh and Miss Miyako…" The girl looked up and at his back with a questioning and still slightly nervous look. "It's not that I always _have_ to be right…" He turned his head to look at the stiffening girl and grinned as he continued; "…It's just I always _am_."

~…~

When they finally reached their sub, they could already see the rest of the Heart pirate crew working at the docs as they loaded crates and boxes or cleaned the sub and its deck. Jean Bart and Sai were standing on the deck and talking about something while staring at a map. Sai was probably charting the new island and Jean Bart was helping him.

Miyako didn't want to stay long though. She wanted to walk through the big village more. The similarity to Wano's Kyonin really interested her. And besides, she wanted to get some information, both on the disappearance of that maid-girl and on a store that might sell swords. She knew she won't find out if she traveled with the big group the Heart Pirates because they made the people nervous and the villagers would instantly stop talking and walk away or go inside their houses when they saw the pirates approach. There was definitively something going on.

So she subtly turned around to walk away from the sub but a low voice stopped her. "Where are you going Miss Miyako?"

The girl stiffened a little but put on her best calm face as she turned around towards Law. "Well I wanted to see if there are any katana shops here so I was heading back to the village. "

Law crossed his arms on his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Without notifying me?"

Miyako's straight face faltered for a second and she cleared her throat. "W-well..I would have…wrote you a note…" She started explaining gibberish. *_What the hell am I saying?* _

Law's face remained serious and he walked over to her. They were a bit further away from the rest of the crew now who were busy with their own task anyway, so Law and Miyako were left with complete privacy. That sounds like a good thing, but not so much when you're trying to avoid your captain as much as possible, and now here she was; completely alone with him and nowhere to run.

Law walked a bit closer to her but didn't invade her personal space. He kept a certain distance, probably not wanting to scare the girl off. He wasn't stupid, he noticed the girl was avoiding him all day and as much as he didn't like it, he couldn't blame her. However Law was never a subtle one, so he just decided to come right out and say it; "Miss Miyako, even if you are uncomfortable around me because of last night, that's no reason for you to run off on your own without telling anyone. You could get into serious trouble and we wouldn't even know. Didn't you already learn from past experiences you shouldn't do that?"

A guilty expression flashed on Miyako's face as she remembered the last few times she got herself into trouble. But she felt like a kid being babysat when Law would send someone to go with her or demand she always tell him where she's going and why. And that also made her feel he didn't trust her one bit, which on her surprise hurt a little. She didn't think she'd care, but for some reason she did. But then more guilt appeared when she realized Law was right not to trust her…after all, didn't she plan to just use them to get back to Wano? But out of that thought always arose more questions and complications she didn't have time to think about now, so instead she concentrated on the captain in front of her and his words. That didn't help much though as she stiffened when he mentioned the event from last night and so casually like it didn't matter at all with his bored-looking expression and hands in his pockets. He didn't seem too bothered by it, while she spent half of night and day thinking about it; that made her feel silly. Little by little she got annoyed by it the more she thought about it and she didn't like his approach at all. However she decided she won't gain anything by arguing with him so instead she put on her usual calm and emotionless mask. The one Law knew well, especially at the beginning of their trip together. Miyako didn't use it as much as she used to and as she felt more comfortable with the crew and the sub, she showed more and more of her true emotions instead of that expressionless face. But now, on Law's slight annoyance, it was once again back.

"You're right captain, I shouldn't just go off like that. And yesterday night doesn't matter at all so I won't let something so insignificant affect my daily duties or behavior. " She even bowed to him ever so slightly, her voice calm and emotionless though she tried to hide the coldness in it.

Law tilted his head and folded his arms on his chest. He tried to hide the annoyance which rose inside of him from Miyako's actions. She was talking to him like a machine, so formal as if to a stranger; like she just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible so she was saying what he wanted to hear. "It's good that you understand, but I don't need you to talk to me like a well-taught robot. At least mean it."

Miyako blinked a few times then sighed dramatically and put her hands behind her back, entwining the fingers. She looked somewhere to the side and in the distance. "You're really confusing captain, first you want me to be good an obey you and now that's not good enough either." She looked back at him with a mockingly innocent face. "What _do_ you want, Trafalgar Law?" Her eyes pierced him strangely and for a while Law wasn't certain what was the questing referred to. The questing sounded strange and threw him off a little but he regained his composure quickly.

He sighed as well, as she started being innocently snarky, something she did a lot at the beginning as well. This girl was changing faster than the weather on the Grand Line. Right now she reminded him of the first time they talked when she was captured and in his submarine unwillingly. The memory made him smirk a little.

The girl raised an eyebrow questioningly when she saw her captain smirk. "What's so amusing?" It sounded a bit more arrogant than she wanted to.

However Law ignored her and instead took a step closer. Miyako leaned backwards a little, suspiciously looking at her smirking captain. He always looked like this when he got an amusing idea, and she didn't want to have anything to do with it. Though she knew that was just wishful thinking. Meanwhile, Law took another step closer and Miyako had to fight a rising urge to take one backwards. She wanted to keep her distance from the pirate but didn't want to seem weak or afraid so her pride didn't allow her to move from that spot. And yet, Law kept approaching, more and more looking like a panther ready to jump on its prey any second. Absentmindedly, Miyako thought that _that_ comparison fit him perfectly as he really reminded her of a panther…especially now. When the girl finally broke from her thoughts she was surprised to see Law already in front of her.

He lifted up her chin, his face inches of hers and that smirk still gracing his face. He started at her with amused eyes but as he leaned even closer they became half-lidded. Miyako didn't dare to even move or breathe for that matter when his lips almost brushed against her but stayed teasingly an inch away; and on her shock that made her feel somewhat annoyed and she found herself wanting for him to close that small distance.

"You want to know what I want?" His hot breath came in a whisper and tickled her lips.

Miyako didn't answer, instead she remained still and stiff, looking at his smirking face with wide eyes. For a second she glanced behind them at the working crew to see if they were aware what was happening not so far away from the submarine. Luckily no one seemed to notice. Good; she didn't want having to explain this to her friends and the crew, it was far too uncomfortable and confusing…she wouldn't even know what to say.

Her eyes darted back to Law when she felt him move. He was still holding her chin but his face now traveled next to her and his lips went to her ear. Still, he didn't make any actual contact but she could feel his breath on her skin giving her goosebumps all over. He breathed in her ear before his voice came in a whisper again; "I want you to get your ass back to work in the galley and help Munk prepare lunch for everyone." His voice was still sensual and low, so unfitting for what he just said, but most of all there was amusement in it.

Miyako blinked in confusion needing some time to actually understand what he just said and why the words didn't match his actions or voice. But when she finally did, Law was already walking away towards the sub with his hands in his pockets. Miyako's face changed through all shades of red as she clenched her fists in anger and she glared at the captain's back.

"That's sexual harassment you know!" She yelled at Law who just kept walking but she could hear a small chuckle come from him. Her yell was a bit too loud so a few other heads of the crew turned towards her as well and looked at her with puzzled expressions. Miyako stiffened in embarrassment when she realized she was a bit too loud and quickly looked away.

~…~

Miyako spent the rest of the day with a deadly aura surrounding her that made everyone stay away if they valued their life. Even in the galley the cooks pretty much avoided her and at lunch, her friends kept their mouths shut and didn't tease her anymore. Even Joshua kept quiet, though that could be because he was still worried Miyako would tell someone about his little fear…that _he_ didn't find strange at _all_ by the way!

The reason for Miyako's foul mood wasn't just because of what Law did but because her whole day seemed to be going in the wrong direction. And she still had no katana and no any idea where to buy it…and no money of her own for it either. Yep, today was definitively not a good day. It was only around 4pm so there was still more to come. That idea was enough to make her deadly aura even darker.

Still, she was glad when she got some free time after lunch and was now sprawled on her bed, staring at the metal ceiling. She wanted to go out, do something, find a sword…but knew Law was teaching her a lesson because she tried to sneak off before and he wouldn't let her, or would insist someone goes with her…maybe even him. And Miyako wasn't in the mood for company, so the next best thing she could do is have some peace and quiet in her small room.

And just as her eyes closed and she started drifting off to sleep slowly, a loud knock was heard. Miyako only had time to sit up on her bed, confused as to what was happening, when the doors opened and people started swarming in.

Two mechanics, two medics and one polar bear came inside almost as if they were entering their own room. In these past 6 months the guys often made themselves comfortable in Miyako's room and would come and go almost as they pleased, which could really get on the girl's nerves. They had no respect for privacy at _all_. Something she thought they spent more time hanging in her room than in their own, which was probably because their rooms were shared and always filled with other crewmates.

Miyako rolled her eyes. *_What now?* _She didn't want to be rude to her friends but she just wanted to be left alone. "What are you guys doing here?" She furrowed her eyebrows in question.

"Well you seemed down at lunch so we thought to come and cheer you up!" Cody said as he entered, almost dragging and pushing Josh to go through the doors as well.

"Miyaa-chaaan!" The two mechanics sang in unison as they walked in as well, grinning at the girl. Penguin held cards in one of his hands and the girl knew exactly where this is going; they'll want to play poker or some other game that she doesn't know anything about. And then she'll either lose money or more likely, since she was broke, be forced to do their chores as payment.

"Cheer me up, hmm?" She looked at the cards suspiciously then raised an eyebrow at the guys. They knew exactly what she meant by it, and Shachi and Penguin smiled nervously and looked at each other, scratching their heads. However her stern look softened a little and she smiled slightly. "Thank you but I'm really ok and I don't need any cheer-"

"Oh please, you've been like a walking dead person with a nasty personality all day." Josh cut her off and rolled his eyes, folding his arms on his chest before he plopped down on the floor and sat cross-legged.

"And we know you're still bummed about the whole sword thing." Cody sat next to her on the bed and slightly punched her in the shoulder to get her out of the daze.

Bepo and the two mechanics just nodded in agreement and sat down on the floor as well.

Miyako sighed. "Thanks guys, but what are we supposed to do? I'm kinda tired of playing card games."

The pirates looked at each other and grinned. "Well actually..." Penguin started. "Right now we're at war with the guys from the room 5B. Want to join in?"

Miyako blinked in confusion. "In a war?"

"Yep. They started it though! This morning when we got back, we went to lie in out beds and they all crashed down! They took out the screws and totally busted them. It took Penguin and me hours to fix them up again!" Shachi complained.

Then Josh grinned. "But we retaliated and put glue inside of all of their boots. They won't be taking them off anytime soon." The rest of the guys snickered, except Bepo who looked as confused as Miyako. Since he had his own room he wasn't in on any of it.

"So you've been pranking each other all day?" Miyako asked with a sweat-drop.

"Yep." Cody said proudly and Miyako was surprised even he was involved.

"That's not very nice.." Bepo finally said and looked at his friends.

"Maybe….but it's fun." Josh grinned evilly.

"Well I don't want to be a part of it." The bear said and looked at the group suspiciously. "If you don't mind I'll just hang around here and nap a little." The bear said and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and smiling as he thought of the nap he will soon have.

Penguin and Shachi sighed. "You're no fun…" But then they turned to Miyako. "So what do you say? You in?" Penguin asked a bit childishly and Miyako had trouble believing someone of his age was really doing something like this.

"I…don't know…I don't think I should…" She really had nothing against the guys from 5B and this all didn't seem like a very good idea. At that moment a knock was heard on her door and Miyako got up, confused as to who it might be. Usually she didn't get many visitors, and people who _did_ visit were all already here. So her first thought was that it might be an important notice and she was needed somewhere. She walked towards the door and opened them, but there was no one there. Then she heard a noise down the hall and Miyako stepped outside to look what was going on. But as soon as she did, her foot pulled a thin, almost invisible wire and it set off a small mechanism. The wire led upwards and was connected with a bucket of water so when the wire was moved, the bucket flipped over spilling its content all over the surprised victim.

A very wet and very annoyed Miyako raged with furry, though her friends could only see the shaking back. Her eye twitched as a vain pulsated on her forehead. And her fury was only increased when she heard laughter down the hallways but could only see moving shadows, as the pirates ran away from the scene. Miyako gripped the doorknob tightly. "Alright, that's it! You're on!" She yelled and her friends grinned with victory behind her. They're going to have some fun now.

~…..~

After some planning, the pirate group decided to make the shared room of the guys to be their headquarters, since it was closer to 5B than Miyako's room. The girl didn't mind at all since it meant her room will be spared from the catastrophe that was about to unfold here.

The other crewmates stayed clear from the room since they didn't want to be caught into the war as well so that left Cody, Josh, Penguin, Shachi and Miyako to prepare for their next attack in peace.

After the incident in Miyako's room the group fought back with a prank of their own. First Cody snuck into the control room and used the speaker while Sai was on a break, faking an urgent message and naming all the members of their enemy group to come to the control room quickly. When they got them out of the 5B, the rest of the group went in and filled the room with toilet paper, hid rotten eggs under their pillows, Josh even found an alarm clock that wouldn't stop beeping and hid it somewhere in a small crack on the floor beneath a metal plate and then Penguin screwed it back again. After that the group hid nearby and snickered as they heard shocked shouts and curses from the other Heart pirates. Meanwhile Cody was guarding their own room, 10B so it wouldn't be attacked in the process of their plan.

After that the guys from 5B retaliated by hiding in the ventilation pipe that was big enough to fit a smaller person and crawled to the room, until they were right above the 10B group that was currently thinking of another plan. Then suddenly the ventilation lid opened and tar splashed all over the group, followed by slowly falling feathers from freshly torn pillows. Yes, they were tarred and feathered!

As the war went on the pranks got meaner and more dangerous and the groups were getting eviler towards each other. Especially one where Josh stole a tarantula pet from Garry and put it in one of the beds of their nemesis group. Then when Garry went searching for it like crazy, Penguin subtly mentioned he saw it going towards room 5B and Garry walked in right as the freaked out Mori was about to step on it and kill the spider. Of course Garry exploded with rage of Mori almost killing his precious pet and kicked the younger man's ass.

Then just as they were in the midst of planning their next move, the group heard a knock on their door and grinned.

"Oh like we'll fall for that one again!" Penguin said.

Miyako took one of the water balloons they had and went to the door. "This'll teach them a lesson. Prepare yourselves!" She said to her friends as she was about to open the door quickly. And as she did, she threw the water balloon with a loud "Ha!" but her victorious face soon became a shocked one and then a freak out one when instead of their enemies, Law stood in front of the door, his face dripping wet. A very irritated and pissed of Law who tried his best to keep his calm, but Miyako could see his eye twitched a few times in anger.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked through gritted teeth and a dark look in his eyes that promised nothing good.

At first Miyako couldn't even speak with surprise and she just gaped at the sight of her captain and a realization she just hit him with a water balloon. When she finally retrieved her ability to speak she stuttered trying to explain; "N-No…well…you see…we were just…I mean, the guys and I….Guys?" She turned around to look at her friends in hopes they'd back her up but on her surprise she saw them all sitting on the floor in a circle, playing poker innocently like they have no idea what was happening around them…like they weren't a part of all this at all.

_*Treacherous bastards!*_ Miyako yelled in her head and she gave a glare that said the same towards them. Still she could understand why they were playing dumb…nobody would want to be even near Captain right now and especially not responsible for _this_.

Still as Law leaned to look behind her at the room he could see the room was in chaos. They tried to clean it after the tar and feathers incident and managed to do so the best they could though evidence was still in some places. Luckily they managed to shower and clean themselves so only the room was a mess and not them as well.

Law wiped his wet face with the sleeve of his hoodie. "Explain." He simply said not wanting to waste anymore words, but his eyes dangerously narrowed.

Miyako laughed nervously and scratched her head. "Eh, he, he….you see…we were just playing war with 5B."

"Law raised an eyebrow. "Playing war?"

"Yeah well…you see first they spilled water on me, and then we…" And Miyako started explaining in a hurry but as she did Law's eyes just narrowed more and after a while she trailed off into a barely audible mutter. "I think I should shut up now." She finally said almost wincing under Law's hard gaze.

"I got complains from other crewmembers there were some of the guys causing trouble but I never thought it would be _you_. I didn't expect that from you, Miss Miyako. " Then he leaned to the side and looked at the two mechanics and two medics; "And _you…_You should be an example to the others, not playing this childish games."

The pirates sweat-dropped and stiffened at his reprimanding voice and then turned towards him and bowed in apology. "We're sorry, captain." They said in a defeated voice, sounding like Bepo.

Law didn't ease up though, obviously still mad at the whole situation. "You will clean this mess up, _properly_. And after that you two…" He pointed at the two mechanics. "…Will check all the engines in the engine room and then clean it all _spotless_. " Penguin and Shachi gulped and looked at each other. That will keep them busy for hours. Then Law turned to the two medics; "And you two will do the same with the infirmary." He ordered and Josh and Cody nodded uncomfortably. And now it was Miyako's turn. Law's eyes narrowed and the girl gulped; "And you will clean the deck, _by yourself_." Miyako didn't dare to oppose him now that he was this pissed so she just nodded.

"Yes captain." She said sadly in a low voice.

~…~

The wet mop splattered on the wooden deck making a squishy wet noise. Miyako wiped the sweat from her face with her hand as she kept cleaning the deck. She's been doing so for an hour now under the bright hot sun. The worst part was every now and then a crewmember would exit the sub or come on the deck and dirty it with their muddy boots again so Miyako would have to clean that place all over again. She swore, the next time someone comes and dirties the deck, she'll kick him overboard. Then as she moved the mop, the wooden handle broke off from the mop part. "Oh come on!" Miyako cursed as she tried to put it back together but with no luck.

Then an idea popped in her head and she examined the wooden handle in her hands and hummed. She stood in a ready stance with her makeshift sword like they always did in the dojo when training with her master. With a swift cut through the air, Miyako swung with her "sword" moving forward in the process. The move ended in the exact stance she started it. And then she moved again but this time backwards as she swung with the wooden handle, cutting through the air. Miyako continued on a perfect fast rhythm without missing a beat.

It was a long time since Miyako did any training even when she still had her katana. And she didn't get to use it much ever since they left Maple Town, only on rare occasions when they would encounter the marines. And she almost forgot how fulfilling it could be; when you were just repeating the moves, not thinking of anything, clearing your head completely and just following your instincts letting your body move on its own. She realized how she missed that. The deck-cleaning was completely forgotten as Miyako moved and practiced not even bothered by people staring or the hot sun shining upon her.

~…~

Law opened the heavy metal doors of the sub and was about to step on the deck when a scene caught his eye. Miyako was practicing her swordsmanship on the deck with a mop handle and completely ignoring everything around her…including his order to clean the deck until she could see her reflection in it.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for just a second. *_Is it impossible for this girl to follow an order?* _He was just about to interrupt her ministrations and tell her to get back to work when he noticed the expression on her face. It's nothing he ever saw on her before. She was completely concentrated in front of her with determined, focused eyes. But there was a slight smile on her face, as if remembering a fond memory from a distant past.

He leaned on the door frame with his hands folded on his chest and watched the girl with a smirk. She, who would usually notice his presence as soon as he opened the doors, hadn't even realized he was there, totally in her own little word.

"Captain?" The voice of his first mate brought him back from his own little world and he turned his head backwards slightly and up to see the polar bear's questioning look. Bepo was holding Law's nodachi in his paws carefully and blinked with his small black eyes a few times.

"It's nothing." Law answered and stepped outside, the first mate right behind him.

At first Miyako didn't even notice a person next to her but when she did she stopped her ministrations and looked at Law wide-eyed. Suddenly she remembered what exactly she was supposed to be doing. She saw captain give her an amused questioning look and without even having to ask her, Miyako quickly answered; "The handle broke." The best excuse she could think of as she showed him the broken mop.

"Well I'm not surprised if you're practicing swordsmanship with it." Law answered, still smirking.

Miyako looked to the side with a bit of a guilty but also pouty look. "That's not how it broke though…" She muttered. But then an idea popped into her head and she made an innocent thoughtful face. "So I suppose I won't be able to finish the deck-cleaning…"

Law wouldn't have it though and he just tilted his head with a serious face. "Oh, you're finishing your work. I gave you an order so follow it. I don't care how you do it." He put his hands in his pockets, not phased with Miyako's frown at all.

She thought for a while again and then a grin appeared on her face. "Well you could fix it with your 'Tape-it-together-powers!'"

Law's eye twitched when he heard how she named his devil fruit ability. He couldn't help but repeat the name in his head with annoyance. *_Tape-it-together…?* _He didn't know if she was deliberately trying to piss him off or was it just pure talent to just say and do the wrong thing…or rather the right one, since it would push all Law's buttons. He sighed and looked at her, a slight annoyance in his voice as he spoke; "It's called Ope Ope no Mi, and don't use my powers for stupid reasons. If you need to fix it, do it yourself."

Miyako's frown deepened though it didn't really show true anger. She probably already knew he would say something like that. "Fine." She leaned on the handle with a sigh, but it slipped on the wet floor and she stumbled to the side, almost falling on the floor. Somehow she managed to regain her balance and stay on both feet, sighing in relief.

Law sighed again at the sight. Was it just him, or was he doing a lot of that lately? "Come on Bepo, let's go." He called out for the bear, who was looking at Miyako at the moment with confused eyes probably wondering if the girl was alright or if the sun affected her too much.

"Aye, captain!" Bepo called quickly and went after Law who was already off the sub and heading towards the big village.

Miyako looked after them and scowled a little. _*Why does he get to go to the village and everyone else has to stay here and do boring chores?_ (And by _everyone_ she meant _her_)..._Oh right, he's the captain._* She rolled her eyes at the thought but decided that wasn't a good enough and acceptable excuse in her book. Not that she could do anything about it. Instead she focused back on her task and put a finger on her chin, thinking how she should do this. Then a light bulb lit over her head as she remembered how she used to clean the dojo. It was a bit harder but much faster and she'd use the training anyway. She crouched, took the mop part and started running, bent forwards, with the mop. When she reached the end of the deck she would just turn and repeat the process.

Miyako stopped for a second to catch her breath and wiped more sweat from her brow. Thankfully it wasn't that sunny anymore…actually, the sun was just setting and she took some time to look in the distance at the beautiful sunset. Red and orange colors painted the sky, as the sun disappeared over the horizon slowly.

~….~

Miyako sighed exhausted but happy as she was finally finished with the whole deck. "Now that's a deck you could eat of!" She said proudly to herself as she looked at the spotless and shining wooden floors. She was proud of her work. And just at that moment the metal doors of the sub opened again and loudly. Miyako turned to see Shachi and Penguin talking about something….but what really got her attention were their oily boots, leaving footprints all over as they walked across the deck. The mechanics were working in the engine room all day so it wasn't strange that both their jumpsuits and boots were full of stains, even their hands as they tried to wipe them off on their clothes.

"Oh, Miya-chaaan! Hey!" Penguin noticed the girl and waved, the two friends coming towards her. However it was already too late when they noticed the girl's irritated, twitching face as she slowly went into fuming rage. Her eyes were fixated on their boots or rather the footprints they were leaving.

"Miya-chan?" Shachi asked a bit uncertain and worried seeing her face.

The two mechanics barely saw it coming, when the girl took the handle from the mop and did a kenjutsu move with it. The next thing they knew, they were flying overboard and into the ocean with a loud splash. The last thing their heard was Miyako yelling; "Bakatachi!"

~….~

"I was really surprised when captain told us we're sleeping in the sub tonight." Penguin said, chewing a piece of meat as they all sat down at their usual table during dinner.

"Talk or eat, choose one. Don't talk with your mouth full; you're spraying food on me." Josh complained and started poking Penguin with his fork.

"Now that you mention it, we didn't get much free time to roam the village as we usually do when we're on the island." Shachi said thoughtfully ignoring his two fighting friends.

"Well…that's probably cause we got ourselves in trouble." Cody said with a sheepish smile remembering about what happened earlier that day.

Miyako glared at him. "Yeah, and I won't forget how you guys totally abandoned me there." She muttered looking sideway at him with narrowed eyes and Cody just sweat-dropped smiling nervously and shrugging his shoulders. She ignored him and sighed returning to the main topic; "But I think I get why…Didn't you feel the tension among the villagers this morning? I think they suspect we kidnapped that missing girl or something. Captain probably just doesn't want any unnecessary trouble." She shrugged.

"Yeah, we don't want to end up in a similar trap like the one at Windmill Hill." Shachi said as he remembered his disappointment when the villagers weren't as friendly as they seemed to be at first and more importantly the girls weren't either.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Still we have 4 more days to spend here and we can't hide on the sub all that time." Josh said and stretched, accidentally poking a fellow pirate at the next table in the head with his fork who gave an annoyed "Hey!"

Miyako suddenly stood up as she finished her food and picked up her tray to put it with the other used ones. The group looked at her confused. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, Munk told me to go give Captain his dinner when I'm done." Munk would sometimes order her to take captain's dinner to his quarters. They would usually have some small talk and chats then and Miyako guessed that's when she first went from 'resenting and wanting to stab Law repeatedly' to 'He's-not-such-a-bad-guy…I guess' They got a bit closer, that was all she knew. And she found she didn't mind the task as much as she did in the beginning. It almost became a little tradition of theirs.

Still, she blushed when there were a few knowing 'Ooohhs' from the Heart Pirates and some sly smirks. "D-Don't be silly! It's just a part of my job." Miyako defended and turned around to leave quickly not looking back at the snickering pirates.

~…~

A light knock broke Law's concentration and he called a "Come in." a bit annoyed to be interrupted. He completely forgot it was dinnertime as he was buried in thick books on his desk. That's probably why Munk always sent someone with his food and didn't wait for the always-working captain to come down in the galley himself.

He looked up from his work when he noticed familiar golden eyes staring down on him, an amused glint in them. He looked at the tray in her hands and sighed. "Oh, so it's that time already." He moved some papers away so Miyako could put the trey down. "Just leave it here." He said in a murmur as he was already scanning some book again.

Miyako sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows then made a somewhat reprimanding look like a mother would give to a child. "That won't do."

Law looked up at the girl but didn't say anything. He knew he didn't have to, since she will explain anyway.

And she did. "If you don't eat properly and take care of yourself, you'll get sick. Look…" Then she pointed right at his face and leaned over the table closer to him. "Even your circles under your eyes are darker than usual, you don't even sleep enough. You're a doctor, right? So you should know this is bad for you."

Law's eyebrow raised slightly as he looked at the girl with a mixed expression of amusement and surprise. "Are you actually worried about me Miss Miyako?"

To that comment, a slight pink appeared on her cheeks and she stood up straight with her hands on her hips and tried to hide her embarrassment as she spoke. "T-that's not the point. Besides, Munk said…" She cleared her throat and then started quoting in a gruff voice trying to imitate the chef's; "Ya be sure he eat' all o' 't now! He already be scrawny enough, that he be!"

Law's smirk fell into a slight frown at the chef's words. Yes, that definitively sounds like something Munk would say. He was the only crewmember who could say such things but get away with it since he was at least the double age of Law. The chef respected Law and was extremely loyal to his captain, but Law sometimes felt like a kid under his care. With a sigh he took the tray and put it in front of him and almost rolled his eyes at Miyako's victorious, satisfied look.

But then he raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to stare at me the whole time while I eat?"

Miyako shifted her weight a bit uncomfortably and shrugged. "But I'll just have to come back again for the tray."

Law smirked. "Ah, and we wouldn't want that. After all that would mean you would have to see _me_ all over again. And that would be awful for you, I'm sure" He said sarcastically.

"Not really." Miyako blurted out completely calm and serious as if she just answered the most normal question. Law was actually a bit taken aback by the sudden answer and his eyes widened ever so slightly. At first Miyako didn't understand why such a reaction from him, but then when she actually thought about it for a while and realized what she had actually said, she blushed a bit and put both hands on her mouth before moving them in front of her defensively. "I-I mean, I didn't mean, I just…" She tried to think of the best response but Law's chuckle made her stop blabbing.

"It's fine." Law said with a smirk and gestured for her to sit down on the chair opposite of his, on the other side of the desk. She did so a bit reluctantly still trying to calm her hot cheeks. Meanwhile Law was staring at his tray with a slight scowl on his face as if he was having a silent argument with the food in front of him. Miyako tilted her head and blinked in confusion but then he took a little plate with a piece of cake on it and put it in front of her. "I always tell him I don't eat sweets." He muttered as he added a small fork for the cake on her plate.

Miyako looked at the sweet dessert and took the fork in her hand. She smiled slightly and winked, looking at Law; "That's why I'm here for." It was true, the girl would never say no to sweets. Especially the strange ones that Munk made, which Miyako never saw or tried before. In Wano there weren't so many different kinds of sweets such as the ones they ate in this part of the world.

The two ate in silence for a while before Miyako decided to break it. "I think I'll go look for a weapon shop tomorrow."

"Ah" Law just made a confirming noise but didn't answer. Was that a yes? Well Miyako will interpret it as such. But as he swallowed he added. "Just try not to get yourself in trouble."

Miyako pouted a bit. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"That seems impossible when it comes to you." He answered calmly, not looking away from his plate and the book he was reading even while eating. The guy really never took a break.

Meanwhile Miyako's pout turned into a frown as she heard the comment. "Great, now I'll be babysat again."

Law looked at her and smirked amused. "I'll tell you what; when you stop getting in trouble, you'll stop getting '_babysat'_." He repeated her name for it mockingly.

Miyako thought for a while. "I don't get in trouble _that_ much…do I?" She looked at him questioningly, uncertain herself and Law just responded with a smirk that pretty much said the answer. Miyako thought for a while again then sighed with a sweat-drop, defeated. "You're right, that'll never happen."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, that seemed long. O.o Anyway I hope you liked it. The plot is still only just beguiling though there are some indications of it. :) More of that in the next chapter though. <strong>

**As always reviews, comments, questions, constructive criticism or anything else you can think of is welcome and see you soon in the next chapter! **


	31. Chapter 31

**I don't like you **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Okie, I hope you didn't wait long for the new chapter. :) So here it is!**

**So as always, let's check out some reviews first:**

**SeaDevil: **Yeah, actually that crossed my mind too for a moment. XD

**Elielephant: **Law doesn't know Miyako plans to leave then after returning to Wano. They never made such a deal, but that was the reason why Miyako decided to go with them; so she could go back to Wano. Law maybe suspects something like that but he doesn't know her plans.

And once again thanks for finding the grammar mistakes. :)

**akagami hime chan: **Hehe yes, my exam went well and I'm glad yours did too. :) And I agree, she really is a tsundere. :P

**Jaganshi Mori: **Actually you gave me a good idea with Karuta that I'll probably use later. :D So thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, that's it so let's go!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 31<strong>

Miyako strolled down the village street once again happy to be out of the sub. All morning as she worked in the galley and after breakfast she couldn't wait to get out and continue her exploration. This time the group of pirates was a bit smaller though, only the captain, Bepo, Josh and her since the rest had work to do in the sub. Miyako only narrowed her eyes in a deep scowl as an unpleased look crossed her face when she heard they were all coming as well, but she knew she had no choice.

However the tension in the village didn't change, actually it seemed even worse and Miyako soon heard why. Luckily people talked and gossiped and it wasn't hard to hear some of it coming their way.

"Did you hear? Another disappeared?" An old man said in a low voice.

"Who was it this time?" The woman asked in a fearful tone.

"The only child of the Iwate family. The boy was only 12."

The woman gasped. "Oh, that's horrible. But there wasn't even a storm last night…everything looked fine."

"Yeah…they can't blame it on the storm this time…" That said, the old man looked at the passing-by Heart pirates with a dark and hateful look.

"I hear his nickname is Surgeon of Death…" The woman quickly whispered when she saw the old man looking at Law. "Who knows what kinds of horrible experiments he does on people!"

Another woman came towards them when she heard the two gossip. "Are the pirates really responsible for this? What if one of us is next! What's going on here?" She was starting to panic slightly and the other woman gave her a warning look.

Then a man in his early forties came to them with a reprimanding look. "That's enough you three! You don't want the pirates to hear."

Miyako turned to the other side of the street where people were also looking at them with fearful eyes, whispering. "Should we call the marines?" She heard one of the whispers and her eyes narrowed a little.

Josh glared at the group of people, trying to frown at each and every one of them. "You got a problem with us? Then say it loud and clear!" He yelled and some of the villagers took a step back or walked away into the house, yanking their children away as well. Others, however, just gave him a dark look.

"Mister Joshua." The voice of his captain was warning, telling his to knock it off and Josh fell quiet immediately, but not without a slight frown on his face. He put his hands deep in his pockets and glared at the villagers with an unpleased look.

Miyako turned to her captain. "But what should we do? If this continues they'll call the marines."

Law just kept walking, looking ahead, as if not worried about the whole situation. But Miyako knew he was as interested in it as everyone else. "I did some research; the nearest marine base is a good few islands away. It would take them at least 4 days to get here and that's in perfect weather and no complications. We'll be long gone by the time they come." He explained, still with his bored expression.

Miyako couldn't understand how he could act this calm. This people were accusing him of kidnapping villagers and experimenting on them….Though now that she thought about it; would that really be so strange and uncharacteristic for Law? She could actually picture him, grinning widely with a psycho-look on his face, scalpel high in the air and ready to cut open his newest victim. A slight shiver ran down her spine, but Miyako shook her head mentally and discarded the idea. Law wouldn't do it…after all he wouldn't risk the safety of his crew for his own personal pleasure…she hoped. And she would certainly notice it, after all, she lived on the sub too and a body isn't that easy to hide. Though Miyako's mind could already think of a few ways. And who's to say Law wasn't sneaking off in the dark of the night while everyone's asleep.

_*no, no, no, what am I thinking? I can't accuse and doubt him like this? I'm sure he wouldn't do that.*_ But Miyako knew Law was known for his cruelty and loved to play with the person's body...that's why the Ope Ope no Mi was perfect for him. So to say he wouldn't do that…could she really even say it? Could she believe it?

However, for now she decided to ignore the stares and fearful whispers and decided to look for a sword, which was harder than she thought when she realized nobody would talk to her. As soon as they saw her approach, they would move quickly, almost running away. Not so surprising considering she was with the group of merciless pirates, or at least that's how the villagers saw them.

When she turned around back towards her group with a troubled face, she was surprised to see there was no sign of Josh and Bepo and instead only Law was standing there with his nodachi resting on his shoulder. She blinked in puzzlement and went to him.

"Where are the others?"

"Mister Joshua wanted to get some personal supplies and I sent Bepo with him just in case. Besides I needed some medical supplies as well so they went to take care of that too." Law explained, saying more than he did all day.

"I see…" Miyako looked around, more focused on whom next to try and catch for some information.

Law smirked. "It seems you are experiencing some problems. Need any help?" His voice and expression was amused and Miyako looked at him suspiciously.

"How?" She just asked.

Law looked around as if looking for a target and smirked when he found one. He went towards an old man who was sitting on a bench nearby, sipping some tea and playing shogi with himself. When he saw Law approach he didn't make the same fearful face as everybody else. Instead he just calmly looked up at Law and waited to hear what the young pirate will say.

"Hello, sir. If you could help us a little here." Law smirked. Meanwhile Miyako walked over to them as well and looked at the old man. He was in his late sixties with silver hair tied in a loose ponytail, and dark grey eyes that looked as piercing and knowing as Law's. But they also looked as if the wisdom of the world will pour out of them any second. But what really interested her was a katana tied securely around his waist and something told Miyako it wasn't just for decoration.

"How can I help you young man?" He asked in a slow and calm voice, sipping his tea.

Law looked at Miyako with the corner of his eye telling her to speak and the girl bowed to the old man respectfully. "Do you know if there are any weaponry shops here? Or a blacksmith? Anyone who could forge a katana."

The old man eyed her. "How interesting…And what would a young girl like you do with such a dangerous weapon? It's not something anyone should acquire." He said, looking at her in a strange way that Miyako couldn't decipher.

Miyako didn't really want to explain herself to this man since it was none of his business and she could tell Law was getting impatient as he crossed his arms, resting the nodachi in the crook of his arm and tapped a sole finger on his forearm.

"I need it for what the katana is needed for; for fighting." She said in a matter-of-fact voice as if it was the most known thing in the world.

"Hmm…and why do you fight?" The old man continued while staring at his cup of tea as if he'll find the answer to his question somewhere in it.

Miyako's eyes widened a little. That was a question she asked herself thousands of times and still didn't get a clear answer to it. It was the question her master asked her a few times as well….but never helped her with the answer. Why did she fight? Why did she risk her life? Why did she swing her sword? She hoped in her journey as a rounin and a rurouni she would find these answers. She looked at the ground with an intense look of wonder in her eyes, then muttered; "I'm not sure yet myself…"

But then her look turned into a determined one and she looked at the man seriously. "But that is why I need a katana…so one day I could find the answer to my question. To all my questions. I know only one thing; I can only do it by fighting and swinging my sword."

The man smiled and finally looked at her with his old piercing eyes. "You seem confused…but you are on the right path. I hope you don't stray from it."

Miyako wasn't really sure what he meant by that but she didn't have time to ask as an impatient Law cleared his throat indicating for them to hurry up. He listened with interest to their little conversation and was very intrigued by Miyako's answer, but he didn't want to spend all day here. They still had work to do.

The man pointed down a certain street. "Go down this street, then turn left. There is a small shop that sells kitchen knives and similar tools, ask for the owner; Takahashi Izumi. Her father was once a skilled blacksmith in Wano who made katana for some pretty famous samurai. He is retired now but perhaps such a determined child, like yourself, will be able to convince him to make one last sword."

Law raised an eyebrow. "Is there really no weaponry shop or blacksmith who makes weapons here?" He found it hard to believe since Wano was famous for skilled warriors and flawless weapons.

The old man looked at the supernova with slightly narrowed eyes that Law didn't particularly like. "We are a _peaceful_ village, Trafalgar-dono." Law was sure there was another meaning in the man's answer that made his irritation rise a little more but Law being himself didn't show any signs of it on his features.

He just turned around and called out to Miyako so they could finally go.

~…~

As they walked, Miyako thought about the old man. "Did that man seem strange to you somehow…?" She finally asked.

"hmm…"Law just hummed but didn't say anything. Then after a while he added; "Well it was easier to get information out of him than I thought it would."

Miyako eyed him suspiciously. "So when you asked if I needed help you were actually thinking of forcing the information out of the first person you saw…" It was said more as a statement than a question.

Law smirked on her comment. "Miss Miyako, you keep forgetting one very important thing…" He looked at her, still with that smirk and a slightly evil glint in his eyes. "…I am a pirate after all."

~…~

As they walked into the small shop Miyako could see a young woman talking to a man at the counter. She looked around the shop and saw all kinds of tools; they had everything from hunting knives and scythes to pottery. But among all the things there were no weapons. Not one sword, not even some old rusty one. Miyako sighed, a bit disappointed.

Law saw the girl's look. "The man said he was retired." But then his expression turned more evil and he grinned. "However that doesn't mean we can't…persuade him."

Miyako scoffed. "I don't really want to force him to do it. Let's ask first."

But then a gasp interrupted their conversation and the young man in the shop walked over to them. He examined Miyako like she was a painting in a museum and there was an excited look in his eyes.

Miyako looked at the tall, slender man towering over her, in question and very uncomfortable.

"Such beautiful eyes." The man mumbled then walked around and took a strand of her hair. "and good, well-kept hair…." He mumbled some more. "I wonder about the teeth…" He pulled back the corner of Miyako's mouth on everybody's surprise. "Good teeth…."

Miyako's eye twitched in annoyance. "Excuse me!" She said as she pulled back, glaring slightly at the man.

Then the man blinked as if he was pulled out of a daze and then smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, sorry, I just got a bit carried away. It's just that you look like a doll and I was really interested. I would really like to make a doll that looks like you…if you would be willing to model for me sometimes?"

Miyako could just blink and then her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

She looked at the tall man in front of her. He still had a nervous smile on his face. He had black shoulder-length hair and dark eyes of the same color, which were mostly hidden behind thin glasses. He was very pale as if he rarely went out of the house and she could just barely notice small dark circles around his eyes, which indicated lack of sleep.

"Excuse him...Reiji is just a bit...eccentric." The young woman who was the owner of the shop said as she came to them as well. "But he's not a bad person…you just have to get used to him." She laughed making the man blush a little. The woman had a beautiful bronze tan and big, chocolate brown eyes, with her long hair curly and flowing down her back. She was a real beauty, Miyako noted.

"Oh right, I didn't even introduce myself! How rude of me!" The tall man said and bowed slightly. "My name is Azuma Reiji, I own a shop with traditional Wano dolls and puppets."

Then Miyako's eyes widened a little as she remembered looking through the shop window with her friends. "Oh, _that_ shop!" She bowed back with a small smile. "They were all really exquisite. I'm Suzune Miyako by the way and this is my captain, Trafalgar Law." She motioned to a quiet Law who had a serious and thoughtful look on his face as he looked at Reiji. Miyako didn't know what was the matter with him because he hardly said a word since they got here. Law nodded at the man and the woman but stayed quiet.

"Oh, so you've seen it. Well thank you for the compliment. A-Anyway, sorry about before." Reiji gave her another sheepish smile. "It's just I haven't had much inspiration lately and then I saw you; I would really like a doll made after you." He said with a wide smile and that excited glint in his eyes. "Perhaps if you would come to my studio where I work sometimes…It's behind the shop-"

"No." The low voice broke out and cut off the young man. Everybody looked at Law but he didn't seem to care. "We are here for other business; we don't have time for this." He finally said and looked at Miyako impatiently.

"Right!" Miyako said as she remembered their task. She turned towards the young woman. "You must be the shop owner, Takahashi Izumi"

The woman looked a bit surprised they knew her name but nodded anyway.

"The truth is we would like to talk to your father."

Izumi looked even more surprised now. "Father? What do you want from him?"

"W-well…it's about…forging a sword." Miyako said as she shifted her weight. She was feeling anxious all of a sudden.

Izumi's face softened a little. "I'm sorry but my father doesn't do that anymore."

"Can we just talk to him please?" Miyako insisted, not ready to give up yet.

The woman didn't look pleased but after a pause for thought she turned around and headed to the back of the shop. "Wait here. I'll tell him you're here."

A speck of hope appeared in Miyako's mind though she knew it was too soon to be celebrating already. But she decided to convince this man to make her a sword no matter what. She knew there was no way she could proceed towards the dangers of new islands that were to come without her weapon. She would just be a burden to everyone and she told herself she will never be _that_ again. Not like in Point Blank. She wanted to protect herself and her friends and the only way she could do that was with a katana. She never wanted to feel weak and useless like that day again.

Izumi came back shortly with a down look. She looked at the two pirates and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry."

Miyako sighed, disappointed and just when she was about to say something, Law passed them both by and started walking towards the back of the shop. The two women looked at him with confused looks.

Without turning he asked a question directed to Miyako. "Getting a new katana is important to you, no? Are you willing to give up so easily?"

That made Miyako get knew confidence and her look hardened a little, then she ran next to him and walked beside her captain as well.

"H-hey, wait a minute! You can't-" Izumi was about to block their path but one meaningful look from Law was enough to make her falter and step aside with a worried look. She looked back at Reiji who stood there, blinking with a slightly confused but interested look.

Law moved a small curtain aside and saw the back room where all the items were made. There, a big man sat. Even though his face showed old age, his hair and rich beard were dark and showed no streaks of white in them. He had a hard, piercing gaze with small brown eyes. The man was working with hot led, molding it into another tool as he hit the soft metal with a small hammer. When the man heard people come in, he turned around and gave them a slight glare.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Papa, they're the people I just told you about…" Izumi said as she appeared behind Law and Miyako.

The man's glare hardened towards the couple. "I told you to send them away."

"Yes, but…" She started explaining in an insecure whisper but Law cut her off.

"We don't take 'n_o'_ so easily, Mister Takahashi" He explained with a smirk. "Especially not without a reason." He continued.

The man snorted. "You young brats are really cocky these days. I heard of you, Trafalgar Law, a famous rookie pirate. So what are you going to do, force me to make it? You can try…" The man gripped the poker, he was now holding, a bit tighter.

Law's expression was serious now and he gripped his nodachi a bit tighter. "If necessary."

"Wait!" Miyako stopped the bickering and eased the tension in the air a little. "Please, Takahashi-san, I don't want to force you to do anything. But I really need a new sword. I know you're retired but would you please give us a reason as to why you're so against it. Is it…because we're pirates?" The last statement she said a bit softly as if regretting it.

Takahashi's eyes narrowed a little. "It has nothing to do with you. I'm done making weapons that kill people and make them miserable. My swords had taken enough lives as it is…no more."

Miyako and the man looked at each other for a second, both having serious but unreadable expressions. Finally, Miyako bowed slightly. "I see. Then, we won't bother you anymore." She said softly, then stood up straight again and turned to leave.

Before Law could call out for her she was already out of the shop door. Reiji tried to stop and talk to her about his plan some more but she didn't stop for him either and just kept walking out of the shop.

As Law and Miyako walked down the street, Law finally decided to ask. "Why did you just leave like that? Was your determination so weak?"

The girl stopped a few paces ahead of him so he could only stare at her back. She was quiet for a while, and just as Law was about to say something else, she explained. "It's true I need a sword but I don't want it at the price of other people's dreams and determination."

Law tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

She continued. "A katana is used for killing. It's as simple as that. No matter how you wield it; for protecting others, or simply assassinating, the result is the same…you will hurt people or take their lives. And just as the ones wielding it have to be aware of that fact, so does the ones who make them. They are aware that the weapons they make will kill other people. Perhaps you wouldn't say they're responsible for what the owner does with the weapon blacksmiths make…but this man feel he is. Takahashi-san feels responsible for the swords he made that took other people's lives and that's why he stopped making them. I can't force this man to trample over his vow just because of my selfish reasons. No matter how much I need a katana."

At the end of her speech, the girl turned to look over her back towards her captain. Her look was completely serious. Law could see there was no changing her mind and a part of him could understand her. True, he was a pirate, and he took what he wanted and when he wanted…it was a privilege when you lived outside the law. But even if this girl was a pirate and lived outside the law now as well she still had certain beliefs she didn't want to break. Law too, had some beliefs and a code even if he was a criminal. So he could understand what she meant.

Law nodded and walked over to her until they were next to each other. That was the only confirmation he gave her but she understood it and smiled at him slightly.

"Thank you for understanding." She spoke, still with a smile.

Law raised an eyebrow in wonder, so Miyako thought she should explain. "Well, I could see you weren't too happy with his attitude. You probably wanted to make him forge a sword just to spite him, right?" She smiled slightly but had a sweat-drop.

Law smirked. "Maybe a little bit." He didn't want to admit it but Miyako was right on the mark.

~…~

In the late afternoon Law gave everyone some time off so most of the crew went into the village and found the first tavern where they could drink. Miyako didn't really like the idea of getting wasted and she was still a bit down because of the whole sword thing. Ever since Law and she got back, she was deep in thought, thinking of how to be useful and find a replacement weapon until she finds a new sword.

However the guys didn't even want to hear her protests as they dragged her out of the sub and into the village. Even Law went out, who was known as the man who never stopped working. And on everybody's pleasant surprise, tonight was the perfect night for a night off.

"Annual Kyonin festival! Tonight!" Cody read as he looked at one of the posters.

The group looked around the village and saw that people were preparing for the festival, decorating the village and putting different stands outside. It would start in just a few hours.

"Lucky! Now we can actually have an excuse to get drunk." Josh grinned and Miyako rolled her eyes at his statement.

"Like you need a reason anyway." She muttered.

"Meh, you're right…I can't argue with that one." Josh answered, shrugging.

"But this is going to be soooo fun!" Cody almost jumped from excitement. The tall medic could sometimes act like such a child. Still, that made Miyako smile. He turned around to his samurai friend. "Hey, hey, Miyako, let's all wear traditional Wano clothing for the festival! It's gonna be more fun and we'll fit right in." He grinned.

Josh smirked at him mockingly. "Yeah, you'll fit riiight in." He pointed at Cody's blueish, spiky hair while all of the villagers had dark colored hair and eyes. Cody scoffed but ignored him as he looked back at Miyako; "So what do you say?"

"We say you can't take your jumpsuits off!" A new voice came towards them. Penguin's voice, as he and Shachi came to the group. "You'll be too hard to find among the crowd and what if something happens and we need to find you urgently?" Shachi nodded approvingly at his partner's reprimanding speech.

Cody frowned. "You two are no fun…" He said in a slightly pouty voice.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Well I wouldn't dress in some weird clothes anyway."

"Hey!" Miyako said a bit loudly as she frowned at Josh for calling Wano clothes, the clothes she usually wore, weird.

But Josh just ignored her. "Come on, let's go find a drink."

Cody snickered. "You alcoholic."

"It's really surprising how much he can drink for such a small person." Penguin said to Miyako as they walked, receiving a smack in the back of his head by Josh and an argument started.

Miyako smirked. "How do you even convince them you're not underage when you look like a boy scout?"

"Shut up, Ugly woman! I'm older than you!" He yelled at her.

"Well you're certainly not acting like it." She stuck her tongue at the redhead.

The two mechanics and Cody watched the two bicker and had sweat-drops. They all murmured at the same time; "You both act like kids..." However the two didn't hear them over their own arguing.

~…~

The streets were lit and decorated with paper lanterns and paper decorations that the village kids cut up in different shapes and colors. The main street was filled with food stands and games where you could win little prizes and charms. A group of villagers were singing and playing on flutes, small hand drums and lutes. A woman sang a song of spring and birth of life. People danced in the little village square while children ran around playing. It seems the tension from earlier loosened a little and the people decided to forget about two incidents just for this night. Though Miyako doubted the families of the missing ones were enjoying themselves tonight as well and she could still see a few man whispering in low voices and giving the pirates glares now and then.

Miyako looked around the festive village with a wide smile as she enjoyed the music, the decorations and the smell of food coming from the stands. She could see everything from takoyaki to stands with different kinds of sweets she hadn't eaten since childhood. She even dressed for the occasion, putting on her kimono, which earned her a pouty look from Cody since he had to wear his plain white jumpsuit.

"Everything looks so nice and lively." Miyako said as she looked at the dancing people.

The guys looked at each other and grinned.

"Well then, let's get a move on and let this party started!" Penguin exclaimed, as both him and Shachi took her under each arm and into the crowed. Miyako was a bit surprised but let herself be taken away by them and into the swirling and chattering people and bright lantern lights.

Miyako could see other Heart pirates enjoying themselves as well. Some of them ended up in the local tavern, others tried flirting with the girls, some were stuffing themselves next to the food stands or playing festival games. She looked over at Josh who was involved in a drinking contest between his own crewmates and some village men, and indeed; for such a small guy, he could really drink _a lot. _

Meanwhile Miyako was eating some takoyaki and drinking hot tea while watching Penguin and Shachi get rejected by another village girl. This time Penguin actually got slapped and Shachi got a drink splashed in his face. Cody on the other hand had more luck and was currently dancing with a girl. The guy really had a way with the ladies, which made jealousy obvious on Penguin's and Shachi's faces. Miyako scanned the crowed and saw Law sitting on a nearby bench, Bepo by his side, as he scanned the crowd as well with a smirk, obviously amused by the actions of his crew. For a moment the two's eyes met but Miyako quickly looked away with a small blush. She could feel her heart miss a beat. *_What's wrong with me? I'm acting strange again.*_

Miyako ignored what just happened, deciding to forget about it, and not that she really had any other choice as she was pulled by a tipsy Penguin all of a sudden. "Let's go see what else they have!" Miyako looked at him strangely for a few seconds, seeing his slightly reddish face probably because of the booze but in the end nodded with a smile. She let herself be pulled through the crowd, not really enjoying it but she couldn't really do anything about it at the moment since Penguin kept walking quickly and pulling her by the hand. And so they went. From the takoyaki stand to the sweets stand where Miyako took a green tea ice cream, from where they came to a small group of people who played Renju where Miyako came to the finals but was in the end beaten by the same old man Law and her met in the street when asking about a sword shop.

The old man came to her after the match and she bowed to him respectfully, congratulating him. Though Miyako still didn't know what was the man's name. Somehow he seemed rather mysterious.

"So did you manage to persuade Takahashi Muso to forge you a sword?" He said with a smile.

Miyako realized Muso must've been the name of the big blacksmith. She shook her head a bit sadly but a small smile still graced her lips. She told herself she didn't want to stress over that tonight…or rather the guys told her not to. She suspected Josh even threatened her about it at one point. She remembered the conversation they had but then shook it off, returning from her thoughts to reality. "No, it seems I won't find a sword here after all."

The old man just smirked before he turned away. He gave her one last glance. "It's still early to tell. People change their minds so you never know." He had a mysterious smirk as he said that and Miyako couldn't understand the man's optimism, though she doubted his words. She doubted there was a way for Muso Takahashi to change his mind.

Before she could think more about it, she was once again pulled by Penguin and this time Shachi as well. And after seeing some more stands, making and releasing some paper lanterns into the night sky and stuffing themselves with both food and drinks, Miyako found herself in front of a stall and in a goldfish scooping game. It was simple…or rather it sounded simple. But Miyako couldn't catch any goldfishes at all and she was getting more frustrated by the minute. Every time the special paper on the scooper called _poi_ would break before she could get the fish out properly. She let out a frustrated sigh but then her breath hitched at an amused voice coming from right behind her.

"It seems you're having some trouble there, Miss Miyako."

Miyako turned around quickly to see Law looming over her shoulder and looking at the small pond, an amused smirk on his face.

She frowned at his expression. "Oh, and I suppose you could do better?" She said a bit bitterly and sarcastically at the same time.

Law ignored her comment but looked at her with an amused look and something else in it that she couldn't really decipher. Then he took a scooper and Miyako watched as he dipped it in the water and then waited patiently for a fish to come nearby. With a calm and fluid motion she scooped it without any damage to the poi and then put it in the bowl. He turned to look at Miyako with a raised eyebrow, a 'You-were-saying?' expression and obviously gloating.

Miyako put on a barely visible frown with slightly narrowed eyes but not in anger. She didn't say anything, just turned back to the pond, now even more determined to catch a fish. She tried to scoop the fishes but they would swim away and after a while Miyako would lose her patience and try catching it quicker making the poi break even if she almost caught the fish in it. She cursed mentally. _*Dammit! What am I doing wrong? I'm doing it exactly like he did.* _She looked at Law from the corner of her eyes, barely noticeable, and her eyes widened a little when she saw he was already putting his fifth fish in the bowl, while she had none. *_I am _not_ going to lose to him!*_ But she was just getting more frustrated and impatient.

She was just about to give up when a small chuckle made her freeze. It wasn't exactly the chuckle though. It was the fact that the breath that came from that chuckle tickled the back of her neck, indicating the person was _very_ close to her, and also it was the hand that rested on her own hand which still held the scooper. The hand on top of hers was a darker tan than hers, showing some contrast to their skin, and there was of course the word Death that spelled the tattooed letters on each of the fingers.

Miyako's head turned slightly back. "What are you doing?" She demanded a bit freaked out.

"I know you're too stubborn to ask me to show you how it's done. So I decided to show you anyway."

Miyako's eyes narrowed a bit warningly. "Don't you think you're a taaad bit too close?" Her voice was full of sarcasm since it was obvious Law was waaay too close, at least for her liking. And it's not like when he would get close to her and tease her when they were all alone. He was doing it in front of _everyone_ and for _everyone_ to see. She hoped the crew wasn't anywhere near to see this…especially not any of her friends, or else she would be teased for a lifetime. Miyako tried to ignore the rising blush and heat in her cheeks.

Law only smirked, not fazed at all. "How else could I show you? Now…be quiet and watch. Just follow the movement of my hand….and _relax_." He emphasized the last word a little since the girl seemed as stiff as stone right now.

Miyako sighed and gave up on trying to get Law away from her. Obviously he didn't have any intention to do so right now and she knew when Law set his mind on something; there won't be any way other than _his_ way. She tried her best to follow his instructions but it was hard when he had his chest flush against her back and breathing down her neck, not to mention the warm hand on top of hers. Still she tried her best to focus on the pond and the fishes in front of her.

Law's hand moved, moving Miyako's as well and she relaxed a little when she focused on the task at hand, forgetting everything else. For a while they just waited and Miyako was beginning to get a little impatient. But Law just murmured a "Not yet", close to her ear. "You have to wait to the very last moment….and then…" He moved her hand in one small movement. "...you just go with the flow of the fish's movement." He finished and scooped the fish gently, placing it into the bowl. Miyako didn't say anything but felt a rush of happy excitement like a little child would. "See? It's easy. You're just too impatient and you need to relax more." He finally said and smirked at her, moving a little away from her and giving her much needed space. Miyako turned around with a smirk. "Well Mister Law, it seems this isn't your first fish-scooping." She said teasingly.

Law didn't answer though, only smirked. Miyako noticed his lack of response. He was always so closed up and private, so mysterious. She realized she didn't know anything about her captain, the man she had sailed with for more than nine months now.

Law motioned to the pond and got her out of her thoughts. "Now you try."

Miyako looked down at the fishes and dipped the scooper in, waiting patiently. At one moment when a fish was close she wanted to move and try to catch it but remembered how Law did it and remained waiting patiently and unmoving. Then at the right moment, she moved the scooper under the fish but not too deep and scooped it, putting the goldfish into her bowl. She smiled and looked back at Law, not even realizing she was still smiling excitedly.

Law seemed taken back at first by Miyako's excited and bright smile, though it was so subtle nobody could even tell he seemed surprised. But then he just smirked wider at her and stood up, releasing the goldfishes back to the pond. Miyako looked at his actions confused since usually it was expected to keep all the fishes you catch.

Law saw her look and simply shrugged. "I have no interest in goldfishes. They're not really useful for medical experimenting either."

Miyako sweat-dropped. *_I should've known…*_ Suddenly a moment, that somebody could even call romantic, was completely shattered. She then looked at the two goldfishes in her own bowl that were swimming around each other. "I want to keep mine." She said and looked at Law with almost puppy-dog, big eyes.

The pirate captain sighed and crossed his arms on his chest. "If you want. But why both? Isn't one enough?"

"But if I only take one, it'll be lonely." Miyako explained with a look that said something like that was a given.

Law sighed and shrugged again, not really caring either way.

The man at the stall gave Miyako the two fishes in a clear bag and she thanked him with a smile before running back to Law and showing him the bag with a big grin, which he returned with a smirk.

They went through the stalls together until Miyako saw something familiar. One of the stands had all kinds of Wano dolls and puppets on it and Miyako remembered them from the shop. And as they came closer she could see Reiji standing there and talking to some customers. When he noticed her he smiled brightly and waved his hand calling her closer.

"Reiji-san." Miyako bowed slightly as a 'Hello' and Reiji returned the bow. He also greeted Law but the captain didn't return the warm look, not even a nod of his head, just the usual expressionless stare which made Reiji uncomfortable.

"I didn't know you were going to sell your dolls here as well." Miyako said as she started examining his work. "They're all so nice."

Reiji smiled. "Yes, are you interested in any of them?" Then he remembered their conversation in the blacksmith's shop. "Have you thought about my proposal? I would really like if you could model for me." He stared at her with that artist's eye as if seeing a perfect piece of wood he was about to mold for his dolls.

Miyako felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. "Well, I…" She really didn't feel comfortable with doing so though some extra money wouldn't hurt. Since she barely had any right now. But first she needed to see how far Reiji intended to take that modeling he was talking about it. Was it just her face…or something more as well?

Suddenly a lively tune started playing and Miyako's ears almost perked up. "I know this song. This used to play on every summer festival in my hometown." Miyako completely forgot about Reiji and their current conversation as she listened to the song. She turned towards the playing group and the little village square filled with people dancing. Then turned back to Law and gave him the bag before he could even protest. "Hold this." Before he could say anything about her ordering him, Miyako ran off into the crowd, kicking of her wooden sandals in the process.

The music started slow than got faster with each note and Miyako swirled and moved with the melody remembering every move of the dance that she was taught as a kid. The people around her moved the same way, clapping their hands at the exact same moment when the song played a certain part. She saw Penguin and Shachi talking on the side, looking somewhat bored and she grinned. She ran up to them and before they could protest, pulled them in the square among people to dance. The two mechanics needed to some time to see and understand the movements but then started dancing themselves, laughing in the process. Then Miyako saw Cody standing next to the captain and rushed towards them.

"I'll borrow him for a while." She quickly said to Law and pulled Cody away.

"Hey, wha-?" Cody tried to ask something but was pushed into the circle as well and Miyako grabbed him under his arm as they twirled together. Then they changed partners and she twirled with Shachi and so it went on.

She saw Josh as well but he was almost passed out by the alcohol so there was no point trying to ask him to join in. But then as she danced her eyes fell on the captain, who was leaning against the wall and looking at the dancing crowd. And she smirked.

Law watched his samurai dance with a smile on her face. A sweet and true smile that she rarely showed. Right now she looked like all her worries disappeared and that made her lit up brightly like the lanterns around them. Law couldn't really explain it, but seeing Miyako like this somehow brought him satisfaction as well. As if he was glad about her happiness. He didn't have any more time to actually think about it or admire the image of the dancing samurai girl because she was next to him in a flash and took the fishes from his hand giving them to a crewmember nearby.

When she took his hand with a grin, Law was surprised but it didn't take long for his mind to understand what was happening.

"Miss Miyako, I don't dance." He said as he was already being pulled at the dance floor.

"Liar. You danced with me in Maple Town, didn't you?" She turned around and smiled at him, showing she wasn't mad by the statement but had no intention of letting go. And Law actually liked the thought of Miyako not wanting to let go.

But just as they came to the dance floor and were about to partner up, other people grabbed both of them by the arms and both Miyako and Law ended up dancing with someone completely different. A man in his fifties took Miyako by the arm and started dancing in circles, and a young girl, about 15, took Law and started dancing with him with a big smile on her face. And every time they seemed close and were about to partner up, the same thing would happen and they would be grabbed by someone else.

Miyako looked over her shoulder and gave a look to Law and he returned it as he was too looking through the crowd at Miyako. There wasn't much they could do though, and Law was beginning to get irritated by the whole situation and the people around him.

Then both of them managed to wriggle out of other people's grasp as the tune changed and just as they ended up with each other, holding both hands and fingers entwined, the music stopped. For just a moment longer, the couple looked at each other's eyes, even though the music wasn't playing. But when they realized it, they both let go and clapped together with the people around them but still intently looking at each other. Miyako gave Law a smile and a shrug as if saying 'Too bad.'

Miyako found her wooden sandals that she so carelessly kicked off and rejoined the rest of the crew with a smile. Suddenly she saw a hand in front of her and saw Law reaching out and asking for her to join him, his hand outstretched for her to take it. He had his usual smirk on his face. For a while Miyako just blinked in slight surprise but then smirked as well and took his hand slowly as they disappeared in the crowd to enjoy the festival together.

~….~

That night Miyako was so tired that it didn't need long for her to fall into deep sleep, completely exhausted.

Unfortunately Law didn't have such luck, because his resting time didn't last long. He was awoken at 7am by Penguin who was pounding loudly on his doors. Law groaned and turned from his stomach to his back, trying to wake up and rub sleep out of his eyes. "What now?" He grumbled in complete annoyance.

"Captain! We have a problem!" Penguin called as he momentarily stopped his pounding.

Law somehow sat up on the edge of his bed, still with sleepy and half-lidded eyes, looking for his clothes. He got dressed as fast as he could in the state he was in and opened the door where Penguin stood with a worried expression on his face.

Law didn't even have time to ask what was going on and Penguin was already explaining. "Captain, there's a problem with the sub. You gotta see this."

"This better be good." Law muttered, more to himself, and fixed the fuzzy hat on his head as he followed one of his head mechanics.

He was a bit surprised when he noticed Penguin was taking him out on the deck instead of the engine room. He was sure, when Penguin said they had a sub problem, it had something to do with the lowest sub floor were all the machinery is. But he had no idea why the black haired mechanic was leading him to the deck.

When they reached the deck, Law could see three more of his mechanics there, plus Shachi, who looked as irritated and as sleepy as Law. The brown haired head mechanic was never a morning person. Law noticed that all of them, except Shachi, were from the first shift working in the engine room.

When he noticed Law, Shachi ran up to him and greeted the doctor with a nod of his head and a "Captain."

"What's going on here?" Law wasted no time with morning greetings.

"There's a problem with one of our engines, sir." Penguin said.

"Then why are we here and not in the engine room?" Law couldn't help the slight annoyance in his voice.

"Well, that's the thing sir…The problem isn't internal." Shachi explained but continued when Law gave him a questioning look. "The engine didn't overheat or something like that and all the circuits look fine from the engine room."

"The problem is on the outside, captain." Penguin finished. "When we tried starting it up it almost blew up in our faces. So when we didn't see any problems from the engine room, we had to go down there to look for the problem." He pointed at the bottom of the sea.

"Right now Mori is down there, estimating the damage."

Just at that moment Law heard Cal speak through a den den mushi, obviously communicating with Mori who was down in the water, and after a few minutes, Mori came out in a diving suit and a big oxygen tank as they helped him get on the deck. He took off his mask and then the rest of the equipment, and hurried towards Law and the two mechanics.

"What's the damage Mori?" Penguin asked.

"As we suspected, one of two main engines is busted. But…" The young mechanic looked at his superiors with an uncertain look.

"What is it Mori? Spit it out!" Shachi hurried him.

"Well, sir, the circuits look cut and some parts of the engine look as if someone pierced it with something…as if someone tempered with the engine."

Law's eyes narrowed at that piece of information. He didn't like this, didn't like this at all. "So the engine has been sabotaged."

Mori nodded. "Probably sir. Luckily, the other ones are fine. I checked them all."

Law nodded. "How long would it take to repair it?"

"3 to 4 days sir…Luckily we have the spare parts needed but whoever did this, they busted it good."

"Make it 3. If nothing else goes wrong we might still be able to sail away at the planned time. The log pose sets in three days." Law said, looking at Penguin and Shachi and they saluted with a 'Yes, sir!' But Law was already deep in thought. Why would someone do this? Didn't the villagers want them gone as soon as possible? Besides, this village doesn't look like they have the equipment needed for diving and also tempering with the engine. But who else could have done this? And why?

"Could it be the villagers are trying to hold us until the marines get here? Maybe it's a trap." Shachi suggested obviously thinking of the same thing as Law.

"Maybe…but the village doesn't look so evolved as to have such skilled equipment that they would need for this. Besides they don't even work with machinery here. Still, we shouldn't exclude any possibilities." Law said as he tapped a finger on his chin, playing with the patch of hair there. Then he looked at his two mechanics. "Shachi, you will stay here with Mori and the others and start fixing the engine immediately. Penguin, you take two more men and start asking around the village if there is anyone with any mechanical knowledge there. They'd be our first and only suspects for now."

The two mechanics saluted once again. "Aye, aye captain!"

And just as Law thought things couldn't get any worse, a loud, gruff voice raised through the air, coming from somewhere from the ground next to the submarine.

"**LAW, YOU BASTARD! SHOW YOURSELF! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! GIVE HER BACK!"**

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it. It's getting more interesting now. ;) The next chapter should be here soon since I already started writing it. So be patient and see you soon! <strong>

**Reviews, constructive criticism, comments and questions are always welcome so feel free to leave some. **


	32. Chapter 32

"**I don't like you" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Finally! Ok, I know it took some time so sorry for the long wait. I lost inspiration at one point and had to think about what to write next. ^^'**

**Thank you for waiting patiently though. :)**

**Now to answer some comments.**

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><p><strong>Chuu112: <strong>Yeah, I kinda left you with a cliffy here and then made you wait a long time. Sorry. ^^'

**AliceLaw: **Thank you, and I'm really happy if my writing has improved! :D

**DrainaPurpurne2412: **Thank you! I hope you'll like the rest too. :)

**Zoro et Robin: **Thanks ^^ and wow, I actually knew what it meant without having to translate it. XD And then they say television can't teach us anything good. :P

**MangaFreak55: **Thank you for the support and I'll answer any questions you have. (Unless they would be spoilers for the story, for that you'll just have to wait and see. ;P). Oh and I almost squealed when I saw you were from Croatia, too! :D

**SeaDevil: ***ehem* *ehem* I know nothing... *innocent look* :P

**SkittlesKat: **Yep, I don't like to over use cliffhangers but sometimes it's not that bad. :) I like people guessing what will come next. ;)

**Izzie**: I'm glad you liked it! :D Hm, well, I got the inspiration for the dance scene from the movie Tangled a bit. You can see some similarities. And yeah, I can totally imagine the teenage girl thinking something like that, like; Score! XD And I didn't want to exaggerate with Law/Miyako close scenes since I just made that one with the fish-scooping. Also I kinda wanted to leave the suspension of what happened next in the air with the scene when Law took Miyako's hand and they left. :) About the dance, music, song question; No, I didn't really do it with a particular song in mind nor the dance. I listened to the two songs you put and really liked Spanish Caravan. Blue Sunday kinda made me sleepy. XD Though what I picture for Wano music is something like traditional Japanese music. :)

**akagami hime chan: **Hahaha I actually pictured it and laughed out loud. I think I would be dying of laughter if I actually saw that. XD

**Elielephant: **Thanks the correction again! And I'll to watch out for the 'as well' too. :) Hm, I went over my old chapters in case I really did put something about a deal between Miyako and Law but didn't find anything. o.O It shouldn't be there...if it was, it would be a very big mistake on my part. ^^' One of the reasons I made Miyako suck at the game was also because I don't want her to be good at everything. I want her to have flaws too. But I don't think she should be good at it just because the game originated from her country. (I know I suck at some games that are from my country. ^^') And yep, the dance scene was inspired by the one from Tangled. :) And the last part…well, I can't say yet. *whistles innocently*

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><p><strong>Now, let's finally get to the chapter! Enjoy!<strong>

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 32<strong>

Miyako finished showering and getting dressed, and she was just about to go to the deck to get some fresh air before her work in the galley started, when she heard a booming voice outside. She opened the big door handle and stepped outside to see Penguin, Shachi, Law, Cal, Mori and Sam outside. Miyako furrowed her eyebrows not understanding what the guys were doing here so early in the morning.

"Umm, Captain…there's a big and really angry guy down there." Cal said as he looked downwards, over the railing.

Miyako ran up to Law with a confused look. "What's going on here?"

However her question went completely ignored as Law walked towards the railing with a serious but very displeased look on his face. He looked over it as well and saw none other than Takahashi Muso standing there. His face was completely red, showing nothing but pure rage and he was clutching something in his big hand.

When the big man noticed the pirate captain, his face twisted in anger even more. "Trafalgar Law, you bastard! I'll kill you if you did anything to her!"

Law's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't really know what Muso was talking about, but he did know one thing; He didn't like to be threatened no matter what the reason behind it was. However he understood there was no other way than to settle this thing face to face. He turned to his crew and ordered in a serious voice; "Pull down the gangplank." The gangplank was usually moved from the control room but it could also be taken out manually, which Cal did and a metal gangplank was taken out to connect the sub with the ground below.

Law turned around to see his loyal first mate there, holding his nodachi. He couldn't help but smirk at the bear who knew exactly what he needed to do as he took Law's nodachi from his room and went to his captain. Law took his large sword, resting it on his shoulder, and walking casually towards the big raging man.

The Heart pirates looked at each other in slight worry but only kept watching intently from the sidelines. They knew their captain was strong and he could take care of himself.

The man's voice was loud enough for all to hear as he spoke again. "Where is she, Trafalgar? What did you do to her?"

Law stopped a few paces away from Muso and tilted his head a little, furrowing his eyebrows in the process. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

The man gritted his teeth and clutched the item in his hand even tighter. That's when Law realized he was holding a sheathed katana in his left hand and Law's eyes narrowed dangerously. This could turn out more bloody than he thought…But if Muso decided to attack, Law had no intention to hold back. Still, he preferred first finding out what was going on and why was Muso being so stupid as to risk his life like this.

"Don't play dumb with me! I know it was you!"

Law was losing his patience with this man. "Instead of yelling why don't you tell me what did I supposedly do exactly?"

Every word Law spoke seemed to be fuel to Muso's already raging fire. "Izumi is gone! She went missing after last night. She just disappeared over night, just like the others! And I know it was you! The whole village was already talking about it; How you kidnap people and experiment on them!"

Law's eyes narrowed. "Only a fool would believe that." He hissed angrily. He really didn't care what the people were saying about him; be it true or false, but he didn't like when him and his crew got problems because of it.

"You can call me a fool all you want but you had every reason to kidnap Izumi! Admit it! It was because I refused to make you a sword, so you kidnapped my daughter to blackmail me and force me to do it!"

Law didn't even flinch nor did his expression change as all the accusations came pouring from Muso's lips. He just stared at Takahashi with a serious face. "An interesting theory and I must say, the idea doesn't sound bad at all. But I didn't take your daughter, Mister Takahashi." Law's voice was slightly mocking when he spoke.

And Muso didn't like it one bit. The hot-tempered blacksmith had enough of Law's cocky and uncaring attitude and in a flash he took out his katana as the bright metal glistened in the rising morning sun.

Miyako gasped when she saw the katana in the man's hands. "This is…a Masamune sword." She exclaimed, looking at the blade wide-eyed.

The crew looked at her with confused looks, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Umm, Miyako. Mind telling us what the big deal is so we can be surprised too?" Penguin asked with a raised eyebrow though it could hardly be seen under his cap.

Miyako didn't seem to pay much attention to Penguin's words but she did explain, though still staring at the sword. The katana had a crimson decorated sheet and the blade almost looked white under the sun. It had lightning streaking on the blade, called kinsuji; one of the characteristics for Masamune's work.

"Gorō Nyūdō Masamune was acknowledged as one of the greatest swordsmiths. He made many different kinds of blades but the most known were his katana. His katana are famous for their beauty and quality as you can see for yourself. And the steel is completely pure and perfectly molded; something that's very rare even in Wano. That's why it almost looks bright white under the sun. "Miyako pointed at the glistening blade before continuing. "They say in Wano that Masamune swords are blades of peace that aren't meant to cut needlessly. There is even a legend about that."

"A legend?" Shachi blinked behind his sunglasses.

Miyako nodded. "My Master often spoke about it. These swords are the exact opposite of the Muramasa swords made by his student. Those swords are bloodthirsty and evil and don't discriminate when cutting. That is why, in the legend, when they tested both their swords putting them into a stream, Muramasa's katana cut everything that came towards it and opposed it while everything that came to Masamune's sword only slid next to it unharmed."

The Heart pirates looked at each other in suspicion. "But how can a sword know who to cut and who to spare?" Cal asked.

Miyako shrugged. "Well it's only a legend…Though the way I see it, you _can_ cut the innocent even with Masamune's sword but that sword will never fulfill it's true purpose then and will never be used properly. Because of that you will never be able to get a connection with it and pull out your true and full potential by using that sword." She turned to see the crew still looking at her as if they had no idea what she was talking about it and she sweat-dropped. "Well…that's only my opinion though…"

"So what's this Masa-whatever guy's sword doing with this guy anyway?" Mori asked scratching his head in question.

Miyako sighed. "Masamune has been dead for more than a hundred years and after his death his swords were scattered all across Wano. Most of them ended up in property of nobles or with some daimyo. Some ended up with Samurai …some not even knowing that they own a Masamune katana. But I really can't say why Takahashi-san has one." Miyako looked as confused about that part just as the rest of the pirates.

"This is Yawarakai-Te (1), the exact katana from the legend of Masamune and Muramasa." Muso explained as both Law and him heard and listened to Miyako's long explanation. "This sword is passed down from master to student and Masamune gave this to his best student. Well he wasn't the most skilled but he understood and followed Masamune's teachings unlike Muramasa. And as it was passed down through generations of swordsmiths it also came to my father who was a swordsmith and who was given this Yawarakai-Te by his master. And after he passed away it was given to me, both his son and student." Takahashi explained. He clenched the sword as his glare returned to Law. "And now with the help of this Yawarakai-Te, I will make you regret ever laying a hand on my daughter!"

And with that Takahashi swung his sword and brought it down, aiming for Law's head, who unsheathed his nodachi in the meantime and was ready to counter attack. However, both of them stopped, Muso stopping his swing in air as Miyako suddenly appeared in between them with her arms outstretched as if protecting Law.

The crew gasped when they saw the sight and looked at the place by their side where Miyako was just seconds ago. But of course there was no one there. "When did she…!" Penguin muttered in shock as he tried to figure out how and when did Miyako rush down there without them noticing.

Law and Muso were surprised as well, both having wide eyes and perplexed faces.

"Wait! Please, Takahashi-san, don't bloody this sword without a reason!" Miyako pleaded.

Muso gritted his teeth in anger. "Without a reason? This man took away my daughter and you say that isn't a good reason! This has nothing to do with you girl so don't get involved! Step aside!"

"I will not!" Miyako's expression and voice both showed pure determination. "Because I don't believe Captain kidnapped Izumi-san." She explained.

Muso didn't want to listen to excuses though. "And how would you know? He is a famous merciless and sadistic pirate, so it makes perfect sense. And _you_…I can't believe you're even trying to protect a man like _him_." Muso looked at Miyako with a mixture of unbelieving and disgust. "If you stand up for people like him, you are no better! I thought you were a person of honor…but now I see I was wrong about you."

Miyako took the insults head-on and didn't change her expression nor did she falter. She had her own beliefs and she didn't care much what other's thought of her, so not even Muso. "I don't mind if you don't like me but I know what I believe. And I believe Trafalgar Law is innocent. He might have committed a lot of other crimes and hurt other people, but he isn't involved with this one."

At that moment she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at it to see the tattooed death squeezing her shoulder lightly. Miyako turned to look at Law's face but he was staring ahead, at Muso and not at her, even when he spoke.

"Miss Miyako, if I remember correctly you were to stay on the deck with the others. What do you think you're doing?"

"Yes, but I-" Miyako started but Law didn't let her finish.

"I don't remember, however, asking you for your help. I'm capable of dealing with this situation by myself and without your help or you jumping in front of his weapon." Law's voice was cold and he hissed as he spoke, obviously angry.

"But I didn't want you two to hurt each other needlessly." Miyako finally managed to explain.

That's when Law looked down at her with a cold and dark look. "I don't need your help Miss Miyako and I didn't ask for it." He hissed. "Don't go against my orders and do something like this _ever_ again." His voice and expression left no room for arguments.

Miyako nodded with a gulp, still standing in front of him. She knew she defied Law and meddled in his affairs, which was why he was angry, but she only did what she thought was best. Though when she thought about it, she probably hurt his ego by jumping in to protect him like he was some victim in distress instead of pirate captain. But that's not why she did it. Miyako knew Law could take care of himself, she just didn't want to see needless fighting.

What she didn't know was another detail that she didn't even think about. And that was the fact that Law was mainly furious because she stepped in front of a weapon, risking her life, in his opinion; needlessly. Just the scene when she suddenly appeared in front of him and the weapon was enough for his gut to turn uncomfortably. And it just got worse, when the scene of what could have happened if Muso didn't stop, entered his mind.

Law moved Miyako to the side and turned his attention back to Muso. "Now, let's get this over with already. I don't have all day Takahashi-ya."

"Listen to her, Muso!" Yet another new voice came through the wind and everyone turned to see the old man from before, his katana securely tied to his waist, and both his hands hidden in the sleeves of his gi as he casually strolled towards them. The old man didn't add any honorific to Takahashi, which meant they were obviously close friends. The Heart pirates looked at each other in puzzlement and question, but the three on the ground knew who he was already.

"Samue! Why are you here!" Muso blinked a few times in confusion.

"I came to stop you fools from doing something unnecessary." The old samurai explained as he came to them, and then sighed at the sight. "Muso, you're always so hot-tempered."

Muso tried to speak but Samue held out his hand, stopping him. "The girl doesn't look like she's lying. And she's right; there's no point to fight each other, since that won't bring back Izumi."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Muso was already losing his patience. He didn't care about all this; he was only interested in one thing and that was getting his daughter back, no matter what.

"If Trafalgar-san had kidnapped your daughter to blackmail you, he would have already asked for something, no?" Samue continued, ignoring Muso's demands. "Yet he didn't ask for anything."

This realization seemed to make Takahashi Muso relax a little. But only a little and he still kept a suspicious eye on the captain.

Meanwhile, Samue turned to Law and Miyako and bowed a little with a slight smile. "I don't think we have been introduced properly yet. My name is Shindo Samue, and you could say I am a…retired samurai." He paused a little before that title and a smirk formed on his face.

Miyako bowed as well. "Thank you for your help, Shindo-san."

Law just stayed silent with that serious and displeased face of his. He was annoyed at people constantly meddling in his own affairs. The truth was, Law didn't mind Muso attacking him at all. The big man had been irritating him with that attitude of his from the start and this gave Law a perfect chance to teach the old man a lesson. But fate obviously wasn't that kind to him today because everyone had this problem with fighting all of a sudden. And Law was getting annoyed at Miyako acting on her own like that. He wouldn't admit it but it was slightly bruising his ego and he wanted to teach the girl her place as well; which was a subordinate in his crew that was supposed to listen to him and answer only to him.

"But if Trafalgar has nothing to do with this, who does? Who kidnapped Izumi and the other two? The kidnappings started the same night these _pirates_ came into the village." Muso said, almost spitting the 'pirates' word out.

Law narrowed his eyes dangerously at that. Oh, this guy was _really_ rubbing him in all the wrong ways.

Miyako sensed her captain's rising dark aura and looked at his darkening face a little uncertain. She knew if Law got irritated enough and decided to do his thing, nobody would be able to stop him and he would kill Muso. She didn't want to see that so she had to do _something_.

"Then, we'll help you find it." Miyako suddenly exclaimed.

Both Law and Muso looked at her in surprise and said "What?" at the same time, though Muso's loud voice made Law's almost impossible to hear. Samue only smirked at Miyako's statement as if he expected the girl to say something like that.

Miyako turned towards Law with a serious look, ignoring their shocked outburst and also Law's displeased expression. "Captain, if we find Izumi we can prove your innocence." She explained.

But Law didn't look satisfied with that explanation at all. Actually, his eyes narrowed into two dangerous slits. "And why would I have to prove anything? I don't care what this people think of me and their problems don't interest me. I have no reason to help this man, Miss Miyako." His voice was dangerously cold, which was to be expected since Miyako had once again decided things on her own without considering her captain at all.

Miyako bit her lip. This was _not_ going good. Law was losing his patience fast and that was never good. She had to think of something and after some brainstorming, she did. She came to the side with Law a little and then stood up on her toes so she could reach Law's ear as she leaned forwards towards him.

Law looked at her with slight surprise and confusion as to what she was planning, his eyebrows furrowing but as she whispered in his ear, his dark look lightened up a little and a small smirk formed on his face.

When Miyako finished and leaned away, Law looked back at Muso who was eyeing them suspiciously. "Alright...we'll help you under one condition; you will forge Miss Miyako a sword." Law said simply with a smug smirk on his face.

Muso's eyes widened a little with surprise and unexpectedness of it, and he looked at Miyako who gave him an apologetic look. She knew that was the only why for Law to accept this and help them. First she wanted to resolve this issue, later she'll think about what to do with Muso forging her a sword that would make him trample over his vow. She didn't want that to happen either but for now she didn't have any other choice but to follow through with this plan.

Muso didn't like the idea either. He turned to Samue with gritted teeth. "I don't need help from these pirates! I will find Izumi on my own!"

Samue's eyes narrowed a little and his expression became slightly annoyed. He was losing his patience with Muso's stubbornness. "And how do you intend to do that? You have no clues and you're on your own. You need all help you can get with this."

"And we kinda have experience with missing people." Miyako whispered to Law with an amused look as she remembered Maple town and Lady Shiori. However Law just gave her a dark look in return, indicating he was still mad at her and that won't be changing any time soon. So Miyako moved a bit away from him, rather uncomfortable, and went quiet.

"There is certainly something strange going on in this village and we need to find out what. And for that, we'll need all helping hands we can get." Samue explained.

Law stayed quiet but looked at Muso with a questioning, raised eyebrow, waiting for his decision. To be honest Law couldn't care less, but if he can get something useful out of all this, then why not? They needed a sword anyway and now they can get one. Besides, he knew how much Muso was against it and forging them a sword would be like rubbing Law's victory in Muso's face, which Law would enjoy immensely.

Muso was quiet for a few more moments which resulted in Samue sighing impatiently and giving him a stern look, so Takahashi had no other choice but to agree. He sheathed his katana back in its covers and nodded his head. "Fine…But if I suspect you for just a second or you do anything suspicious, I won't hesitate to cut your throat." He glared at Law as he spoke. "I still don't like you, pirate."

"The feeling's mutual." Law answered with a glare of his own.

Miyako sighed in relief when they finally reached an understanding and both men sheathed back their swords.

"So all of that aside…how should we proceed from here?" Miyako finally asked, still a bit away from Law and his current foul mood.

"How about Mister Takahashi tells us what happened last night, hm?" Law suggested, putting his nodachi on his shoulder more comfortably.

"Certainly, but this is no place to talk. Come, let's all go to the village. You can be my guests." Samue declared, cutting Muso off when he started explaining everything he knew, which wasn't much.

Law and Miyako looked at each other as if deciding should they go, though the decision was of course on Law alone. After a while, Law turned to the sub and his subordinates on it. "Shachi, Penguin, I gave you orders. Bepo, you come with us." He called for his first mate who rushed down the gangplank and was by their side in a minute.

The crewmembers saluted with a "Yes, captain!"

~….~

Miyako was sitting with her legs folded under her at a short, small table, sipping some green tea. The others were sitting around it as well, a moment of silence taking over before Samue cleared his throat to break it.

"Now Muso-kun, tell us what happened last night." The old samurai urged his friend.

The blacksmith fumbled with his cup for a while, staring at the tea intently as if trying to remember yesterday's events. "I don't know much. Izumi said she'd go to the festival. I stayed at home since I still had some work left so she went alone. But even after the festival was over, she never came back…When I realized her bed was still untouched this morning I went to find her in the village but nobody had seen her."

"Where was she last seen?" Miyako asked listening to Muso's story carefully.

"Well one of the villagers said she saw Izumi go a bit away from the festival area to take a walk…But nobody saw her after that."

"Maybe she got drunk and fell from those Black Cliffs the villagers were talking about earlier." Bepo suddenly said. He was innocently blunt, not realizing he was a bit _too_ blunt and _very_ insensitive.

Muso banged the cup against the table as he put it down harshly. "My daughter wouldn't do something so stupid! Don't insult her!"

When Bepo realized he was the cause of Muso's rage he bowed his head as low as it went and said "Sorry!" a few times, in almost a panicking voice.

Samue cleared his throat again to break the tension building up in the room. "Has she gone to the festival with anyone? Perhaps had a boyfriend or someone close to her that might know where she is?"

Muso shook his head roughly. "No, nothing like that. And she went to the festival alone…I don't understand. How could she have disappeared just like that!"

"She must have been kidnapped just like the rest of the victims. That is pretty much obvious." Law said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I already talked to her best friend, Yuni, who said Izumi had no…lover or anything similar. She hasn't got an idea where my daughter is either and I doubt she'd hide something from me in a crucial time as this." Muso explained further.

For a while everything was silent again, everyone in their own deeps thoughts.

"What about the other victims? Maybe if we find clues about them, we'd find Izumi's kidnapper as well. I mean, it's 99% the same person anyway." Miyako broke the silence as an idea popped into her head.

Law nodded agreeing with her. "You're right. We should try and find clues with the other two who went missing as well. I'll have my crew working on it too. But the amount of my subordinates available will be reduced….because we have to work on our…little problem too. " Law's dark look returned when he remembered someone had messed with his sub. And _nobody_ messes with his submarine! "Speaking of that…would you know who could be responsible for the damage to our sub?" the pirate captain continued, looking between Muso and Samue, and examining both closely to see how the men would react to that question. If he saw the slightest bit of hesitation for telling him…or the slightest little suspicious look as if they were telling lies; they would be trapped in his Room in a second.

Muso and Samue looked at each other in wonder, obvious confusion on both their faces. "We don't have mechanics or anything like that here. Nobody would even know how a submarine works." Samue finally said.

Now it was time for Law and Bepo to look at each other, both having an unreadable expression on their faces but it almost looked as if they could understand each other perfectly and as if they were communicating mentally. Miyako looked at the two pirates with a questioning and slightly confused gaze since she, on the other hand, had no idea what they were thinking.

She shook it off and instead focused on something else. "But you don't need particular skill to destroy something, do you?" She tiled her head, looking at Law questioningly.

"True. But you need particular equipment to do so. Especially when the item is a 500kg's submarine engine that was pierced thought. They had to pierce through three layers of metal to get to the main mechanism inside." Law explained. "Not to mention they had to have the equipment to dive underwater and stay there for at least half an hour to work on destroying it." He added.

"And Cal said the engine looked as if it was busted by a weapon rather than some kind of tools. He said he didn't see anything like it before." Bepo said as he remembered a conversation with one of the mechanics on the deck.

Suddenly Muso slammed his fist on the table. "Who's the bastard behind all this! Who could be doing something so awful?"

~…~

Izumi looked around the dark room with wide eyes, looking like a frightened animal about to be eaten by the predator. She didn't know how long has it been. Hours? Days? Weeks? Did anyone notice that she was gone?

_*Papa and Yuni must have. Papa must be so worried.*_ The thought flashed thought her panicked mind for a second.

She wanted to scream, call for help, run away…anything! But she was currently bound to something that looked like a big, leathery, old chair that smelled of mold and something else…blood, Izumi realized. And that realization only made her panic more. The chair was leaned backwards and straightened horizontally so she was in a lying position. There were metal bindings on the chair that held her wrists and ankles, impossible to get free from. And to top it all she was gaged and her jaw already started hurting from the cloth in her mouth.

When she woke up she was a panicked mess, trembling and crying when she found out she was bound, trying to get herself free….but she got tired quickly and without results. So instead Izumi tried to remember how she ended up here. But that only left her with a hazy mind and a headache, as she slipped into unconsciousness again.

After she woke up again, she tried once again gaining her freedom and once again failed. But her mind felt a little clearer now and she was able to calm down enough to look at her surroundings and think.

She tried to remember what happened that night but everything was in a blur. And the thinking just gave her a headache since her mind has been through enough. She remembered going for a walk a little bit away from the village square. And then….crying? Yes, she heard something that sounded like crying. She went down the narrow streets and saw something. Like a shadow of someone running thought the streets. Then more crying. She tried to follow the noise but it was dark. It was hard to see anything.

Izumi shuddered a little as she remembered the slight uneasy feeling she felt back then when she remembered the two missing villagers. Then she remembered seeing the shadow again and ran after it. The crying got louder…it was ringing in her ears even now as she remembered it. And then Izumi saw it….a child. The kid was just sitting in the middle of a dark narrow street and crying, it's back turned to her.

Izumi supposed the child was lost and went to it. As she got closer she could see the small boy. She called him, but he just kept on crying not realizing she was there. So she went closer and called out to him louder. Still no answer. Her heart started beating harder, that uneasiness returning slowly. And when she came up to him, she tried to turn him around. She put a hand on his back and he…He turned.

Izumi's hazy mind still didn't give her the full information and she couldn't remember the boy's face. Who was he? But somehow she even now had that uneasy feeling when thinking about it. And she remembered she was shocked…But why was she shocked? And then…everything went black.

Yes, someone had come to her from behind and put something over her mouth. She remembered a strong smell hit her but she couldn't quite tell what it is. And then she fell unconscious and woke up here.

Izumi looked at her surroundings again, or at least what she could, considering her position. Her eyes got used to the darkness a little and she could make out more of it than before. She saw there were some kind of silhouettes all around her. Izumi twitched thinking it were her captors but the silhouettes kept perfectly unmoving and quiet. So Izumi suspected those weren't humans though they seemed to have similar shapes. So what were they? She didn't notice anything else. There were also some things at the side of the room but it was all covered in dirty sheets.

But there was still one big question bugging her. *_Where is the kidnapper? Why haven't anyone come here yet?* _Izumi hadn't seen or heard anyone since she woke up here for the first time. At first she thought of calling out to somebody but both the gag and fear that her captor would hear her stopped her from that idea. She didn't want her kidnapper to come down here after hearing her.

Then suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a sound. Izumi turned her head towards it, as it got louder and louder….the sound of footsteps. Any minute now somebody would open the only doors in this room and walk inside. And she'll be here, helpless and at their mercy. Izumi's eyes widened again as she started panicking, trying to break free from her bonds with all the strength she had. But all was in vain, and then the door screeched open and Izumi almost turned to stone. She became motionless and stiff, her eyes wide and staring at the figure walking inside of the room.

As he came to the chair, Izumi could see it was a tall man but it was hard to identify who it was, especially in the dark and the man had a mask covering half of his face. A mask they wore for medical reason, a surgical mask; Izumi noted. Then he flicked a switch and suddenly bright light burnt her eyes and blinded her. She didn't even notice there were lights above the chair, as if specifically made to shine at the chair.

Izumi could see even less now since she was blinded by the bright light. She squinted her eyes and was able to notice the silhouette of the person and she could see the light reflecting from the man's glasses.

A hand suddenly came down and rested on her forehead, which only made Izumi more nervous. She wanted to ask him what he wanted. Why was she here? But the gag was still keeping her silent, except a few muffled whimpers and sounds coming from her. She could feel tears of fear building up in her eyes, threatening to fall across her face. Beads of sweat kept forming on her skin, both from anxiousness and the hot, bright lighting.

The hand on her forehead kept stroking her, removing some loose strands of hair from her face, almost as if the man was trying to comfort her. She gave him a pleading look, silently begging him to spare her but the man just kept on with his ministrations silently.

"Such pretty skin." The man's voice seemed almost as if he was in a daze but it was muffled behind the mask so Izumi couldn't find out much about her kidnapper from it.

Then the man removed the cloth from her mouth and Izumi breathed a few deep breaths of air as she tried not to hyperventilate on the spot. Though for a second a thought crossed her mind that hyperventilating might be better than dealing with this.

Her lips trembled when she tried to speak, her throat dry and voice hoarse. "P-Please…" It was something in between a whisper and a whimper. Izumi wasn't even sure what to say…What _could_ she say to make him stop?

But the person only put a sole finger on her lips, indicating for her not to talk. "Shush. You're not supposed to talk."

Izumi didn't really understand that statement. Was he saying she shouldn't make noise in case someone heard her? She didn't know, but all of a sudden she was torn between screaming her lungs out and being as silent as a rock.

Still, one more question just _had_ to come out. "W-what are you….g-going to do to me?" She could hardly finish the sentence without crying.

"And lovely hair…" The man kept on in his dazed voice, completely ignoring her.

Izumi trembled even more. "Please…stop. L-Let me go."

The man's head moved a little as if he stared in her eyes but it was hard to tell from the light and his covered up face. "Oh, but you'll be perfect. You have to be happy…you'll become art. True Art."

Izumi felt tears streaming down her face, her chest rising and falling in whimpers she was trying to stifle. "P-Please…don't…."

Then suddenly the man moved and Izumi felt a tinge of relief. A speck of hope that he changed his mind. Will he let her go? But then she saw him walk to the side and she followed his every movement. He took off one of the sheets, revealing a table on wheels that he moved to the chair. Izumi could see all kinds of stuff on the table. Pots, though she couldn't see what was inside, brushes, paint and a lot of different kinds of knives and other metal items.

Her mind went berserk as she tried to move away and free herself, fighting against the bonds, her eyes wide and teary. "no…NO!"

The man didn't say anything as he gagged her again, turning her screams into muffled sounds. He took her head in his hand and held her steady with a surprisingly strong grip as he strapped a belted bond from the chair on her forehead, making her head unable to move.

"Don't worry. You'll be a beautiful Art. You'll see." He was holding something that resembled a carving knife. "But first, we just have to get rid of all the unnecessary parts." There was almost excitement audible in his soft voice.

~…..~

Miyako stretched. "Aah, finally back." It was already afternoon when they returned to the sub and Miyako only had a little time before she had to go and work in the kitchen_. *I think I'll use this free time…to do nothing.*_ She grinned at the thought of having some relaxing time. They'd been figuring out what to do about this situation for hours but there wasn't much to do. They would just have to go through the village and ask about the three victims, hoping to find some clues.

She turned a little to see Law talking to Penguin and Shachi about the repairs. Then he turned to Bepo to discuss the team that would be on the missing-people case. Miyako sighed. *_He's busy as always…guess that's what it means to be the captain. Though he'll give himself a heart attack one of these days.* _

She turned to the metal doors of the deck, just about to leave the deck and go inside when she heard the familiar low voice behind her. "Miss Miyako."

When she turned, Law was already standing behind her and she flinched a little in surprise. _*That's fast!* _Still, she put on her best innocent face as she already knew what this was about. But maybe he won't be so hard on her if she looks innocent enough…maybe…oh, who was she kidding! This is Law after all! "Um, yes captain?"

Law's eyes narrowed a little when he saw her 'I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on' face. "I'm sure you already know, Miss Miyako." He stepped a bit closer to her but not in that teasing way he sometimes did. He didn't even have a slight smirk on; just a completely serious face. "Don't ever step over your boundaries and act like you did today, on your own." His voice was dangerous and warning, but low so only she could hear.

Miyako didn't show any signs of fear or anxiousness. Well she wasn't feeling it either since she was already used to that tone, however she knew she would just be punished if she put on her 'Whatever' face. So instead she just nodded. "I understand Captain…sorry." For a while she thought about was she really sorry or not, since it's not like she regretted her actions…but she guessed a part of her really did feel bad just because Law was mad at her. And she almost made a 'The hell?' face mentally at that part since that realization came totally unexpected.

But in her opinion Law cared too much about his ego…or was that all guys? It could be. What was with guys and always needing to be so manly and strong, so that their ego is so easily hurt by a girl trying to help them out?

Law saw Miyako getting into her own thoughts so before she lost herself completely he brought her back with another low but sharp tone. "Now, I think you have work to do."

Miyako blinked at him in confusion, opening her mouth to protest or rather correct him, since her work starts in about two hours.

Before she could say anything Law interrupted, explaining; "You skipped on working for breakfast and lunch today so you should start earlier. I'm sure Munk is already there, preparing the kitchen. "

Miyako just sighed but nodded her head, turning on her heels and walking into the sub. They both knew this was actually a punishment…something Miyako seemed to be getting a lot lately. And she didn't like it one bit. She felt like a child being scolded and punished by her parent and she really didn't appreciate feeling like a kid.

~….~

"Feeew! I'm stuffed." Penguin exclaimed and leaned into the chair with his hand rubbing his slightly bigger belly.

"You pig…you didn't have to eat so much. What if there's an emergency? You won't even be able to move." Shachi exclaimed, scolding his friend, but rubbing his own oversized stomach in the meantime.

"Look who's talking! You're both pigs!" Cody and Josh yelled at the two mechanics.

Miyako chuckled as she saw her four friends bicker.

The group was sitting in the galley after lunch, some free time on their hands to finally relax. Since the engine incident, Miyako hardly saw the two busy mechanics and she had to admit; deep down a part of her missed them. She was brought out of her thoughts by Penguin burping loudly and Shachi laughing at him, which brought them more scolding from Cody and Josh. Ok, deep _deeeep_ down; Miyako realized.

"Hey, I know what we can do now." Shachi exclaimed and took out his cards from the jumpsuit pocket. It seems the mechanic always carried a deck of cards, as if always ready to rip someone off and take all their money. Miyako scowled as she remembered how many time she had been the victim of it. But her pride just wouldn't let her back down from his challenge. And she was pretty sure he cheated most of the time too, now if only she could catch him in the act.

But then a sly smirk crossed her face. Actually she was just waiting for something like this to pay them back. She won't be the victim today.

Josh saw her face and raised an eyebrow. "What are you smirking at?"

Miyako only gave him a quick glance but then her smirk widened and she leaned with her elbows on the table. "Actually, I have something fun in mind." Then her face turned into a dramatic frown. "We always play poker, aren't you guys bored of it already?"

The men looked at each other and shrugged. "Well what else could we play?" Cody asked with question in his blinking dark eyes.

Miyako grinned slyly. "A little Wano game." The pirates gave her a weird look so she decided to persuade them into it; "We can actually play something fun. Wanna try?" Her smile suddenly became innocent and playful like a child's would.

But the pirates looked at each other again, uncertain. "I dunno…" Shachi begun.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're scared? I thought you liked to gamble." Miyako's face remained innocent as she batted her big golden eyes.

"Pih, like I'd be scared of a game. Bring it on." Shachi grinned and the others joined him, getting new confidence all of a sudden.

Miyako smirked slyly again. "Then..let's begin. Let's play a few games for you to understand the rules first. The game is called Daifugō ." Miyako said as she shuffled the deck, then started explaining the rules as she dealt the cards.

When the pirates more or less understood the rules they started plying. At first it was hard for them, but little by little the guys got a hold of it and the games progressed faster each time. After a while, the guys started winning as well.

Miyako once again had a deck in her hands, shuffling it. "How about we make this a bit more interesting now?" She said innocently.

"What do you mean?" Josh eyed her suspiciously.

"Well you always gamble with poker, no? So why not now? It'll be more fun that way." Miyako smiled to them brightly.

"Ok, so what did you have in mind?" Penguin asked as he and Shachi looked at each other with grins on their faces. They had understood the game the best and were pretty good at it already, so they suspected this would be an easy win.

"Yeah, we won't back down from a challenge." Shachi nodded.

"Then….how about a month worth of chores?" Miyako suggested. "The losers will have to do the winner's chores for a month." She grinned.

The pirates looked at each other with suspicious eyes again. Would they risk it? Would they dare?

"Ah, the hell with it! Why not!" Shachi grinned. He just couldn't refuse a challenge…or gambling. Miyako was pretty sure he had some gambling problems….well, she wouldn't really call it problems though, since he was the one winning most of the time.

Penguin nodded as well and then Cody and Josh, though the redhead did it quite reluctantly.

Miyako smiled again. "Great! Then let's begin." However she forgot to mention them one very important thing; in all of the games, Miyako was gradually worsening her performance, letting them win. After all this was a game she has perfected herself in throughout her life, especially on those boring rainy days when she had nothing better to do. So this was a piece of cake for her. And finally she'll get her revenge. An evil smirk appeared on her face, but hidden behind the cards.

~…..~

Shachi, Penguin, Josh and Cody just sat there, eyes wide and jaws slack.

"N-No way." Cody said in disbelief.

Miyako giggled childishly until it turned into a snicker. An evil glint in her eyes as she smirked slyly. "Something wrong?" She grinned widely and shuffled the deck.

"She won!" Penguin. "I can't believe it. And we lost so easily too!" Penguin was gripping his hat as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Then….how about 2 out of 3!" Shachi exclaimed, not wanting to let it end like this.

Josh sighed as he folded his arms on his chest and closed his eyes. "Give it up, Shachi. She got us…"

Cody nodded with his arms folded on his chest as well, agreeing with the redhead. "We've been had."

Miyako's smirk widened and she looked at Shachi with half-lidded eyes. "But I'll take your proposal…if you have something interesting to offer."

"500 Beli!" Shachi suddenly said. "I'll stake 500 Beli if you stake the chores I need to do."

"Are you insane, you gambling maniac! You'll lose for sure!" Josh's eyes opened suddenly as he almost yelled at the brown haired mechanic.

"It's fine. She just surprised us with the last game but now she has no more aces up her sleeves. We're even."

Miyako tilted her head. "Alright" She agreed before Shachi had a chance to change his mind. She was proud of her plan. The game was still new to Shachi so Miyako knew he wouldn't be able to cheat, and she didn't have to since she perfected the skills in playing Daifugō. The pretense worked perfectly too, and now Shachi was hooked and didn't want to quit until he won and freed himself from the chores he had to do. But Miyako wasn't worried. And the thought of having them at her disposal, so every time it was her turn to clean the deck, do the laundry, do the supply counting in the storage room or anything else, she could just tell one of them to do it. Oh, sweet, sweet revenge. But she wasn't done yet.

"What about the rest of you?" Miyako looked at Penguin, Cody and Josh who didn't look so thrilled now that they realized she was much better at the game than she let it show at first.

"I'll pass…" Cody said and shrugged. "I don't have much money anyway."

"Yeah, me too." Josh muttered.

Penguin looked back and forth at Shachi and Miyako, Miyako giving him an innocent questioning look and Shachi giving him a 'Don't-be-a-wimp!' one. "I…I think I'll pass too."

"Wimp!" Shachi exclaimed before Penguin could even defend himself. "Well I'll win the next round, you'll see! I'm getting better at this game every turn." Shachi grinned with new-found confidence though Miyako couldn't say where it was coming from.

~…..~

Shachi's head was on the table, his body slack and unmoving. The only indication that the man was alive was a groan that escaped from his throat. It sounded almost painful. A dark aura of depression swirled around him; the Heart pirates wouldn't believe someone else except Bepo could get this depressed.

Miyako sweat-dropped at the sight. Now she felt a bit bad for the mechanic even though he took both money and made her do _his_ chores and other tasks when she would lose in poker.

"10,000 Beli….I lost 10,000 Beli" Shachi murmured then said something else but nobody could understand him because his voice became even softer and sounded almost tired.

"Well, now, now…" Miyako tried to comfort him with a nervous smile on her face and another sweat-drop.

Penguin patted Shachi on the back. "Oh, come on…you'll just make some unsuspecting fools gamble with you again and return that money in no time." Penguin smiled.

Josh just grinned at the poor sight of the mechanic. "It suits you right, you gambling maniac. That's because you have no self-control."

"Shut up, short-stuff! Who asked you, anyway!" Shachi suddenly yelled and the redhead, lifting himself of the table and glaring at Josh through his sunglasses with evident annoyance.

"Hey, don't be mad at me just because you suck at losing!" Josh yelled back.

"Oh, please the last time you lost, you pouted for days about it." Cody rolled his eyes, joining in.

Josh looked like he was about to bite Cody's head and Miyako could almost swear his teeth got sharper. "You stay out of it, spiky!"

Cody's eyes narrowed and then an eyebrow twitched in obvious annoyance. "S-Spiky…?" He knew Josh was referring to his hair but that just angered him more. In his opinion, his hair was cool and he liked it! Though Josh would always tease him because of the strange color and the strange position since it went up in the air, defying gravity.

"H-hey…don't fight…" Miyako tried to calm them all down but the guys already started arguing, Penguin also getting involved somehow.

But a loud laugh that echoed throughout the galley, made them all stop and shut up. They turned towards the big figure standing close to them. It was Munk, still wearing his apron and leaning on a broom as she swept the galley. The pirates completely forgot he was there as well.

"She real'y got ya, eh? Hahahaha"

The guys glared at the big cook but he ignored them as he continued his loud laugh.

"Tat's wha' ya get fo' tryin' ta foo' her, ya greedy bastards!" The man laughed still, no real anger or spite in his tone though.

The four Heart pirates scoffed and pouted, folding their arms on their chest. "What do you know, you old geezer." Josh muttered under his breath.

Then Munk stopped laughing and came towards them with a big grin on his face. Josh looked up with a sweat-drop when he saw Munk standing over him with a grin that somehow looked more evil now.

"Geeza', eeh?" Then he took the broom in his hand and started handling it like some kind of weapon, wielding it in the air and bringing it down to smash a table. The table they were sitting on split in two and the group jumped away with screams of surprise.

"What the hell, you crazy cook!" Penguin yelled in shock.

Munk wielded the broom again. "Shut ya traps, littl' saplings! You be making noise in me galley an' now you disrespect ya elders, too! Shame on ya! Get out of me galley!" Munk yelled after them, still trying to hit them with the broom.

The group ran in fear for their lives and from the deadly broom as they exited the galley, though they didn't stop running until they were far away until they couldn't hear Munk's yelling anymore.

"Crazy….cook!" Josh said trough panting.

"Yeah, he's gonna kill us one day!" Shachi said as well, still clutching to the cap on his head as he did while running.

"His temper is worse than yours." Cody said as he looked at Josh, who couldn't disagree with his tall friend.

"Yeah, sometimes I'd even say he can be scarier than captain…" Josh muttered as he remembered all the times Munk beat or almost beat the crap out of them. There wasn't a pirate on this sub, except Bepo and Law, who didn't experience Munk's wrath and the power of his wooden spoon.

"What are you talking about? There's no way anyone can be scarier than captain. Remember the time when Garry accidentally burnt up some of captain's medical books with his cigarette?"

The pirates grimaced at the memory and a shiver ran down their spine. Only Miyako was left blinking in confusion since she didn't know what they were talking about. But even she could see it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Yep, he's definitively the scariest here." Shachi nodded with his arms folded on his chest.

"Who is?" A sudden voice rang behind them and the group jumped in surprise and yelped, startled.

As the pirates turned around, they could see Law and Bepo behind them. Bepo holding Law's nodachi as always, and Law leaning against the metal wall of the sub with his arms on his chest. A slight amused smirk graced his lips. "Well? Who were you talking about?"

"Captain! Please, don't do that!" Josh was holding a hand over his heart trying to calm it down to a normal beat.

"How does he _do_ that, every time!" Penguin asked no one in particular, but Shachi was the one to answer with a shrug and disbelief as he shook his head.

"You'll give us a heart attack one of these days." Miyako muttered, her hand also on her chest.

Law looked at each of his subordinates with an amused smirk on his face. They looked a bit nervous by his presence and he knew they were talking about him. He was wondering whether he would torture them a little mentally until they confessed or just let it go. Well, maybe if it was any other time he'd have some fun with them, but right now he was here on business and didn't want to waste time.

"Shachi, Penguin, how are the repairs going?" Law asked.

The two mechanics suddenly got out of their daze rather quickly. "Well, we're working overtime and if nothing else goes wrong we should be done in scheduled time." Penguin said.

"Yeah, we should be able to set off in about three days as we would have in the first place. Maybe a few hours later. We were really lucky to have all the spare parts we need."

Law put a hand on his chin, playing with his black goatee. "Hmm…so the culprit didn't succeed in stalling for time and keeping us here. But if they find out, they might attack again so be sure to keep close watch. Tell the others as well."

"Yes, captain!" Penguin and Shachi both saluted. "We should be heading back to work anyway." The two mechanics said their good-bye to their friends and nodded to Law one last time, before turning and leaving for the deck. They'd have to work underwater again, which they never really enjoyed but there was no other way.

Then Law turned to the girl. "Miss Miyako, we should go too. We need to find more clues about the kidnappings. You, Bepo, Mister Josh and I will investigate about the kid. I have Garry, Mori and Sam on the maid case." Then the captain turned to his blue-haired medical assistant. "Mister Cody, you will be in charge of the infirmary while I'm gone."

Everyone nodded as they got their new orders and both Josh and Cody saluted. Miyako thought it would look a bit silly if she did the same, so she just stayed by a verbal response and a nod of her head.

~…~

Miyako looked at the small house. It looked a bit run down and it was obvious the people living here didn't have much money. She looked back at the rest of her group.

"Maybe it'll be best if only one or two of us go in. We don't want to scare the family; it'll just be harder to talk to them then." She suggested, looking at Law.

The captain just nodded silently, then turned to Bepo and Joshua. "You two stay here and wait for us. Let me know if you see something unusual." The medic and the bear nodded their heads and stayed outside. Josh put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the house wall lazily. Bepo just sat on the nearest bench, still holding Law's nodachi carefully in his paws.

Miyako knocked on the doors lightly and it took a few seconds before she could hear footsteps on the other side, followed by the unlocking of the doors.

A woman's head peeked out, barely visible. Miyako could see it was dark in the room, which only made it harder for her to see the woman's face clearly. But she noticed the woman looked sleep-deprived with dark circles under her tired eyes. She couldn't be older than 35 but she already had worry lines on her face, making her seem much older. "Yes?" The voice of the woman was timid and soft.

"Um…is this the Ushiromiya family? We're here to investigate the disappearance of the boy from this household." Miyako tried to sound as less intimidating as possible.

The woman's chocolate brown eyes widened in surprise but then softened into half-lidded ones. She was silent for a few minutes and just when Miyako wanted to try again, the woman spoke. "Yes, he is my son. His name is Ushiromiya Haku and I'm Ushiromiya Emiko."

Miyako's eyes softened too. This explains why the woman looked so out of it. She must have been worrying about her son all this time. Miyako felt bad for the young mother. "I see. I'm sorry to intrude but could we ask you a few questions?"

Emiko looked slightly timid and uncertain again. "D-Do you have some news about my child? Did you find him? I already told the authorities everything, so who are you people?" She looked at Law suspiciously, who was behind Miyako.

"Well, we're not with the authorities but we're trying to find the victims and the culprit as well-" She couldn't even finish before the woman cut her off with more questions.

"Then Haku really has been kidnapped? I suspected it but the officers wouldn't tell me anything."

Miyako nodded. "We think so, mam. So can we..?" She let the question hang in the air as she looked at Emiko questioningly and then her gaze moved to the room inside the house.

Emiko hesitated for just one more second but then nodded and opened the door completely for them to let them in.

Miyako and Law stepped inside the dark room and watched Emiko lit a few candles to lighten it. Now that she could see the woman's full form, Miyako saw exactly how much of an impact the kidnapping of her son left on the woman. She was thin as a stick and slightly hunched forward as if too tired to even stand up straight. Her hair was messy and tied into a loose bun, some of the strands falling on her face. The woman closed the doors behind them and led them to a small coffee table with cushions on the floor.

Law sighed silently, though no one could hear. He was getting tired of the way villagers here had those small tables and you had to sit on the floor which was rather uncomfortable after some time. When they were at Samue's place, his legs started feeling numb after an hour and he felt completely stiff by the time they were finished. Did any of these people have normal tables and chairs?

Still, he kept his thoughts to himself and sat down on the small cushion. He glanced at Miyako with the corner of his eyes as she sat next to him, but her attention was completely on the woman in front of them.

"Now, can you tell us everything you know about the kidnapping? Did you notice anything unusual with your son?" Law asked as he moved to sit cross-legged hoping that would ease the strain on his legs.

Emiko looked around the room as if searching for something but then her gaze fell down on her knees, her head bowed. "W-well…a few days before he went missing, Haku often talked about a friend. But I never saw him and nobody else knew anything about it either. And by Haku's stories, in the end I discarded it as simple child's imagination. It's normal for kids his age to have imaginary friends. I told the officers about it but they didn't find anything."

Miyako and Law looked at each other for a second, both of them thinking of the same thing. Miyako was the one to speak though; "Can you tell us more about that 'friend'? What did Haku say about him?"

"W-well…Haku said his name is Katsu. And that he had a forest green hat he always wore, and bright blue eyes, thought that's very unusual for the descendants of Wano. He didn't say much else…He said they met at the outskirts of the village and often played together by the ocean. I would always scold him because he wasn't allowed to go out of the village on his own. I asked the villagers about Katsu, but nobody saw Haku playing with someone like that. And Haku would say the strangest things; that Katsu could fly and move his limbs in an unnatural way. At first I just thought it was really only his imagination but he just went on and on about it and it started freaking me out. I got scared and forbid Haku to go there and play with Katsu, whoever he was. I even went out there myself but never found anything….That night Haku and I had a big fight about it and he ran away…and never came back." By now Emiko was already shedding tears, trembling from grief. She buried her face in her hands. "I-If only we hadn't fought…if only...if only…"

Miyako's eyes softened again and she wished she could help the young mother but didn't know what to say or do. She couldn't just promise they'd find Haku since that would be too irresponsible. Who knew where he was or was he even alive anymore.

"In the end the officers didn't find anything and they said he must've hurt himself after running away. Falling from the cliffs or maybe an animal attacked him…But the villagers all went to search for him and never found the body…they didn't find anything. How could he just disappear? I don't understand." The woman started whimpering again, unable to control her sadness anymore. It was obvious she blamed herself for everything.

"Is there anything else?" Law asked, his voice calm and emotionless as always. He didn't seem to care that the woman was crying in front of him but in his opinion; _why should he?_ The woman wasn't anyone close to him nor anyone he should care about so there was no reason to try and comfort her. Sure, he felt some sympathy for her loss, he wasn't a monster after all, but that was all. And that's also why he ignored a slightly reprimanding look Miyako gave him, for being so blunt.

The woman looked at the pirate captain for a while, her eyes glassy and full of tears. Then she shook her head. "No, I'm afraid that's all I know."

Law nodded and started standing up, Miyako following his lead and then Emiko as well. "We'll just have to figure something out from the information we have." He nodded to the woman and turned to leave, not stopping to wait for Miyako who bowed to the woman and gave her apologies one more time.

When they were out, Miyako had a thoughtful look on her face, completely ignoring her surroundings. Especially Bepo and Josh who were bickering about something behind Law and Miyako as they all walked down the street.

"Are you worried we don't have enough information to continue the investigation?" Law glanced at her and brought the girl back to reality with his voice.

She blinked a few times and looked at Law, something obviously troubling her since she bit her lower lip. She always did it when something was troubling her; Law noted.

She didn't have to say anything though, since the expression clearly gave him his answer. Law closed his eyes for just a second and then looked forward again. "We still have the other team working on the maid info so it's too early to give up. For now, let's go back to the sub and meet up with the other group."

Miyako still seemed in thought though and suddenly she stopped. "Actually, I want to check something. Would you go on ahead without me?"

Law looked at the samurai suspiciously for a while, deciding whether to let her go or not. He didn't want her to get in trouble again and she seemed to have a gift for that.

"Don't worry, I won't get into trouble." Miyako smiled sheepishly with a sweat-drop, reading his mind.

Law sighed but then nodded. "Fine. But be back by dinner."

Miyako's smile brightened a little and she nodded, a determined look in her eyes that Law couldn't understand. Just what was she thinking? Oh well, he'll just ask her when she gets back. The girl seemed happy that he trusted her enough to let her go off on her own, but then again, he knew Miyako wasn't weak. In the end she could take care of herself. Though there was a small part inside, worrying about her since she didn't have any weapons with her now. But even without a katana she should be fine. The villagers and the authorities really weren't a threat to them and it seemed that both of them were too afraid to approach the Heart pirates anyway. Even the officers gave up after that night in the tavern.

"I'll be on my way then." Miyako bowed slightly too him and then waved to Josh and Bepo who looked at her confused. "See ya later!" She called as she ran away on her own.

Law sighed once again as he looked at the leaving girl. Somehow he had a bad feeling about this.

~….~

"Samue-san!" Miyako called out for the old samurai as she ran up to him, a little out of breath. "Samue-san, I need your help."

"Hoo? What's this about?" Samue stood up from the small porch of his house and walked over to the panting girl slowly.

"Is there a list of the people in this village? Maybe records on all of them?" Miyako didn't have time to explain everything to Samue, she just hoped there was a way to check every person in this village. It might take a long time but it was the only way to get information about everyone and see who could be suspicious. Miyako was starting to suspect the culprit really was someone in the village. At first she thought perhaps there was someone outside the village, hidden, and waiting for his chance to strike but if the villagers searched everything and didn't find absolutely any clues…She had to suspect the other possibility as well and that was that the culprit was one of them.

"Hmm…well there are the village archives in the checkpoint where the officers are…But you are a pirate, you can't just show yourself and walk in." Samue held his chin in thought, his eyes gazing into the distance. "However…there is a way. I'm actually on good terms with them."

Miyako looked at him suspiciously, taking one step back unconsciously.

Samue smirked. "Don't make that face. They just owe me…I've helped them in the past. Come, I know a way to get you inside."

Miyako relaxed a little when she heard the man and nodded, the determination never leaving her. "Hai!"

~…..~

The young officer hurried in front of the couple walking towards the station. "O-oh, Samue-san, what are you doing here?" He looked at both the old samurai and also a person in an old cape, a hood covering most of their face.

The old man looked at the youngster and grinned, showing his slightly yellow teeth. "Why? Can't I? I just have some business to check in the Archive room."

The young officer looked a bit nervous at that statement. He knew the samurai did a lot for the village and also the authorities here, but nobody was allowed to enter the Archive's room without permission from a senior.

"Then, I'll just call for Yukuri sempai." The youngster suggested and was already turning around to go take a den den mushi.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Samue's voice boomed with authority, making the young man stop instantly in his tracks. "If you bother Yukuri for such a trivial thing, he'll skin both of us. You know how short tempered that man is."

The young officer gulped obviously knowing what Samue was talking about. He wanted to say something else but Samue cut him off.

"Besides, this is a personal matter so don't get other people involved…the station at least owes me that much, no?" Samue pierced the officer on guard duty with his eyes.

"Y-Yes sir…but…who is this?" The young man tried to see inside the hood, but it was impossible to see anything. He didn't even know if it was a man or a woman inside the cape.

"I already told you this is a personal matter! This person is with me, so I'll guarantee for them." Samue's voice was booming again, harsh and letting no room for argument. He purposely avoided mentioning his companion's gender or anything about them just in case.

"I-I see….I suppose it's fine then. Come in…" The officer didn't look pleased by all this but he couldn't go against Samue's status he had in the village. He was an important person and a valuable asset and helper to the authorities here so they had to treat him with respect. Yukuri always asked it of the other officers. He knew Samue and Yukuri were close friends. So what harm could this do? The officer hoped; none.

When the couple was inside the Archive's room, safely away from the others, the person took of their hood, revealing their bright golden eyes and dark blue hair. "Thank you, Samue-san." Miyako smiled to the old samurai who just smirked in response.

"I still have some spunk too, you know."

Miyako couldn't help but laugh at Samue's choice of words. But her laugh stifled into a snicker quickly since she had to avoid the other's hearing them. "Then, let's begin."

"I want to check the records of the people in the village. And also any strange accidents or disappearances in the last 20 years." She started looking through the archives, trying to find the most recent ones. She took out a giant, dusty register where all the villagers were listed and put in on the wooden table with a "Huff"

"But there are more than 100 people in this village. You intend to look at each of their records?" For the first time Samue showed some disbelief and shock on his face, though it was barely visible.

Miyako sighed and sat down, looking up at the old man. "I know it might take a lot of time, but I really want to find this culprit." Suddenly the image of that young mother crossed her mind, crying and looking like a living corpse, than Miyako remembered how Muso was crushed because of Izumi's disappearance and finally remembered Izumi herself. She didn't know her long but Izumi seemed like a sweet person. "I'll do my best!" Miyako exclaimed to Samue, looking up at him with that determination.

For a while Samue just stared at her, but then he smiled slightly, closing his eyes for a few seconds and sitting at the table next to her. "Alright…than let's start this."

Miyako didn't know how long it has been since they started going through the records, lists, articles from the village newspapers about accidents and kidnappings, but it must've been for a few hours. Still, they didn't find anything useful or something that could lead them to any clues. She was glad she had Samue's help on this or the time of her stay here would be doubled. Miyako sighed as she leaned in her chair, resting her eyes for a bit. She was disappointed and frustrated. "I can't believe it…and I was so sure I'd find something here." She muttered, knowing Samue couldn't hear her anyway since he was somewhere hidden behind bookshelves of papers and books, doing his own research.

Miyako leaned back on the table with her elbows, tiredly holding her head up with her hands. She was exhausted, hungry and starting to get in a bad mood due to her fruitless search. Once again she started picking through the old paper articles, then suddenly her eyes widened.

"This is…." Miyako was still in shock, clutching at the piece of paper in her hands when she suddenly heard a noise of something falling at the back of the room. She couldn't see anything though, since all the shelves were in the way and the room wasn't completely bright due to the candles that were already burning out slowly. Miyako's eyes focused on one of the candle flames when she noticed how it moved suddenly by a gust of wind. Something must have went by quickly close to it.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she tried to peer into the darkness. "Samue-san?" She called out but no answer. Miyako cursed under her breath. She didn't have any weapon or anything to protect herself. And why wasn't Samue responding? She walked slowly to the place he was reading a book before and called again, but once again, no answer. Miyako peered around the shelf in hope to find Samue there but there was no sign of him. Then once again she felt a gust of wind as something rushed behind her. This time Miyako could clearly feel a presence though she couldn't understand what it was. Right now she couldn't even tell if it was human or not and that confused her. Usually she could always tell if she was dealing with animals, humans or something else when she felt a presence, even before she could actually see her opponents. But what was this? A shiver ran down her spine when she remembered she was weaponless against whatever it was.

Miyako quickly turned around in hopes of catching a glimpse of whatever was moving around but once again was only met with darkness. And the gust of wind managed to extinguish one of the three candles in the room, so now it was even darker.

"Samue-san!" This time Miyako yelled loud enough to be sure he heard her…if he was there in the room. And yet, no answer. She walked quickly, checking all the spots and shelves both because she was looking for Samue and because she was wondering what the hell was in the room with her. The logical part of her was screaming for her to run and get out of there as the feeling in her gut tightened and got worse by the second. But if Samue was here somewhere, unconscious and defenseless, Miyako didn't want to abandon him. So against all her better judgment, she decided to continue her search.

Thousands of question were going through her head; one of them being how come nobody in the station heard her calling and came in? *_Where is everybody!* _That just made her more suspicious of the whole situation. Miyako put the article she still held in her hand in her pocket and turned around once more when she heard another sound, this time of a book falling down.

Then all of a sudden Miyako felt a presence behind her and quickly took the first book out of the shelf, turning around and using it as a shield. Miyako thanked her Haki ability when she was saved, as three needle-like weapons dug deep into the book's covers. If she wasn't more alert, it could've been her head.

But once again her attacker was gone. She could hear shuffling of paper and then suddenly it became even darker when the second candle went extinguished. But what Miyako really couldn't understand is why she couldn't hear any footsteps of her attacker. _*Is it a ninja or something?*_ Miyako didn't have much time to ponder about it as suddenly more of those needles came at her from the darkness and Miyako could see a shadow move. She ran quickly, as the needles left their trail right behind her. She hid behind one of the bookshelves, only peering slightly too see where the person was.

The last candle went out and Miyako's eyes widened when she sensed something again. She looked up and just in time to see a form crouching on the bookshelf she was hiding behind, a sword coming down at her. Miyako jumped to the side and saw the sword pierce through the spot in the ground where she was just seconds ago. She did the first thing she could think of to buy some time and found a big book with hard covers, throwing it at the person. But they just swung the sword and sliced the book still in the air. Then the attacker rushed towards her and Miyako jumped to the side, than took a dash towards the other bookshelves, finding new cover. But she knew that won't serve her any good for too long_. *If I don't find a way out of this situation, I'll be dead for sure. I can't just run and hide forever.*_

A crack of wood brought her back to reality and she only had time to turn around and watch wide-eyed as the bookshelf sliced open and the form smashed through it with their sword, splinters and pieces of wood and paper flying all over the place. The form charged though the flying mess, its form covered with papers at first, so it was hard to notice their next more. Miyako barely dodged the next attack that tried to pierce her head. She felt a sting on her cheek where the sword managed to slice her and then it proceeded to pierce the bookshelf behind her. Miyako wasted no time in running once again from the odd form. But not before she noticed something that made her big eyes even bigger. The person's feet didn't even touch the ground as they rushed at her; it looked as if they were hovering above the ground.

Miyako dared to turn around and see where her attacker was but didn't see anyone behind her anymore, which gave her an even worse feeling. She started looking up as well as around her, knowing the attacker could rush her from anywhere. These shelves were good cover for her, but also a good cover for an ambush for the other person. She felt like in a game of cat and mouse.

_*Ok, think Miyako. There has to be a way out of this. There's always a solution to everything!* _

Then an idea popped into her head and she allowed herself a barely visible smirk. Then at that moment the person appeared again this time close enough for Miyako to see that it must be a man by its build. He was just about to attack again but Miyako took a book and ripped its pages, tossing everything in the air so the attacker would lose sight of her. This time it was her turn to disappear in front of his eyes.

Then everything fell silent and not a fly could be heard. Suddenly a noise of a book falling on the ground echoes through the room and the man rushed towards it. Miyako was biting her lip nervously and carefully waiting on the other side of the bookshelf, waiting for the right moment. _*I hope this works…*_

She saw the person come to the right spot, looking at the book Miyako threw earlier on the floor. She didn't waste time and started pushing at the bookshelf with all her might, desperate to make it fall down on the attacker. The big bookshelf screeched and swayed a little, then started falling when Miyako pushed her whole strength into it. The bookshelf toppled down with a loud crash. The person jumped but wasn't fast enough and the shelf strike at his feet, sending him back down and on the floor.

Miyako didn't wait to see if the bookshelf hit its target completely or not, she just rushed towards the door and opened them widely before running out. To her surprise the station was completely empty but she didn't have time to think about it as she ran outside and into the village. It was already dark but there were still people on the streets and Miyako had to admit she felt a bit safer with other people around her. She turned around to take one last glance at the station; panting and her heart still beating widely from the adrenaline.

_*What the hell was that? And where did Samue-san go? Was that….him? But why would he do such a thing?*_ Miyako didn't know the old samurai that well but he seemed like an alright person and she didn't want to suspect him yet. Not without evidence.

She walked through the village and passed by the village tavern, hearing loud voices from inside. As she came closer and peeked inside, she could see a pissed of Captain of the Station and his officers, talking to the innkeeper. A man walked out of the tavern and Miyako stopped him.

"Sir, could you tell me what's going on here?"

The man looked at her up and down; a look she really didn't like, but ignored it for now. She could see he was a bit tipsy anyway, well actually he was completely drunk. "Oh…the office's came barging in…somefing about pir'es."

Miyako's eye twitched in annoyance. "Could you be a little more specific?" She asked thought gritted teeth.

The man gave her a grin that she found disgusting and then leaned in closer to her. "Spefcic? Spec…Spef…?" He tried to repeat the word but it wouldn't come out of his mouth right. Then after a small pause he grinned even wider; "An' whaf fill you gif' me if I am?"

Miyako's eyes narrowed dangerously. Oh, she was so not in the mood for this. She's been through enough crap for one day and this was just the icing on the cake. Her darkening mood even worsened, seeing the man's goofy grin as he once again looked at her like she was some kind of piece of meat.

Miyako's aura swirled around in suffocating dark pressure as she gripped the man by his shirt, slightly pulling him closer but not enough for her to smell the man's disgusting drunken breath. Her golden eyes were completely cold and dark, an expression on her face that promised certain death if the man pissed her off some more.

"Talk or die. It's as simple as that." Her voice was icy cold, showing she was completely serious.

The man gulped and looked at her eyes, trying to see if she was bluffing or not. But there was certainly no bluff in her expression. She looked like she would strike this man down because of a wrong word and she really would. That was obvious even for him. So the man cleared his throat and sobered up immediately. "W-well, they were saying that someone notified them that the Heart pirates were causing trouble in the tavern. But when they came here, not one pirate was around. It was just some stupid prank or something."

Miyako was still holding his shirt for a while, thinking about what the man just said, then she released him and he stumbled away, not wanting to be near the now _very_ dangerous woman.

~…~

When Miyako finally came back to the sub it was already pitch black outside. She walked up the gangplank in a slow trod, almost swaying from the tiredness. As she came to the deck, Miyako noticed Bepo sleeping against the railing and Law leaning on him as he sometimes did, his arms behind his head as he sat comfortably against the living pillow.

"You're late." was all Law said when she walked by them. But then he instantly noticed her expression and knew something wasn't right. His smirk disappeared and was replaced by a serious face. "What happened?"

Miyako didn't answer anything at first but went to sit beside him with a loud sigh. She looked up at the starry night sky for a moment, marveling the sight of thousands of shining lights decorating the clear sky. "I went with Samue-san to the village Archive in the Station. And I was attacked." She ignored Law's questioning look and went on. "Samue got us in so we could do some research on the villagers and I wanted to check some things out. But then he suddenly disappeared and a man attacked me…I couldn't see much of him because it was dark."

"Are you sure it wasn't Samue?"

Miyako shook her head. "I don't know but I hope not. And he moved…strangely." Once again she ignored Law's raised eyebrow and continued. "I thought it strange at first that I couldn't hear the attacker's footsteps and then I saw why…he wasn't really running. More like hovering in the air as he moved. And he was fast."

Law's eyes narrowed in thought a little and Miyako knew he was already thinking of all the possibilities to this strange story. But Miyako couldn't explain it herself. "I managed to push a bookshelf down on him, though I don't know if it killed him or not. I just ran away. The strange part was also that there was no sign of the officers in the station but later I saw them in the tavern and found out somebody notified them that Heart pirates were causing trouble in the village, though it wasn't true. They supposed it was just a prank but I think the culprit called them so he could get them out of the station and leave Samue-san and me alone there."

Law nodded, agreeing with her. "Yes, that's most likely. Though I don't like the fact they used the name of the Heart pirates for their little game…" Law's look was serious and icy cold. Miyako knew he was really pissed by now even if it didn't show much on his face. But somebody already messed with his sub, crew and the name of Heart pirates…And for Law that was unacceptable. Whoever it was, when Law finds them, they'll be in for a hell of a ride to Hell and back.

"Ah! One more thing!" Miyako remembered the thing that surprised her in the archive room before everything else happened. She took out a piece of paper, an article, and showed it to Law. "Looks familiar?"

Law had to focus his vision a little since it was dark but when he finally read it and saw the picture, his eyes widened a little. On the picture was a boy, about 12 years old, with a forest green cap and dark blue eyes. Below the picture there was an article; 'Shindo Katsu, 13 years old, went missing. Suspected to die during the tragical earthquake.' The article was published about 3 years ago.

"Katsu…." Law muttered a bit confused by the article since it said the boy was missing for 3 years. Everyone would think he was already dead. And the weirdest part was Haku told his mother the boy was about his age, while this one should be 16 by now if he was alive. Also, the last name was familiar, and Law remembered that Samue's last name was also Shindo. "So Katsu and Samue are somehow related."

Miyako nodded. "There was a big earthquake here about three years ago and a lot of people died or went missing under the rubles. It says here he was the youngest victim."

"So you think he was actually kidnapped by the same kidnapper we're dealing with now." Law said it more like a statement than a question since Miyako's thoughts were obvious. And Law had to agree, that crossed his mind too. But they still couldn't explain Katsu's revival. "That explains why Samue wanted to help us solve this case. He must be looking for the kidnapper as well…if he is not the culprit himself. After all, his disappearance and then you being attacked all sounds very suspicious."

For a while Law was quiet but then decided to ask; "Was there anything else?" Law looked at Miyako, playing with the piece of paper in his tattooed hand.

"Nothing specific. A few people went missing over the years, usually during the storms so the villagers just put it under accidents. It wasn't that rare to find the bodies of the missing villagers under the Black Cliffs or ashore after the sea swallowed them. But there hasn't been any unexplained disappearances." Miyako shook her head a bit disappointed that her research didn't help her as much as she hoped it would.

"Well if nothing else, we can with certainty say there is at least one culprit and he is a man. Also who has to be relatively young and strong if he can carry the kidnapped bodies alone and also if he was able to give you trouble."

Miyako nodded. "But if we suppose there are more than one, than the theory changes since it would be easier for them to defeat, kidnap and carry their victims away." Miyako said, suggesting another side of looking at things.

Law nodded. "Yes, but since for now we only have one, let's focus on that." Law looked up at the starry sky for a moment before looking at Miyako again, with a serious face. "In any case, from now on, nobody from the crew is allowed to wander around alone and without permission. Remember that well, Miss Miyako."

The samurai girl sighed. "I understand captain."

Miyako looked back up at the beautiful sky and for a while both of them just kept silent and still, marveling at nature's beauty. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Law looked up at the starts than glanced back at his samurai, seeing her in a daze, staring at the sky, her golden eyes almost shining in the darkness. She had a slight smile on her face that almost looked nostalgic. "Yes…yes, it is."

"It reminds me of Wano. The sky was always clear there as well. It was always full of stars."

Law looked back at Miyako again. He was a bit surprised Miyako decided to share that, though it was just an innocent little fact. But Miyako rarely mentioned Wano. Actually, they didn't have a real conversation about the island since they came on Howl's Island. "You don't talk about your home island much. How come?"

Miyako shrugged and hugged her knees. "I don't know…not much to tell."

"Do you miss it?"

Miyako was a bit surprised by that question. In all honesty, she didn't think about it much. Wano was her home but when she thought about it; she was never really that attached to it. Miyako was always a person who wanted to travel, explore, learn new things…so she was never that tied down to one place. Especially after she became a ronin. "Sometimes. I try not to think about it though."

"Do you want to go back?"

Miyako's eyes twitched and narrowed for just one second before her calm face returned. Once again, her expression was purely emotionless. She knew where Law was going with this. He wanted to know her plans for the future, wanted to test her loyalty to see if she was still attached to Wano or not. Miyako looked at him with the corner of her eyes and saw his calm and emotionless face, but she knew exactly what he was thinking and expecting.

Miyako smirked, still looking at him with only the corners of her eyes. "Come now, captain. You don't need to test me like this; I already told you I'd join your crew so I got rid of all my attachments that I might have had, a long time ago. It's already been 8 months since we met, no?" The smirk never left her face as she talked and for a while she looked similar to Law when he used his infamous smirk. That made her think that she has been in his company for _a bit_ too long.

Law smirked as well, his a little wider than the girl's. "Perhaps…but you can't blame me for being curious. After all, people usually aren't so quick to be ready to change their whole life and leave everything they had behind."

Miyako gave him a raised, questioning eyebrow so Law decided to explain. "You decided to join fairly easy. So you can't blame me for being suspicious why you never put a bigger fight. That makes me think you're still hiding something." His smirk widened again. "Are you?"

Miyako sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against the railing. "You never give up with that, do you?" The statement was said in a somewhat tired and almost annoyed tone. As if she was already bored of the whole topic. "If I remember correctly, you never gave me much of a choice to begin with. So what was I supposed to do?" Miyako opened her eyes and looked at Law questioningly.

Law looked ahead, closing his eyes and smirking for a while. "I suppose your right. Besides, if you're hiding something; I'll find out sooner or later."

Miyako smirked and looked at him with a sly look, almost as if she was challenging him to try. "Well aren't you awfully confident. But you know, you can't _always_ get what you want."

Law almost chuckled at that statement, which made Miyako's smirk fall a little. He didn't look angry or irritated by her taunts, only amused. As if he knew something that she didn't. "Then you don't know me well enough, Miss Miyako." The captain turned to look at her directly, piercing her with his amused grey eyes. "I _always_ get what I want. Because I do whatever it takes to get it. That goes for One Piece…and _anything_ else." Law grinned as he looked at the samurai girl who now had a little frown on her face.

Miyako looked away from her captain and back at the starry sky. "The higher you climb, the harder you fall, Captain." She warned, but her tone was emotionless and calm, like she didn't really care either way.

This time Law really did chuckle. "You don't have to worry about _me_, Miss Miyako." He said it as if she should worry about herself instead, though Miyako couldn't dispatcher if there was a certain reason for his words or not. She gave him a suspicious look, but Law didn't say anything else and instead leaned a bit more comfortably back into Bepo, whit his hands still supporting his head and closed his eyes. He still had that smirk on his face and he looked completely relaxed, as if without a worry in the world.

Miyako sighed defeated when she saw her captain, who looked like he'd fall asleep any second now. _*How can he be so relaxed?* _Sometimes, Miyako really couldn't understand her captain…ok, a lot of times, though it was easier than when they first met and started this journey. Miyako looked at Law as his chest slowly rose and fell under his hoodie. His face seems completely relaxed, though he still had a small smirk on his lips and for a moment Miyako wondered if he even had that smirk while sleeping. She wouldn't be surprised.

"You're staring, Miss Miyako."

Suddenly, his amused voice brought her out of her daze and almost made her jump with surprise. She thought he had already fallen asleep. And how did knew even know, when his eyes were closed? Miyako felt her face heat up and quickly looked away, hugging her knees closer and staring at the wooden floor. "S-shut up…" She muttered in obvious embarrassment that she fruitlessly tried to hide. The embarrassment only got worse and she felt her cheeks heat up even more when she heard him chuckle, completely amused by her statement.

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><p>(1) Yawarakai-Te means Tender Hands.<p>

***phew* Is it just me or was this chapter long? All I know, it took me ages to proofread. And I'm happy to finally be able to upload it. I know you guy have been waiting like a week for this one.**

**Reviews, comments, questions and criticism are always welcome so feel free to leave some. As you see, I'll answer all of your questions. :)****  
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**So I hope you enjoyed it and see you (hopefully sooner)!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Finally I managed to finish and upload the next chapter. I didn't think I'd have time to do it yet since I have a lot to study for this whole month (actually I should be studying right now…and yesterday while I was writing this too. ^^') but you guys waited long enough for it so I wanted to finish it quickly and post it already for you. :)**

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><p><strong>So before we start, let's answer some questions:<strong>

**SeveredReality: **Ok, I'll go point by point to try and answer everything and hopefully I want leave anything out. ^^'

About the time span; You see the islands that I mentioned and the adventures I described aren't the only ones they had so far, just some that I wrote about. (think of it that way, though it might sound a bit confusing.) So it has been 8 months so far but the Akai no Shima, Howl's island and the others are just SOME of the islands they had visited and had adventures on. True, I guess I had to note that somewhere though I think actually in this chapter Law would mention a certain island that wasn't in the story but that they had been on. (Cause in my opinion if I wrote about every island and everything that happens in those 2 years, the story would be too long.)

About the hat, don't worry, he'll change it but I think it's a bit too early. Now about the time they should be going to the New World; So this is happening in the time skip, so in those 2 years Luffy is "missing" and it hasn't been even a year yet so I feel it's a bit too early for them to go to the New World now. Especially since there are two possibilities in the manga; Punk Hazard is one of the first three islands you can end up after going to the New World, so it's in the beginning of the journey. True, Law could've been to the New World and then come back to Punk Hazard, OR he could've came to the New World and then stayed at Punk Hazard, which would mean he wasn't in the New World for long at all. So until the two possibilities are cleared up and we know for sure it's hard to tell, but that's also one of the reasons why I don't want them to go to the New World too soon. Hopefully we'll know more from the manga, soon enough.

Also I'm making Law stronger gradually since there's still a long way to go in two years so I don't want to boost it too soon. Still, I already gave him the ability to move while having his Room and "Tact"and Haki (which is confirmed in the last chapter that he has) and he'll get the rest of them and get stronger as the story proceeds.

About Miyako's strength, yes she has to be strong and I will make her even stronger as the story goes on as well. (Once again I say, I don't want to make it too fast because there's still more than a year to go.) Also, I have to be careful because I don't want to make Miyako a Marry Sue. I don't want her to go around destroying everyone without even lifting her finger properly and being almightily and strong so I want her to have some boundaries.

That goes for Law too. He is ultra-strong in the manga now but I want him to gradually come to that and not just have all that power suddenly. I want him to work for it too since I'm sure he had to. I mean, remember all the fights Luffy, Zoro and the rest of the Straw-hat pirates had in their way to become stronger; I think there wasn't a more serious battle where they didn't get all beaten and bloodied even though they won in the end. (Though Law is so awesome he doesn't get beaten and bloodied. ;P But he has to work too, you know.)

Also take in account that as they journey on, their opponents are getting stronger too (at least I'm trying to make them look stronger. o.O)

About Miyako's journey; she is trying to understand herself and what true strength is, yes but I don't think it's the way you're thinking of. The realization she needs won't come from being ultra-strong or getting stronger(something her master warned her about as well) but that's something that will be more explained in the story and that she's realize on her own. But yes, she will get stronger throughout the story.

About the bounty; Law didn't do really something spectacular to get such a big bounty yet. YET. :P Actually I'm going to start getting marines more involved in all this so he'll get his chance, don't worry. :)

About the nickname; Maybe Burning-Eyed Miyako isn't anything special but I'm not going to change I now. When pirate gets his nickname in the bounty it stays so I wouldn't want to change it now. Also, it's not only the golden color of her eyes but also the fire in them when she fights. Though, when she gets really REALLY pissed, her eyes become cold instead.

So all in all, they all WILL get stronger but I want to keep it at a steady pace, especially since there is still a lot of time till the New World and we still have to see how long has Law been in the New World anyway. (And where is his crew! That's what I want to know!)

But thanks for the comments and the review and hopefully you'll be satisfied with the story as it proceeds so just be patient. :)

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: **Fixed it. :P And yes, Law has Haki and is working/training to improve it. And now we know he has haki in manga too so he really _did_ get it over these 2 years. Yay! :D

**AceIsTheOnly: **Well that depends, though I'm trying. ^^' I think this one is pretty long too. :)

**Izzie: **Hehe, actually with the Cody/Miyako thing I have an ending already planned for that misunderstanding and I can't wait to use it! Actually, I kinda can't wait till it all blows over as well, cause I'm looking forward to write the last scene of this adventure! I can't wait! :D

**DrainaPurpurne2412: **Aww Thank you. ^^ And yeah, I try to make it a bit complicated and not so obvious though it's a bit hard. ^^'

**MangaFreak55: **Haha well, now you know it's ok since we talk on PM. XD

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><p><strong>Ok, so we can start now! Enjoy and I hope you like it!<strong>

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 33<strong>

Law groaned as he was once again awoke by knocking. Well, more like pounding. "What now?" He muttered though gritted teeth in annoyance. This was starting to happen _too_ often.

His feet touched the cold floor, which managed to wake him up a little…but only a little. Law got dressed as fast as he could, finishing off with putting his fuzzy spotted hat and adjusting it on his head. *_And then people ask me why I look sleep deprived.*_ He couldn't help but think as he walked towards his door and opened them with a dark look for whoever was on the other side.

It was none other than his first mate, Bepo and he shifted his weight on his feet, looking a bit uncomfortable under Law's death gaze. When Law saw it was the polar bear, his look softened a little and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Sorry to wake you up so suddenly captain. But we have trouble." Bepo said, gaining more confidence when Law's dark look disappeared.

Law just grunted as a response and followed his first mate out the door and on the deck. This was becoming _way_ too familiar now and for a second Law thought if it was Muso again, coming to settle their score. Law's lips twitched into a barely visible smirk at the thought; he wouldn't mind at all.

But unfortunately that was not the case. Still, Law wasn't far from the truth. As he got on the deck he saw some of his crew members, along with Penguin, Shachi and Bepo, in a defensive stance, staring at something, or someone, down at the ground. Law leaned over the railing to look downwards, a sigh escaping his lips as the familiarity of the whole scene was a bit too much for his liking. *_This is getting old.* _

But he raised an eyebrow when he saw a group of people there, looking up. When they saw him they readied their weapons and Law recognized it were the officers from the village again_. *So they finally found some guts to come here.* _Now in any other case, Law would be looking forward to having some fun and a workout, but now he could only feel annoyance that they decided to show up when he was finally catching some sleep after pulling an all-nighter with work. They just couldn't pick a worse time. Because of that Law was in a _very_ bad mood, a dark aura swirling around him.

Meanwhile, the group down there moved aside a little and an old man came forth. He was about the same age as Samue, with short black hair and a dark moustache. He had a stern and unforgiving look on his face and his authority was obvious.

_*He must be the captain of the Station.* _Law looked up and down the tall man but didn't see anything interesting or special about him. Maybe to others this guy was intimidating but to Law he just looked like a total bore. In any case, neither worth the pirate captain's time nor lack of sleep. Law noticed moving in the corner of his eye and saw Bepo walking towards him with his nodachi, that Law took with a nod, from the polar bear. Then he looked back down, waiting for the man to speak.

And he did. "My name is captain Yukuri! I am the head of the authorities in this village! And you, Trafalgar Law are suspected of kidnapping four people! Now come with us or suffer the consequences! Your resistance will be interpreted as guilt. We already called the marines and you have nowhere to run!" Yukuri's voice was loud and stern, just what you would expect from such a figure.

Law, however, didn't look very worried. He had one eye closed while the other looked at Yukuri with little interest; his famous 'Boredom look' But he tilted his head when he heard he was suspected for the kidnappings. It didn't surprise him though, it was just a matter of time until the villagers decided that the big bad pirate is all to blame, Law knew it would happen sooner or later. And to be honest he didn't care. But he knew these guys will certainly be in the way of his own investigation, and he didn't intend to lose the chance to rub his victory into Muso's face with an 'Aha!' and make the swordsmith forge him a sword….ok, maybe without the 'Aha!' part.

Law adjusted the nodachi on his shoulder, the other hand in his pocket and looked at the man with mild interest. "And what proof do you have that I was the one who did it?"

Yukuri's eyes narrowed but didn't let his anger and fury show towards the young pirate. He wanted to be professional even if the last disappearance was of his close friend. "Well after last night it's pretty obvious isn't it?" He waited to see Law's reaction but when he got none, he continued; "Last night one of your crewmembers, Burning-Eyed Miyako, went to the Station with Shindo Samue. And we _conveniently_ got a call that the Heart pirates were causing trouble in the village, which left the Station empty and only Suzune Miyako and Shindo Samue there. And he disappeared that night. She was the last one to see him. Or should I say; she was the one responsible for his disappearance. And she's _your_ nakama, Trafalgar Law!"

Law's eyes twitched and narrowed at that accusation, though barely visible. "So you don't actually have any solid evidence. All you have is the fact that Miss Miyako was last seen with Samue-ya. But that doesn't mean she kidnapped him. Besides, my crewmember told me what happened; there was someone else there who attack her, and they probably kidnapped Samue as well."

"Do you have any proof of that?" Yukuri barked, his temper getting the best of him. He didn't come here to have a debate with this man, he came here to arrest him.

Law smirked smugly. "As much as you have that Miss Miyako kidnapped Samue-ya. Besides, wasn't it _him_ who got them inside in the first place, willingly? Why would she kidnap him if they were working together?" Law's smirk widened a little, knowing he had won that one.

Yukuri grumbled at Law's statement a little as if not knowing what to respond. "I don't know that yet…but I intend to find out. I intend to find out why they were there together in the first place and everything else. And that's why I demand to take Suzune Miyako into custody a well, for questioning! Bring her out!"

Law's smirk suddenly disappeared, being replaced by his serious face and slightly narrowed eyes. "I won't let you take my nakama _anywhere_." His voice was calm but cold, dangerously cold. "And I don't like being ordered, Yukuri-ya." His tone became warning and the grip on his nodachi tightened a bit.

Yukuri's eyes narrowed as well. He wasn't going to be intimidated by this sadistic pirate who treated people like his personal little toys. He took out his katana and prepared for a fight, his men doing the same thing behind him. "Then I have no other choice but to take you two, forcefully. You will regret this Trafalgar Law. If you agreed to be taken for questioning along with Suzune Miyako, we would leave your crew alone to wait for you. But your resistance just proves your guilt and now we will take all of you down!"

Law unsheathed his nodachi, the Heart pirates preparing for a fight as they readied their weapons and kung-fu stances. Law grinned sadistically, his expression clear that he couldn't wait to cut all these people up. "I told you, I don't like to be ordered around, didn't I?" The Heart pirates jumped down, cutting or kicking and punching through the group of officers.

Law jumped down as well, blocking a sword easily and counterattacking by slicing the man's throat. He didn't even have to use his devil fruit powers on these men. He dodged another sword and did a round kick, kicking the officer in the stomach and sending him flying towards Bepo who kicked the same officers as well, sending him flying in yet another direction.

Law proceeded in his own easy-going pace though the crowd, slicing or kicking an opponent occasionally if they were in his way. He walked towards Yukuri who had his hands full with two members of Law's crew but somehow managed to fight them off. It didn't take long before the two men stood in front of each other, both staring with their own deadly, fighting auras swirling around them.

"This is your last chance, Trafalgar Law! Hand us Burning-Eyed Miyako and come with us or suffer the consequences!" Yukuri was relentless, a trait Law didn't much care for. The man was already starting to bore him with that speech.

Law grinned, an expression of sadistic mockery on his face. "Look around Yukuri-ya. You should be the one worried about suffering."

Yukuri glanced around him and his eyes widened in shock and disbelief. All his officers were on the ground, beaten and unconscious, if not killed. The Heart pirates were standing over them, grinning at Yukuri and celebrating their victory. "I-Impossible!"

"Room!" before Yukuri had any idea what hit him, he was surrounded by a blue sphere. His wide-eyed stare returned to Law and his bloodied nodachi and he could see in the pirate's eyes that he was just itching to swing it.

Surprisingly, Law's mood was much better now…not surprising, since he released it all on the officers. And now he would teach this old geezer, who dared to order him around, a lesson as well. And this time there was nothing and no one in his way that would stop him. He could play with this man all he liked. And why not? He could use a little morning workout after all. Law's grin widened if that was even possible, making even a more sadistic face than before. "Any last words, Yukuri-ya?"

Yukuri gritted his teeth and held his head high proudly. If he was to go, he would go with his head held high. He was a man with no regrets…alright one regret; and that was to not be able to find and save his friend, Samue. He narrowed his eyes at Law and clenched his fists. "You will be going to Hell, Trafalgar Law."

Law smirked and raised his sword. "That's alright. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes, even go to hell, if that will accomplish my goal." Law was a person who would chase after his goals no matter what, even if it had to be through Hell itself. And that was just fine with him. He had no regrets.

No man said anything after that and Law swung his sword, three times. At first it seemed nothing happened but then Yukuri's body split into three pieces and fell on the floor when Law released his Room. The man died almost instantly when he was out of the blue sphere.

Law cleaned his nodachi on one of the officers' shirts and sheathed it. He saw Bepo walk up to him and took the nodachi in his big paws. "What now, captain?"

Law looked around at the unconscious or dead men on the floor. "For starters, clean this mess. I don't want this in front of my submarine." He said in an emotionless tone like he was talking about mare trash and not people. He didn't care, at least now there was no one standing in his way again. And besides, this felt quite good. He didn't get to kill anyone properly in a long time and this helped him release some of the pressure he was feeling lately.

~…~

Miyako rolled in her bed with a small sound that sounded like something between a groan and a moan. Her eyes were still closed as she tried to will herself back to sleep, though she knew she'd have to get up soon anyway. But the bed felt so good and fluffy, and she wanted to stay snoozing here forever…or at least just a little bit longer.

But even as she tried to, she just couldn't fall back asleep again, so instead she lazily opened a half-lidded eye. She noticed something blue in front of her that looked like legs, so she continued to look upwards lazily, still half-asleep. The color blue was replaced with yellow and black, as she noticed a well-known smiley of a certain jolly roger. And then her gaze finally rested on a familiar tanned face that looked down at her with those grey eyes.

"Oh, hi captain…." Miyako muttered and closed her eyes again, snuggling against her pillow. Then her body stiffened in realization as her mind finally decided to wake up. Her eyes opened suddenly as she looked up and tried to jump out of bed quickly. "Captain?" her voice sounded alarmed and a bit high pitched, but it soon turned into a surprised yelp when Miyako's still half-asleep body tried to jump up, resulting into her falling of the bed and right in front of Law's feet. She looked up at the man, who was looking down at her with an amused smirk on his face, obviously enjoying the show.

"W-w-w-what are you doing here?" She managed to squeal out, still in that high-pitched tone. What was even more awkward was when she realized she wasn't wearing anything except panties and a large blue T-shirt, the one she had the first time she woke up on this sub, still as a prisoner. Somehow she forgot to return it to Law so in the end it ended up as her PJs. She pulled the hem of the shirt down, fruitlessly trying to cover her white panties, though it wasn't really working. Thankfully, Law's eyes were focused on her face instead of traveling down to her exposed legs.

Law put out one of his hands from his pockets and held it out to her, to help the poor girl to her feet. "I _did_ knock." He said, seeing her shocked face and immensely amused by it. "We have work to do, remember? You were supposed to be on the deck already but it seems you overslept." Law's smirk widened. "So I decided to see what was wrong, personally."

Miyako blinked a few times as realization hit her. "Eeeh? I overslept!" She took his hand without thinking and was up in an instant, clutching her head in slight panic. "I can't believe I overslept!" She went straight to her closet, almost jumping into it as she looked for clean clothes to wear. She tossed a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple light blue T-shirt with some picture of two squirrels on it on her bed and rushed over there, still muttering about how she managed to oversleep. She completely forgot Law was still there, and that was proven when she started rising her T-shirt, revealing her milky stomach.

A loud clearing of throat stopped her and she blinked a few times in confusion, wondering where that noise had come from. Her question was answered when she looked at the other side of the room, seeing Law there with a raised eyebrow and an amused look with a wide smirk that _almost_ looked like a smile…probably because had to restrain himself from laughing.

He didn't have to say anything since Miyako soon enough realized what she almost did, and that's when her face turned a whole new color of red. "Kya!" She made a sound somewhere between an embarrassed squeak and a surprised yelp, and put the T-shirt down immediately.

Before she had time to say anything, Law turned around and walked to the door, opening it. "I'll be waiting on the deck. And hurry…I don't like to wait." The last sentence sounded a bit warning as he looked behind at her with a more serious look. With that, he was out the door and Miyako could hear his leaving footsteps. Her face was still red even when he went away, and the girl desperately tried to pull herself together. *_Miyako no baka baka baka! You're such a scatter brain!*_ She scolded herself as she got dressed and then brushed her hair, tying it into a pony-tail with her red ribbon. *_And what was he doing here anyway? This was so embarrassing! Why did he have to come down here himself!* _

Miyako went into the shared bathroom, doing all that needed to be done and then ran towards the deck with lightning-speed. *_He's so going to be pissed at me for being late.* _Even though Miyako was surprised Law didn't scold her for being late while they were still in her room. Or was he waiting to do it at a more appropriate time? But Law never really cared if the time was appropriate for something or not, he would just do what he wanted to do and when he wanted to do it; that much Miyako had learnt in these 8 months. *_He looked as if in an awfully good mood today. I wonder why…* _whatever the reason, Miyako was glad for it since it meant less trouble for her.

When she opened the big door of the deck, she saw the usual team of the first shift working on the engine as they took turns to dive underwater with their equipment. But Miyako noticed they worked even harder and faster than before, then she remembered they were supposed to set off tomorrow so the mechanics were trying to finish before the deadline. Law was leaning against the railing with his arms folded on his chest and his nodachi, resting on the railing beside him. Miyako walked up to him with a confused look. "Just the two of us are going? Where are the others?"

"The others had work of their own to do so it'll be just us two working on the disappearances today." He raised a thin eyebrow at her questioningly. "Is that a problem?"

Miyako shook her head, still feeling a bit embarrassed because of before. Every time she would look at him, she would remember the awkwardness. "No. Just a bit surprised by it."

Law didn't press the matter more but instead moved to more important things. "Sam and Sasha said the maid didn't have anyone close to her, no family and she rarely socialized. She worked and lived at the Kuyaki household. She went out on the night of the storm looking for the doctor because the daughter of the Kuyakis got sick. But the she never came back and the doctor said she never came to him." Law explained, repeating what his two subordinates had told him.

Miyako put a finger under her chin in thought and tapped it lightly. "hmm…but that doesn't tell us much. No one to suspect and no eyewitnesses, just like with the others. Whoever is doing this is good at hiding it." Then she remembered the article and took out the piece of paper about Shindo Katsu. "What about this? Can we get any clues from this?"

Law looked at the paper in her hands but his face remained serious and thoughtful. "I doubt it. Not without at least asking Samue-ya about it, but now he's missing to…" Law took his nodachi and gestured for Miyako to follow him as they went into the village. "But one thing is clear; whoever is doing this is trying to pin it on the Heart pirates." Law's eyes narrowed at that. He hated being used like this and he will not leave this island before cutting up the culprit piece by piece. He didn't care about the kidnapped villagers but he'll be damned if he lets the culprit get away with playing with the name of the Heart pirates and Trafalgar Law.

~….~

As they walked through the village, searching for the Kuyaki household to resume their quest, Miyako was telling Law about her gambling win with Shachi and the others, and the sweet revenge she got out of it. He could hear the pride in her voice as she told him of her little plan she had used.

Law raised an eyebrow at one fact, though. "Miss Miyako, you gamble?" There was amused unbelief in his voice as he would never think the slightly uptight samurai would do such a thing. He knew she was a person of reason and logic who liked to have things clear and under control, so for her to risk at a game where she couldn't control the outcome was unlike her.

"Isn't not gambling if you know you'll win." Miyako grinned as she looked sideways at her captain. "Besides, Daifugō is more about skill than luck." She added matter-of-factly with her index finger in the air. But she opened one eye to look at Law who didn't look so convinced, that amused smirk still present. Miyako frowned ever so slightly. "Besides, I was just getting back at them. Shachi always beats me at poker like that and then takes the little money I have or makes me do things for him." She defended, still frowning at the thought and also because Law didn't believe she wasn't a gambler. The truth was Miyako really never like to gamble. She wasn't good at it and she didn't like not being able to control it. But if it was something that you could use your skill in order to win, why not? It was only a one-time thing anyway.

Law slowed down his walk unconsciously and suddenly looked at her with a serious expression that Miyako couldn't really understand. "Made you do what kinds of things?" There was a barely hearable strain in his voice, which reminded Miyako of a tight string about to break. It seemed like his posture changed somewhat and he became more alert.

The samurai girl ignored Law's change, though not before she gave him a questioning look. But when he neither responded to it nor explained himself, Miyako just continued. She looked up at the morning sky in though as she tried to remember all the things Shachi made her do. She was a bit surprised Law actually wanted to know something like that but didn't ask why. "Well…he would make me do his laundry or clean the deck in his place, or cook for him and make him sweets."

Law's expression remained calm and emotionless but inside he felt relieved and he had to stop a sigh of relief to leave his mouth. Knowing the slightly perverted mechanic, when Miyako said she needed to do stuff for him, Law instantly thought of the worst and ideas that should have _never_ crossed his mind, came in and did a ruckus of his psyche. But the other part of him felt a bit annoyed at his childhood friend who made Miyako do all those things for him…though Law had a theory it wasn't because Shachi _made_ her do it…it was because Miyako was _doing_ them, for someone else…She was cooking for someone else, cleaning, for someone else... Law always thought that she baked those cakes that he didn't want to eat anyway, for him alone. And he felt a bit annoyed when he found out it wasn't so.

First Cody, now Shachi….why couldn't they lay off of _his_ samurai? He didn't even have the patience of figuring out what he meant by 'his' samurai but it didn't matter now. Now, he was only thinking that he'll have a talk with Shachi…A talk…A meeting on his operating table… His mechanic and friend is going to be in some trouble. He would never hurt his nakama and crewmembers but that doesn't mean he couldn't give Shachi laundry duty tomorrow when it was Friday, which was known as the day of the largest and dirtiest laundry heaps because it was the end of the week.

"And there was also that time…." Miyako murmured, still in thought.

Law's head turned to her in interest and he pierced her with his grey eyes, but not in anger, in sheer interest of what she was murmuring about. He was so lost in thought he didn't even realize Miyako kept talking about Shachi's post-gambling orders. "What time?" He managed to hide his rising interest perfectly and his voice came out calm and even as always, like he was just a bit curious and nothing else.

Miyako blushed and bowed her head, slowing down her walk a bit. Now that was a reaction Law didn't expect and it only made him more curious and anxious inside. Why was she suddenly being so embarrassed? What the hell did Shachi made her do? Suddenly, Law had a feeling Shachi won't be able to do laundry duty on Friday because he will _really_ be on Law's operating table. "Well?" He tried coaxing Miyako in telling him though that never really worked. Every time she would realize she was being pushed into answering something, she would always stall even more and make him wait even longer for it, deliberately messing with him. But Law didn't want to deal with that right now, and if she tried it he would _really_ become pissed.

Miyako didn't stall teasingly though. She stalled because she was being embarrassed as she played with her fingers. Then finally her mouth opened a little and Law almost yelled 'Dammit woman! Say it already!' when no voice came out at first. "A-actually, never mind...it's nothing." She finally said in a rush of words hoping Law would drop it. But not today.

Law looked at her sideways with a slightly tilted head and through half-lidded eyes. "You know, I can just order you to tell me…" It was obvious where he was going with that statement, and by Miyako's slightly flinching body he knew she understood him too.

She started fumbling with her hands again and kept looking down as she couldn't look him in the eye. That worried Law even more. "W-well….he bought….fake cat ears on the previous island…" Miyako mumbled barely hearable, but Law heard her and couldn't help but blink as his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. What the hell did cat ears have to do with…well, _anything_? Law remembered the little island they had previously been and the little town where they had restocked. It was called Platac Town or something weird like that, not like it mattered at the moment.

"Cat ears?" He just couldn't help himself but repeat the statement to be sure he heard it right. The embarrassed reaction he got from Miyako told him he didn't misheard anything.

"Y-yeah…he…he made me put on fake cat ears…." She pointed at her head. "A-and then…"

_*There was more!*_ Law almost yelled in his head. If it was any other person they'd probably have their jaw drop on the floor after hearing that, especially if they knew the shy, little uptight and serious Miyako he knew, but since it was Law, he managed to sustain himself and keep a perfect calm expression. He only allowed himself a raised questioning eyebrow as he looked at the girl. Yes, Miyako could be fun and mess around with him or the crew, or even argue childishly with Josh, but something like _this_, she would never _ever_ do! But then again, Law knew how her pride was important to her and a loss is a loss. She probably thought she had no other choice since she lost and couldn't trample over her word. Law thought what a dangerous trait that actually was. What if Shachi asks something else from her next time? Something like….? Law stopped his thoughts there, not wanting to picture it or even think it.

"And he made me say…'N-Nya'…" Miyako finished, fuming from embarrassment as she looked like she'll die from overheating any second now.

Law couldn't help but blink. Shachi made her wear cat ears and say 'Nya'….He made her act like a cat..? Law thought there was something wrong with his brain because it just refused to process that thought. And the stupid brain wasn't helping with the scenes he was producing in Law's mind either. It was a bit hard to concentrate when he had a picture of Miyako in a cute little dress, on the floor with cat ears and a cat tail, and a collar with a bell on it, looking at him with those innocent big golden eyes and saying 'Nya' with one hand in the air bent like it's a paw. Law cursed mentally, leading a battle inside his mind with himself to stop the foolish thoughts and 'get real.' But seeing the picture in his head, he could understand why Shachi wanted to see something like that. Law's eye twitched ever so slightly at the thought of Miyako doing that and Shachi drooling all over her. That perverted mechanic was going to get his ass kicked after all.

Luckily, a scream brought him out of his daze and his sharp mind returned to him once again, as both him and Miyako looked at the direction where the scream had come from. They looked at each other, realizing what the other was thinking and without a word walked hastily down the street and around the corner. There they saw a crowd of people, whispering and talking, some of them shaking their head in shock and disbelief.

The couple came closer, pushing their way thought the crowd but they suddenly stopped when they came to the center and saw the scene before them. Miyako's eyes were wide from surprise and even Law's eyes widened a little. There, on the ground, was the body of Samue Shindo. It was mutilated though the face was left intact so they could recognize him. There was pure shock written across the dead man's face as if he saw something frightening before his death. His eyes were open wide and so was his mouth, a trail of saliva and blood dripped from it. His body was open from chest to the end of his stomach, bowels and organs shown for all to see and he was lying in a dark pool of blood.

Law crouched next to the body to examine it better. He looked for signs of rigor mortis, cat eyes or dead spots, which were the three signs of death. "All the signs are present, and his whole body is already stiff. But the blood doesn't seem that old, it's still not dried up completely. I'd say he was dead for about 10 hours." Law said as he kept examining the body. His eyes narrowed suspiciously when he saw that the man's stomach was open with a precise cut, like a surgeon would do and some of the organs were missing. The heart was gone, and also the liver and the kidney. But Law didn't know why would someone take those? *_For experiments?* _But then he noticed something else. Something was glistening on the sun, wrapped around one of Samue's wrists. Law took it and examined the barely visible item.

"String." Miyako said next to him as she also stared at the item in his hand. She took it from him and examined it as well. "But the texture is different…like a wire. But more flexible." She said and flexed the string a few times.

Law looked back at Samue, seeing if he could find out something else from the body. But he knew he couldn't know much without examining the body properly. Law wasn't really interested in autopsy since he found it boring when your patients were already dead. There was a certain thrill when you knew the life of a person lying before you on the table is in your hands; at least for Law. A hand on his shoulder brought him back from his thoughts and he looked at Miyako, who put a hand on his shoulder lightly as to get his attention. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking up and ahead, at the wall in front of them. There was something written there, in blood, and Law could guess who's was it; _'Rejoice! For you will become timeless and immortal! Only true Art can reach the gates of Heaven!'_

"This is the first time he left a message. I wonder why…" Miyako muttered, still staring at the big blood letters on the wall. She noticed shuffling around them and noticed that the people started moving away from them as if the Heart pirates did this. The villagers probably thought that anyway.

"Samue!" A loud voice boomed behind them and Muso ran through the crowd not caring who he'll push to the floor. He stopped in his tracks when he came to the body, and the large man fell to his knees with wide eyes. "N-no…how can this be?" He was muttering, staring in disbelief at his mutilated friend.

Miyako's gaze softened as she saw the large man stricken with pain and grief. "Muso-san…" She whispered but didn't know what to say to console the man. There was really nothing she could say since the whole situation was awful.

After a while Muso came out of his daze and looked at Law and Miyako as if he just noticed them for the first time. He stared at Law who just returned his stare with a blank, expressionless gaze. He looked like he was wondering what Muso would do next. "You….Samue trusted you…he wanted to help….and now he is dead. You said you'd help! That you'd find the culprit! So how did this happen? How could you let this happen!" As Muso went on his voice became louder and stronger, he looked more accusing by the second as he yelled at Law with rage and hurt in his eyes.

Law's eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew the man was full of anger and grief because of his best friend being killed but he still didn't like people disrespecting him like that. He had enough of Muso's bad temper. The captain opened his mouth to warn the blacksmith that he would lose his life if he continued, but before he could say anything, Miyako's voice cut him off.

"It's my fault." Her head was bowed low as she stared at the ground, seriousness and a hint of pain in her expression.

Both Law and Muso looked at her with surprise not expecting for the girl to take the blame. "What do you mean?" Muso demanded, his voice still harsh.

"I asked Samue-san for help…We went into the Archive room together to research the disappearances and then he went missing there. I didn't even hear or see when he was taken and I couldn't do anything…I couldn't even beat the opponent and ask him about it. It was my fault and Samue is dead because of my incompetence." Miyako's voice was low, almost a whisper as she spoke, still staring at the ground.

Muso didn't say anything; he just stared at the girl not knowing how to react to her statement. However she didn't give him much time to respond as she bowed, almost hitting the ground with her forehead. "So I will take any punishment you see fit for me." She finally added.

Muso's eyes widened at the sight and that's when he realized the deepness of regret in this girl. She really felt responsible for what happened to Samue even though it wasn't really her fault. Muso knew there was no way he could blame her after such a sight and the honesty she showed him. Though before he could respond, Law's voice came from next to him; it sounded low and calm but Muso know there were danger and a warning in it; "But you know if you actually lay a hand on Miss Miyako, I won't stop until I drain every bit of blood from your body."

Miyako's head shot up to protest, since she didn't want Law to get involved in this. And she was the one who should take the blame, not him; that's what she firmly believed now. But Muso just closed his eyes and smiled barely visible; "Don't worry. Like I could actually resent you after this. I understand you feel regret…though it is not your responsibility to carry it." He looked at Miyako when he spoke that last statement. "All we can do now is avenge Samue and find the culprit." Muso nodded to her and Miyako nodded back as they understood each other.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the moment but we should get out of here and talk in private." Law said as he looked back at the crowd with a serious look. The villagers looked frightened and shocked, but some of them had expressions of pure hate and Law wouldn't be surprised if they attacked them any minute now. He didn't want to deal with that right now. Besides, the culprit could be among them, listening to their conversation.

The girl and the blacksmith agreed and stood up, leaving the body to the village doctor and the few officers that weren't killed by the Heart pirates. Law talked to the village doctor named Yashi and made an agreement to be present at the autopsy in case there were more clues. But before that, the three went to Muso's house where Law once again found himself sitting on the small cushion on the floor rather uncomfortably.

Law didn't want to waste time so he went right to business, blunt as always. "Muso-ya, did you know Samue-ya had a son?"

Muso looked a bit surprised by that question but then he looked down and nodded with a sigh. "Yes, Katsu. He died when he was 13 though."

"Tell us more about that event." Law ordered finding no time for courtesy. He was impatiently tapping his fingers on the wooden table, making a slight noise with his short fingernails.

Muso sighed and it seemed he was debating for a second should he tell them or not. Then the large man stood up and went to a small cupboard. There was a picture on it, and he took it, going back to his seat. Muso put the picture on the table and showed it to Miyako and Law.

Miyako realized it was actually a drawn portrait of two people, or rather two kids. One of them was a girl, about 16 years old with a bronze tan and dark curly hair and big brown eyes. It was Izumi and she had a big smile on her face. She was resting her hands on the shoulder of the younger boy with short, black, messy hair and big brown eyes…brown? Miyako's eyes narrowed as she looked at the picture a bit closer. The boy certainly looked like Katsu but wasn't he supposed to have unusual blue eyes? The samurai girl looked at her captain and she could see the same serious expression on his face as he stared at the boy. Law was obviously thinking the same thing she was.

"Katsu was 13 when he disappeared." Muso started explaining, bringing both Law's and Miyako's attention back to himself. "…and as you probably already guessed, he was Samue's son. I was actually Katsu's godfather. Izumi and him played all the time, they were inseparable." Muso smiled a little, remembering the good old days. "Katsu also lost his mother when he was still very young so it was always just Samue and him. But then….there was a devastating earthquake here 4 years ago and a lot of people died, half of the village was destroyed. Katsu had gone off on his own to the store but never came back. That area was hit the hardest in the earthquake. And Katus's body was never found. But even when everyone else had given up, Samue hadn't. He frantically searched for his son and after a while he started telling me some theories that Katsu was actually kidnapped. I never knew how he thought of that…maybe he just needed to believe that Katsu was still alive and waiting for his father to save him. So Samue started doing research and inspection of all the villagers….but he never found the culprit. Nobody believed him either." Muso lowered his head a little as if in shame. "I must admit…neither did I. But now I see I should have. Maybe if I had helped him back then…" Muso's eyes closed and a pained expression crossed his face.

"Muso-ya, does Samue still have his research?" Law ignored the man's pain and went to more important matters.

Muso thought for a moment. "He might…I'm not sure. But we can find out." The large man stood up and so did the other two. He walked over to the door, but then stopped and took the katana that was carefully laid down on its stand. _Yawarakai-Te_; Miyako noted.

Law raised an eyebrow questioningly at Muso, who tied the katana to his waist. The former swordsmith only shrugged when he saw Law's look. "Just in case." Law still looked at Muso suspiciously as if expecting the man might turn the blade towards him, but didn't comment on it and just followed the large man as they walked towards Samue's house.

~….~

The walk there wasn't long and soon, Muso opened the big slide doors of Samue's house, leading them all inside.

"It's probably in his study. Follow me." Muso announced as he led them through the small hallway. He stopped in front of another slide door and put his large hand on them when they suddenly heard a strange sound on the other side. Muso stiffened, stopping his action, and so did the rest of them as they heard the sound.

Law's eyes narrowed. "Someone is here." He put a tattooed hand on the hilt of his nodachi, ready to unsheathe it in a flash as necessary.

Muso quickly slid the doors open, hoping to catch the person off guard. The first they all noticed was the complete mess and chaos in the room. Everything was scattered around, papers and files everywhere, along with a drawers that were on the floor and a small cabinet, which was toppled over. They noticed a dark shadow just as it rushed through the window, too quickly to see the person's face.

"We can't let him get away!" Muso yelled and ran into the room, rushing towards the window. The desire the catch Samue's killer and the one who kidnapped his daughter was pushing him forward even if it was a reckless move. But even before Muso could get to the window, another blurry form passed him by; it was Miyako who was already running towards the window and before anyone could react she jumped out and landed into the small backyard of the house.

The only thing Muso heard as she passed him by was "I'm borrowing this." And it took him time before he realized she had taken his katana in the process while running.

Miyako could hear Muso calling after her but didn't have time to stop or respond as she already saw the shadow disappearing behind a roof of one house and heading to the outskirts of the village. She ran after the form, surprised that it moved so fast, but when it came to quickness Miyako was no mature either. Fastness is something she polished through her training. And once again the person moved almost like flying, only jumping now and then from one village roof to another.

It didn't take long before Miyako followed the form outside the village and into the forest. When they were far away from Kyonin, the person slowed down and started walking normally, deeper into the forest. Miyako tried to move as silently and carefully as she could, hoping not to get noticed. She hid behind trees as she followed the strange person, but kept a safe distance from them just in case. She couldn't see much of a man either since he was wearing a cut up robe that looked more like a few big rags wrapped around the person. She noticed the man was barefoot but didn't seem to have any problems as he walked on the forest ground.

Miyako suddenly stopped and hid behind a big tree when she noticed the person stopped walking. *_Did he notice me?*_ She cursed under her breath and bit her lip in thought, already coming up with a plan in case he _did_ notice her and a fight was about to start. Luckily for her, that wasn't the case and instead the man just stood there, his arms by his sides and head bowed low. Miyako's eyebrows furrowed at the sight, not understanding why he was acting like he fell asleep on his feet.

Then suddenly she heard some rustling ahead and her eyes narrowed as another form appeared, walking out of the bushes. She could tell it was a tall man but couldn't see anything specific since he was wearing a dark blue cape with a hood on and a white mask that was decorated with painted crimson lines. Miyako tried her best to see anything useful, watching the man carefully while he walked closer to the other person.

Suddenly the other person lifted their head again and Miyako noticed they had something in their hand, a small book, and they outstretched their arm so they could give it to the masked man. Miyako bit her lip harder, thinking whether she should jump in and confront them or wait it out and follow the two mysterious figures further. She decided it would be smarter to wait and follow since she didn't know anything about her opponents and she was alone against the two of them here. The man took the book and as he moved his arm, the sleeve fell down a little, revealing a bandaged wrist. Miyako's eyes narrowed as she engraved that detail in her memory.

Unfortunately Lady Luck wasn't on her side and her choice was made for her when she saw the masked man holding the book in one hand and matches in the other as he tried to start a fire.

*_He'll burn the book! There must be something important in there that the kidnapper wants to hide. If I don't act now, we'll lose the only clue we have!*_ Miyako couldn't let that happen even if she _was_ in a disadvantage here. Her thumb rested on the tsuba of the sword as she opened it slightly. She knew she had to act fast but precise and without any second thoughts if she wanted to get that book and get out of this as a winner…or at least alive. If this was the same person who attacked her in the Archive room, she knew his ability and had to be careful.

The man lit the fire and was just about to lit the book with the matches when Miyako moved from her hideout, unsheathing her sword with precise speed. A gust of wind passed the masked man and even with his face covered it was clear he was surprised. The matches in his hand suddenly split in two and fell on the floor, the fire extinguished. Miyako smirked at her success. She managed to cut the matches with the haki from the wind cut she created. But it was too early to celebrate. She still needed to get that book somehow.

The masked man recovered from their surprise and he moved backwards, one hand clutching the small book and the other was lifted as he started to move his fingers. Miyako couldn't understand what he was doing or about to do until she felt a warning sensation and a presence behind her. She jumped sideway and just in time as the other person tried to slice her with their sword. Miyako turned to look at them and for the first time she was able to see their form and face clearly on the afternoon sun. Miyako's eyes widened both in surprise and confusion.

"Wha…What is this?" She looked at the person in front of her…though she couldn't really call him that. His glassy brown eyes stared at her but weren't really focused…no wander since they weren't real at all. And the person had lines that connected its limbs and jaw. *_A puppet!_* No matter how you looked at it, the person in front of her wasn't human…wasn't even alive. It was a puppet. A puppet of a man, holding a big sword with a decorated hilt that looked like an antique. Most of his body was covered in cloth that looked old and damaged in some places. But the puppet looked almost like a living being, with such detailed face and long silver hair that looked real.

_*So if this is the puppet….that must be the puppet master.*_ Miyako's eyes narrowed as she looked at the masked man with the corners of her eyes. The puppet might be attacking but she wasn't going to be fooled…her real opponent was the masked man. And he held the book that she had to take, which made it clear that she couldn't waste her time on the puppet.

So even when the man moved his finger again and the puppet started moving, she just dodged it, ignoring it completely and instead went after the masked man, surprising him once again. She slashed at him trying to get the book in the process but suddenly she stopped. Miyako's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to move but couldn't. Then her eyes narrowed and she noticed she was being held with strings…same kind of strings they found on Samue's body. And not just her; as she concentrated better, she saw those strings glistening on the sunlight as they were tangled on the trees around them, making a trap similar to a spider web. And true enough, right now Miyako felt like a butterfly caught in the spider's web, just waiting to be eaten as she struggled hopelessly. Both her wrists were captured and her ankles as well. And as Miyako struggled, the strings just kept tightening around her, cutting the skin until a small line of blood appeared on her right wrist.

"It's pointless to struggle." The man's voice was calm and muffled with the mask so she couldn't recognize him. He strolled over to her slowly. His head tilted as if he was examining her and Miyako could feel his stare piercing her, his eyes piercing into hers. "I wasn't planning to use you yet….but it's hard to wait. Especially now."

Miyako's eyebrows furrowed, not understand what the man was talking about. "What are you saying? Who are you? Did you kidnap Izumi and the others!"

But she didn't get an answer. Instead a finger on her lips silenced her and Miyako glared at the man. "Shh…don't talk." He simply said and then took out something from his cape. It was a white piece of cloth and as he started moving it towards her face, Miyako could smell the unpleasant and strong smell of something on it. She moved her face away but that didn't do her much good. She glanced at the katana still in her hand. If she moved it right it could cut through some of the strings holding her right wrist but if she wasn't precise enough she could easily cut her side in the process and make a serious wound.

She closed her eyes as she concentrated, as if trying to reach a connection with the katana. _*Yawarakai-Te , lend me your strength now!* _

She let the hilt go for the second so the katana would turn downward and then gripped it again moving it to the side. It passed just next to her hip and Miyako could feel the tip graze her hip slightly but never came into the contact with the skin. Instead it moved and sliced some of the strings on the way, releasing Miyako's wrist. As soon as she had her wrist free, Miyako swung towards the man but he managed to dodge in the last second. A small cut on his throat appeared and the blood trickled downwards.

Miyako didn't waste any time as she sliced the rest of the string with her katana and was just about to move forward when the masked man moved his fingers again, discarding the white cloth, and the puppet came in front of them, blocking Miyako's path. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance as her eyes became cold as ice. "I don't have time to waste on you." He voice was cold as well, indicating she was dead serious now. The puppet just kept slashing at Miyako without a response. Miyako dodged another slash to her side, then blocked the one aiming at her head, and round kicked, kicking the puppet in its wooden stomach. It stumbled falling over but then stopped falling in an unnatural way. It was half in the air, but completely still and then suddenly came back to its bare feet again. Miyako sighed and glance at the masked man behind the puppet_. *Of course….since he is the one controlling it with those strings.* _

The fight continued for a little while more but Miyako had no more patience or will for it. The puppet was not the one she wanted. She dodged another slash and jumped backwards, sheathing back her sword and taking a battojutsu stance. "It's time to end this." Her voice was still cold and her eyes pierced both his puppet and the puppet master with a glare.

Miyako didn't move for a while and neither did the puppet but then the man moved his hand and the puppet rushed forward, the long sword ready. The samurai girl closed her eyes in full concentration then when she sensed the puppet moved close enough, her eyes opened and she made a quick step forward unsheathing the katana in the process.

"HAAAAAH!" Miyako yelled, the power coming from her gut and releasing as a battle cry. The two swords collided, the sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest scaring away some nearby crows. But as the swords met, Miyako's determination only grew and she put all her power into that slash. For a while nothing happened but then suddenly the puppet's sword broke under pressure and Miyako's katana moved forward slicing at the puppet. The sword sliced at its chest, neck and jaw, cutting the wood there and making a big gash. The puppet fell on the ground limp, the strings felling on the floor as well.

Miyako looked up at the masked man who took a step backwards, but that only made Miyako take two steps forward. She passed the puppet on the ground, not even looking at it as she stared at the man in front of her with cold golden eyes. She was certain this was the kidnapper...the one who took the kid, the maid and even Izumi, not to mention he killed Samue. And the one who was messing with the Heart Pirates since they came on this island. Miyako lifted her arm and pointed the tip on the katana at the man who was about two meters away from her. "Prepare yourself. You're next." She wasn't going to show any mercy to this man.

But just as she stepped forward again she noticed a slight twitch in the man's fingers and her eyes narrowed dangerously as she quickly turned around, suspecting what he was trying to do. Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the puppet was up and the remains of its yaw wide open.

Miyako only had time to lift her katana to block as it shot three senbon out of its mouth. Even though she wasn't prepared for the attach, she managed to block two but the third pierced her deep in the shoulder. Miyako gritted her teeth in pain as her eyes narrowed. She gripped the senbon and pulled it out, a light spay of blood following the needle-like weapon.

The puppet rushed at her again and Miyako raised her katana, the adrenaline helping her to overcome the pain in her left shoulder. Miyako dodged another slash and sliced the puppet in the shoulder as she passed it and then quickly turned around towards it again. But just as she was about to rush at it again, her vision started to get blurry and she started to see double. Miyako tried to focus and blinked a few times but with no use. *_Dammit! There must've been some kind of poison in that senbon.* _But of course the puppet, or rather the masked man, didn't give her time to rest as the puppet went after her again. Miyako dodged the sideways slice at her head by crouching though she was just a bit too slow and the sword cut her on the shoulder. She ignored the sting and crouched further, slicing at the puppet's legs and cutting them off in the knees. Hopefully that would restrict its movement. She jumped away from it quickly just in case though as the puppet fell down…or at least started falling down but once again it stopped midair and then was left hovering in the air.

Miyako bit her lip in annoyance. *_Shit! It's no use!* _And her vision was getting worse by the second as she felt a wave of weakness coming over her. She fell down on her knees, panting, and stabbed her katana in the ground for support. She could see the puppet rushing at her with its sword raised though her blurry vision.

"Room." A familiar deep voice echoed behind her and suddenly everything went blue. Before the puppet could reach her it split into little pieces of wood and were left there floating in the air. Miyako was too tired and weak to turn around and see her captain's face but she could feel his presence approaching.

"The book in his hand….Take the book!" Miyako managed to voice out with her dry throat that seemed to worsen as well. She knew Law didn't like commands but right now she had no time or power to think of a more polite way to say it.

Law's eyes looked down at her and his lips formed a thin line as he considered should he scold her about ordering him now or later. But he decided the book situation was more urgent even though he didn't understand the situation yet. But this is one of those times when you do first and ask later. So Law lifted his hand again, his other resting his unsheathed nodachi on his shoulder, as he moved his two fingers. "Shambles." In a second the book was on the ground next to Law and there was a simple rock in the masked man's hand. Once again the man stumbled backwards in surprise as he stared at the rock in his hand, then at Law who had a smug smirk on his pleased face.

The pirate captain picked up the small book and examined it. It had leather covers that looked overused just like the rest of the book, as if someone constantly opened it and used it. Law's eyes moved from the book back to the masked man but this time there was no smirk present. Only a dangerous and serious face. "So you are the one making all this trouble…and more importantly, giving _me_ all this trouble." His eyes narrowed. "We should have a little talk about your manners." Law's voice sounded even colder than Miyako's had as he hissed the words.

The masked man suddenly reached into his cape and took something out. "I wouldn't agree." The serious muffled voice said, though there was a bitter taste in it. He threw something on the ground and suddenly smoke enveloped everyone and Law put a hand over his face as he tried to see through the smoke. But when it finally cleared it was already too late and there was no sign of the masked man.

The pirate captain was just about to head deeper into the forest, looking for the masked man, his new nemesis, when Muso's gruff voice stopped him. "Wait, Trafalgar!" Law looked back to see the big man kneeling next to Miyako, trying to help her up. "Something's wrong with Suzune!" Law looked at the girl kneeling on the ground, she clutched the katana for support; the only thing keeping her from falling down. She was panting and beads of sweat appeared on her face, the eyes half-closed.

Miyako could hear voices and some shouting. She recognized it as Muso's voice but couldn't understand what they were saying. She somehow lifted her head a little to look up though her head felt heavy as led. She saw Law who knelt down next to her and touched her forehead as if checking to see if she had a fever. He was saying something but Miyako couldn't understand what. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and annoyance as she tried to focus to understand what was going on around her but she just couldn't concentrate. The voices were becoming as blurry as her vision and she felt so tired. She just wanted to lie down and sleep forever. Miyako closed her eyes to rest a little, mumbling something about resting before everything went completely black.

~…..~

Miyako opened her eyes with a small groan but quickly closed them when the light hit her pupils making her eyes burn. She tried rubbing them a few times and then opened them again carefully. It didn't take the girl long to figure out she was in the sub's infirmary as she stared at the metal ceiling and then turned her head to see beds and operating tables, along with different kind of medical appliances.

As she turned her head on the other side she saw a familiar figure sitting at the desk, reading the small book they brought back.

"Law-san…." Her voice was still hoarse and her throat was now painfully dry.

The pirate captain closed the book and looked up at his patient. "You have a cup of water beside the bed." He motioned with his head at the paper cup on the metal table used for holding operating items.

The girl managed to sit up and took the cup. The cold liquid felt good against her sore throat and Miyako felt refreshed enough to talk to him now. And she knew she'll have to since Law will want a detailed explanation of what happened.

"What exactly happened after you ran by yourself Miss Miyako?" There was small annoyance indicated in his voice as he remembered the girl once again acted on her own. Won't she _ever_ learn?

Miyako cleared her throat and begun telling Law everything she knew and noticed. Law listened carefully without interruptions though he seemed in thought as she spoke, playing with his goatee.

After Miyako was done with her story Law told her how they managed to follow her into the forest after she left but lost sight of her there so they had to find her tracks and track her down, which made them lose quite a lot of time. And of course Miyako couldn't get out without a good scolding from Law and a promise that she would get her punishment later for not listening to him. Miyako only responded with a 'Yes, captain' which was more of an unpleased mumble but Law ignored the girl's frown and went on with his own story. He explained that they took back the remains of the puppet and he examined it. The puppet had secret parts where it kept some weapons but other than that it worked like any other puppet on strings would.

"However the one controlling it has to be very skilled if he can use it as a weapon like that. And even making it had to be done by the professional. " Law leaned back in his chair and looked at the leather-covered book. "One curious thing though; It seems the hair of the puppet was indeed human hair." He put down the book and tangled his fingers together, leaning his elbows on the chair.

Miyako eyes widened a little. "Human hair? Are you sure?" But Law's look gave her the answer to that question even without saying anything. They would often use different kinds of materials or usually horse hair for making puppet and doll hair and sometimes it would look almost like the real thing. But Law knew the difference between human and horse hair after looking at the sample under his microscope.

The girl thought for a while but put it aside for now as she looked at the book on the table. "And this?"

Law looked down and took it in his hands. "A diary. It seems Samue wrote everything about his investigation in here. There must be something the culprit didn't want us to see in here. I read thought it but didn't really find any clues. Samue _did_ suspect some people but they all turned out to be dead ends in the end." Law's face grew more troubled as he stared at the diary.

The sound of metal doors opening cut Law off and the couple looked at the entering pirates. It was Cody and Josh and they did not look happy at _all_. Law raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as the two entered, Josh mumbling a greeting and nodding to the captain and Cody giving him a more polite greeting with a clear 'Hello.'

Miyako blinked at the two came to her bed and she didn't have time to react before the short redhead hit her upside down on the head. "Hey! What's your problem!" The samurai girl protested as she rubbed the now sore spot on her head and glared at the short medic.

"My problem! Didn't I tell you to stop causing and getting into trouble? We heard what happened and once again you could've died, stupid girl! Don't you have any restraint at all!" Josh was red in the face as he yelled at the frowning girl.

"You're bargaining in here all red in the face and talking about restraint?" Miyako mumbled as she looked to the side, which only made Josh more angry and Cody had to restrain him from hitting the girl again.

Miyako looked at Cody with puppy eyes but the tall medic only folded his arms on his chest and closed his eyes. "Don't look at me like that, I'm with him on this one." Miyako once again frowned as she was scolded like a 5year-old but Cody ignored her face and continued. "He's right, you know? You were poisoned. And you were lucky it wasn't a deadly kind of poison but only the kind that weakens and immobilizes the victim. What if it was something more serious though?" Cody put his hand on his hips and gave her a reprimanding look.

Miyako's frown returned at the two medics. "You guys worry too much." She lifted her nose high in the air and closed her eyes, folding her arms on her chest. "Like I'd die that easily."

However all she got was another hit upside-down the head and Miyako 's eyes opened instantly with another yelp. "Hey! Would you stop that!"

Josh was still clenching his fist, dangerously near her head while the other rested on his hip. "I'll hit you enough times until it gets through your thick pumpkin head!"

"Oh yeah! Just try it shorty!" Miyako growled back and in a second the two of them were in a death grip, wrestling with one another and yelling angrily. It lasted until Cody final lost his patience with the two and gave them _both_ a hit on the head which made them wince and stop immediately. They didn't want to piss Cody off that was for sure.

"We're sorry…" Both Miyako and Josh said sadly in unison with Cody standing over them with his arms crossed on his chest.

A light chuckle brought them all out of their own world and they looked at their captain who was watching them with amused eyes as if enjoying the show, with his hands supporting the back of his neck and he leaned in the chair more comfortably.

"Captain! This is no laughing matter. This girl is hopeless!" Josh exclaimed as he gave Law a slight reprimanding look for not talking this more seriously.

"You're right mister Joshua. Perhaps we should make sure she behaves from now on." Law smirked and stood up from his chair, strolling towards the group. "Or perhaps we should just cuff her to this bed so she doesn't go anywhere on her own again." Law's smirk turned into a slightly evil grin as he stared down at the girl. Miyako didn't look pleased by his words at all; at least if her gulping and nervous face were any signs for it.

The girl sweat-dropped and laughed nervously. "O-oh come on. You don't have to do _that_. I'm sure we can make a better deal."

Law leaned forward, one hand on the bed for support as he smirked, staring right at the girl's face. "Miss Miyako, I don't need to make deals with my subordinates. Because they are expected to behave from the start. Discipline is something I always expect on my submarine and you have disappointed me in that area more than once already." He straightened up again and tilted his head as he still looked at the girl with that amused smirk. "So what do you suggest we do about it, hm?"

Miyako smiled nervously. "Forgive and forget because we're all such kind hearted people here?" She tried…a sorry attempt, but at least she tried.

Law's smirk only widened but his eyes had a sadistic gleam in them as he raised one eyebrow. It was obvious that he didn't have Miyako's suggestion in mind.

~….~

The wet mop once again splashed on the wooden deck as Miyako rinsed and cleaned the floors. "Why does it always end like this?" Law once again ordered her to clean the whole deck spotless by herself and even during dinner. Which means those greedy pirates will eat everything and she'll go to bed hungry. Seriously, the men on this sub were like bottomless pits, or at least their stomachs were.

She looked up at the sky with a loud sigh. It was already getting darker, the sunset nearly over. Her stomach rumbled loudly making Miyako wince and sigh again in annoyance. *_Maybe I'll sneak into the galley afterwards and take something from the fridge….though who knows what Law would do if he finds out_.* Miyako sighed again with her head bowed at the thought. Once again she was in par with Bepo with her depressing state.

So instead she focused on the memory of what happened in the forest earlier that day. This was the closest to the kidnapper they had come to and Miyako cursed her own self for not being able to catch him and put a stop to this. She remembered the fight and how she used Yawarakai-Te; Miyako had to admit, it seemed awfully easy to fight with this katana even though it was new and her first time even holding it. But the movements just seemed to flow with it as it pierced and slashed through the air perfectly. Not to mention how light it seemed. But that thought only reminded her that she lost her katana and _still_ didn't have another so once again Miyako sighed loudly with depression.

She was brought out of it when she heard a clearing of someone's throat, which made her look up quickly. She saw the large blacksmith standing before her, the katana still in his hand.

"Oh, Muso-san. Good evening." She bowed slightly and Muso nodded in response.

"It seems you're feeling better. So the poison wasn't anything serious?"

Miyako shook her head with a small smile. "No, no, I'm fine. Don't worry." As she noticed the katana in his hand she remembered something she needed to do. She bowed again slightly in apology. "I'm sorry I just took your katana and ran off today. I had no right to do something like that."

The man seemed nervous and scratched his head with the other hand. "No…that's alright. After all, you had a good reason."

Miyako's head tilted in puzzlement and wonder as Muso remained his nervous self. He was looking everywhere around her but not at her or her eyes and he kept clearing his throat or scratching his bearded chin. "Um…is something wrong?" She finally asked, trying to get him to look at her in the eyes as she moved her head.

That made Muso's head snap towards her and he quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine. But there's something I want to talk to you about…"

Miyako blinked in wonder. "Me?" The man only nodded as a response. "Well, alright then…" She leaned on her mop, readily looking at the man.

"Actually I was wondering if you could come with me for this. It's about the kidnappings and I think I have some clues but…you have to see it." Muso explained in a rush.

"Oh, well then let me just get captain…" Miyako turned and was about to head for the door when Muso stopped her.

"Wait! He can't come, it has to be just you."

Miyako turned towards Muso again and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Muso-san? What's this about?"

Muso cleared his throat. "You know I don't trust that pirate! And this is…personal. I want you to see it first."

Miyako still had a suspicious face on as she looked at the man. "Even so, I can't leave the sub without notifying my captain." She mumbled, trying to figure out what to do and what was all this about. What exactly did Muso find that he couldn't share with anyone else?

"We're only going to the village and it won't take long. They won't even notice you were gone." Muso persisted though Miyako couldn't understand it. Why was Muso being so persistent? What was it that Law couldn't know about? Miyako had a strange feeling in her gut. A bad one. She was suspicious of the event but also curious, especially when it came to the disappearances case. And it was obvious Muso had no intention to showing her the clue as long as she brought Law so it was out of the question if she wanted to know. And if she told Law about it he would just use it as an excuse to torture Muso and get it out of him….Miyako knew Law would just enjoy that since he and the blacksmith never seemed to get alone from the start. Also, Muso never seemed suspicious so far and they didn't have a reason to doubt him so far. All this led Miyako to conclusion that she should follow Muso and see what was up with this. Besides, she was strong and could take care of herself, though she doubted she'd have a reason to since she was just going in the village with the blacksmith.

Miyako sighed after a long time of consideration. "Alright, I suppose if we go quickly, it'll be fine." She was still looking at Muso suspiciously and didn't intend to let her guard down at any moment. But Muso had an alibi and couldn't be the masked man. And there was never a sign of an accomplice; not to mention Muso's daughter was the victim too so it wouldn't have any sense if he was the culprit. _*So this really must be about some clues. But he's still acting strange and unusual. Why can he just tell me?*_ The girl sighed again and nodded, leaving the mop against the wall and went to follow after Muso. Even his walk seemed in haste.

Sam and Mori were just walking towards the sub, heading back from the bar a little tipsy and in a very good mood.

"I don't know what you're talking about! That redhead was hot!" Mori argued with his friend.

"Oh please, you had waaay too much to drink tonight obviously." Sam teased as he laughed at his friend. But then he stopped when he noticed two familiar faces passing by a few meters away. Sam nudged his friend in the ribs with his elbow, ignoring the whiny protest he got . "Hey, isn't that Miya-chan and that blacksmith guy who always fights with the captain?"

Mori looked in the same direction as well and squinted his eyes, trying to see in the dark. "Heey, you're right. But what are they doing?"

"Well I've seen them together a lot because the guy is helping Miyako and captain to solve the whole kidnapping issue."

"Don't you mean that captain and Miyako are helping _him_." Mori rolled his eyes at his friend as he corrected him. "There's no way captain would just waste his time on this case without a very good reason. I wonder how the blacksmith persuaded Captain to help anyway…it doesn't sound like him." Mori scratched his head in thought.

Now it was Sam's time to roll his eyes. "Who cares. More importantly, why isn't captain with them then? Should we tell him we saw Miya-chan and that Muso-guy leave together?"

Mori suddenly looked at Sam with wide eyes. "You mean, he doesn't know! You really think he doesn't?" Then the man gasped in sudden realization. "Is Miya-chan scheming something with Muso-guy?" Then another gasp. "Or is it like a secret romance of lovers who could never be because the world wouldn't approve of their age difference so they have to hide it!"

Sam face-palmed…hard. And then right after he gave Mori a good hit in the head that made the other fall down on the ground like a drunken mess he was. "What the hell are you thinking, you dolt?" He sighed, trying to calm his nerves. "Honestly…why do I hang with you, you're such a dumbass…" He mumbled but loud enough for Mori to hear who 'Hey-ed' as he tried to get back up to his feet.

~…~

Law tapped the end of his pencil on his desk as he sat in his quarters. However this time he wasn't filled with papers or medical books, but instead only one book was in front of him; Samue's diary. He was rereading it for who knows which time, trying to find a clue in there or maybe find a code somewhere in between the lines. But Law had a feeling he just hit a wall, mush like Samue with his investigation, and it wasn't leading anywhere anymore.

He was staring at the certain page, though his mind wasn't even working on it anymore. The page, or rather Samue, was talking about his son and how he found a mysterious friend that Katsu always talked about. The first time Law read it, his eyes narrowed instantly at the suspicious coincidence. Haku, the missing boy, had the same story. It seemed Katsu didn't tell much about his friend to his father though he kept repeating he was from Blue Skies. And of course, nobody knew about the mysterious friend afterward when Samue asked the villagers about it.

Law kept staring at the name 'Blue Skies.' Somehow it seemed awfully familiar to him. He tapped his pencil a few more time, making a troubled serious look, then suddenly stood up and walked to one of the boxes on the floor next to the wall. It was the files about all the villagers from the Archive room. They took it from the station afterwards and this time the officers didn't have anything to say against it. No wonder since he killed half of the station and their commander already. Law smirked at the thought remembering their frightened faces when he came with Bepo, Penguin and Shahci to the station. The officers almost hid under the tables from fright.

However Law shook the thought away, returning to his previous task as he ran through the files and then found the one he was looking for. He opened it and started reading, his eyes fully concentrated on the content. Then suddenly his eyes went wide at the realization. He stood up quickly, taking the file with him and rushed out of the room and down the hallway. He almost bumped into Sam and Mori as he turned around the corner. He gave them a warning look since he was in the rush when he saw his two subordinates tipsy and with slightly red faces.

"Ah! Captain! We were just looking for you!" Sam exclaimed and Law raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, yeah, we wanted to let you know that we saw Miya-chan leave with that big blacksmith dude!" Mori interrupted getting an irritated glare form his pirate friend.

Law's eyes narrowed as he hissed the words. "What?"

"Yea, I think they were heading for the village." Sam answered a bit uncertain when he saw Law's darkening look. He just hoped his captain won't shoot the messenger as well. If so…he can have Mori!

Law closed his eyes for a second, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm down. "That woman…." He growled through clenched teeth. Without another word Law passed the two pirates and went on towards the deck. "Tell Bepo, Shachi and Penguin I'll be waiting for them on the deck! And tell them to get my nodachi!" He shouted back at the two pirates who saluted and ran off to find the first mate and the two mechanics. Then just before he went up the stair, Law stopped and turned towards the two pirates once more; "And sober up, will you." He said in a mixture of annoyance and a growl, which made the two pirates gulp and nod their heads feeling uncomfortable.

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><p><strong>Aaaah, finally! This one was long too, I think. O.o Anyway, it took a long time to both write and proofread it since I hardly have any time right now. : But hopefully you enjoyed it and I already started writing the next chapter. I'd try to finish it on the weekend but I can't promise anything. :/ **

**But at least we have OP manga chapters to look forward to! Who else rolled on the floor with laughter when Usopp started tying Chopper to Law's head? That scene was hilarious. Law's face was priceless! XD **

**So anyway, reviews and criticism are welcomed as always and I always try to comment and answer all your questions. :) See you in the next chapter!**


	34. Chapter 34

**"I don't like you" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**The new chapter is here! Finally! (Sorry for the wait everyone) ^^ I've been trying to finish it soon for you guys, since I'll be even more busy from tomorrow so I won't be able to write much. :/ (I can't wait for all my exams to be over so I can just write without having to do anything else. . ) But unfortunately that won't happen soon. :( **

**Aww but I gotta say, I was in such a bad mood the day after publishing chapter 33 and then I came home and read all your comments and they really made my day. ^^It brought a smile to my face. :D So thank you for that!**

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><p><strong>Now let's answer some questions as usual:<strong>

**SeveredReality**: first, that's ok, you weren't mean and I didn't lose the will to write. The reason I don't upload so often anymore is because I have a lot of exams and work for college right now so it's hard to find the time to write. :/ So don't worry, it's not your fault. ^^'

Yes, I really wish Oda would show more of Law's abilities or at least a little of his past. :/ Or just explain the whole Punk Hazard more. Hopefully we'll get some of it in the next chapter though I have a feeling we'll just be left with even more questions. -.-'

Yeah I didn't make that many adventures, but it's because the ones I write are pretty long I guess. Perhaps I should make more of short one-chapter adventures (though one might be coming up soon). So if every adventure had about 6 chapters and there was a shorter span of time between each, this story would be waaaay too long (I'd have like 50 chapters already ^^') and so I would have to speed up Law/Miyako progression too, cause people would become impatient. But I'll try to put some shorter adventure as well and that way it'll seem like more time passed by but the story won't be too long. :)

About the strength flaw, I agree the character could have a character flaw as well. Hm, if I had to list Miyako flaws well let's see….She's can be awfully stubborn and doesn't listen most of the time (when she should ^^') which results in her doing things on her own and getting into trouble. I think her biggest character flaw is that she isn't really a "people" person so she doesn't know how to act around people sometimes and that's why she gets shy or confused, especially around Law. Since she didn't have much friends she was never a 'team player' and that's also why she does things on her own. She isn't used to relying on people or having people she trusts. So now that she has people that are getting close to her and someone to call a friend, she feels confused and not used to it. But it's also changing her little by little. (which is the answer to your question; "What happened to the 'other' Miyako?") However, the other Miyako didn't disappear and won't (cause it wouldn't be fun then. : ).

I think you can notice that most characters in my story have two sides. For example; Miyako has a side where she is untrusting towards other, relying solely on her own, sarcastic, sometimes rude…But she also has a side where she doesn't have much confidence and it unsure because she's not used with people getting this close to her. And that side is slowly coming out. But she can still be badass when she needs to. :) The 'two sides' go for Law too. You said you didn't like the interaction because it was Ooc for Law, but I think he handled it quite well with his usual stoic face and no shown reaction, just as always. Still, thoughts are another thing and what I want to remind everyone of is that Law is still human (sometimes hard to believe though, no? XD) But he should have his own innermost, deepest thoughts, wants and such, as well. After all, without it there wouldn't be a way for him to be attracted to Miyako, no? (Cody and Josh also have 'two sides' but I'm trying to keep this short so I won't be going into that too now. ^^')

Actually I think that Nyan interaction was more Ooc for Miyako than Law. But the thing that saves it is that Miyako had to do it cause she lost. And she takes her promises very seriously. So if this was a bet she lost at, she would take her 'punishment' without excuses. Besides, it was kinda fun to write and I have a feeling Shachi from the manga would do something like that too if he could. XD

About Law's wounds, well I plan to have him take some minor damage, especially when he comes to the New World or fights some high-ranking marines but nothing critical. Though who knows…I don't have it all planned out yet either. ^^' And yeah, there will be more marine involvement from now on cause I don't want to left them out and it seems I have been doing it lately. They are an important part of OP after all. ^^'

Yes, for Miyako's true journey and her realizations, we will have to wait some more. I can't wait to write that epiphany. ^^' But don't worry, it's not forgotten because that will actually make a big difference in her life and story. :)

About the nickname…still, what's done is done. I think it wouldn't look good if I changed it now after such a long time that she had it.

About the wire, yeah I know it's kinda overused in such situations but, you know, strings and all…what else can they do? ^^'

Well I won't say anything about the kidnapper and such because you'll find out now anyway. :)

And I wanna see a Straw-Hat pirates/Heart pirates day too! That would be more awesome. Especially if there would be more situations like Law/Chopper one and I just know there would be. :D I bet the Heart Pirates would be scared of Nami too. (Except Law of course) XD I think they'll be going after Big Mom since she has been mention a lot lately and Luffy kinda already declared war to her over the den den mushi on Fishman island. I don't think Luffy would go after Shanks, I think that's exactly why he asked Law which emperor he wants to take down before agreeing with the alliance.

So there you go! I think that's all. O.o Sorry I didn't really answer in order but I felt that some things were connected so I wanted to cover them all together.

**Satoshistar7: **I completely agree. The reason why Miyako goes off on her own and does things on her own is because she's used to it and isn't used to team work. So relying on others and working with others still seems strange to her. She always took care of herself and her own problems so it's weird when you suddenly have other people to worry about as well. (And don't worry about the spelling, I didn't have any problems reading your review. ^^)

**Izzie: **Hehe thank you for the best wishes. :) Yep, it'll take some time before I have time to upload frequently again like in the beginning. ^^' And yeah, Shachi is a total pervert but I think Law secretly wishes he could've seen it himself. ;)

About Miyako's 'true purpose'; she's still in the process of discovering it but small details like her wanting to protect everyone and such are all parts on her big road that will lead towards realization. :) So yes, the things you mentions are actually very important on that path.

**Law'sfan: **Hehe thanks, and yeah, I definitively need to come up with a suitable punishment for Shachi. ;P

**Star03: **Thank you and yeah, I hope Oda will show us more about Law soon. I'm so curious. .

**MangaFreak55: **Sorry for making you wait. ^^' But this time I think I actually posted sooner…I think. O.o I have no idea anymore, everything feels mixed up! XD Anyway, yeah seemed a lot of people like the cat ears on Miyako. I thought it would be cute/funny to do something like this for a change since Miyako is usually serious and a bit stuck up. So this was really out of the ordinary for her. :P And I really wanted to write Law's reaction to it. XD

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><p><strong>Anyway, that's all and I think I covered all the questions. O.o For everyone else who made a review; thank you and I'm so glad you like my story. ^^<strong>

**Now let's go! :D**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece nor any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 34<strong>

Miyako looked around as they walked through the village but then turned to the smaller streets and alley that headed away from the center square. There were almost no people there and as they walked on, there were no people at all anymore. At first she couldn't recognize where they were but then her eyes widened slightly. "Near this place, Samue's body was found. Are we going there? Does this have anything to do with Samue?" Miyako asked looking at Muso's broad back.

"Yeah…just follow me." Muso was never a talkative guy but now he was being even more mysterious, which left a frown on Miyako's face.

After a while they reached a rundown building that looked like an empty storage house. Muso opened then wooden doors, almost ripping them from the hinges in the process since they already looked busted. Miyako looked at him with a look that was both suspicious and said 'are-you-crazy?'

"What's in here?" She said as she walked in, carefully looking around the big empty room except for some garbage and half-destroyed crates around. Everything was in pitch darkness and Miyako focused her eyes in order to see better. "Is this where Samue was killed?" Miyako remembered Law saying something about how Samue wasn't killed on the street where they found his body, which could be seen by the position of the blood around him and the position of the body that didn't match. She wasn't really sure how it went but since this place was pretty close to where the body was, it could've been the murder scene. Perhaps there were more clues to Samue's murder here so Muso wanted to show her after he found out. But that still didn't explain the fact why he was so secretive about it. What exactly did he find here? She was even more suspicious now and concentrated in case she felt someone's presence, but she only felt Muso behind her. However she felt it strange when she didn't get an answer so she turned around, and just at that moment Miyako felt something amiss. As she turned she saw Muso standing over her with the katana raised in the air. It was too dark to see his face or anything except the large form towering over her.

Miyako gasped and quickly jumped backwards to dodge the blow. "What are you doing?!" She exclaimed as she dodged another slash. But no answer came. She couldn't believe it! Was Muso really an accomplice to that masked man! Was he in on this? Why was he doing this? She didn't have time to ponder much about it since she had to keep dodging and Muso was quite quick considering his age and body build. Miyako stepped backwards to dodge another swing with the katana downwards but she tripped over something, something that felt like a wire, and in the back of her head she realized it must have been the string that the masked man used. So he was here somewhere too? Or his traps were at least. As she tripped, Miyako stumbled backwards, losing her balance for a second, but that second was enough for the katana to slice at her shoulder. The same one that was already bandaged from the piercing wound she got earlier that day.

The girl cursed under her breath and she was able to land on one of her hands, using it as support as she flipped backwards, kicking her leg in the air in the process and managed to kick Muso's katana right out of his grip. Miyako landed on her two feet in a crouch and stood up quickly. Muso was still not talking and he ran at her even without the sword. Miyako jumped over him, using his shoulder for support as she landed behind him and took the katana that was on the ground. Still, she didn't want to kill the man, especially since she needed him for answers and he had a lot of explaining to do.

So Miyako took a stance and reversed the blade so the blunt part was outwards and she rushed forward just as Muso did. He threw a punch at her with his big fist but Miyako jumped in the air dodging it, then as she began falling she swung her sword and landed a slash with the blunt side right at the back of Muso's neck while he was still leaning forward from the punch he threw. She made sure not to use full power so she wouldn't break his neck, but she had to hit him hard since the man was all muscles so he wouldn't go down easy. Miyako landed next to Muso's body that felt to the ground. But she was surprised the man didn't even let out a sound of pain when she hit him. She knew he was strong but that seemed a bit too much, even for him. Miyako crouched next to him and felt his pulse, sighing in relief when she felt the beating of his heart. *_So he's just unconscious…good. He'll have a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up.*_

She stood up and sheathed back the katana, tying it around her waist for now and Miyako was just about to leave when she heard a muffled sound. It was coming from the darkness ahead and was barely hearable but Miyako managed to hear it, and then heard it again. She walked carefully into the darkness, a hand on the hilt of the katana just in case. Her eyes widened when she noticed a figure sitting in the corner and Miyako ran forward to see that it was Azuma Reiji, bound and gagged with wide fearful eyes. "Reiji-san!" Miyako exclaimed and hurried to tie him and ungag him quickly.

Reiji gasped for air as she did. "Y-You're Suzune-chan, right? Thank you so much for saving me. At first when I saw the two of you enter, I thought you were with him."

"What happened." Miyako looked at the young man to see if he was injured but didn't find anything special. His glasses seemed broken on one side and he had bound marks on his pale wrists but other than that he seemed fine. She completely forgot that she had her own shoulder wound to worry about, though when the adrenaline lowers she would sure feel it.

"M-Muso-san! He went mad! He hit me over the head and when I woke up, I was here tied and gagged. I don't understand what came over him." Reiji was still breathing hard and his eyes remained wide as he had trouble calming down from the experience.

Miyako took the ropes that Reiji was tied with and tied Muso with them instead. She wasn't sure if the ropes would hold such a big and strong man like him but that was the best she had at the moment. "We need to tell the authorities." Miyako said and when she turned around she was Reiji towerd over the two of them. She was a bit surprised since she didn't even feel his presence nor hear him come but that was probably because she was still in her own world, musing about Muso's strange actions. "I-I just can't believe Muso is in on all this. His daughter went missing too didn't she?" Then Miyako's eyes widened. That masked 'man' was tall but slim. It didn't have to be a man at all. It could've been a disguised Izumi. Perhaps they were in on this together! *_But why? And wasn't Samue his friend? How could he have killed him!*_ Miyako remembered how broken Muso was both when Izumi disappeared and when Samue died. He didn't seem fake in those situations at all, he looked like he truly cared. *_I can't believe he was just faking…* _Miyako was completely confused, none of this made any sense.

"You're bleeding!" Reiji's worried voice brought her to reality and she looked at her shoulder.

"Don't worry, it's just a scratch." It really didn't seem like a big wound, though she knew two medics that were definitively going to scold her for it. Miyako sweat-dropped at the thought.

"But we need to bandage it! Come on, my shop is just up ahead."

Miyako blinked at him confused. "Shop?" Why would he take her to a doll store at the time like this?

"Oh, you see my house is actually connected to the shop. I live in the back." Reiji explained as he smiled sheepishly and scratched his head.

Miyako looked back at Muso. "But we can't leave him here, we need to call the authorities. I'll stay here and you go get them first." Miyako ordered and Reiji nodded then ran off out of the storehouse.

It didn't take long before he was back with two officers. He said something to one of them and pointed at Muso. The officers nodded and took the unconscious man away. Miyako sighed as she stood up. "I guess it's not over until we find the other culprit though." Her voice sounded tired but it was more due to disappointment that Muso could be involved in this. She thought he was a good man of honor and trust. Was she mistaken? "I'll go back to the sub and tell captain what happened." She mumbled not really pleased with this idea since Law will now know she disobeyed him once again and this time there would be no escaping a far greater punishment.

A hand on her healthy shoulder stopped her. "But you can't just walk around with that wound. It'll get infected or something; you've already left it unattended for far too long. Come on." Reiji almost pushed her out of the storage and towards his shop. Before Miyako could even protest she found herself in his house in the back of the shop, sitting on a chair and Reiji cleaning and attending to her wound. Though she couldn't leave afterwards either since he made tea for them. So she took the time to examine some of the dolls that were there. They were all really so marvelous and so realistic.

She hopped out of her chair and walked to one of the dolls which was the size of a small human child. It had brown hair and big chocolate eyes. Even though it was made out of porcelain, its face looked realistic. Miyako lifted its hand but then blinked when she felt it was much heavier than she expected. "Wow, how can this be so heavy? I mean, isn't porcelain supposed to be lighter than this?" She asked and turned when she saw Reiji coming over.

"Oh, well it's not pure porcelain. I mix them with some other materials to make it less breakable." He explained and then moved Miyako lightly from the doll. "Now, your tea is getting cold." He gestured for the table where two small cups of tea stood and he smiled gently.

"Ah, thank you." Miyako smiled back feeling a bit guilty for touching the doll. It was obvious Reiji didn't like that since he hurried her away from it, probably so she wouldn't break anything. Miyako walked over there and sat down, taking the cup in her hands and sipping the hot liquid. She smiled at the taste, telling Reiji silently that it tasted good.

Reiji smiled again and reached for his own cup, then brought it to his mouth. And as he did, his sleeve fell down a bit and revealed a bandaged wrist. Miyako's eyes twitched for just a second before her face returned to a more expressionless state. She hoped Reiji didn't notice that little surprised act but even though she looked completely calm on the outside, she became more nervous on the inside. _*He has the same bandaged wrist as the masked man! Is he really the culprit?*_ Reiji always seemed a bit out of it and in his own world, but he was also nice and seemed very gentle. Nobody even suspected the always-in-the-clouds Azuma Reiji. Yes, Miyako did think about it since he made puppets so it seemed natural to suspect him but Reiji didn't act or look like a ruthless killer at all, and he would have to have great fighting skills to use those strings like that.

Miyako was brainstorming about what she should do and how she should get out of here. _*It's fine, he didn't realize I know yet so I can just make an innocent escape.*_ She looked at her tea and stiffened slightly; who knows what he could've put in it. She only sipped a little though but maybe that was enough if it was some poison again. She put the cup down and smiled to Reiji, standing up slowly. "Well, I should really get going. My captain is going to kill me for going off on my own again." Well no lies there.

Reiji stood up as well with a smile. "Ah, the great 'Surgeon of Death', Trafalgar Law. He must be a scary man to have as a captain."

Miyako sweat-dropped at the thought and memories of all Law's dark looks and glares that were enough to send a chill down your spine. She laughed nervously. "W-Well…" But this was no time to think about that. She shook her head lightly and bowed to Reiji. "Well then, I'll take my leave." Miyako turned around, still calmly so he wouldn't suspect anything, walking towards the door that led to the shop and front rooms. But just as she was about to walk through the door a voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" The voice sounded dark and cold, nothing like the man behind her that she knew. It didn't even sound like Reiji's voice.

Miyako stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around, still having her back turned to him and standing there silently.

She heard a light, dark chuckle behind her. "I can't let you go now…since you know my little secret. Though to be honest I never intended to let you go anyway." Another chuckle.

Miyako was still just calmly standing there in complete silence. But then her hand went to the hilt of her sword, her thumb pushing against the tsuba and unsheathing the katana a little. She turned around slowly, her head turning towards Reiji and for the first time he could see her expression. Her eyes were cold as was the rest of her face, deadly seriousness there. Though her golden eyes looked like they were really burning in the slight darkness of the room. She didn't say anything but kept her deadly stare.

Reiji smirked, his dark eyes narrowing behind his thin glasses. His face looked disfigured in the slight candle-light, the shadows falling over him. He looked even sicklier and paler than usual with big dark circles around his eyes, as if he was working hard and staying up every night these couple of days. "Hoo? What's that look now?" He looked amused by the situation as he grinned almost madly.

Miyako kept her serious look as she turned around completely towards him. "I have just one question before cutting your head off….Why?" Her voice was cold but there was just a hint of bitter anger in it.

Reiji started chuckling, but it soon turned into a full loud laughter. "HAHAHAHA! Why? WHY? Hahaha Because it's Art of course!" His eyes were wide and he looked completely mental and excited at the same time as he spoke, like a complete fanatic. "They should be glad! I'm sure they're all happy now that they became timeless." He gestured around at all the dolls and puppets. "Look at them all! Aren't they beautiful! Only True Art can be this beautiful!"

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she wasn't sure what he meant with referring to the dolls as 'them', wasn't he talking about his victims before. Then suddenly her eyes fell on the human sized dolls and her eyes widened in both surprise and horror. She remembered how that doll just now felt so much heavier and understood…it was because it was made out of a human body. Miyako's expression turned into one of pure disgust. "You….You didn't actually…." But the insane grin on Reiji's face gave her the answer to that. Miyako shook her head in disbelief. "You're insane…"

Reiji stopped his chuckling and grinning and his face turned deadly serious all of a sudden, his voice having the same seriousness in it. "No…I'm a genius! My puppets that I use as I please, my dolls that look so perfect and realistic…Look at them…and it's so easy. So simple." His grin started returning. "You just remove their insides….a few unnecessary parts, replace their eyes and put on my special mixture over their skin that looks like simple porcelain but it's so much more. It stops decaying, the smell, and still saves all the lines the body had. It's perfect! They're perfect! And I'm perfect!" Reiji started laughing maniacally again, spreading his arms. "They are my perfection! Forever so beautiful!" Then he looked at Miyako with those wide, twitching eyes. "And you should be happy, because you will be joining them soon. I will make a real beauty of a doll out of you so don't worry. You will be so happy."

Miyako's eyes narrowed as the hand on the katana twitched. "Who would be happy with something so disgusting!" She spat the words deliberately.

Reiji's expression darkened and he glared at her dangerously. "Watch your mouth….don't insult my Art or you'll end up like that old geezer of a samurai!"

Miyako glared at Reiji, not letting him threaten her. But at the mention of Samue's name, she just couldn't sustain herself as he gritted her teeth. "Bastard."

Reiji only smirked at her comment. "He was a pain in my neck for far too long already. Ever since I took his son, the guy has been snooping around. And if he was a bit smarter he could've realized it was me all along. He even wrote the clue in his diary and never even realized it." Reiji's smirk turned into a grin but then suddenly disappeared. "Everything was perfect, but then you came! The damned Heart Pirates. I knew I had to get rid of Samue and his diary when you started helping them. Unfortunately the book was lost but I'm sure your captain won't realize the clue in it either." Reiji's grin returned. "And even if he does, you will be long gone by then so don't count on him saving you this time."

Miyako's eyes narrowed. "I won't fall for your tricks again. I will be enough for the likes of you." She had a disgusted look as she glared daggers at him.

But the puppet master didn't look fazed by it at all. He was in his own little world, planning on how to make a doll out of his new body. He returned to reality quickly when he noticed Miyako's hand on the katana twitch again. So Reiji continued his story. "I thought I could use you pirates though. Make you get blamed for all the disappearances. On one hand your arrival was like a blessing to me. I could get all these new bodies and everybody suspected you! It was perfect. I even used one of my puppets to destroy one of your engines to keep you here longer; you were so useful after all. Aren't the puppets just precious; they don't need to breath under water and are strong…it was all so easy to do."

Miyako had enough of this. She only had one more question left though. "What about Muso-san, how is he involved in all this?" She saw Reiji's grin grow even wider if possible and he looked even more insane right now.

"Oh, that was just priceless. You should've seen it! I made a puppet out of her…a human puppet though, not the wooden ones you saw. Oh you have to see her, she is perfect! My true Art!" After a few chuckles, he continued. "She appeared to him from the distance and he came after her. Before you knew it he was in that storehouse with the masked man. I told him I would give him his daughter back if he brought you to me. Hahahaha He didn't even notice from afar that she was already dead! Hahahaha!" Reiji went into another insane fit of laughter, his glasses falling down the bridge of his nose a little. "When he brought you there, I already waited and then brought him to unconscious in the dark. These strings are really so useful, you know. When he was attacking you, he was already unconscious! And now he is to blame for everything and he will be executed while I will be back to my merry little life, making my lovely Art."

Miyako had reached her boiling point and gritted her teeth again. "I wouldn't count on it." She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Reiji just like the time in the forest. "I will end your insanity, here and now!"

Reiji tilted his head and looked at her with an undefined expression. His whole face looked deformed by the sickly grin and his one eye was wide while the other seemed half-lidded. He stared at her for a moment, fixing his glasses and then smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." He hissed and in an instant he turned around and ran into the darkness of the back rooms.

"Tch!" Miyako cursed under her breath as she saw the man run. She walked slowly and carefully into the darkness as well, aware of her surroundings by her Haki. "Will you really run and make me chase you? I don't have time for foolish games." Miyako called out but no answer. Then she turned her head as she heard a sound of door closing. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to peer into the complete darkness but with no use. *_Seems I'll have to rely on my other senses here.*_ She walked slowly and soon came to a certain old door. Miyako opened it carefully and saw it led down as if going to the basement. There were small candles with candlesticks attacked to the walls, giving her at least some light.

As she went down she could feel the change in the temperature as it became much colder. Miyako narrowed her eyes as she heard laughter from below as if Reiji was inviting her. She felt like she was going into his trap but didn't have much choice.

Miyako found herself in front of an old wooden doors and she opened them carefully, peering into the darkness that was inside. She couldn't see much so she had to rely on her other senses and her haki to lead her. She stepped in the room and looked around. The room was filled with puppets and dolls, numerous making materials, and there were even hooks on the ceiling with puppets hanging off them from their strings. Miyako walked slowly through the room, passing by the lifeless dolls. It was dark but she could see their glassy eyes glistening in the darkness and the gruesome forms surrounding her made her even more jumpy. The enemy could be hiding somewhere among them as we speak. Then Miyako bumped into something and she turned, but as she did her golden eyes went wide with shock and she stumbled a bit back unconsciously. On one of the hooks, there was a familiar form hanging.

*_Izumi-san.*_ Miyako looked at the body in horror. She definitively recognized the woman even though she was turned into a puppet now. She wasn't made of wood though. There seemed to be a thick layer of something covering her skin, probably making it harder and to stop the decaying. She had small holes in her limbs and other body parts where strings went in and came out of her back again. That's when Miyako realized…that there weren't only wooden puppets surrounding her. The girl looked around at the forms that lifelessly hung with their heads down. *_How many people did this man kill!?*_

The samurai clutched the katana and gritted her teeth in anger but then took a deep breath. *_No! I mustn't give in to anger and lose control. That would only make things harder.* _

Suddenly she heard a slight sound behind her as one of the puppets lifted their head. Miyako swirled around quickly as a certain puppet came to life, lowering itself on the stone ground, or to say it better; the one controlling it was lowering the puppet. But Miyako saw no sign of Reiji.

The puppet was wooden, much like the one she fought in the forest, but this one had a form of a woman. It lifted one hand and metal-like claws came out of the tips of its fingers. Miyako prepared her katana as the puppet rushed towards the girl. It slashed at Miyako but the girl dodged and jumped away, then blocked an attempt for the puppet to pierce her. But suddenly Miyako's eyes widened when the thin claws lengthened as they kept coming out of the wooden fingers and headed for Miyako's eyes. The girl jumped quickly backwards, swirled around and made a cut through the air, releasing a slash of haki. The puppet was fast however, and jumped in the air, dodging the blow. The few puppets and dolls behind it smashed into pieces.

The puppet ran and disappeared among the lifeless forms but Miyako noticed the blur as it passed behind her. The samurai girl ran after the puppet, avoiding the hanging bodies. It was better for her to stay in the offensive than let the puppet disappear and get a surprise attack from it later. Still, Miyako knew the most important thing was to find the puppet master since he was her real enemy, so the girl kept a close eye on her surroundings, searching for Reiji.

She stopped once again when she reached what looked like the end of the room, but then she noticed there was a big dirty sheet making a wall there. Miyako didn't waste time as she cut through it, making the obstacle fall to the ground. Behind it she saw what looked like a workshop for doll and puppet making. There was a big leather chair in the center with the lights shining brightly at it. Around it were metal tables that reminded Miyako of the ones in Law's infirmary meant for holding operating items. She walked closer when she noticed there was something strapped to the chair…but as she got closer she noticed it wasn't something, but someone. And the sight made her sick.

She stared at the mutilated body of what once was a little girl, approximately 10 years old. Her wrists, ankles and forehead were bound with leather straps. Her little body was bare and cut open, some of the organs missing. Instead of the eyes, there were two dark holes and gaping darkness inside them. Miyako saw a bucket on the floor where the organs were discarded but quickly looked away from the whole sight. She took the sheet that was on the floor and covered the girl with it, silently paying her respects. It was the least she could do. But Miyako knew there were more important matters now that she had to focus on.

"Did you see it? My new work material. She will be so lovely." Miyako could hear the raspy voice coming somewhere from the darkness, behind all the dolls and puppets. She looked around, narrowing her eyes to find a moving form among all the still ones.

"She will become immortal too! All of them will! This whole village will become the reflection of perfection. Reflection of my art!" The voice got louder and more excited as Reiji continued spouting his nonsense.

Miyako, who had her head bowed, lifted it and looked towards the darkness. Her eyes were completely cold now, a dark color of golden replacing the usual fiery one. Her face was as icy cold as her look, but then her eyes narrowed a little, becoming half-lidded and she looked almost bored. "Would you shut up already? You're getting on my nerves with this shit." She turned towards the darkness completely and prepared her sword, lifting it up toward her face and moving it so the light of the metal reflected the light in the center of the room. "Instead, why don't you stop playing a coward and come out. I'll slice up both you and your precious dolls."

She could swear she heard an annoyed and angry sound coming from the darkness but she couldn't dwell on it for long since that woman-puppet once again rushed towards Miyako. However Miyako was already pissed enough and no puppet could stop her now. *_I'm going to finish this quickly.*_

Miyako blocked the incoming claws. The puppet stretched out the other arm and a scythe looking weapon came out of its forearm, slashing towards the girl's face. Miyako crouched, barely dodging the slice that cut a few strands of hair on her head.

She swirled in the crouch, hitting the back of the puppet's knees with her leg but as it started falling down the strings behind it tightened and it stopped midair. Still, that was all Miyako needed as she pierced the chest of the puppet with her katana. As expected that didn't stop the puppet but it was enough to damage it. The puppet slashed at Miyako but the girl already removed her katana and jumped away.

Miyako put a hand on her hip and tilted her head with an evil smirk. "What's wrong? Your "Art" looks pretty weak."

She heard an angry growl and suddenly a new puppet appeared at her side. This one was had a man's form and had a katana in each wooden hand. As it came towards her, so did the woman's puppet and Miyako had to jump upwards to avoid them both. However the puppets easily went up on their strings, flying and rushing towards the samurai girl.

*_Dammit_* Miyako cursed at the sight but didn't plan on losing now. Not to them and certainly not to Azuma Reiji. She prepared her katana in one hand and took the sheath in the other. The first katana of the male puppet tried to pierce her but Miyako moved her head to the side and the steel passed by her cheek, inches from her skin. The next katana came but Miyako's blocked the slash with the katana. The woman puppet was now right next to her and slashed with the scythe on her forearm, which Miyako blocked with the sheet. Then she stepped on the male puppet's shoulders and used it as a lift off to jump higher in the air, dodging the sideways slice from the woman puppet with her thin claws.

Now Miyako had an advantage as she was higher in the air and she decided to make good use of it before the puppet master decides to act again and bring them upwards. Still, there was a big problem; The puppets could fly, but Miyako couldn't. It was only a matter of seconds before gravity did its work, so she had to act fast.

_*Guess I'll have to use that.*_ Miyako turned headfirst towards the puppets and dove down towards the floor with her katana in a parallel position to her body, the point facing downwards. An aura swirled around her and haki begun to form around her sword in a swirl. She was falling right in between of the two puppets. _*Ittoryu no Haki: 18 strikes.*_(1) In a flash, Miyako passed the puppets and landed on the ground. Only a second later both puppets fell apart and the pieces fell on the ground around Miyako, smashing even more.

Miyako lifted her head towards the darkness and then sprang ahead, running fast towards the real enemy. "You have nowhere else to run, Azuma!" She yelled.

"You wretched girl! I'll make you pay for this!" Reiji yelled and she could finally see him through the darkness.

Miyako didn't even bother going around the dolls and puppets that were hanging there. She sliced through them, unstoppable at this point. Miyako felt a presence behind her and dodged just in time when a new puppet appeared behind her and shot senbon out of its mouth. Then she noticed another one heading right at her. *_How many of these does he have!*_ She was starting to get bored with this. Miyako didn't stop though but she armored herself with Busoshoku Haki to defend from the upcoming attacks. She won't be taken by surprise this time.

The puppet ahead of her had enforced fists with steel and small spikes on the knuckles. It rushed towards Miyako and was just about to hit her, just as the puppet behind the girl shot more senbon and tried to pierce her with a short sword. Miyako jumped in the air suddenly, making the two puppets collide with each other and destroy each other in the process.

Something glistened in the darkness and Miyako found herself surrounded by those deadly strings. They were just about to close behind her but once again Miyako activated Busoshoku Haki and the force reflected the strings. The girl landed on the ground supporting herself with the katana and panting hard. She wasn't used to using so much Haki and so often. It was already taking a toll on her body and she could feel herself weakening. But this was no time to let her guard down or rest; who knows what Reiji had in plan next.

_*Still, I can't use Haki anymore. The next time I use it, I really won't be able to stand up again.*_ She lifted herself from the floor and clutched the hilt of her weapon, walking towards the moving form. But even with her tired look and slight panting, Miyako's expression was hard and cold as ever. "Give up, Azuma."

She could see the expression on the man's face now. His eyes were wide behind his thin glasses, one twitching constantly. His mouth was pulled back in a snarl, showing his white teeth. "Never! I can't lose to you! Because I am perfect! Only I can make such perfection! Only I can achieve immortality through my Art! You can't beat me with your narrow-minded beliefs! You will never beat me!" He outstretched both his arms, the strings attached to the metal rings on each of his fingers flied in the air and towards Miyako. He moved his fingers as he controlled the path of the strings. "And you will be mine too!" He yelled as the strings once again encircled Miyako.

She tried to jump away and upwards but one of the strings caught her leg and Reiji moved the strings left, making Miyako fly into a nearby wall. Another set of strings tried to get her throat but she put her forearm upwards and the strings cut into her fist. Still, she was able to stop them from circling completely around her neck and strangling her on the spot. Reiji moved his arms again and Miyako flew in the air and landed hard on the ground on her back. The girl gritted her teeth as pain traveled through her spine.

She could hear Reiji laughing in that sick way again and blabbing something about true art and how he will prevail. She didn't have time to listen to him though since she was a bit busy with trying to get free from the strings that painfully cut into her skin. The katana was now lying on the ground, a few feet away since Miyako released it after the first blow in the wall.

"Hahahaha! What's wrong Suzune-chan? You look a bit worried! Haaahaha!" Reiji mocked her as he continued smashing the girl into the ground and walls.

Miyako gritted her teeth. She had enough. In the next blow she saw that she would be in reach of the katana. Reiji threw her in the air and then was about to slam her in the ground, but Miyako turned in the air so she could land on her feet. When she did, she quickly took a hold of her katana and was about to cut the strings but only managed to cut the ones holding her leg before more of them came and encircled around the hilt of her katana and the hand that was holding it. She could feel the force as Reiji tried to get the sword out of her hand. Miyako clutched at the sword. *_Well if I can't go against him…I'll just go with the flow.*_ Miyako smirked as she suddenly rushed towards Reiji, ignoring her bound hands.

This took Reiji by surprise and he stepped backwards but soon got a hold of himself. He swung his arms, changing Miyako's direction, trying to slam her into the wall again. But this time, she had one small advantage; free legs. She turned and landed on the wall with her feet. But the strings weren't tight anymore and she could use her hands more freely, springing from the wall and right at Reiji's side. He tried to move in position to manipulate the strings again but Miyako didn't give him enough time. His eyes became wide when he realized he won't be able to dodge or use his strings in time as Miyako came closer by the second. She swung at the man's face. But just as she was about to slice his head open, Miyako turned the blunt side of her katana outwards and hit Reiji with it in the face. The man flew backwards but before he could take her with him, Miyako sliced all the strings attached to her with the blade.

"Gaahf!" Reiji made a choking pained sound as he landed on the ground, his face completely smashed, nose broken, teeth missing and glasses shattered. His whole face looked like a broken mush of blood. Miyako landed on the ground and walked slowly towards the man who managed to look up at her with wide fearful eyes.

She stood over him and pointed the tip of the blade at his face. Her face was completely cold and emotionless.

"Wfy…I'm…alife..?" Reiji managed to let out a question between his broken teeth and jaw.

Miyako tilted her head. "Why are you alive? Because a swift death is too merciful for you." The man tried to inch away from her but with little luck. "Oh, don't worry….I won't kill you. It's a favor actually."

"Fafour..? So…you'll lef me gof?" There was a speck of hope in the man's voice.

Suddenly Miyako pierced Reiji with her eyes, an evil grin on her face. "I didn't say it's a favor to you."

The man looked at her confused but fearful, seeing the evil grin on the girl's face.

"What Miss Miyako is trying to say…is that it's a favor to me." Suddenly a new voice was heard and a familiar figure walked out of the darkness, in his usual slow, non-worrying pace. Law had his nodachi resting on one shoulder and his other hand in the pocket of his trousers. "Because I will be the one to finish you."

Miyako turned around a bit surprised. "Captain! You found us." However she sweat-dropped when she saw the dark look Law gave her in return. Oh, she was in trouble again…But she remembered something important that needed to be done so Law's wrath will have to wait. Now that Law was here, it saved her time to bring everyone down here and explain. While Law is having his fun, Miyako will have to go to the Station and get Muso out of jail. He was about to be executed after all.

She turned around from Reiji's lying body and passed Law by with a nod. "Muso was blamed for everything so I'll get him out of jail before they execute him."

It seemed Law didn't need more of an explanation to understand and he nodded, meanwhile unsheathing his nodachi. He stopped and towered over Reiji. "So I was right…it was you all along. Now then, we still didn't finish our conversation about manners from before. You should really be thought some." The pirate tilted his head and a slight smirk appeared on his features.

Reiji looked at the man wide-eyed then turned his head to look at the leaving girl. "W-waif…you faid….you fouldn't kfill me!"

Miyako stopped at the doorway and looked back at the man with half-lidded eyes and almost a bored look. She couldn't believe Azuma would act so pleadingly after all that he's done. For someone who was so arrogant he didn't seem to have any pride at all in the end. "I didn't lie. I won't kill you….He will." Her eyes turned towards her captain for a second before walking away and out of the room.

Reiji's eyes went wide as he watched a blue sphere surround him and a nodachi lifting above him. "B-buf…Thifs can't bfe….I'm pferfect! I'm thfe cfreator! I mafe truef Arf! I-I-I…hehfehfehhfe..Yef…I can'f die….hfehfe…I can nefer dfie…!" Reiji started snickering, his glassy eyes unfocused as if he was looking through Law at something else. He started babbling about his true Art again, the maniacal look never leaving him.

Law could see the man was out of his mind completely. Still, that didn't excuse him in Law's book. He played with the Heart pirates…And now a Heart pirate will play with him. Or with his body parts to be exact. And he would make sure it would be as painful as possible. "You can't die? Then let's test that immortality of yours, shall we?" Law licked his lips in a sadistic way, as if he was about to perform a hard and exciting operation.

~….~

Miyako swayed down the street, supporting on Muso's big arm. She didn't know if anything was broken but her whole body hurt from those blows, and in some places Miyako had her skin cut from the strings. Her shoulder where she got wounded twice that day hurt like hell, the bandages almost ripped completely. Not to mention her T-shit was ruined with blood and rips.

Muso looked a bit better but had a splitting headache and a very sore neck that he kept massaging with his other hand, hoping it would help with the pain. He held Yawarakai-Te in the same hand that he used to help Miyako with, the katana back to its rightful owner, much to Miyako's dismay. Miyako was able to convince the authorities about what really happened, which wasn't very hard since they were still afraid of the Heart pirates, even if it was a beat-up girl. She explained everything to Muso as well and apologized a billion times for what she did to him in the storage house though the man just looked glad that it was all over. In the end, he was the one on his knees, begging her for forgiveness because of his betrayal that led Miyako to the trap. And it didn't help when he found out it was all for naught since Izumi was already dead. So in the end they decided they were even and to forget about it.

As they walked, the two noticed a big fire up ahead and noticed Azuma's house/shop was completely in flames, Law standing there in front and looking at the burning house as if admiring the chaos. Miyako didn't even want to know what he did to Reiji inside. The girl could've killed Reiji for what he did and she wouldn't even feel sorry for it, even though she never liked killing, but she wasn't the one to torture and enjoy other people's pain. Law was the sadistical master at that one. She also saw Bepo, Shachi and Penguin there and they ran up to her when they saw the girl coming slowly.

"Miya-chan! Are you alright?" Penguin was the first to come to her and he looked at her wounds.

"Yeah, I don't think it's anything serious. I'm just exhausted. " Miyako smiled reassuringly at them.

"You sure? You won't die right!" Bepo asked hastily in slight panic already.

"Idiot! Of course she won't die!" Penguin yelled at Bepo and his depressing thoughts.

The first mate just bowed his head down apologetically and said "Sorry" as always. Miyako couldn't help but snicker at the whole sight. These guys never changed.

Shachi helped Miyako towards the sub but before they could start walking, Law's voice stopped them. "Mister Shachi, let go of Miss Miyako for a second, I need to talk to her in private. Go to the submarine and wait for us there." Law still had an unreadable look but his face showed complete seriousness and no room for arguments.

The two mechanics and the bear looked at each other uncertain but then Bepo nodded and Shachi let go of the girl. "S-See you at the sub Miya-chan." Shachi said and they all walked towards the docks.

"I'll be waiting there as well." Muso said as he cleared his throat, seeing or rather feeling the suffocating black aura rising from the pirate captain. He knew this was not something he could get involved in.

When they were alone, Miyako gave Law a nervous smile, trying to lighten up the atmosphere around them. "Before you start can I just say-"

But a loud sound of a hand slamming right beside her head and onto the wall behind her made her shut up instantly and her eyes widened a little in surprise.

She saw Law's darkened, deadly look and he looked pissed like never before. Miyako opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She had a strong need to take a step backwards and she probably would if she wasn't already backed against the wall.

"No." Law growled a simple word, almost in a hiss thorough gritted teeth. "I've had enough of your excuses! Have you any idea what could've happened! Do you _ever_ think about the consequences?" As he spoke, the captain's voice became louder and firmer and what surprised Miyako even more was when she realized Law was actually yelling. This was the first time she had ever heard him yell. Snarl? Yes. Growl. Often. Hiss or speak in an extremely icy tone. Almost always. But she has never heard him lose his temper and control and actually yell at her, never in these 8 months. She didn't know what to make of it. She already had a 'Law's anger scale' that she made a few months ago after pissing him off enough to know how he would react each time, so in 1 to 10, how pissed was he now? She'd say….15.

Law clutched his nodachi with his other hand but Miyako didn't know was it just from anger or was he about to use it. A worrying thought came through her mind; he was armed and she wasn't. And he didn't leave her much room to dodge or get away since he still had one hand on the wall next to her and his body leaving her little room to move. Suddenly he let the nodachi fall on the ground and grabbed both her shoulders with his arms, squeezing them enough to hurt. It didn't help that one of her shoulders were injured but he didn't look like he cared at all.

Miyako flinched and bit her lip, slightly narrowing her eyes. But as she was about to protest, the pirate captain cut her off.

"What were you thinking, Miyako!" No formal pleasantries added this time. He took a deep breath as to calm down and closed his eyes, when he reopened them he had a cold, dark look in his piercing stormy eyes but burning anger was replaced with a cold one. He squeezed her tighter and Miyako let out a wince as his fingers dug into her wound.

The girl glared at him, though she doubted she looked very scary with a pained expression she was currently wearing. "Law…let go of me." She breathed a threat, hoping it had enough of a deadly edge to it to sound threatening.

Law ignored her though and only tightened his grip more. Miyako's body reaction was to double over but she couldn't because Law was still holding her and he slammed her back into the wall. Like she didn't get enough back blows from Reiji already.

"Law…" Miyako warned through gritted teeth.

"No." He cut her off again, with such a simple statement but she felt his grip relax a little and Miyako sighed in relief when there was no pressure on her wound anymore. At least not like anything before. He released one of her shoulders, unfortunately the healthy one and gripped her chin, making her look up at him in the eyes. "Why do you always do this? Don't you care what happens to you? Don't you care who you worry?"

Miyako blinked as her eyes widened at his questions. His voice was softer now, though still had a serious edge to it that showed Law was nowhere near relaxed and certainly didn't forgive her. But at least his initial rage went away.

Law had to hold back with all his power not to ask if she knew how much she worried _him_. But he could never say it. Besides, he'd be damned if he's showed weakness to this girl and more importantly at a time like this. No, right now he was too pissed for that. He was too pissed to analyze what he'd do if Miyako had died tonight.

Miyako looked down as if uncomfortable with his questions but Law didn't intend to give her that option. "Look at me!" His voice was sharp enough to make her lift her head back up immediately.

"I-I just….I'm not used to it…People worrying about me or…working with others. Isn't it easier to just rely on yourself?" Miyako asked in a soft voice looking sideways. She just couldn't bring herself to look at Law right now.

Law sighed, something between tiredness and annoyance. "What do you mean? You're a part of a pirate crew aren't you? Teamwork is important if you want to survive. This way you're just endangering yourself and the crew."

Miyako looked at him but with guilty eyes that almost made Law feel sorry for her. Only 'Almost' though. *_She deserves a punishment, not sympathy_.* He moved away from her a little, releasing her and taking back his nodachi. Law gave her a stern look. "You already had 8 months to get used to being a pirate. You have nakama now so you can't act on your own anymore. The next time you do, I will have your head, no matter that you are a part of my crew. " Law turned his back to her as he rested the nodachi on his shoulder and started walking towards the docks.

Miyako was a bit surprised at Law's words. _*Nakama…do I really have nakama now? Can I consider them that?*_ She remembered all the times she spent with the crew and how they fought together. But she was always alone, especially after her master died. She didn't even know how she was supposed to act around them. It was always so confusing and new and strange. She was slowly getting closer to this people without even realizing it and it was changing her. As if they were slowly breaking through her hard-built walls she had been creating for 19 years.

She looked at Law's back while he was walking away. He was changing her too. She felt differently around him, around all the Heart pirates, than before when she got on this sub. Somehow she felt like he was chipping at her walls the most and it scared her. She was already feeling uncertain and confused most of the time around him and that just wasn't her. It wasn't the girl she knew. But what scared her the most was one thought alone; 'What will happen when he finally breaks through?' She didn't know how to deal with that. So as always, she hurried the thoughts away shaking her head roughly.

But there was one more thing that seemed to interest her…or perhaps bother her. Miyako bit her lip and she hurried behind Law until she was behind him only a few feet away. "D-Does that mean….I'm Law-san's nakama too?" The voice was soft, barely audible but Law definitively heard it, if the fact that he stopped in his tracks and his back stiffened were any indications.

Miyako walked next to him and looked up at his face questionably. She blinked a few times when she noticed a strange look on his face that she couldn't quite understand. Law saw she was trying to see his eyes for any answers and he subtly turned his head away from her gaze. That made Miyako lean sideways and tilt her head as she tried to catch his eyes for any answer that wasn't coming from his mouth. Finally Law just closed his eyes for a second and started walking again. "Let's go, they're waiting for us." Miyako frowned as the captain pushed pass her without any explanation but she quickly followed him.

Law didn't really know why that question made him uncomfortable. After all, she was a part of his crew and therefore his nakama. He already thought of her as one. So why did he feel strange when he had to say it out loud. Why did that answer sound different in his head than if he had to answer were Shachi or Penguin his nakama? What was the difference?

Meanwhile Miyako decided to change the subject since Law still looked a bit in thought and out of it. She put her hands behind her back and looked up with a serious face, but one that looked playful. "But you had to admit I did good."

Law looked at her with the corners of his eyes but never stopped walking as he hummed something that was neither a denial nor approval. Miyako frowned. That was just like Law.

Miyako looked at the floor while she walked, trying to think of what else to say to lightened up the mood. She looked up at her captain whose face was lightened by the orange flames of the fire not far behind them. The shadows under his hat looked even darker now as more of them danced across his tanned face. She sighed knowing there was only one thing she actually could do now.

Law felt a small tug on the sleeve of his hoodie, and looked behind him with a questioning eyebrow. He saw the girl standing behind him, staring at the floor and frowning lightly as if she was battling with herself. Finally she lifted her head and looked at him with a serious face, but it almost looked comical to Law since it looked like she was still very bothered with something and that something was making her so uncomfortable it almost looked cute. Did he just think of Miyako as cute? Law mentally shook his head and stared at the girl with question in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." She finally said in a rush as if she finally lost in that battle against herself. Miyako put the hands behind her back again and looked somewhere to the side, a slight frown still present. "I know I usually say that after I go off on my own and you get angry, but don't really mean it…" Law rose an eyebrow and his look darkened. Miyako sweat-dropped; "Ok, so you didn't know that…*ehem*" She cleared her throat trying to ignore Law's rising black aura and focus on the task. "But this time, I really do and…and…" She looked sideways again before looking Law right in the eyes with a guilty look. "…and I'll try and be a part of the team from now on. I'll work on my…issues." _*At least as long as I'm on this sub…and going towards Wano* _She added mentally though she was slowly beginning to realize she didn't know what she'll do once they get to Wano. The initial plan was to escape from the Heart Pirates there and set herself free…but why was she so uncertain about this now? Was she having second thoughts?

Law rose his eyebrow again, but the dark aura disappeared and he smirked ever so slightly. "Try?" He repeated her words questioningly.

Miyako rolled her eyes. *_Really, this guy! He's never satisfied.*_ "Hey, give me some time. People don't change that easily. But…I'll do my best." Then her face became more stern and warning as she pointed an index finger in the air and leaned forward. "But don't write me off from your crew just yet!"

Law tilted his head with a smirk at the girl's attitude that seemed to change every second. Then his smirk became a bit more evil and he towered over the girl. "Miss Miyako, did you just give me an order?"

The girl sweat-dropped as she realized it too now, at her expression changed into one that made Law even more amused. But then she straightened up and looked at him with one eye closed, trying to ignore his question. "You know if I should work on my issues, you should really work on your problems with people telling you what to do. It's not always an order…more like a suggestion, or an exclamation. It's really hard to talk to you when I always have to be careful of what to say." Miyako huffed like a little child would while complaining to its mother about not getting any sweets.

Law straightened up as well and started walking again, turning his back to the samurai. "I don't have issues, I just don't want people telling me what to do. It's simple. And if those who can't remember it get hurt by my nodachi, it's their own fault for not having an adequate memory capacity that would help them store such a simple thing in their neuron brain cells."

Miyako sweat-dropped as Law went in his 'doctor talk'. She rolled her eyes, but even if Law noticed he didn't comment on it. "Right…you have no issues what so ever." She said as she looked back at the burning house where there was probably a dismembered corpse of a certain puppet maker in there. Not to mention all other people he killed, played with their body parts, experimented on and who knows what. Miyako got goosebumps just for thinking what would it be like to wake up on Law's operating table with him towering over her with his sharp scalpel. Certainly no different than how Reiji's victims felt after being kidnapped and strapped to that chair.

"More importantly, how did you know where to find us anyway and that Azuma was the culprit?" Miyako looked at Law questioningly, remembering the details that were still not clarified.

Law kept looking forward, walking casually towards the docks as he explained. "I was reading Samue's diary. There wasn't much in it but then I noticed Samue's kid kept talking about his friend much like Haku did. And it was written that the 'friend' came from Blue Skies. After some time of going over it, I remembered I saw something similar in one of the files of the villagers. I found it in the file of Reiji Azuma. He was from a place called "Sukaiburu.(2) It had a sign and I remembered you were explaining once it was the old Wano writing they still sometimes use with the new one. It's not strange that they use it here too, then. (3)" Law took out the small leathery book that was Samue's diary and there was a quick drawing of the sign Law drew on the book's page after seeing it in the file.

Miyako nodded as she looked at the sign. Indeed, it meant „Sky-Blue" on Wano's old writing. „Even though Wano has accepted the world's writing and language, before that we also had our own. Sukaiburu is one of the ways to roughly translate 'Sky-Blue' on the old Wano language, since it's a foreign name. Not long after that, they called a certain village Sukaiburu in Wano, I suppose Azuma came from there. The village was a small and poor one though. I don't know if it's even standing anymore." Miyako shrugged as she remembered her home island. She also remembered Reiji had told her something about a 'clue' in Samue's diary but the old man wasn't able to find and understand it. Azuma was sure Law won't be able either but the puppet master obviously didn't know the captain of the Heart Pirates very well. Miyako couldn't help but smirk at the thought.

Law noticed it and looked at Miyako a bit questioningly but didn't ask anything, as they continued walking.

On the way there, Miyako told Law everything that happened after she left the sub and she couldn't help but notice Law's darkening look after she told him about Muso's trap. At first she tried not to mention it, but Law instantly knew she was hiding something and after some stubbornness from both sides, Miyako finally gave up and said it. By the time they came to the sub, they had exchanged all information and Law's annoyance about Muso's doing seemed to decrease a little. Only a little though. But it was enough that the pirate captain didn't cut up Muso on sight, though Miyako suspected that was only because Law was still expecting of Muso to forge them a sword. That reminded Miyako she still had to handle that somehow though she didn't want Muso to trample over the word he gave to himself about stopping to make weapons.

„Captain! We're ready to go whenever you say the word!" Jean Bart yelled from the deck.

Shachi was standing next to the big navigator with a raised arm and showing a thumbs up. „The engine is working fine! We managed to fix with only a few hours extra!" Shachi grinned.

Law nodded. They all did a good job, even if it was with some delay, but they would have it anyway because of the fight with Reiji. Law was happy to be ready and on the move again. He was getting sick of this island.

Bepo and Penguin came to them and Bepo took Law's nodachi, following the captain as they went on the deck and Penguin was jumping around Miyako, asking if she was really ok. Her shoulder wound was reopened because of Law's rough treatment and bleeding down her arm but other than that she only had bruises and minor cuts. Nothing to worry about in any case.

„Suzune-san! Don't forget _this_!" Muso's loud voice called out to the girl and as she turned, Muso threw her Yawarakai-Te, which the girl caught in one hand. Her eyes were wide and she looked confused as she stared at the big blacksmith. Muso smirked at her expression. „I promised you a sword, didn't I? Will this do?"

„But...I wasn't able to save anyone. Neither Izumi-san...nor Samue-san." Miyako bowed her head in shame as she looked at the ground sadly.

„Perhaps...But you saved this village. Who knows what that bastard Reiji would do if you didn't stop him. You risked your life for others that you don't even know. For that, you have my gratitude. This sword will never be in better hands than in yours." Muso nodded with a small smirk on his gruff face.

Miyako looked up at him in surprise, still wide-eyed and then her eyes softened in gratitude. She clutched the katana in both hands and bowed to the man deeply. „That you so much, Muso-san!"

Muso chuckled at the young girl but then his gaze turned to Law who was standing on the gangplank and staring at the sight below. „Trafalgar Law..I still don't like you...But you have my gratitude as well." Muso nodded to the man and Law nodded back, but without a word and his usual unreadable expression.

„Alright men, let's go! It's time to move on! Shachi, Penguin get into the engine room and keep an eye on the fixed engine! Mister Jean-Bart, take the helm! Get the rest of the supplies in the stock room!" Law started barking orders and the Heart Pirates ran around following them, cheerful that they're finally moving on. Miyako turned to look at the village of Kyonin and Akai no Shima for the last time as she stood on the deck. She saw Muso standing below and staring up at the sub and he nodded one last time at her. Miyako nodded back and went inside the sub with the other pirates. She watched the backs of the white jumpsuits as the pirates ran around her. *_My nakama, huh?*_

~...~

„Ow!" Miyako exclaimed, holding her sore head. She was currently sitting in the galley, bandaged and taken care of, courtesy of her captain, and finally clean, in her usual white turtleneck and plaid skirt. Joshua was standing over her with his fist raised menacingly.

„You did it again! Just after we talked about it, you did it again!" the red head yelled at the frowning girl.

„Oh, just let it go Josh! Instead be happy it's all finally over! Let's party!" Cody exclaimed and raised two bottles of rum and beer in both hands. There was even more booze on the table and some snacks that they managed to steal from Munk's fridge. The group was sitting around the table drinking and eating to their heart's content. After all they deserved it after all the work they had on the Akai no Shima. Penguin and Shachi worked nonstop on the engine and so they finally had time to relax now as they drank beer and played poker. Meanwhile, Josh was still arguing with Miyako, Cody trying to calm them down. Even Law and Bepo were here. Bepo was trying to nap in the corner and Law just silently sat there, reading the newspaper and sipping from a bottle of rum. Jean Bart was also there, since Sai took his place behind the helm so the navigator could take some time off and rest. Miyako practically had to drag the older man with them in the galley but in the end he gave up and sat there, sipping some beer from a big glass.

Miyako took a bottle of sake and poured it into a small glass.

„Should a brat like you really be drinking that?" Josh grinned at her and Miyako shot him a glare.

„What are you talking about! I'm 19, I'm no brat!"

„Ha! Yeah, right! You always run around alone and get into trouble, like a real brat! Bet you can't even handle alcohol, brat!"

„I can handle it just fine shortstuff! Mind your own business!" The girl brought the glass to her mouth and drank all the liquid. She felt the warm sake in her mouth, throat and chest as it traveled down her body. She took the bottle and poured herself another glass.

"hehe What's wrong, you look flushed already. See, you're a total brat! Troublesome woman." Josh continued to tease and Miyako continued to argue, drinking the sake one glass after the other.

*Hic* Miyako hiccuped after who knows which glass. Josh was lying next to the chair on the floor, beaten up, which happened after enough alcohol and enough teasing for Miyako to finally lose her temper. After that scene, the Heart pirates decided never to piss Miyako again while she's drunk. The girl tried pouring herself more sake but saw the bottle was empty. Her thin eyebrows furrowed and she looked at Cody…or rather two Codys since she was seeing double now. She shoved the glass towards the tall medic. "Cody, another!" The girl demanded a bit too loud.

Cody sweat-dropped at the sight. Miyako was completely red in the face, hiccuping every now and then, her slightly unfocused eyes glazing. "D-Don't you think you had enough, Miyako? I thought you don't even drink." The medic tried calming her.

Miyako huffed and made a scowling face. "I can drink if I want to, I'm not a kid anymore!" She shoved the glass closer to Cody's chest. Then suddenly she calmed down and bowed her head.

Cody, Penguin and Shachi came a bit closer carefully…but Miyako still didn't move. They came a bit more closer…Still no reaction. The three pirates inched towards her face, trying to see under her bangs that were clouding her face. "OY!" Miyako suddenly yelled and the three men fell on their assess on the floor with a yelp of surprise.

„Are you listening Cody, I'm not a kid anymore!" She crossed her hands on her chest and huffed. Then she moved closer to him, making the medic lean backwards in fear of the girl's changing drunken moods. Miyako put her hands on her red face and her eyes softened a little. „I know...Everyone thinks I'm just a brat...*hic*...a brat that can't do anything right and goes off into trouble...and can't get along with others...and has no friends..*hic*...I'm just an ugly girl who's only good at swordsmanship...*hic*"

Cody sweat-dropped as he watched the girl fall into a drunken depression with her head bowed down. "Now, now…That's not true."

„Ah! She's turning into Bepo! Quick, get the sake away from her, she'll become like Bepo!" Penguin exclaimed in panic and the two other pirates nodded vigorously.

Bepo, who was slightly snoring this whole time, twitched with his ears at the sound of his name. „I'm here, captain!" He exclaimed, still in his sleep then mumbled some more before continuing to snore once again.

„You stay quiet over there! „ Penguin and Shachi yelled in unison.

„Perhaps she should go to her room and rest. It was a long day for all of us, especially the girl." Jean Bart suggested, then took a swig out of a glass of rum.

They all turned at the sound of a chair moving and saw their captain standing up. He walked over to them with a sigh and looked down at the sitting drunk girl. She seemed to have calmed down and was swaying on the chair, struggling to stay awake. Law took her by the hand, careful of the freshly bandaged shoulder this time, and put her arm over his shoulder to support her weight. „I'll take Miss Miyako to her room, you finish here and go to sleep. I don't want you hangover and useless tomorrow."

„Yes, captain." Everyone murmured except Jean Bart who just nodded and Josh who was still unconscious both from the beatings and alcohol.

Miyako was still half-awake and managed to walk alongside Law as he supported her weight. They left the galley and started walking through the hallways, towards the girl's room. Then Law got an interesting idea...Everyone always said alcohol made you honest, it was almost like a natural truth serum, so why not use it now. He had a few questions he wanted to ask her anyway so why not? And the best part was that the girl was so drunk she won't remember any of it tomorrow anyway.

„So Miss Miyako, how do you like it here on the sub? I never had a chance to ask you that." Law started with something innocent and simple, a smirk tugging at his lips.

„Strange...but not bad. *hic* at first...lousy...but the crew's ok..*hic* you're all ok...I guess...*hic*...still strange..." Miyako was murmuring as if she was talking more to herself than Law. The pirate captain wondered if she was even aware that _he_ had asked that question. Was she even aware of her surroundings?

_*We're all ok, hm?*_ Law couldn't help but smirk. „But don't you want to go back to Wano?"

Miyako looked at the floor in though...well, not that she could look anywhere else since her head felt as heavy as led and kept falling downwards. „I guess...I miss it sometimes..." Then her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and she gave Law a halfhearted glare. „What's with all the questions..*hic*...all of a sudden!"

Law's mouth formed a thin line as he looked at her. Did she figure him out? He didn't say anything but kept walking towards her room.

„A reward?" Suddenly she mumbled and Law blinked, looking at the samurai in his hands again.

„huh?" He couldn't help but ask at the loss of all other words because of not expecting her question. What was she talking about anyway?

„Do I get a reward if I answer them or somethin'" She yawned barely finishing the sentence and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep while standing.

Law blinked once again but then smirked. „Sure." They walked some more in silence. It was obvious Miyako wasn't the kind to just blindly answer _anything_ even if drunk. She started to suspect something as soon as the questions started referring to Wano and the big question of her plans in the future that she still didn't quite clear up with Law. The next time he asks about it, she'll probably find it too suspicious and stop talking so Law had to be careful as to what he was saying. Still, there was one question that he was just itching to ask even if it didn't exactly have anything to do with her plans. But it was something more for his personal interest that he wanted to settle it for some time now. But that would be even trickier to ask.

They came to Miyako's room and the captain opened the metal doors, leading the girl inside and closing them with his foot. He put her on the bed and covered her with the sheets.

„But you know...you know...even if I'm only good at swordsmanship I want to...well I..." Miyako stared saying something but her face got even redder and Law wondered was it only because of the drinks or something else. He raised an eyebrow at her. The girl shook her head quickly covering her cheeks with her hands. „No, No, I can't say it! It's too embarrassing!" She started mumbling something to herself and Law furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

„Is it something about Mister Cody." Yep, he just had to ask. Even though Law was fully aware that curiosity killed the cat and he was just waiting for Miyako's words to run him over.

„Huh?" The girl blinked and calmed down, looking at Law questioningly. Then her eyebrows furrowed angrily. „Hey, is this about me liking Cody again! Gosh, you men are all the same, you don't get it at all! I don't like Cody that way at all!" She hiccuped at the end as if making a point.

Now it was Law's time to look confused. And was that...relief? He mentally shook his head, clearing it of any unnecessary thoughts.

Miyako, who lifted herself from the bed a little in her outburst, fell down on the soft pillow again and huffed. „You don't get a girl's heart at all." She murmured though Law wasn't sure was she talking about him or guys in general. In any case he at least got one certain thing out of her and strangely enough he really felt a bit lighter with that weight lifted from his chest. He didn't know he cared about that so much until it was out in the open. Law sighed feeling tired of everything suddenly. He was about to get up when a small tug on his hoodie sleeve stopped him. He looked at Miyako questionably. She had her eyes closed and was about to fall asleep, but just before she did, the girl mumbled; „Do I get my reward now...?"

Law blinked in surprise. Oh, _that_ she remembers, of course! But he didn't actually plan on giving her something when he promised her a reward before. The pirate captain sat on the bed and smirked. He towered over her with one hand on the pillow beside her head, supporting him. He looked at the girl's peaceful face. She was breathing evenly, which indicated she was already asleep. „Alright..." The captain lowered until he was only inches from her sleeping face and then he closed that small remaining gap between them, closing his lips over hers. He could feel the warmth of her soft lips and Law had to admit to himself it was hard to let go. But it only lasted a couple of seconds before Law's logical mind came into work again and started listing all the reasons why this wasn't a good idea. With a sigh Law moved away and smirked at the sleeping girl. „Here's your reward...but you can't complain just because you were asleep."

The pirate captain lifted himself from the bed and walked to the doors. He turned around once more when he heard Miyako make a noise in her sleep and turn to her side, but luckily she didn't wake up. He walked out of the room and closed the doors behind him carefully.

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><p>(1) Ittoryu no Haki: 18 strikes - Miyako usually uses Ittoryu: 9 strikes technique where she hits at the 9 vital point of the body really fast. But this technique doesn't actually hit the oppenent with tha katana but instead uses Haki to hit those certain spots. 18 strikes are because Miyako used the technique on both puppets at the same time, hitting all of their 9 vital spots.<p>

(2) Sukaiburu - This is actually how the Japanese would translate Sky-Blue into their own way of saying it. (For example how they took the word Milk from English and made it into Miruku)

(3) What Law is referring to is kanji here and this is how the symbol would look: 空色

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><p><strong>Finally done! Yay! Ah~ writing that last scene was so embarrassing! XD I'm not good at that stuff. ^^ (I hope Law wasn't **_**too**_** OoC. :/)**

**And the culprit was Reiji! So pats on the head for everyone who guessed right. :) I know it would be too obvious because of the puppet business he was already in but that's why I tried to make it more interesting with some twists and turns in the plot. Hope it worked. ^^' **

**I was actually able to finish this sooner than I thought but you'll probably need to wait some more for the next one, cause once again a bunch of exams are starting and I can't afford to fail any. :/ So wish me luck and I'll try to upload the next chapter as soon as I can! ^^**

**So as always, reviews and comments are welcome, and I always try to answer all your questions the best I can, so feel free to leave them if you want. :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**I don't like you **by** BloodyMarryMe**

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><p><strong>Waaah! Finally, finally, finally! Sumimasen minna-san! I'm sorry you had to wait so long. ^^' My exams aren't completely over but I found some time to write and finally finished the new chapter. Ah~ I feel so guilty that you had to wait so long. :**

**It's finally here, though! ^^At first I thought I'd make this a one-chapter story but it would turn out really long and I wanted to update soon for you guys (you've been waiting enough) so I decided to split it into two parts. Hopefully I'll be able to write the other part as soon as possible now that I have some time on my hands before I have to study for exams again. **

**Also, thank you everyone for the best wishes with the exams. They're going good so far and I'm passing them nicely, so yay! :D**

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><p><strong>Okie so before we start let's see if there's any questionscomments I should answer:**

**SeveredReality: **About the finals; well I'm pretty sure that depends which country you're from since every country has their own system. And ours pretty much takes away our whole summer. -.-

Ugh, Oda is definitively stalling with this Punk Hazard Ark, it's making me so annoyed cause I just feel like I only get more questions and no answers after every chapter. *sigh* Well I think he'll finish till' September, but then again, you never know….

Yes, for example I was thinking about making a very long chapter out of this one, but decided to at least devide it into two parts because it would be waaay too long and it'll take even more time to write even though I already needed to update soon and didn't have time to write at least a twice as much as this chapter. Also I think that people would get bored if the chapter had no end and was too long. So if it's just short one shots similar to the one with the summer resort it's ok, but for more detailed and longer adventure, I'd have to cut it in a few parts after all; if only two or three. I agree though, it's harder to make short chapters cause you need to make it interesting and not shallow, but also not too detailed so that it wasn't too long. It think I'll reserve one chapter-stories for my more light-hearted chapters with humorous characters' adventures, not the serious ones. :)

What will Miyako do when she reaches Wano? is The Big Question in this story and I think a lot of people are wondering that. But you'll just have to read and find out cause I can't tell you. ;P Also, it is unclear if Law reached Wano already or not; most of his New World trip is still unclear but I hope we'll find out soon. :/ Also, I have no intention getting rid of Miyako's 'bad' side since she would just be boring as a Goody two-shoes, so it's not going anywhere. It's not that Miyako is evil though, or likes to kill and torture when she's like that…she's just pissed off. That's why there has to be something to piss her off first before she goes over to the 'evil side.' I won't get rid of her sarcastic and teasing side either, which is still present, but since she's much closer to Law and his crew now, so her level of being obnoxious towards them just to irritate them (especially Law :P) decreased, which I think is natural.

And yes I like to make my characters have different kinds of layers. :) Shachi is a good guy but a bit on the perverted side and a gambling addict, Josh acts like everyone annoys him but actually really cares for his friends; and even though he fights with Miyako all the time, he still worries for her when she gets into trouble. Cody seems like your typical nice guy who is cheerful and relaxed, but he has a more dark side to him, that is almost like Laws, when he gets angry. His veeery scary when pissed and loses his temper, that's why Josh and Miyako always stop fighting when they see he is about to lose it. Also girls seem to always like him, which was shown in a few occasions. The only one I'm not sure about is Penguin, since I still need to find something characteristical for him.

Well I understand about Law, it was more like one of those fast scenes that just pop into your head whether you like it or not when someone mentions something. Not like a fantasy that he was mentally drooling over or anything. ^^'

Haha aww, poor Shachi XD Don't hate him, he's still a good guy. :P

In my opinion it'll take some time before the fight an admiral. Since they are somewhat of their highest nemesis. For example I know Luffy will certainly fight Akainu at some point but I think it's too soon for such a serious and big fight. I don't know what will happen with Kizaru though, but Aokiji seems like a guy that wouldn't even bother fighting Luffy and his crew now that he is no longer a marine cause I don't think he has anything personal against them. He was pretty lenient when they had that whole Robin thing.

Ah~ Miyako's epiphany. I already have it pretty much figured out but I can tell you it won't be so soon. There's a lot more that needs to happen before that. :)

Yeah, though it's really hard to make some fruit power that isn't too week, too powerful and that Oda didn't mention or make it already for another user. ^^' For example, I was thinking of giving Azuma Reiji (the puppeteer) a devil fruit of using such strings at first but then I remembered Don Flamingo has something very similar if not the same so I had to give up on that.˘-˘'

True, but Law/Chopper makes more sence to me than Zoro/Chopper. Since, both Law and Chopper are both doctors so they already share that connection. Somehow I always thought that Usopp and Chopper were more like older/younger brother or best friends (where Usopp always influenced Chopper, be it in a good or bad way. XD)

I'm thinking it's Big Mom too. After all she has been mentioned several times already and Luffy kind of already declared war to her over the den den mushi on fishman island. As you said, Kaido was barely mentioned in the whole manga so I don't think that would be it. And since Luffy made a promise to meet Shanks when he becomes a great pirate so he can return the hat, I don't think he'd want to meet and fight him now. And yeah, it's too early for Blackbeard since he's one of those main nemesis like Akainu and also I'm not sure if he's even considered a Pirate Emperor. O.o

Haha yes, Luffy just charging in and saying he'll kidnap Cesar is completely like him isn't it? XD But I think Shanks is a different story. I don't think Luffy would act too rash and so carelessly if it was Shanks. I think the main reason why Luffy asked Law which emperor he wanted to take down before agreeing to the alliance was exactly because he wouldn't say yes if it was Shanks.

But in any case, Law will really need nerves of steel to stay with Luffy in this. The two are complete opposites XD But I think Luffy will have some of his influence on Law…after all he influences everyone he meets. ^^ *gasp* I didn't know Kid attacked Big Mom o.O How did I miss something like that? But that explains his metal arm instead of a real one on that picture Oda made…

Heh, as I said…Miyako just needs something to piss her off.

Well I think it was time to Law lose his patience and make this the last straw. He was lenient enough with her previous trouble-making.

Ah, Miyako's master is already dead. She mentions it in chapter 17 when he speaks about Wano with Law. Too bad we won't have the appearance of her master then, it would be interesting. ^^'

About the last part, it was more like impulse. Law just felt like doing it so he did it, that's all. However he does understand that he likes Miyako, it's just that he's not the type to immediately turn into Romeo-mode and can't stop thinking about her or behave normally when she's around. He's pretty much the same old Law who'll just take his time, go with his pace and do what he wants whether Miyako likes it or not. XD

Also, just because he realized he likes the girl doesn't mean his also in love with her. It's too early for that, so talking about Law would be way too soon and inappropriate. Though when he finally thinks/says it, I'll have to make it in Law-style...but I still have to figure out what would the Law-style of saying someone you love him be? XD

Though I'm surprised you say it seemed too early to you. The truth is I had a feeling people were starting to get impatient and were waiting for more action between Law and Miyako.

**Tsukii-ai: **Thank you! :D I'm glad you like the plot and the characters. I really try not to make it too long and boring, but also not too short and shallow. ^^' Also, it seems a lot of people were waiting for something like the last scene to happen already; it's been 34 chapters after all. :P

**LetheanMe:** Thanks. :) I don't like the whole fast romance either, it just makes the story look shallow and too fast-going.

And yeah, it seems a lot of people likes Josh, I'm glad. ^^

Ah, now I feel bad cause you said I update fast and it took me so much time to update the last chapter. I'm sorry. ^^' I promise I'll continue with my quick updates as soon as the exams are over. :)

I proofread my story and try to fix any mistake I can find, but I'm sure I still miss a lot of them. In that case if you want, you can just warn me of the spelling error I made and I'll go fix it. :)

Yes, Reiji was kind of an obvious suspect from the start but I also tried to make it more interesting by adding some other elements of surprise and clues. I hope it wasn't boring to read then. ^^' Yep, I plan to make her even stronger as the story continues.

Unfortunately, she won't remember anything since she was drunk senseless and asleep but you'll find that out soon anyway. ^^'

**Zoro et Robin: **Haha XD Everyone seems so excited because of the kiss; I'm glad. ^^ Hehe, and I might even learn some French while writing this story, so yay for me! Free French lessons! XD But I had to google these. XP

**MangaFreak55: **The way I see it, if she was awake she would probably scream and fall off the bed. Then after realizing what happened she would either pass out from the embarrassment and shock or attack Law with katana for taking advantage of her while she's asleep. XD

I always try to put some cute Law/Miyako interactions in my chapter and stories, even if their more serious-like, and I guess I'll gradually start working on Miyako's feelings evolving for Law. :P

**SeaDevil: **Ah, then it was a success…I wanted you guys to get a bit suspicious of Muso when he started acting strange all of a sudden. :P

Haha, then I'm sorry you couldn't read it for so long. ^^' I hope this chapter will make up for it some. :) But I'm really glad people are enjoying my story. When I started writing it I never thought I'd get this many reviews and that people will get so interested, so I'm really happy. ^^ Also, thank you for the best wishes! :)

**Star03: **Yes, I always saw Law as the one who'll make the first move since Miyko is way too embarrassed and not honest with herself to do something like that. She's someone who needs to be pushed and pressured in these things to react and acknowledge what she is feeling. ^^'

**AceIsTheOnly: **Thank you! :D I know I've made you people wait long enough so it was time to write at least something like this. ^^'

**Izzie: **Haha Glad you liked it. XD And yeah, that's what I couldn't wait for and I was really interested in the reaction of you guys to it. :P Though it felt a bit embarrassed to write it. ^^' I need to get used to writing such scenes, since they'll only get more serious as times goes by. ^^' Hehe I wonder how she would react if she really did kiss Law and said "Ah, this is my first kiss…" And then Law would go; "Weeell, actually…" I think at that point she'd try to slice him up whether he is her captain or not. XD Though, Law is not the lovey-dovy type so I doubt he'll start sighing and get restless just because he likes the girl…But he'd definitively want to make Miyako his. ;) Yep, I'm kicking the exams' butts so far! :D

**Itinerys: **Well it's evolving little by little, and Miyako is slowly going from Tsun Tsun to Dere Dere too. ;) I think I'd be in such a state of shock if Law kissed me I'd simply stare there completely blank and unable to think. ^^'

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><p><strong>Okie, I guess that was all folks. So let's finally go and read the story! And I'm going to go rest my brain after I post this since I've been working on this chapter most of the day. ^^'<strong>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

**CHAPTER 35**

„Ow...ow...double ow..." Miyako murmured while rolling on the bed in a feeble attempt to stand up and get dressed. However that only resulted in her falling back on the bed, with her legs tangled together with her washed out jeans and getting an even bigger splitting headache than she previously had. No, a hangover was definitively not fun. Especially when she realized she couldn't remember anything after beating the crap out of Josh, which she couldn't help but snicker at the delightful memory. She was even more surprise to find herself in her room and bed even though she couldn't remember how she got there in the first place.

With a small grunt Miyako sat up on the bed and battled with her pants once more before managing to slip them on. „Well one thing's for sure in any case...I am _never_ drinking again."

After finally being able to get herself ready for the work in the galley, Miyako walked or rather strutted towards the kitchen.

„Gah!" She suddenly heard a voice of surprise and then curses of annoyance on her way in the hallway and it didn't take her long to realize the sounds were coming from the laundry room. Miyako flinched at the noise that made her headache even worse but still walked over to the big room filled with washing machines and dryers humming loudly as they worked.

Miyako peeked inside to see Shachi drowning beneath a heap of big jumpsuits. The girl blinked a few times in confusion, before helping her friend out of the heap of dirty clothes.

„Shachi-san! What happened?"

„Ugh...don't ask. The captain put me on laundry work on the worst day ever! Everybody knows Friday is known as Laundry Day of Hell! What did I ever do to him!" The man complained before kicking the heap and a few jumpsuits in anger. „And to make it worse I gotta go work in the engine room afterwards. No break today at all!" Then the man looked at the girl and sweat-dropped. „Though you look even worse than I feel. You ok?"

The girl was hunched a bit, pale as a mop with big dark circles around her still tired eyes, a pained expression of headache and nausea clear on her face. Her heir was tied with her red ribbon in a messy bun, the best she could do in this short time since once again she was late for work and had to hurry if she didn't want extra work hours…or worse; laundry duty on Friday.

The girl rubbed her eyes a little. "Yeah just…not feeling so great. What happened last night?"

Shachi grinned. "Oh, you got drunk! It was funny…but also kinda scary. You're mean when you're drunk." Shachi noted as if just realizing it.

Miyako tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Even those small actions made her tired at the moment. _*What exactly did I do last night..*_ Shachi's reaction completely puzzled her. *_Or more importantly; what did I do to _them_!*_

"Anyway, in the end Captain carried you back to your quarters."

Now that brought Miyako right out of her thoughtful daze. "What?" The high pitch of her voice and her head shooting back up to look at Shachi, immediately delivered a nasty pain in her head. "ow…" Miyako whined and put a hand on her head, closing her eyes for a second to get over the pain. However today was not her day from the start as the sub's siren went off and started wailing together with blinking red lights on the hallways. Sai's voice that sounded louder than usual to Miyako, alarmed everyone of the upcoming marine attack over the speaker.

The sub started shaking as the shooting cannons stirred the water around it, making it move on the waves. Just at that time, Shachi was carrying a large heap of freshly washed clothes that ended up on top of him when the sub swayed to the left.

Miyako was able to hold her ground but the swaying of the sub didn't help with her hangover one bit. She cursed and headed out the laundry room and towards the deck.

"Come on, Shachi!" She called for the mechanic to hurry before running up the stairs towards level one of the sub and out the doors.

~…..~

Law was currently reading the newspapers, deep in thought about the whole After-war situation. It seemed Sengoku's plan didn't quite go as great as the marines thought it would. True, Whitebeard, one of the four Emperors died and was out of the way, but that only made new pirates find their courage to take over the territory which was once under Whitebeard's peaceful command. It seems the number of pirates roaming the seas increased, which wasn't a surprise to Law, especially after Whitebeard's last words about One Piece. He had to admit; those words encouraged even him to go after One Piece with even more determination than before. But now that the great pirate was gone, others fought for his territory bringing more destruction and chaos to the four seas. If the marines knew this would happen, it meant they decided to sacrifice all the civilians on those territories and their safety just to take down one man. How much of men, women and children already died from the pirates' plundering? Not that Law cared about them, or the whole situation. Still, it only proved the marines' hypocrisy and gave him one more reason not to like them.

It seems the marines weren't doing that well either. Sengoku resigned, and even Aokiji, after losing the battle for the new Fleet Admiral and finally the title went to Akainu. Sengoku and Aokiji leaving must've been a big hit on the marine power, which brought a smirk to Law's face. However the thought of Akainu being the new Fleet Admiral didn't go well with Law at all. He had a bad feeling about it. Perhaps because Akainu was a merciless man who would stop at nothing to bring his opponents down. Law was certain about one thing; He didn't want to meet with the man in the near future. Last time he fought an admiral was on Saobody when he barely got out alive from a fight with Kizaru. True, he was much stronger now than he was then, but he couldn't exclude the possibility that the admirals are stronger now too. And he didn't find any information about the two new admirals that would replace Akainu and Aokiji, which only made him more cautions of the situation.

The pirate captain put down the newspapers with a sigh. His bounty was still on 300,000 000 Beri, the same as the bounty that a certain kid with a Straw Hat had before this whole mess. Speaking of Monkey D. Luffy, there was still no sign of him. He just disappeared after the whole spectacle of returning to Marineford and paying respects to his brother. Law pondered on that for a while. He didn't really know Straw-hat well but that action seemed strange and uncharacteristic for him. Law was sure there was something more behind it but didn't know what.

He didn't have much time to think about it as the sub shook violently and not a second later, the red lights and the alarm for danger went off. The captain stood up quickly, almost knocking the chair behind him and rushed to the control room, taking his nodachi in the process. They were currently on the surface because Bepo was once again complaining about the heat and stuffiness, so who knows what was going on out there.

Law walked into the control room with a slightly hurried pace and saw Jean Bart maneuvering the helm and Sai pushing buttons and pulling levers as he informed the navigator of the stats and condition of the sub.

"Mister Sai, what is going on?" Law walked over to the front, focusing his vision out the front open screen which showed the vast sea up ahead. Too far away to see clearly, Law saw small dots on the sea, coming forward. He looked at the radar on the control panel which indicated three objects coming at them at a steady pace.

"Three ships, approximately one kilometer away, but steadily approaching, sir. They have already started firing but we're not in their range of fire yet, they're still too far away. The cannonballs that are splashing around are causing big waves so we're being thrown around a lot." Sai explained while staring at the radar and pulling a few more levers to decrease the sub's speed .

"I'm handling it, sir." Bart called out to Law as he battled with the waves to keep the sub on course.

"Marines?" Law muttered.

"If they are; from their speed of sailing and size on the radar, I'd say battleships." Sai muttered before scratching the top of his head along with the simple brown knit cap he wore. An action he always did when nervous or thinking deeply and _that_ told Law that nothing good was up ahead.

Soon it was clear that indeed it was three marine battleships and the navigator handled the sub as he dodged the cannonballs, which were hitting a bit too close for anyone's comfort. The marines were close enough to hit now.

"It must be the ones that the villagers from Kyonin called. Since Captain is one of the pirate rookies and becoming a great threat to them they probably don't want any risks. They won't to take us out before we start causing more trouble." Bart said in a deep thoughtful voice, then gritted his teeth and turned a sharp left to avoid another cannonball.

"We could submerge and shoot torpedoes…" Sai shrugged but knew Law won't agree with that. Torpedo's weren't cheap nor easy to find, just like all the other submarine parts, so Law never wasted them without a very good reason.

Law looked at the window screen once again before resting his nodachi on his shoulder. He smirked but it soon turned into a grin, showing Bart and Sai that he obviously has an idea in mind already. "No…steady as she goes, Mister Sai. If the marines are so afraid of us as Mister Bart says, why don't we give them a better reason to be afraid." The head and second navigator looked at each other in wonder but just shrugged as their captain was already out the doors and going for the deck. Sai slowed down the sub more and watched as his captain left the control room.

~…~

Law raised an eyebrow when he saw a familiar figure not far ahead from the deck's doors. The samurai was holding her head in her hand, while resting the other on her new katana. She had a grumpy expression on her face, which bordered with painful, but the captain could easily guess why.

"Miss Miyako." He greeted as he passed her and motioned for her to follow him. He noticed Shachi and Penguin stumbling in the back, trying to get to the deck as well, but the swaying sub was making it hard for them.

The four of them stepped on the deck, just as Bart made a hard left and the pirates were lucky to be quick enough to grab the doorframe, or they would have been of the deck in a second.

"What are we doing here captain?" Shachi scratched his head as he saw the flying cannonballs, which luckily missed the sub each time due to Bart's and Sai's navigational expertise.

Penguin whistled in awe, when he saw the three giant marine battleships coming their way. They were close enough to see the marines aligned on the deck. On each ship there was a man standing at the tip, their big white coats fluttering in the wind. "Wow, they went to all this trouble for us? They're really serious about taking us out, huh?"

Law smirked at the mechanic's comment, no worry written across his face. "Then we shouldn't disappoint them Penguin." As usual, Law didn't put any formal honorifics when talking to Penguin, Shachi or Bepo, since they were his childhood friends. They were always the exception.

"Captain! I'm sorry, I'm late!" the pirates turned in interest at the new, but familiar voice of their first mate. The bear ran up to the group a little out of breath, and in no time took a fighting stance. The pirates walked onward, Law in the middle and his two mechanics, Bepo and Miyako at each side. They ignored the splashing water around them and stopped at the front of the deck; Bepo taking his kung-fu pose, Penguin standing there with a grin and folded arms on his chest, Shachi's hand on his hips but equally wide grin on his face, Miyako with a still grumpy and annoyed expression, resting one hand on her katana and finally Law with his infamous smug smirk and slightly narrowed eyes; all of them staring at the approaching marines.

Suddenly the marine standing on the ship in the middle pulled out a megaphone and his voice rang through the air, all the way to the sub. "HEART PIRATES! SURRENDER IMIDIATELY OR BE OBLIGERATED ON THE SPOT!"

"Heeh? Isn't he all serious…" Penguin tilted his head and looked at the marine with a slightly bored expression.

"Ow…why so loud…my head…" Miyako put her free hand on her forehead and closed her eyes tightly, trying to tune out the loud voice coming from the marines.

"Aaaah, Captain! That guy over there!" Shachi pointed at the marine holding the megaphone with an expression as if he just got an epiphany. "That's Rear Admiral Yukimura! He is reputed as a man who killed over 1000 men."

The pirates looked at the tall man standing there on the tip of the battleship. He had a dark-blue suit under the marine white coat like all admirals and rear admirals wore. He had slightly long curly brown hair with a high forehead showing, and stern lines on his face, which was already emphasized enough with his tick lips. There was a dark look in his eyes, showing he was serious and not to be taken lightly…however the pirate captain had a similar look of his own, which showed no fear in front of the marines. Law smirked and tilted his head to the side, looking at the marines.

"Captain?" Bepo blinked in wonder, seeing the look in Law's eyes. *_What is he planning now?* _ Whatever it was, Bepo knew Law was about to bring destruction upon the marines very soon.

"I was wondering when I'll be able to test the result of my training with the Ope Ope Fruit…isn't this just a perfect chance?" Law took a few steps forwards and lifted one of his hands. "So let's see…." The hand traveled pointing at the middle battleship but then moved to the one on the left. "Let's start with that one. Room." He moved his fingers as a giant blue sphere enveloped the ship on the left completely.

"Whaaa! I've never seen one that's so big before!" Penguin exclaimed as he looked at the sphere.

"Yeah well…Captain said we were staying in the first half of the Grand Line to train. He's gotten pretty powerful, huh?" Shachi explained looking at the enveloped ship as well.

"Does that mean we'll be going to the New World soon?" Bepo asked with some anxiety in his voice. He would follow his captain anywhere but he heard some nasty stuff about the New World and didn't like it one bit.

"I hope so…." Miyako mumbled thinking of how long she was waiting for the day they went to New World and finally start heading closer to Wano. She knew they would get there eventually after sailing through the New World. She tried to ignore the annoying bad feeling that was building up inside her, reminding her she still had a lot to think about concerning that plan. But even when she would lay in bed for hours thinking about her leaving the crew in Wano, she didn't find a satisfying decision nor answer. A lot has changed since she first decided that plan. And she had to admit the decision seemed much harder now than it was at the beginning. She glared at Law's back. *_It's all his fault!*_ She didn't really understand why she was blaming Law, maybe it was just a matter of habit already, but somehow she had a feeling he influenced her decision and thoughts a lot these few months.

Meanwhile, as the Room completely enveloped both Law and the battleship, the pirate captain unsheathed his nodachi and swung it one time diagonally. At first everything seemed unchanged, but then the ship started screeching and the wood cracking before the whole thing split in two. The marines screamed in surprise as they started losing their footing and falling into the sea.

Law smirked at their reaction, especially after seeing Yukimura's surprised face. But he didn't intend to finish it there. Law sheathed his nodachi again and lifted one hand, with two fingers in the air. He had a grin on his face that promised nothing good. "Tact."

The ship creaked again before both parts lifted in the air. The rest of the marines that were able to stay onboard after the first strike, were now falling from the ship and into the sea with piercing screams. Law waited for all the men to fall down under the battleship, before releasing his hold on the two parts and letting them fall right on the marines. The pirates could hear screams and pleas before the large battleship fell down on the men, smashing them or drowning. The waves caused by the fall shook the submarine as it swayed on the big waves.

Law tilted his head again with a small smirk on his face. One eye closed as he stared with the other at the Rear Admiral. "Something wrong Yukimura-ya?" He just couldn't help but tease the man, especially when he saw how furious the marine was. Yukimura had a face of both shock, pain and sheer anger. He cared for his men and this must be killing him inside. Law knew this would only make the rear admiral angrier but that was the whole point anyway.

"Y-You….How dare you! How dare you do this to my men, you pirate scum!" Yukimura didn't even need his megaphone anymore, since his angry loud voice was enough for all to hear.

Law lifted one eyebrow, his smirk disappearing. "We are enemies, are we not? You would do the same to my men if you could. If you're not prepared to make sacrifices than don't go attacking the enemy."

Yukimura gritted his teeth. Law was right…this was a war between pirates and marines so one shouldn't be angry for the other defending himself or trying to destroy the enemy. But that didn't matter to the rear admiral right now. All he could think about was his men dying under that ship and even if there were survivors, he couldn't save them before defeating Law and his crew. The marine clenched his fists tightly and gave Law one final glare before he raised one arm, as a sign to both remaining battleships. "Prepare the cannons! At this distance, they can't dodge and we can't miss!" He quickly lowered his hand as both ships shot four cannonballs at them. It was rare for ships to have two cannons on their front but these battleships were obviously well prepared for battle.

Four cannonballs flew right towards the submarine. Law didn't even have to give the order, before his crew ran forwards and jumped into the air. Miyako unsheathed her katana in one swing and slashed the cannonball vertically; the two split sides flew past each side of the submarine and smashed into the sea behind it. Bepo did a round-kick, knocking the cannonball to the side with a "Ha-ya!" Penguin clenched his fist and hit the flying cannonball, smashing it into dust. Shachi hit the cannonball as well, but with an open palm, making it fly backward towards the battleship. The cannonball flew right at Yukimura and the marines started yelling words of warning. The rear admiral didn't seem shocked at all though. Instead he just pulled out a long katana from the sheath on his back and slashed with great speed until the cannonball was in pieces.

The four pirates landed back on the deck, next to their captain. "Guess this guy isn't just some weakling after all." Penguin noted looking at Yukimura.

"Well, he is a rear admiral after all." Shachi shrugged and tilted his head.

"Guys, stop chit-chatting needlessly. They're gonna shoot at us again! We gotta do something!" Bepo reprimanded the pirates and complained as he nervously looked at the marines. Yukimura was once again getting ready to give the signal as soon as the new cannonballs are ready.

Miyako sighed and she stepped closer, next to Law, with one arm still resting on Yawarakai-Te. Her eyes were closed as if concentrating or just trying to tune out the ruckus, though her expression seemed less annoyed and in pain. As she stopped next to Law, she opened her eyes with another sigh that sounded somewhat troubled. "Honestly…You could've just flung that battleship in the other ones and save us the trouble."

Law looked at the girl sideways and smirked evilly. "But where would the fun be in that?"

Miyako returned his sideways glance with her own as she smirked as well. "Oh well…I was meaning to try out Yawarakai-Te anyway."

Shachi, Penguin and Bepo looked at each other confused, then back at Miyako. "What do you mean? Didn't you fight with it on the last island?"

Miyako sighed again. "Yes, but I haven't been able to try out its full power…Or rather my more powerful techniques with it. Anyways, just shut up and watch…you're talking is giving me a headache again."

Shachi and Penguin leaned closer to each other as Shachi whispered to his friend. "She's not only mean when drunk, but when hungover too." Penguin nodded in agreement.

Miyako stepped forward and took out the katana slowly. She raised it in the air, the sunlight shining and reflecting from the bright blade. *_Ittouryu Secret Technique; Bamboo Grass Dance* _She moved her katana in an arch and downwards until it was sideways, slicing the air horizontally in a slow motion. Everything seemed peaceful with no reaction, though a small wind rushed through the air. Then suddenly a sharp gust of wind appeared in front of the battleship on the right of the main one and sliced through the ship. The half top slid from the bottom one and fell in the sea with a large splash. It didn't take long before the lower half started sinking as well.

"Whaaa?" Shachi and Penguin yelled in unison with their jaws slightly open, while Bepo just blinked at the sight with his round black eyes. "What was that?"

Miyako sheathed back her katana. "It's a technique that transmits an attack through the wind. The attack is literally in the wind so it can't be seen like when I slice the air with haki and send it flying."

Bepo blinked. "But how do you do something like that?"

Miyako turned around and smiled at the bear. "Well if I told you that, than it wouldn't be a secret technique, right?" She winked at her first mate playfully, but as usual the bear responded with an apologetic bow and "I'm sorry." Miyako sweat-dropped at the sight but then turned back towards the last remaining marine battleship with a sigh. *_Maa, whatever.*_

Yukimura clenched the longer-than-normal katana in his hand and glared at the pirates. "That's it….you pirates think you can do anything you want. But not under my watch!" He turned to his man and started barking orders. "Men, shoot the canons! Prepare the linking chains! Everyone get ready for combat!" He raised his katana in the air as he yelled and the marines cheered with some enthusiasm, their moral returning a little. The cannons shot at the sub once again, and at the same time, big chains shot and linked themselves to the sub so the marines could cross over. Men in white uniforms started crossing over to the sub, while the battleship came even closer, allowing some to jump from their ship to the sub's deck directly.

The pirates smashed and sliced flying cannonballs but there was still the problem of at least a hundred marines coming on the sub any second now. Some already jumped over, but Bepo took care of them with his kung-fu.

"Damn, how many of them are there?" Shachi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, taking his kunfg-fu stance.

"Did someone ask for reinforcements?" A voice echoed behind them and the pirates turned to see most of the Heart pirates on the deck, led by Josh, Cody and Jean Bart at the front.

"Actually we didn't…" Penguin and Shachi said together calmly as they saw everyone.

Garry's vein popped out on his forehead in anger. "Shut up, you pervy mechanics! Can't you see we're trying to be cool here!"

Josh sucker punched him on the head. "If you actually say it, how can you be cool?"

Miyako sweat dropped as she watched the quarrel among the pirate men. If it continues the Heart pirates will start fighting among themselves and the marines will win without having to do anything. Just as she was about to say something to shut the crew up, Law cleared his throat behind her, and miraculously that was all it took for the crew to shut up and pay attention. Well there was no arguing with Law's authority after all. The crew looked at their captain and saluted at him, when the man pointed with his thumb behind himself at the incoming marines.

"Leave everything to us, Captain." Jean Bart exclaimed as he sent three marines flying with one punch.

"Oy, Jean Bart! Don't steal all the spotlight! You're still under me in ranks!" Bepo exclaimed and kicked a few marines as well, complaining as usual about their navigator stealing his thunder.

"TRAFALGAR LAW!" Everyone turned at the loud voice. It was rear admiral Yukimura who just stepped on the sub and was defeating the pirates around him, looking for Law. Law stared at the sight for a second before turning and casually walking towards Yukimura, Bepo watching his back and clearing his way as usual.

Law created another Room and slashed with his sword, cutting into two more marines around him. Finally he cleared the way to Yukimura. It seemed like these marines were endless. For a second he wondered how many there would be if they didn't destroy those two ships. But his main focus was on Yukimura, who just sliced one of his men across the chest with his overly long katana. Law's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"I know all about your ability Trafalgar Law. You won't be able to do that little trick on me." The rear admiral took a stance, with his katana over his head, pointing at the pirate captain. The captain stood before a man who was at least three heads bigger than him, but Law made no sign of fear.

Law's smirk disappeared about the time when he saw his subordinate getting sliced and it didn't return but instead a dark look in his eyes and a thin line made with his lips replaced it. "Room." A blue sphere once again started appearing, enveloping the whole sub. But before Law could slash at the man, Yukimura dodged the attack, which instead cut some marines behind him. Law smirked at Yukimura's irritated face. The marine had to keep dodging his attacks but when he did, he endangered his men. However, Law wasn't very amused. He wanted to finish this quickly and with as less casualties on his part as possible. His expression returned into a serious one as he slashed again, but Yukimura was fast and dodged again, all the times coming closer to the captain. Finally, Law had to block an attack from the marine's katana and a sound of steel clashing traveled through the air.

Law gritted his teeth as the two swords fought, the owners trying to overpower each other. Their physical strengths seemed equal, so they were left in a standstill. Yukimura managed to push Law back and swung his katana and Law made a quick step backwards. A slight cut appeared on his left cheekbone. Law wiped the blood off with the back of his hand and glared at the rear admiral.

Yukimura just returned the glare and clenched his katana. "There's much more where that came from!"

"Does it make you that happy?" Law tiled his head and looked at the marine with a somewhat bored but still serious look.

Yukimura's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Does this little meaningless scratch make you _that_ happy?"

Yukimura gritted his teeth and made a new stance. He moved the katana's point downwards and sideways, holding the hilt with both hands. "Damn you….Don't make fun of me, you blasted pirate!"

Law prepared his nodachi as well, grabbing the hilt with both hands and preparing for a swing. "I will make you regret…giving me such a wound!" He swung the nodachi and Yukimura was forced to jump in the air, to avoid the slash. The pirate captain smirked. He lifted his two fingers and suddenly all the weapons lying around from the defeated marines rose and flew at Yukimura. The rear admiral's eyes opened wide in shock but pulled himself together quickly. With a few slashes, Yukimura cut the weapons or sent them flying back at the pirate. However, it was too late when he realized that Law wasn't standing there anymore, but instead one of his men was. The young marine wasn't able to say anything before the marine sabers pierced him. "NO!" The rear admiral yelled but there was nothing he could do anymore.

But there was an important question in his mind now; _Where was Law?_ Yukimura scanned the scenery but he only had time to turn around when he realized where Law had to be…behind him. He didn't have time to dodge as the cut slashed through him, leaving him in two pieces.

Law stood there before the two-pieced marine and rested his nodachi on his shoulder for a while, before sheathing it. "You marines never learn."

"Shut up! If you want to kill me, just do it already! Swing that sword and finish me!" Yukimura glared at Law with all his might, no fear of death in his eyes. Law respected that...however, he couldn't forgive the fact that this guy was trying to order him around. He had no right to make any demands in his current condition.

Law's eyes narrowed. "Don't order me around Yukimura-ya. You are in no position to tell me what to do right now…or ever for that matter."

Yukimura didn't say anything but the look on his face said it all anyway. He was irritated by the fact that he was helpless and there was nothing he could do about it. His men were dying around him and his mission was a complete failure. Law didn't blame him for wanting to die right now, though to Law such thoughts seemed exaggerated and foolish. Law lifted his arm and the marine's two body halves moved. In an instant, Yukimura found himself above water. He wasn't a fruit user so he could swim, but that would be nearly impossible for his separated body.

"The rest will your fate decide…if you believe in such a thing." Law moved his arm and Yukimura fell into the sea. The pirate captain looked around. His crew had finished off most of the marines. He could hear some of the marines calling out for their rear admiral and they jumped in the water to save him. Once again Law looked around at his crew. There weren't many casualties on their part, most of them done by Yukimura. As he gazed at the battlefield, his eyes fell on a certain samurai. She was fighting a group of armed marines at the moment but didn't seem too bothered by the difference in numbers. She had just crouched to dodge a slash at her head and swung her new katana upwards, getting up at the same time, and slashing the marine across his stomach and chest. Three of them came at her at the same time, and for a while, she disappeared form Law's view but then he could see the flash of the steel as she made a sideways slash, taking out all three marines at the same time.

"Captain!" Law turned to see Cody and Josh running towards him. "We need to take care of the injured." Cody exclaimed.

Law nodded. "Tell Jean Bart, Garry and Jin to assist you. Take all the injured in the infirmary and start the treatments. I'll be there shortly." The two medics saluted with a "Hai!" and nodded before turning around and heading to help the others.

~…~

A marine knocked on the big office doors in haste before almost slamming them open. "Fleet Admiral Sakazuki-san! There's trouble!" The marine saluted as soon as he saw the big man in a red suit, sitting at the large oak-wood desk.

"Hnn? What is it ensign?" The formal Admiral Sakazuki, nicknamed Akainu, looked at the man from under his hat, one eye still closed while the other pierced at the smaller man.

The ensign gulped at Akainu's stare, not finding any words for a moment, before pulling himself together and saluting again. "The small fleet of battleships we sent to Akai no Shima a few days ago led by Rear Admiral Yukimura has been destroyed, sir!" he pulled out some papers and looked over them before handing them to the tall man at the desk. "It seems they met the Heart pirates yesterday, but got completely obliterated. The number of casualties are still unknown. We sent a rescue ship as soon as we heared the news but….it seems in the recent reports they say Yukimura-san has yet to be found. He might have…." The ensign didn't need to finish that sentence. The ominous word stayed at the tip of his tongue, but the thought behind it hovered in the air, clear to both of them.

Akainu clenched one of his big fists and gritted his teeth, the shadowy look under his hat getting even darker. "Dammit! I should've sent someone stronger after all. I thought Yukimura would be enough for one rookie pirate, but it seems I underestimated the Heart pirates…And Yukimura was a disappointment, huh?" The last statement sounded a bit disgusted, as if he resented the rear admiral for failing. The ensign didn't say anything, but there were anxiety and nervousness clearly written on his face. Sakazuki opened one of his drawers and shuffled through some papers, wanted posters to be exact, until he found one with the name "Surgeon of Death" on it. It had a picture of Trafalgar Law, a smug smirk on his face, but a dangerous dark look from under his fuzzy hat. "Trafalgar Law…I knew those rookie pirates were going to be a major problem. We should've gotten rid of them a lot sooner!"

Akainu closed his eyes for a second and sighed before opening them, seemingly calmer now. "Let me know as soon as Yukimura is found. Also, I want a full report of everything we know on Law and the Heart pirates, and find more information about his devil fruit. I want to know _everything_. This man has proved a more serious threat than we even thought and I don't want him to take us by surprise ever again!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The smaller marine saluted.

Akainu looked at the poster once again, glaring at the man on it. "If I remember correctly, Trafalgar was the one who saved Monkey D. Luffy in the war…I knew he'd be trouble as soon as I heard that." The man muttered more to himself than the ensign. Then he looked at the marine standing in front of him again and handed him the poster. "We will rise this man's bounty to 310, 000 000 Beri! His powers and strength were already proven dangerous enough! Also, rise all the bounties of his crew by 50 000 Beri!"

The ensign saluted once more, clicking the heels of his boots together, before turning around and rushing out of the doors. As soon as he was out he felt somewhat more relaxed now that he wasn't in the presence of that man. Akainu was a great marine, but also a ruthless and scary one. The ensign had heard some rumors that he almost killed one of their own in the War 9 months ago. Just thinking of the man's fruit ability, which was so powerful that Akainu was even able to beat Aokiji, was enough for the marine to shudder with fear and awe at the same time.

~….~

Miyako was standing in the control room, looking at Law and the others who were leaning over a desk in a circle, over some maps, discussing which route would the log pose take them and what island next are they about to visit. But at the moment Miyako wasn't really focused on their discussion nor the charted maps on the desk. She blinked a few time, still staring at one spot.

"So from the information I gathered in Kyonin village, there are three possible islands where we could end up on." Sai continued to explain.

"What about the climate? Have you seen any changes?" Law asked.

Miyako blinked a few more times. "Hmmm…."

"No, I guess we're not close enough yet." Sai replied.

Miyako blinked some more and tiled her head, a troubled look on her face. "Ummm…."

"The sea is stabile for now as well. But the Grand Line is unpredictable, so we should be cautious." Jean Bart added.

Miyako folded her arms on her chest and tiled her head more. "Hnnn…." Still staring at that one spot…one spot on Law's face to be exact. And at his cheekbone to be even more exact. There, stood a band aid, under his eye. That was the first time Miyako ever saw Law with a wound of any kind, and certainly something like a band aid on.

Law closed his eyes for a while, fighting an annoyed look that almost overtook his expression. He knew the girl was staring at him for some time now but tried to ignore it as he had important business right now. But her stare only got more intense and it was breaking his focus to be honest. Finally he gave up, his eyebrows furrowing a little as he asked in a slightly annoyed tone; "What is it?" He didn't look at her, but he didn't have to; everyone knew who he was asking, and so did she.

"It really doesn't look right, after all…Just, kind of weird…I guess…" Miyako straightened her head and unconsciously scratched her own cheekbone with her index finger.

That was when Law looked at her, an eyebrow rising and disappearing under his hat.

Miyako didn't say anything to his silent question, but instead pointed at the side of her own cheekbone, where Law's was cut.

At first Law looked confused as to what she way pointing at, then his eyes blinked once in realization as he brushed the band aid with his fingertips. At the feeling and remembrance of his wound, Law narrowed his eyes slightly. "If it bothers you, don't look at it." He didn't know why Miyako was making a fuss over it anyway or why she was so focused and fascinated with the small band aid underneath his eye, but he had a feeling he would regret asking. He had a feeling it would take him to a whole new level of Miyako's weirdness. The girl was usually level headed and practical, but sometimes, just sometimes, she would focus on some smallest detail or thing and ponder over it immensely, though nobody else would even give it a second thought. What was so interesting about this band air? Law had no idea. Or was it the fact that Law was wearing a band aid that was interesting? Yep, he really had no idea.

While the pirate captain was deeply in his own thoughts, Miyako seemed to come closer without him even realizing it. He did realize it soon enough, however, though Miyako was by then already pretty close to his face, still staring at the concealed cut.

"It's just, in these 9 months, I had never seen you get hurt. Not even once. So it looks weird to me now. Was that Yukimura-guy really that strong?"

Law almost sweat-dropped at the explanation for Miyako's strange behavior. "No, just persistent….But more importantly Miss Miyako….why are you touching me?" As soon as that question left Law's mouth, he realized how weird and _wrong_ it sounded. Still, Law was perplexed but also fascinated by Miyako's change of heart and behavior in these 9 months. Yes, more than half a year ago, she wouldn't even come close to him, and when she had no other choice but to do it, it would be accompanied with a frown or some mutter of unwillingness. Now, she was a few inches from his face, poking his check.

Miyako stopped abruptly with a look of slight surprise and disbelief on her face. What did she just do? Her finger stopped, a few inches away from the band aid. *_Did I just…poke my captain? More importantly, did I just poke _Law_?* _Miyako straightened up and moved away a step, with a sheepish smile on her face. "Ah ha ha….sorry, I just got carried away."

"Is she still drunk from yesterday, or something?" She heard Penguin whisper to Bepo, who just shrugged innocently.

The girl turned to give the mechanic a warning glare putting him in his place but the sound of someone clearing their throat brought everyone to attention. They all looked at the extremely large navigator who had an awkward but serious expression on his face. "Captain…we should really finish this…." Jean Bart looked at the charts and maps in front of them, indicating what he meant.

"Right." Law nodded, getting out of his daze and out of the sea of memory where he had lost himself in.

Miyako, who just now realized how weird she actually acted, and how everyone actually _saw_ it, got dark red in the face and turned to face the wall, hiding the embarrassing blush. "T-Then, I'll be going to the galley! Munk probably need help!" She pointed an outstretched arm and an index finger in the direction of the galley, her back as stiff as her arm. Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Miyako hurried out of the control room with a hasty walk, trying not to look like she was running away though she obviously was. As she left and closed the metal doors behind her, the others were left to stare at the closed door for a second.

"That's one weird girl…." Sai commented and everyone nodded.

Well everyone except the captain, who strangely enough had a smirk on his face and amused, nostalgic eyes as if thinking of something…or perhaps someone. "Yes, yes she is…." He mumbled to himself so nobody heard it.

~….~

Miyako stayed outside the control room for a second, leaning on the metal doors. She sighed in relief when she was out of there. Thankfully, the redness in her face was decreasing but there was still a slight blush on her face. _*But even though it looked totally weird and out of place…it kind of made him look….cute.* _As the traitorous thoughts came to her mind, Miyako quickly closed her eyes shut and shook her head in disbelief. _*What am I thinking? Miyako no baka!*_

~…..~

"Yo Ho, haul togetha',

Hoist the colours high,

Heave'Ho~, Theives an' Beg'ars,

Neva' Shall We Die!"

Miyako was peeling some potatoes and listened to one of Munk's sailor songs as he sung out of tune and without any talent for singing. Munk would often start singing while working in his galley, and man did he know a lot of sailor songs…too many if Miyako had a say in it. Because if she had to describe Munk's baritone singing it would go something in the lines of; 'If cats could sing…even they'd hate it!'

The other workers worked without commenting on it or complaining and Miyako found out why soon after her arrival on the sub and in the kitchen. Apparently, criticizing Munk's singing was the same as criticizing his cooking…the last one who did it, ended up flying overboard. Sure, Munk was a good fellow with a cheerful attitude but nobody wanted to get on his bad side, because Munk enraged was a completely different story. That size of his and muscled body despite his age, weren't just for show.

So all Miyako could do was hope silently that she'd go deaf and be rid of the torture on her eardrums. No such luck though. Still, Lady Luck haven't abandoned her completely it seemed, because the sub shook wildly, stopping Munk's singing and everything else in the kitchen. The pirates started murmuring and talking to each other, wondering what the hell was going on as another shook came, then a sharp turn to the right, followed by an equally sharp turn to the opposite die.

"Are we under attack again?" One of the chefs asked.

"But we got rid of those marines just yesterday. They're after us again so soon?" Another added.

Miyako wondered about that as well, and that was when the alarm light turned on though it was yellow. That meant it wasn't an attack since it wasn't code red.

~…~

Meanwhile, in the control room Law was ready to curse out of annoyance. The sea was completely calm, not even any sea monsters to attack them as they sailed underwater. Then out of nowhere, underwater whirlpools started appearing, looking like a dozen of underwater tornados that tried to suck them in and send them into the depth of the sea or off course; Law didn't know what would be worse. The swirling whirlpools kept appearing randomly, giving them almost no room to sail. And the situation wasn't any better with Bepo running around like a panicked maniac, yelling that they're all going to die.

Still, Sai and Bart weren't his head navigators for nothing. Even in all the chaos, they were able to avoid the whirlpools, though the currents created by the whirlpools were still trashing them around somewhat. Bart gritted his teeth and gripped the helm tighter, his knuckles turning white as he battled to keep the sub at the right course. Meanwhile, Sai was pulling levers and pushing buttons which such speed that would make anyone dizzy just watching him.

Then suddenly, a large shadow came right at them, from one of the whirlpools and all the pirates could do was watch in surprise as there was no avoiding the big snake-looking sea king, which soon collided with the sub. It seemed the monster was pulled into one of the whirlpools and then sent flying out of it, after getting the dizziest spinning of its lifetime. Bart was able to turn a little and avoid getting hit right at the center and the main sub window; the glass was meant to withstand strong impacts but there was no point risking it. So instead the sea king smashed into the front side of the sub and sent it flying like a light piece of paper, and right into one of the whirlpools.

This time Law really did curse as he gripped the railing as hard as he could. "Everyone, brace yourselves!" He yelled, Sai saying the same think over a den den mush so that the whole crew would be warned.

~….~

A yellow submarine lied stranded on a desert beach, the sun shining and reflecting from its metal hull. Scattered on the same beach, not far away, were the Heart pirates, out of breath but lucky to be alive as they panted slightly under the burning sun.

"We..*pant*…made it *pant*…through, *pant* somehow." Bepo was the first to speak, as he fell on the sand beneath him and rolled on his back, but regretted it quickly when the sun started shining into his sensitive eyes. "But damn…*pant* couldn't we at least *pant* get stranded on a cooler island….it's too hot here!" He complained.

"Shut up Bepo! *pant* "And be happy we're all alive! *pant*" Penguin scolded, out of breath as well.

Law stood up and looked around at his crew. They had some scraps, cuts and bruises but other than that they didn't seem to have any serious injuries. Still, just in case Law called Josh and Cody over. "Mister Josh, Mister Cody, do a head count and check the crew to see if everyone is alright. Tend to the injured. Get the rest of the medical squad to help you."

"Yes, Captain!" The two medics gathered the medical team, though some had their own injuries to take care of, and went to help the crew.

Law looked at the island. It looked uninhabited and unfriendly. It seemed the whole island was a big jungle, much bigger and richer than the one they saw on the resort they visited some months ago.

"Penguin, take a few men and set up a camp here. Shachi, what's the submarine's status? How bad is it?" Law turned to the brown-haired mechanic, and Shachi walked over to the sub to examine it.

He rubbed his bare chin, deep in thought. "Well, as far as I can tell it's not that bad, but I'll need to make a more thorough check of the machinery from the inside to make sure" Then he turned to his captain and smiled, in a more cheerful state all of a sudden. "But it's not that bad. Nothing that couldn't be fixed!" As he said that, he patted the sub but as soon as he did that, a metal plate from the sub's hull fell on the sand with a loud *_huff_* Shachi sweat-dropped at the ironical occurrence. "I better get to work."

Law sighed, troubled with the whole situation and looked at his submarine. It looked like the metal plates were dent in some places, not to mention the yellow paint was completely gone in some places where the monster scraped it, revealing the shiny metal underneath. But if it was only outside damage, they were really lucky. There was also one more thing to worry about…and that was this island. Law didn't know how long it takes for the log pose to set on this island, so they should leave before the log pose changes. And the island didn't look like a welcoming resort either. As if to confirm his thoughts, an ominous roar spread through the jungle, making a flock of birds to leave their place in the trees and fly away quickly. Then trees started moving and swaying, some of them even falling down, as if something big was passing though, not minding the large vegetation on its path one bit.

"This is going to be troublesome, isn't it?" Law turned around at the familiar voice behind him, seeing a pair of big golden eyes staring at the distance. Law looked at Miyako's face, for a second noticing a trail of blood on the side of her face. Tracking the trail to its source, he noticed the blood disappeared under her bangs, and without a second thought Law took a hold of Miyako's chin with one hand, turning her head so he could see clearly, and using his other hand to lift her long bangs and reveal a pretty deep gush above her eyebrow.

The girl seemed stunned and surprised by his sudden movement. He didn't even offer her any warning or explanation before he started examining her, which gave her no time to prepare for Law's warm hands on her face. Miyako turned her eyes to look at him just as the captain looked Miyako right into hers. Their eyes met….and it would probably be a romantic situation if Miyako's embarrassed side didn't come out instantly. Her eyes widened when she realized Law was staring at her intensely, too intense for someone like her to handle, and then her face got dark red as usual. It was just something about the face he was making, staring into her eyes, Miyako couldn't explain it but it made her breathless and completely embarrassed at the same time.

"Ah ahhh it's ok!" Miyako tried to push him away and she started turning from Law at the same time, but that only got her to trip over her own feet and fall face-first on the sandy ground.

The captain sighed at the sight, two fingers pinching the arch of his nose. "Are you alright?"

"I fhavfe sfand in mfy moutf…" The girl answered, still lying face first on the ground.

~…..~

"How long has it been since we stranded on this deserted island?" Miyako asked in a low, tired tone as she walked the beach with a help of a big stick she found, swaying from side to side.

"Days? Months? Years? Who can even keep counting? No food or water left…What will become of us…?" Josh added, in the same tired tone, swaying as well as he walked behind the girl, and prompted with a long wooden stick of his own.

"YOU TWO STOP MESSING AROUND AND COME DO SOMETHING USEFUL!" Shachi yelled, high on the sub's hull, with a hammer in his hand, which was now warningly aiming at the two.

Miyako let go of her stick and scratched the back of her head with a sweat-drop and a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Shachi. We were just playing."

"How old are you….?" Shachi mumbled with a sweat drop.

It's been a couple of hours since they washed ashore this jungle island. The sub was still being repaired, while the pirates set camp on the shoreline. Still, even though the sub's damage wasn't critical, it seemed that more than half of their supplies were destroyed, as the crates crashed into each other in the storage room. Their food, water and medical supplies were all low and Law still had no idea how long would it take to the next inhabited island to get new ones.

"But shouldn't we at least look around the jungle for some food and water supplies. If animals live here there should be some food we can use as well, even if it's just fruit or vegetables." Miyako suggested, turning to Law who was sitting on one of the remaining crates and pondering over their next move and some map, trying to figure out their location along with Bart. Miyako's face was clean from sand and blood now, a gush cleaned and covered with a band aid that Law put on her after she was able to calm down and pull herself together. Still, that redness on her cheeks wasn't leaving throughout the whole process, and it seemed her annoying heart was beating louder than usual, beating with all its might.

The captain looked at the girl as she spoke and rubbed the patch of hair on his chin, thinking of her suggestion. "Still, Miss Miyako we don't know anything about the things and creatures on this island. It would be too dangerous and besides, you could bring back something poisons instead of food."

"That's alright, I'll bring Josh with me so I'll feed it to him first." Miyako said completely normal, as if stating a usual, well known fact.

"Oy!" The redhead protested and Miyako could swear his teeth looked sharper than usual.

Law cleared his throat to interrupt any fight that was about to start and got back their attention. "Well, you have a point…" He started to say and saw Josh's jaw drop in disbelief. Before the medic could say anything, Law cleared the misunderstanding; "I meant, we should see what we're dealing with on this island before it comes at night and surprises us. And those growls and roars that we hear now and then aren't very promising. If you insist, I'll assign you a group so go and explore the island. If you find food or water that you are sure of we can use, bring it back."

Miyako and Josh grinned, ready for a new adventure. Honestly, they were starting to get bored here and there wasn't much to do after Josh took care of the injured and Miyako made a list of supplies that were still in one piece. "Yes captain." They said together, sounding like two kids who just got permission to go to the biggest ride in the carnival. Law sighed, already rethinking the idea and pondering was it really good to let them go, but it was too late now.

"eeeh? What about me?" Cody wailed with hands on his hips.

"Someone needs to clean up the mess in the infirmary made by the crash Mister Cody, and there are still injured men here who needs your supervision. You are my first assistant, so I can't let you just go off so easily Mister Cody.; Indeed you here in the case of an emergency." Law sighed as he explained to the pouting medic. As a reaction, Cody sighed as well. "I understand captain…" he said in a low, sad voice.

Miyako felt sorry for her friend and she really wished he could come with them. But there was no point arguing with Law; besides, she knew the captain was right. Josh, however, showed no sympathy as he grinned at Cody teasingly, which earned him a glare from the other medic.

The group took some backpacks for food and containers in them to put water in. The group that was assigned to go was Miyako, Josh, Sai and Penguin. Law hoped that at least Sai would be the voice of reason in the group and make sure they don't get lost since he was a natural at orienting. Miyako was usually a voice of reason as well, but with Josh close by the two would usually turn into children that had a bad influence on each other, and then nothing good could come out of it.

_*Heh Now that I think about it, this reminds me of that time on that summer island with the resort…*_ As soon as Miyako remembered it her spirits went down as she remembered what they went through for absolutely nothing_. *No…I don't want to think about it…*_

"Hey, let's go everyone!" Sai called out for the group and they went into the jungle bravely.

Another thought came to the samurai's mind when she heard the navigator yell. _*This was the first time I'm actually going somewhere with Sai.*_ Miyako realized she had never actually had a one-on-one conversation with the man and didn't know much about him. _*I wonder what kind of person is he.*_ Since Miyako wasn't really a sociable type, she wasn't very close to the whole crew. Usually she hung around with Cody, Josh, Shachi, Penguin and Bepo and sometimes, though very rarely, Jean Bart but that was it. She had pretty good relations with the whole crew, and finally knew everyone's names, but there was a lot she still didn't know about them all.

Sai seemed like a level-headed and logical person like her. She had never seen him angry or panicked, and in all situations, however tough they might be, he always seemed like he had control over it. Miyako guessed that came with the job he had, which needed you to be precise, quick in judgment and always calm, which is why Miyako always respected Jean Bart and Sai for it. It wasn't easy being a navigator. Though, when you looked at his appearance, you'd never think Sai was such a responsible guy. He had curly white messy hair that reached to his shoulders, it was even stranger than Cody's, and blue eyes that would sometimes look like a pale shade of purple under certain lighting. He had a young, pale face, much like Josh, though not as boyish. Still, Miyako wouldn't give him more than 23 years. There was a tattoo on the left side of his neck with strange markings. Miyako almost grimaced at the thought of how painful it had to be to make it, since the neck was a really sensitive area. As almost everyone else, Sai too, had a hat. It was a simple dark brown knit cap that covered his forehead all the way to his eyes.

"Hellooo~ Earth to Miyako, you there?" Penguin's voice and hand that was waving in front of her eyes brought her back from her thoughts, and the girl realized they were already in the jungle deep enough to not see the shore anymore. Still she could smell the sault of sea water in the air and heard the slight sound of waves coming from the shore.

The girl blinked a few times and smiled at the mechanic in front of her. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I was just thinking."

Penguin tilted his head as if thinking, setting his lips into a tight line, though she couldn't see his expression well from under his hat. "Well in any case, don't space out. This territory is dangerous so we gotta stay sharp."

Miyako nodded as they kept walking deeper into the jungle. Just as Penguin was about to say something else, a growl was heard somewhere in the bushes, and Miyako couldn't help but remember that sabertooth tiger not long ago they met in the similar jungle like this. The irony of the similarity in the situations was just too much. The samurai didn't know her two friends were thinking the same thing. However, it wasn't a giant tiger that appeared before them. It was something that left them speechless, with jaws hanging slightly open. Before their eyes was a dinosaur…indeed, a real dinosaur. Spinosaurus, to be exact. Miyako didn't know much about dinosaurs, but one thing was certain; they were supposed to be extinct. The creature before them was very much alive as it made a hissing sound, propped onto its two back legs, front legs useless much like with the T-Rex. However, the razor sharp teeth showing from its open mouth as saliva dripped from it, were certainly useful when catching its prey.

"N-No way…I knew there'd be some nasty creatures on the island but this? You gotta be kidding me!" Penguin exclaimed as he stared at the dinosaur in awe and fear at the same time.

"Are we supposed to stay perfectly still or start running like hell?" Josh asked, gulping in the process.

The creature turned its head towards them and hissed again as it noticed the sounds coming from them.

"How about you shut up for starters!" Sai said in a low hiss, trying to move as less as possible.

Miyako ignored the crew bickering even in this situation and instead put a hand on her katana, opening it slightly with the thumb on the tsuba, slowly and carefully so the creature wouldn't notice. However the dinosaur was focusing all his attention on Josh, which the medic didn't like one bit. It cocked its head once and blinked before opening its mouth wide, a sharp and high shrill coming from it. That was not promising. In the next second the dinosaur took a step forward as it was about to flung itself onto its prey, when out of the blue came another roar, a deep and even louder one this time. The trees rustled and swayed harshly, and suddenly an even bigger dinosaur, T-Rex itself came out of nowhere and grabbed the Spinosaurus by its neck. Both dinosaurs were big and almost equal in size but it seemed the T-Rex was slowly winning the battle as it started swaying its head to the sides harshly, still gripping the other dinosaur's neck in its big teeth.

"I think this is our queue to run!" Miyako shouted suddenly, letting the katana fall back into its sheet completely, before taking off with the rest of the pirates. She didn't know if they were chased, or how long or where they were running but they definitively didn't even want to look back.

After who knows how long they finally stopped, breathing and panting heavily. "I guess we lost them." Miyako said as she doubled over to try and relax her muscles.

"I hope so…" Penguin said, panting as well.

"Meh…I could've taken him." Josh said, all worry gone from his face now that he was safe.

The pirates rolled their eyes, even Penguin from under his hat. "Yeah, that's why you turned a new shade of white out there. I didn't even know you could be any paler than you already our, rag-face." Penguin said with a smirk, teasingly, after regaining his breath.

"Oy, I'm not like you lot! I'm actually strong, so shut up!"

"Hey, guys, would you shut up and come here for a second!" Sai called, interrupting their argument. He was peeking thought some bushes.

They all followed him and Miyako slashed some bushed with her katana for a better view. There, a few meters away was the end of a cliff, and beneath it, a completely different scenery. Down there was a large city, all the constructions made from wood and stone, surrounded with a mountain chain all around it to protect the people from the dinosaurs and anything else that could be lurking around here.

"Civilization!" Miyako exclaimed, rising her hands in the air with glee.

"So we found our new water and food supplies, huh?" Josh grinned.

"But….how do you know they're even friendly and won't kill us at sight?" Penguin asked, and at that question Josh and Miyako stiffened at the thought that didn't yet crossed their minds. As it did now, they disappointedly sighed, their heads and bodies bowed down in depression. That only made Penguin and Sai sweat drop and think of a certain bear.

"Before anything, we should return to captain with this news so he can decide what to do next. And chart our way from here to the shoreline so we have a certain map to use." Sai said in a matter of fact tone and rearranged his knit cap on his head.

"You're right. Let's go." Josh said in newfound spirit, but they only took a few steps back before hearing a familiar growl. It didn't take long for a large snout to come forth, sniffing around at their scent. The group realized they had nowhere to run this time since a cliff was not far behind them.

Miyako sighed and unsheathed her katana. "Guess we have no choice."

The T-Rex found them soon enough and growled again, opening its mouth wide for them to see the reddish insides, covered with saliva and sharp teeth.

"If this guy wants a piece of us, then let's give it to him!" Josh said and grinned, rolling up his sleeves as if preparing for some physical work.

Miyako looked at him sideways, with a mocking smirk. "That sounded so lame…."

"Shut up, Ugly!" The medic countered and prepared some of his kunai.

Meanwhile, Penguin took a fighting stance as well, and Sai pulled a riffle from his back that he always carried with him.

The large dinosaur made a loud glass shattering roar and came at them, snout first.

"In any case….Don't underestimate the Heart Pirates!" Penguin yelled as they went into battle mode.

The dinosaur tried grabbing them with its large teeth, crashing into the ground where they had just stood. But instead it only got a mouthful of dirt as the pirates quickly dodged. Josh jumped in the air, landing on the animal's snout and throwing his kunais right at the beats eyes, making it blind. Meanwhile, Penguin and Miyako dodged the blow by quickly running forwards and not even stopping as they went for the dinosaurs back legs. Penguin delivered a hard, bone shattering blow in its right knee cap, while Miyako cut through the left leg without even stopping. The creature roared in pain and agony as it was blind and unable to get up anymore. Sai was just about to deliver the finishing blow when Miyako stopped him.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" She noticed the man's confused look and thought she should explain herself. "If you shoot it would echo throughout the jungle…it would probably just bring more predators our way. Besides, the people down there could hear it too and get alarmed. We don't want them to know we're here yet." The girl explained, sheathing back her katana.

Sai nodded and put his riffle away. "Good thinking." Instead he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, ready to chart their way back.

"So aren't we gonna put it out of its misery?" Josh said, folding his arms on his chest and tilting his head, staring at the roaring T-Rex.

"We don't want any more smell of blood than there already is here. It'll just attract more predators on this territory." Sai explained before giving everyone the signal to move out.

As they walked on, the pirates thought their excursion ended quite well, especially with the info they got. Yes, everything should've gone perfect. Too bad they didn't notice a pair of human eyes watching them hidden in the bushes.

~…~

Miyako cut the last of some annoying bushes to make a way for them. "We should be there soon. I can hear the sea!" She said excitedly and just then her stomach made a growl reminding her she hadn't eaten anything yet. That also reminded the group of one other thing….they all stopped and fell silent before Sai said quietly.

"We were supposed to find water and food.."

The pirates all bowed their heads in gloominess thinking of what will their captain do to them when they tell him they have been away for hours and returned without any supplies.

"Ah! But at least we found a place where we can get supplies!" Penguin said, rising his index finger in the air matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, if they don't decide to kill us first…" Josh muttered still suspicious of the big city they saw down there. "And I didn't even see a way to get down there, especially not without being seen."

Miyako sighed. "Let's just go tell captain first."

The group stepped out of the jungle, on the white sandy beach but as soon as they did, their expressions changed into ones of utter surprise and disbelief. "Eeeeh?" They all yelled in unison as their eyes went wide. There, before their eyes where the pirate camp should be…stood nothing. There was no one in sight. Their camping equipment and crates were still there but there was no sign of a living soul on that beach. And what was even weirder; there was no sign of their submarine either.

"Where is everybody!" Penguin couldn't help but yell in slight panic.

"They…couldn't have forgotten about us and left already...right?" Josh said a bit worried himself.

"D-Don't be ridiculous! Captain wouldn't leave us here…." Miyako started in a sure tone but somehow trailed off in less than a whisper. *_If this is some kind of joke…it's NOT funny!* _

"Ah! Maybe they were attacked and eaten by those beasts and dinosaurs!" Sai exclaimed as if remembering something important, hitting his open palm with a fist. A second later _he_ got hit by a fist, or rather two fists and a sheathed katana.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Miyako yelled annoyed. Calming down she closed her eyes for a second, thinking. *_There must be an explanation for this…What if-!*_ Then her eyes opened suddenly as she thought of something. "What if they were found by those people there and taken away…or Law made a deal with them so they went together with them for supplies!" Miyako said.

"All of them? And the sub?" Josh asked, a bit uncertain and suspicious of her theory.

"I examined the sub with Shachi before we left. I don't think it should've even been fixed properly yet." Penguin added.

"hmm…" Sai hummed in thought, thinking about what Miyako said. Then he walked to the end of the beach, almost standing in the water and stared at the wide, open sea. The three pirates exchanged glances at his sudden strange behavior and shrugged, indicating nobody had any idea what Sai was doing. Then before they could even ask, Sai took something from his pocket and pushed a button on it, making a small red light appeared and start blinking. Then he threw the object into the sea as far as possible and it flew a good 10 meters of distance.

Penguin whistled in awe. "That's some throwing arm there."

Miyako and Josh ignored the mechanic. "More importantly; what did you just do?" Josh asked, looking at Sai with a raised eyebrow that disappeared under his red bangs and hat.

"It's a signaling device for the sub. When turned on, it sends circular signals for the sub's radar to detect. If the submarine just happens to be in the sea, they'll notice the signal."

Penguin rolled his eyes. "I told you already, there's no way they'd let it submerge yet and-" But his sentence was cut off when not much later the water started moving restlessly and then started rising, before a yellow top of the submarine appeared and then the rest of it. "Heeeh?" Penguin yelled in complete surprise, his eyes wide as saucers.

Sai smirked looking at the sub; an expression of full gloating on his face that didn't even need any words together with it.

Suddenly, Shachi came out of the sub and rushed to the railing to see his friends better. He waved at them. "Heey, guys!"

~…~

The sub was once again docked near the shore. On the beach there was a group of Heart pirates sitting in a circle, everyone with their own troubled face in thought. Except the excursion group of four, there were additional three members now; Jean Bart, Munk and Shachi.

"So let me get this straight; You were attacked by people riding on dinosaurs so Law, I mean; Captain, ordered you to submerge the sub and they were taken by those natives?" Miyako summed up what they had just heard. It seemed not long before their return, the Heart pirates were attacked by those natives. The sub wasn't completely fixed or in any condition to resume with its travels yet, but it was fixed enough to go underwater without taking water in so Law took that chance to at least save the submarine from the destructive hands of the natives who would probably take it or destroy it without even knowing what it is. Jean Bart was able to get through and into the sub, and since Shachi was already there working on it and Munk inside, trying to clean his kitchen that was messed up from the crash, they were all able to stay in the submarine.

"It was a total surprise attack. We didn't expect it at all….And there were so many of them." Shachi said in an almost whimper, obviously regretting that he couldn't save his friends. Meanwhile, Penguin was nodding looking like he'll shed tears of pain as well, sympathizing with his friend.

"Anyway, we got no otha choice but ta sav' our crew!" Munk said in a determined tone and nodded.

"Yes, but we need a good plan. We can't just storm in or we'll risk both our and their lives…and besides, we don't even know where they took them." Bart added and sighed.

"well actually…." Miyako smirked as she, Josh, Penguin and Sai looked at each other knowingly.

~…~

Jean Bart, Penguin, Shachi, Josh and Miyako were once again peeking thought the bushes on that cliff, looking down at the big city.

They had figured out a plan of approach, waiting for night to fall so they could sneak in without being seen. Meanwhile, Sai and Munk stayed behind guarding the sub in case the natives return.

The city was now enveloped with lights coming from torches and candles. Even though it was quite big and the architecture wasn't bad, the city didn't look all that developed technologically. It didn't have electricity nor any machines, but it seemed they used herbivorous dinosaurs for labor work. Some of the people even rode the smaller dinosaurs as transportation, while others used them on construction sites to carry heavy logs and stone blocks. However, as the night fell, the city became less and less busy and now there were only a few people on the streets. At least that was a good sign for the pirates who were trying to find a way to sneak in. Still, they had one tiny problem…well, it wasn't that tiny after all.

"How do we get down there!" Penguin exclaimed, annoyance clear in his voice. There didn't seem to be a path that led directly downwards, and the cliffs were protecting it from all sides.

"There has to be a way…these people need to go in and out of the city as well." Miyako murmured, thinking about the solution to their problem as she bit her lower lip.

"Well, when they attacked there were even two of them rising on some big dinosaur bird-looking animals." Bart said, remembering the attack on their camp a few hours ago. "However, most of them came by foot."

Just as Jean Bart's reminiscence finished, a quiet sound was heard in the bushes. First it was just rustling from the leaves, but then a barely hearable yelp traveled to the pirates' ears before suddenly disappearing as if cut off. Even though it was only for a second, the pirates definitively heard it. They looked at each other in wonder, then narrowed their eyes in determination before nodding and staring back at the bushes. Miyako pushed the tsuba of Yawarakai-Te with her thumb, making a part of the blade show from the hilt, almost gleaming in the darkness. Meanwhile, the others prepared themselves as well, readying their weapons.

Jean Bart suddenly opened the bushes, leaves and vegetation flying on the ground. The rest of the group pointed their weapons at the source of the sound seeing a conspicuous shadow there. But as soon as their eyes focused better on it, they stopped suddenly, eyes wide and expressions surprised.

There, on the dirt ground sat a boy, no more than 12 years old, eyes even wider than the ones of the pirates, though his were because of pure fear. He had an expression that showed pure terror as he clutched a hunting knife in both his small hands, pointing it at the group of pirates.

"D-D-Don't come any closer! O-or else!" The boy stuttered barely able to finish his sentence. There were already tears forming in his eyes.

Josh smirked a little, putting his kunai away and folded his arms on his chest. "Or else _what_?"

Miyako glared at the redhead and his cocky attitude. "Don't scare him! He looks frightened enough as it is!" She reprimanded with a harsh stare, but as she turned back to the boy on the ground her eyes softened. She knelt down before him to be less intimidating. "What's your name?"

Josh raised an eyebrow. "What's this, your motherly instincts kicking in all of a sudden or something?" He just couldn't help but tease at the girl's unusual behavior.

Miyako ignored the medic, however, her attention still towards the boy who didn't look any less scared than before. So she reassured him more. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you." She gave him a soft smile, still keeping a calm gaze on him.

The boy's eyes widened again for a second before narrowing. His expression suddenly became sterner and he glared at the samurai girl. "L-Liar! I know who you are! You want to destroy our city, d-don't you!" However, his glare wasn't that scary looking since his whole body was shivering in fear and there were already tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Eh?" Miyako couldn't help but look at the boy funny since she had no idea what he was talking about. Behind her, the pirates looked at each other in wonder as well. Still, she pulled herself together quickly and raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the ones who attacked us and the captain? So we should be the angry ones." Even though she said that, Miyako showed no anger or malice towards the boy.

The boy blinked in new puzzlement but the confusion made him calmer somewhat, forgetting his panic for a moment. "A-Attacked…? What are you talking about?"

The pirates looked as confused as the boy now. Bart was the first one to recuperate. "Boy, didn't the men from your city attack the pirates on the beach?"

"P-Pirates…?" The boy seemed even more confused. But then his eyes widened and he gasped slightly, moving further away from them even though he was still sitting on the ground. "You guys are pirates! I knew there was something fishy about you the first time I saw you?" Once again the boy raised the hunting knife straight at Miyako's face, who didn't even flinch. However her face did look more serious now, as if she was in deep thought.

But then his last sentence brought her out of the daze. "Wait. What do you mean, "the _first_ time you saw us?" Wasn't this the first time?"

The boy gulped, feeling anxious. "I-I saw you during the day…when you were here…you, you defeated that T-Rex."

Penguin, Josh and Miyako looked surprised by this while Shachi and Bart just looked at their fellow crewmembers in silent confusion. The three realized they didn't even notice the kid, which was a big mistake on their part. Were they too busy because of the dangers around them and too consumed while discussing their further plans, or is this boy really that skilled at blending with the surroundings and sneaking? The pirates decided they didn't have the time to think about that more since there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Then you're telling us your people really didn't attack our sub back there? But if you didn't, who did?" Shachi asked, tilting his head and putting his hands on his hips in the process.

The boy just nodded but didn't answer anything.

"Are there other people on this island as well? People that aren't from that city down there?" Jean Bart quickly figured out the highest possibility.

The boy looked at the freakishly large man behind them all, and a new shiver ran down his spine, then another, then another…He gulped once again and willed himself to talk. "W-well, there is another city...called Unk'Ar. My hometown is Unk'Ur." The boy said in a rather low, almost whispering voice still looking at the big pirate and probably imagining what the human-beast will do to him if he doesn't answer all their questions. Little did he know, Jean Bart had no such thoughts on his mind.

"I see…" Jean Bart muttered. "And where is Unk'Ar then?"

The boy hesitated but then pointed in the direction of East. At first he was silent but then after a while, he was able to get back his voice and gather up some courage to speak. "Um….Who are you people, then?….You really won't do anything to our city?" As he asked, the boy looked at Miyako with such big, pleading and expectant brown eyes, yet still kind of frightened, that it made Miyako's expression soften in an instant. She looked at the boy on the ground. He looked too short for his age and pretty scrawny. He had the same dark tanned skin like Law if not darker, and black hair tied in a short ponytail. He was still clutching the knife with one hand thought it was lowered now. His clothes looked simple; big brown cotton pants and a too big cotton shirt, but they also looked old and dirty.

Miyako made something between a smile and a smirk and closed her eyes before opening them again and looking at the boy right in the eye. "No, we didn't come here to harm you. It seems our crew was attacked by the natives so we thought it was the people from your city. But I see in your eyes that you're not lying and really don't know anything about that so I believe you. We'll need to go find that Unk'Ar city then." Then she remembered something, her expression becoming less serious and she said cheerfully. "Ah! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Miyako, and you are?" She smiled at the boy as she saw him with a nervous face.

"Kah'An." The boy said shortly, still somewhat embarrassed at Miyako's smiling face. His cheeks had just a slight bit of pink in them.

Miyako smiled. "Nice to meet you Kah'An." She then proceeded to tell him the names of the rest of the group, the men who were still somewhat suspiciously looking at the kid.

"Miyako sure knows with kid, huh? Wasn't expecting that honestly…" Shachi whispered to Penguin.

"Maybe Josh's right. Maybe it's some maternal instinct or something…" Penguin muttered.

Miyako's eyes twitched as she heard the two guys behind her commenting. "I can hear you, you know…" Oh, how she wanted to punch them in to oblivion…alas, they had more important things to think about so she ignored Shachi's and Penguin's musings.

Josh, who was silent most of the time, crossed his arms on his chest and stared at Kah'An suspiciously. "There's still one thing I don't understand though….If you knew about us for so long, why didn't you tell any of the natives there? Why didn't you warn anybody? That just doesn't add up." Even though he was speaking to a kid, Josh's expression was completely serious. Not that he hated kids or anything, but when the lives of his crewmembers and maybe even the captain were on line, he didn't want to make any mistakes or relax in the slightest. This could still be a trap set by a natives and Josh will definitively not let anyone else get taken away. *_They may be annoying at times, but all of them are still my crewmembers and friends! And I'll be damned to let anything happen to them!* _And so Josh didn't allow himself to relax.

At the redhead's question the boy lowered his head and stared at the ground, cheeks even more red with embarrassment. It seemed something was bothering him suddenly and he almost looked ashamed, not willing to look at anyone. "That's because…" Hi voice was an uncertain whisper and he never finished the sentence. But Josh was still expecting the answer.

Before he could answer however, a voice of the mechanic cut him off. "I think it's fine if he doesn't tell us." Shachi said suddenly and everyone looked at him in surprise, especially Josh who was looking at the man as if he was crazy. So the mechanic explained. "He doesn't look like his hiding something suspicious…more like a personal problem, so there's no need for him to share it with strangers like us. Besides, everyone has one of two things they don't want to talk about." As he finished, the man grinned at the boy, who looked at him in surprise but also relief. There was a silent 'Thank you' in his eyes. That only made Shachi grin wider. However, he realized every one of his friends were staring at him in disbelief and wonder. "W-what?"

"Shachi-san…actually said something deep." Miyako was the first to say it, still in voice full of wonder."

"Is it the end of the world…?" Bart muttered.

"S-shut up!" Shachi yelled embarrassed by the looks he was receiving from his friends, his flushed checks obvious even in the darkness of the night.

"Say Kah'An…Could you take us to the town? We need a place to stay for the night; it'll be dangerous out here on the open and besides, we would like to talk to the person in charge there." Bart finally said, braking the awkward moment. He was the first to recover from the shock Shachi gave them.

The boy hesitated for a second, but then he turned to Miyako again and his eyes met hers for a second. Kah'An nodded. "O-Ok…."

~….~

The path to the town was so hidden Miyako was sure they would have never found it on their own. It led them through narrow pathways of the mountains and barely visible dirty roads hidden by jungle flora. But after about half an hour, they were standing in front of the town's front gates. What they didn't know was that the guards had already seen them and alerted the whole town, warriors included.

The pirates felt a tension as soon as they walked through the front wooden gates, and knew instantly something wasn't right. Miyako's eyes narrowed as she looked around. The townspeople dressed similar to Kah'An had them surrounded in an instant, all kinds of weapons, from spears to guns, pointed at the Heart Pirates.

"So it was a trap after all!" Josh yelled in anger and glared at the people surrounding them

"N-No I…I don't…" Kah'An looked as surprised as the rest of them as he looked around at his friends. He stood in front of the group of pirates and outstretched his arms in a protective manner. "Please, they're not bad people so you don't need to be scared! They're ok, really!" He yelled looking at the people, but their dark looks didn't soften one bit. That only made Kah'An more desperate-looking as his eyes started to glaze with tears again.

Then the crowed moved a little and made a path for a man in his forties. He had a stern look, with harsh piercing eyes which were glaring at the pirates. There was a dark aura of tension around him, telling Miyako and the others he was definitively trouble. He obviously had some kind of authority here. He wasn't built anything special, tall but not big or toned. He had short brown hair and the tanned skin as everyone else there, though noticeably lighter. He was carrying a long gun resting it on his shoulder, which reminded Miyako of a certain tan-skinned pirate captain.

Before anyone could say anything more, the tall man spoke. "What were you thinking Kah'An, bringing strangers here? And pirates none the less!" Suddenly he took out the recent newspapers and threw that towards the boy. As they opened in the air, a bunch of wanted posters came out flying and landing next to Kah'An's feet. "I recognized them immediately when we saw them coming! Heart pirates, led by that nasty, heartless Surgeon of Death!" The man yelled, his stern eyes piercing the cowering boy. The first thing Miyako noticed, however, was the rise in their bounty. _*900 000 Beri on my wanted poster? It shouldn't be this much.* _Her thoughts were interrupted by the cheerful voices behind her. Obviously, Penguin, Shachi and Josh basked in the knowledge that their bounties raised by 50 000.

"This is no time to be celebrating, you dolts!" Miyako yelled uncharacteristically for her, as a vain threatened to pop out of her forehead. At least that made the men settle down some.

The boy, who was staring at the posters with wide eyes suddenly looked up at the man in front of him, a certain determination in his eyes and voice. "Even so, Unak, they're not bad people! They just need our help and-"

But he was immediately cut off by just the dark look the man, Unak, gave him. "They are filthy pirates! And all pirates are the same you foolish boy! You always cause trouble Kah'An but I never thought it would come to this! Obviously I should have made you learn your lesson a long time ago, that is exactly what you need!"

Kah'An gulped at the threat that wasn't a bluff. He tried to speak but couldn't…his legs were shaking and threatened to give out on him. Miyako realized this boy was somewhat of a scardy-cat the way he kept fearfully looking at everyone and everything and crying quite often. Once again, tears had fallen from his eyes. But before he could defend himself, a woman ran from the crowd and towards Kah-An, embracing him in protective arms.

"Please, Unak, let me take care of the child. This is not the time nor the place…." The woman pleaded, but had sure, clear and determined eyes that had no fear in them. Not even for Unak. The man looked displeased and grumbled a few times, but then sighed closing his eyes as if suddenly tired.

"Fine, take the boy back to the orphanage Kahla. I will deal with him later." The man had somewhat relaxed his gaze, a sound of slight resignation in his voice.

The woman dragged Kah'An away, despite the boy's protests. The boy looked back at the group of pirates who were still surrounded by deadly weapons, a clear apology in his eyes, but Miyako gave him a barely noticeable reassuring smile so he wouldn't worry. No, the Heart pirates had no intention dying here…not when the rest of the crew was in danger. However, Miyako didn't want to cause unnecessary chaos either. They needed help from this people so they had to make them see they weren't a threat…unfortunately that didn't look possible at this moment. Miyako sighed. *_What should we do…?* _

Meanwhile, Unak turned towards them with a glare as dark as before. "And you pirates…I don't know why you're here but I'm going to find out! Where is your captain? Where is the rest of your crew? Are they hiding somewhere and waiting to ambush us? Is this all part of your plan to pillage the town?"

The group all remained quiet however, just staring at the man. The pirates had a fierce look of their own; Josh was practically glaring daggers at the man, but not even the temperamental redhead said anything.

"So you refuse to answer huh? Well we'll get it out of you one way or another!"

The warriors of the town came closer with their weapons. They didn't look uncertain or afraid of the infamous pirates at all, as if they were prepared for anything that could come. However they were still surprised when the group just stood still and let themselves be taken away. They expected resistance from them but it never came, and the pirates walked into their cells without a word.

They were taken to the town's jail. The path led downstairs and into the cellar, where there were a few cells there. It didn't look big or used much and there were no other prisoners there, which meant the town didn't really have a big crime rate. That, or Unak and his men simply killed the culprits, which wouldn't be strange to Miyako after seeing Unak's serious glare. Or perhaps everyone were just too scared of him to even think of doing a crime.

The group was put into the cells, their weapons taken. Miyako, Josh, Penguin and Shachi were cramped in one small cell, which wasn't meant for so many people. Jean Bart occupied the cell on the other side of the hall, and he barely fit in it even though he was alone. He was the only one that seemed to scare the town's men, even if just a little. But who wouldn't be intimidated with such a large man that could probably crush your bones in one blow.

As the cells were closed, two guards walked out of the jail room and into the room next door, closing the doors behind them. That left the pirates able to talk to each other freely without outsiders listening. As soon as the jail doors closed, Josh was the first one to talk.

"So? You mind explaining why you whispered to us not to fight back, back there?" The redhead turned to the girl, leaning on the dirty cell wall with his shoulder.

Miyako looked at Josh and sighed. He was in a bad moon ever since they found out about the attack on their sub; not that she could blame him. She was calm on the surface, but worried deep inside as well. She knew the Heart pirates were strong, and Law could take care of himself; but still, not having any clue what was going on with their friends or where exactly are they, it just left Miyako with a bad and anxious feeling. So for once, Miyako didn't want to start an argument with the medic and he looked like he could explode any minute now. "You've seen what kind of a deep, dangerous jungle this is on the island. We won't be able to find Unk'Ar without a guide, not to mention we'll need food and water supplies for the trip. Who knows how long it'll take…so we need these people's help. If we had fought back and hurt them that would just prove that we are the enemies that they can't trust…we need to show them that we just want to cooperate." The girl explained.

Josh huffed. He wasn't completely satisfied with that solution but deep inside he knew Miyako was right. The one to confirm was also Jean Bart who nodded with a murmur.

Just then they heard a sound behind them...then another. The four pirates turned and saw Kah'An out of the window. The cell had only one small window that look out on the street…well ground to be exact, since the cell was underground so the window looked more like an opening on the building's wall. Kah'An was lying on the ground and looking through the barred window into the cells. "pssst, it's me!" The boy whispered.

"Kah'An? What are you doing here?" Penguin exclaimed surprised but kept his voice low so the guards outside the jail door wouldn't hear.

The boy made a sad face, his big eyes looking desperate, like a lost puppy. Mkyako wondered if he'll cry again. The boy didn't but his voice still sounded somewhat depressed. "I'm sorry I put you into trouble. I really didn't mean to…."

Miyako gave him a reassuring smile. "It's alright Kah'An, we know it wasn't intentional. You were just trying to help us. I hope you didn't get into much trouble."

Kah'An's face saddened even more, his eyes staring at the ground. "Unak said we'll talk tomorrow…His really scary…" For a while there was a slight silence, before the boy continued. "…But he's a great warrior and always protects the village, even from the people of Unk'Ar."

"Unk'Ar? You mean the ones that took our crew? Why do you need protection from them?"

Kah'An nodded. "Actually, the cities are in war ever since I remember. Well, it's mostly just Unk'Ar trying to rob us. Both cities are isolated by mountains for protection….but that also makes gathering food and water difficult. And it's hard to hunt in the jungle cause of all the danger, even though our hunters are already pretty experienced. So Unk'Ar often tries to attack us and rob us of our supplies. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't…though after Unak came to power and became the town's leader, he trained the warriors and even built better defenses. He really helped us a lot…but he's still scary." Kah'An gulped.

"Kah'An, the way you say it sounds like Unak isn't a native from this town?" Jean Bart suddenly spoke from the other side of the hallway.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, he washed up on the shore 2 years ago and we took him in."

Miyako thought about what the boy said. _*Unak sounds like an experienced fighter…what was he before coming here? He couldn't have been just your everyday Joe with skills of warfare like that.*_

"Anyway…" Kah'An continued, lowering his gaze again. "…I'm really sorry I messed up….I always do that. The truth is I'm not very good at anything….even though we're already training to be warriors, I suck and the other kids always make fun of me. I try to help but I always end up make it worse…Even the other kids in the orphanage say I'm of no use at all…the only one who is nice to me is Kahla, the Sister who takes care of us in the orphanage. The truth is….Miyako reminded me a little of Sister Kahla…" The boy seemed embarrassed all of a sudden, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

Miyako blinked a few times in confusion but then smiled, her eyes softening a little. Meanwhile, Kah'An continued. "When I saw you for the first time today I thought you were going to attack the village, that you are from Unk'Ar. But…I wanted to show to everyone that I _am_ useful and a good warrior…so I wanted to beat you myself and take you to my town. I thought, if I did that, Unak and the others will finally except me and acknowledge me. But I just messed up again…"

The guys looked at each other not sure what to say. Miyako didn't know either as her eyes softened again. She felt sorry for the poor boy.

Just then a loud crash came from somewhere behind Kah'An. Before anyone could ask anything, another was heard and then voices and shouts of panic. Miyako had a bad feeling about this.

"Wha-? What's going on?" Shachi exclaimed and stepped on the bed which was placed beneath the small widow. He tried to get a better view as he looked outside. Kah'An was also staring behind with frightened wide eyes.

A whistling sound came through the air before another crash was heard. The building next to the jailhouse exploded, its wall shattered to pieces as if a projectile hit it.

"W-We're under attack! It must be warriors from Unk'Ar!" Kah'An yelped in shock and panic. He turned towards the pirates in the cell again. "I-I have to go…I have to make sure Sister Kahla and the others are ok!" Before anyone could stop him, Kah'An was already running away from the cell.

"Dammit! If they are from Unk'Ar, it's are chance to find out what happened to captain and the others! I know you said we need to earn the natives' trust but we can't let this opportunity go to waste. We need to fallow those guys or get some info out of them!" Josh gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"I agree with Josh, we need to get out of this cell." Penguin nodded.

They all looked at Bart who just nodded, understanding what they were silently asking of him. The navigator, who was sitting cramped up in the small cell, with his upper body bend uncomfortably to actually fit in the cell, clutched his big fists around the cell bars. The bars barely gave any resistance as the whole cell doors gave out and move out of the crumbling walls. Bart let the doors fall down with a loud '_Clang' _before coming out and doing the same thing with the other cell's door.

Strangely enough nobody came to check on them even though the sound of metal breaking was pretty loud, but that was probably because everyone was too busy fighting outside. The pirates opened the doors of the next room; there was no sign of the guards as they suspected, but their weapons were lying not far away on a wooden desk. Miyako took her katana and hugged it with glee. "Ah~ Yawarakai-Te, I'm sorry I left you~" The guys sweat dropped but didn't comment on it. Josh took his own weapons that consisted of several kunai, lots of senbon and a kodachi he kept at his waist. Since Shachi and Penguin fought with kung-fu techniques like Bepo, they had no use for weapons, and Jean Bart didn't even really need them with his strength. As the group got ready, they ran outside to see the town in complete chaos.

Most of the town was in flames, while the stone buildings were crumbling under heavy fire from cannons. On the streets, men of the Unk'Ur fought the warriors from Unk'Ar. Some were fighting with swords and spears, while others used guns and rifles. One native tried to stab his enemy but got shot by another man who appeared next to him. Miyako looked around and even saw warriors riding dinosaurs and fighting each other. Two men, both riding on an Aardonyx of their own, clashed with each other. Their swords made a loud metal noise, while the dinosaurs grabbed at each other's throats. Not far away, Miyako heard a loud noise and saw a man from Unk'Ar riding a Ceratopsidae and making it run into a wall of a nearby house, trying to break the wall with its sturdy big horns.

They heard a loud screech and saw a man riding a Pterodactyl. The dinosaur-bird was in the air one second than rushing downwards in high speed the next, as it saw its new prey. It caught a native of Unk'Ur in its claws and rushed back up, still holding the screaming and panicking man in its talons while the human tried to break free fruitlessly. Then suddenly, another pterodactyl came from nowhere and crashed into the other one; as this one belonged to a Unk'Ur rider. The two dinosaurs started fighting in the air, hunting each other and the two riders shooting at each other with their rifles.

"Watch out!" Suddenly Penguin pulled her close to him, and out of the street as a burning figure ran by them in great speed. It was a Beipiaosaurus with its rider on its back, but both were covered in flames as the dinosaur screeched in pain and panic, running without any control. The rider was screaming too, flailing his arms but it was too late for both of them. The dinosaur suddenly collapsed after a long run and crashed into a nearby wall.

Miyako stared at the sight in shock before nodding to Penguin. "Thank you." Just then another cannon ball came their way and crashed into the jailhouse wall above them. The pirates jumped and ran away as the wall crashed down. Miyako sighed in relief. *_That was too close.*_

"We can't keep standing here, it's dangerous. Let's move." Shachi suggested in a hurry and the others nodded.

Before they knew it, the pirates were thrown in the middle of the war and they had no choice but to fight in it. "If we help out the natives from Unk'Ur and destroy Unk'Ar's men, we'll get their trust. Besides, we need some Unk'Ar prisoners anyway." Miyako said as she took out her katana and slashed a man who was coming at her with a spear. It seemed Unk'Ar's men attacked indiscriminately.

"We'll think about that later. For now let's just defeat these guys." Josh answered as he jumped in the air and delivered a high kick to the man riding another dinosaur. The redhead knocked the man down from the animal and the dinosaur ran away out of control, pulling the riding on the floor with it since the man's leg got stuck to the reins.

"What about the boy, he could be in trouble?" Bart asked as a rider came at him with a dinosaur. But the navigator didn't even look anxious as the beast came at him running. He simply outstretched his hands and stopped the animal in its tracks. The navigator grabbed the dinosaur's neck as it growled in pain. He crouched a little and grabbed the chest with his other hand, lifting the dinosaur in the air and tossing it together with the rider into the nearby wall. Neither the poor animal nor the man moved again.

The rest of the group stared at the scene and sweat-dropped, feeling a bit sorry for that guy and the dinosaur. "Seriously, there should be a limit as to how strong a person can be.." Shachi murmured and the other nodded in agreement.

But then Miyako remembered Bart's words. "Ah! Kah'An! You're right!" She turned to the group. "Bart-san, please come with me to find that orphanage. The rest, clean up over here please." She nodded in the direction of incoming Unk'Ar forces.

"Tche…who made you in charge?" Josh mumbled and folded his arms on his chest. Then he tilted his head with a slightly annoyed face and closed eyes. "Well I guess, just this once I'll listen to you…we need to save that crybaby after all."

Miyako smiled slightly at the medic's words and nodded. "Thank you, everyone." With that the navigator and the samurai left the scene.

~…..~

As Miyako and Bart ran looking for the orphanage on the streets, Miyako tried asking some natives as to where the building is but they just ignored her as they ran in panic, pushing her away if she came close to them. However, seeing this, Jean Bart grabbed a running man who seemed in enough panic as it is…but being held up by a man 5 times his size if not more, made him shut up in sheer shock immediately. Jean Bart narrowed his eyes. "Take us to the orphanage."

The native man nodded without a word, cold sweat running down his face and back. Miyako sighed with a sweat-drop. _*It was a good choice to take Jean Bart with me…*_

As they ran, the navigator didn't even put the man down in case he tried to escape and the man instructed them where to go. Not long after, they found themselves in front of a big burning building. Jean Bart dropped the man who hurried away and ran immediately. Miyako's eyes widened at the sight. There were a group of kids near the flames, and they looked like they were trying to lift something. As the two pirates came closer they saw that a woman holding onto a small child was trapped under a big wooden balk. It wasn't on fire yet but the flames were closing in on them quickly. The children were trying to lift the balk but it wasn't even budging. Among them, Miyako saw Kah'An, in tears and sweat, his hands already bleeding from splinters and slight burns.

Then Jean Bart came, moving the children away. The kids looked scared but moved away none the less, as the big navigator stood in front of the balk. He grabbed it with both hands and with one flex of his muscles and gritted teeth; he moved the balk away, throwing it into the fire. Quickly he took the woman and the child gently in both hands and ran away before the fires could get to them.

At first the kids were in too much shock to even speak. They were of all ages, both girls and boys, but they all made the same face when they saw the giant save their friend and Khala. Bart put the woman down. "The child seems ok, but the woman is breathing hard. She must have protected the girl with her own body." The navigator explained as he saw the little girl of about 5 years, sniveling near the woman. "We need to take her to a doctor immediately." Bart warned.

"I'll do it!" A voice rang behind them and everyone turned to see Kah'An standing there with a determined look even though his legs were shaking. But the tears were gone from his eyes. He had some burns, cuts and bruises on his body as well, his shirt completely destroyed.

"Kah'An, where did you get these wounds? What happened?" Miyako asked sincerely worried.

The boy looked at the ground but before he could say anything, a girl of about 8 spoke; "Brother Kah'An saved us! We were trapped inside and he was able to get us out but then the balk collapsed and trapped Sister Kahla and Min. We couldn't get them out..." The girl almost started crying at the memory.

Miyako smiled and looked at the embarrassed Kah'An. "It seems you did something right after all, Kah'An-kun. You're a hero now, huh?" She teased lightly but with no real malice or sarcasm. The statement only made Kah'An blush more.

The moment was interrupted by Jean Bart who had put the woman on his back. She was still breathing hard and was unconscious. "Let's get these kids to safety."

Miyako nodded and they all followed Kah'An who suddenly got an idea where to go. As they ran, Miyako narrowed her eyes at the sight of a warrior of Unk'Ar riding a dinosaur and coming right at them. The kids screamed in shock. "Just keep running!" Miyako yelled to them before running off ahead with great speed. She put a thumb on the katana's tsuba and the other hand on the hilt as the kept running right at the dinosaur. Just as it looked like the animal will trample Miyako, the girl moved to the side, crouching and unsheathing her katana. In one slash she cut at the animal's legs. The dinosaur yelped in pain and lost its balance, falling down hard and crushing the rider beneath it. Miyako sheathed back her katana and continued running, slowing down her pace a little so the others could catch up with her.

Soon they found themselves in front of what looked like a normal stone house. But as they went inside, Kah'An found a hidden door that led downstairs. They all went down and Miyako couldn't help but gasp a little. It was an underground shelter big enough for the whole city. There were civilians already there, holding their loved ones tightly in fear, with food, water and blankets around.

"Doctor Kash'Sun!" Kah'An yelled a bit too loudly which made everyone turn their attention to the new arrivals. The boy didn't care much as he ran towards the doctor who was treating some injured natives already. When he saw Miyako and Jean Bart the man froze in fear, especially after seeing the large man staring down at him. However they all ignored his shock and instead Bart put Khala down on the blanket wordlessly. "Doctor, you gotta help her, please!" Kah'An yelled in fear of losing the woman. The other kids followed his example and started pleading the doctor for his help. The man sighed at the sight and smiled reassuringly at Kah'An and other kids; "Of course I will help her."

*_Guess our work here is done.*_ Miyako thought as she looked at the scene. The doctor was already starting his work on Khala. Miyako looked at Jean Bart. "We should go and help the others." She said, thinking of the two mechanics and Josh who were still fighting in the town. Bart nodded in agreement. As they turned around a voice stopped them.

"Thank you, for everything!" It was Kah'An, with determined big eyes, looking at them with gratitude. Following his example, the other kids started thanking them as well. "Thank you!" "Thanks!" "Thank you very much!" Miyako smiled at the children. *_The kids are suddenly looking up to their brother Kah'Ah, hm? Well that's fine, he's a good kid even if he is a crybaby.* _Miyako nodded to them with a smile and left with Jean Bart without a word.

~….~

Miyako jumped on a Camptosaurus which was carrying two riders; one shooting from his rifle, while the other used a big spear. The girl landed in the middle of them, slashing and cutting both of the men before moving to the animal's head and piercing its head with her katana. The Camptosaurus fell down without a sound from its throat and Miyako jumped off before the animal crashed on the ground.

Meanwhile, Bart was holding two grown men in each hand and threw them into a group of incoming Unk'Ar warriors.

"Heeey, guys!" The couple heard a familiar sound and saw Shachi, Penguin and Josh running towards them. Just then, a pterodactyl appeared at their side.

Miyako's eyes widened and she screamed; "Watch out!" but it was already too late. The lizard-bird took penguin in its talons and soared towards the sky. "Penguin!" Miyako shouted in worry but there was nothing she could do. Miyako started thinking of a plan in a hurry; anything that would help Penguin get down and was preparing her katana to use her haki and slash at the bird even though that could endanger Penguin as well, but just then a shot echoed through the air. The pterodactyl that luckily didn't get far in the air, screeched and started falling down, crashing in a nearby roof and rolling down to the ground.

"Penguin!" His friends shouted in unison as they ran up the groaning man on the floor. The mechanic managed to get out of the large bird's claws, with the help of Shachi and Josh. Miyako sighed in relief when she saw the mechanic was alive but Josh's next words put her in the state of worry again.

"He broke his arm!" The medic had pulled up the sleeve of Penguin's overall and started examining the swollen forearm.

"W-Well…it could've been worse." Penguin managed to say through the pain with a slight smirk on his face.

"But where did that shot come from…" Bart muttered,

Just then, as if to answer the navigator's question, Unak appeared, his rifle pointing right at the group. That made the pirates stiffen and Miyako quickly stood up in a defensive stance. Unak simply stared at Penguin and the dead pterodactyl. "I saw what you did at the orphanage…this was just to pay you back pirates, so now we're even. That's all." He said in a low, serious voice, the glare never leaving his face. Miyako was a bit taken back with his words but nodded none the less. Unak turned to leave and ran. Miyako saw he was attacked by an Unk'Ar warrior but he effortlessly blocked the man's sword with his rifle, then sliced the warrior's throat with the knife he held in his other hand. Seeing his fighting skills Miyako's eyes narrowed. *_That man…He's definitively not an average person. Not when he knows how to fight like that…Where did he come from? Who is he?*_ Her thoughts were interrupted by Penguin's groan of pain as Josh worked to immobilize the broken arm.

~….~

By the time the first light appeared, the fight had died out. The warriors of Unk'Ur were able to defend their city and chase away Unk'Ar's men but not without a serious amount of damage and many casualties. Luckily, most of the civilians managed to hide themselves in the town's underground shelter but many warriors died in battle. Unk'Ar did a surprise attack on them, which made serious damage even before Unk'Ur's men and Unak knew what was happening and began to fight back.

Miyako sighed tiredly, sheathing back Yawarakai-Te as the fighting ceased. "Guess it's over."

"I really didn't expect such chaos all of a sudden. How did this happen?" Shachi muttered.

Before they could ponder on it, Miyako saw the rest of the Unk'Ur's warriors led by Unak coming towards them.

"heeeh? Are they here to thank us?" Penguin said with a huge grin, his face brightening up proudly.

But Miyako didn't think the same. The way Unak and the others were looking at them, something wasn't right. Her intuition or just her haki; whatever it was, something was telling her in her gut that there was trouble ahead. The tension grew in the air as the warriors walked, weapons in their hands, towards them. Miyako prepared her katana. Beside her, she saw Bart tensing up as well as if preparing for more battle. Obviously he sensed something wrong too.

When the men were already close, Shachi started walking up to them with a gloating grin on his face. He shrugged with his arms outstretched a little and his head tilted to one side. "Now, now, if you want to thank us, we must tell you it wasn't just for you. We are actually-" But before he could finish or take another step, Unak's rifle was pointing right at his face, a little click was heard as the man released the safety from it. Shachi tensed and made a serious face in an instant, a glare behind his eyeglasses. The second Miyako saw the gun pointing at the mechanic she unsheathed her katana and pointed it right at Unak's neck, a stare cold as steel in her bright, burning eyes. Josh took out his kodachi and Bart clenched his fists, meanwhile the warriors all raised their weapons and pointed them at the group of pirates.

"What's going on here? We helped you defeat the Unk'Ar's men and you still suspect us?" Miyako's voice was as cold as her expression.

Unak's eyes turned to look at the girl on his side, holding a katana at his throat, but he didn't look scared at all. He just glared at the samurai. "Don't play innocent girly! My informants had just informed me of everything a few minutes ago!"

Miyako didn't say anything but her eyes looked a bit more confused now. Unak simply continued. "I don't know why you decided to kill Unk'Ar's people but one thing is certain….this attack was your fault!"

"What?" The pirates exclaimed all of the same time in puzzlement.

"I said, don't play dumb! I found it weird how Unk'Ar's men were able to surprise attack us and break our defenses, something that they have never before managed to do in years. They would always be pushed back by my men. Yet how did our city get destroyed like this? I got the answer a few minutes ago."

Miyako didn't say anything but there was a tight feeling in her chest, like something was about to snap. She was tense listening to the man, certain that she won't like whatever he was about to say.

"The man behind this attack…The man who managed to plan this attack and broke our defenses to let the Unk'Ar men in using his abilities…was none other than your captain, Trafalgar Law!"

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><p><strong>Yay, so happy I could finally update! :D I hope you liked it! <strong>

**Also, if you noticed Miyako strength seemed to rise a little; well not like she miraculously became stronger because of the new katana, she knew all those techniques before, it's just what she mentioned once; A good katana that can connect with its master can bring out the full potential of the user. Also, Miyako had been in some nasty fights in those few months so of course she'll become stronger just like Law and the rest of the crew. So Yawarakai-Te is somewhat of a symbol of her new evolved strength. :)**

**Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! Reviews and comments are welcome as usual so feel free to leave some. See ya (soon hopefully)! **


	36. Chapter 36

**I don't like you **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Ahh~ Finally done! I've been working on it long enough anyway. Sorry, to keep you all waiting. :( Hope the length of this chapter makes up for that.**

**So a few thing to say before we start. About answering reviews before the chapter start, since a few people have commented on it and I agree that sometimes my answers are too long so it might make the chapter too long, I've been think about how to fix it. To be honest it's a bit troublesome to answer every review in PM and also there are people that post reviews and questions as guests so I can't PM them. So to take care of this I decided to answer here the reviews where I can answer it shortly and the ones where I can tell it'll be a long answer, I'll PM them. So I hope this solves the problem. Though I also want to note that review answering isn't really a part of the story so it's not like you're really missing anything if you don't read it. You can always just skip it and go the actual story. I actually try not to say anything in there that could be a spoiler so that you can enjoy the story. **

**Other than that, what I want to say is….a biiig thank you to Zella787, who made a picture of Miyako for me. Thank you! I uploaded it to image manager and it should serve as my story cover but honestly I have no idea whether you can see it or not. O.o Just in case I'll also put a link to it in my profile page. :)**

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><p><strong>Now to answer some reviews (Don't worry, I'll keep it short. :P):<strong>

**animefanxD: **Thanks! I always worry about my characters becoming Ooc or Miyako being a Marry Sue (but not too weak either) so I try to keep an eye on that. Well I didn't actually get it from Jurassic Park (Though it is an awesome movie, and dinosaurs rule! :D) but when I was thinking about what creatures to put in the jungle (and since it was jungle) I thought; why not dinosaurs (cause I love them)! And yes, Sasori was an inspiration for Reiji. :)

**MangaFreak55: **I know who you mean, but to be honest I think the scenery (jungle and dinosaurs) is more similar to that one piece Arc than the story of giants themselves. And yeah, you know I always put a cliffy. ;) I think it's my subconscious revenge as a reader when the story always ends with a cliffy and it makes me want to flip things. So now you have to suffer too! XP

**SeaDevil: **I think Law could never say to Shachi; "You're getting punished because you saw Miyako like that and it makes me kinda jealous." XD That punishment was just for Law's satisfaction, more than to learn Shachi a lesson. :P Thanks for the warning, I changed it. Aaand, the rest you'll understand soon enough. :)

**Izzie: **Lol your reactions to the chapters always make me laugh. XD Sorry to keep you waiting so long again. ^^' Hope it'll be worth it. Also, I don't think Law would get man for his crew meddling in Unk'Ur battle since they didn't even know he was behind it or what was going on, they were just fighting and trying not to get killed after all.

**SeveredReality: **You'll get your answers in the PM cause I just can't make it short enough. ^^'

**Ok, we're, done so let's start! Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 36<strong>

"The man behind this attack…The man who managed to plan this attack and break our defenses to let the Unk'Ar men in using his abilities…was none other than your captain, Trafalgar Law!"

Miyako couldn't help but stiffen at Unak's words. *_What is he talking about? Why would Law have anything to do with it? If nothing, our crew were the victims...they were prisoners!_* But just as she thought that, new possibilities immediately came to mind. What if the Unk'Ar men made them do it? What if they threatened them somehow? But that seemed too surreal to Miyako; Law following orders or being threatened into doing something just didn't sound like something possible to her.

"What are you talking about? Why would Captain do that?" Penguin asked somewhere behind the group, resting on the wall with his arm immobilized and bandaged.

The leader of the city looked at Penguin for a moment as he heard the confused question. "That's what I want to know…and for you to tell me? Why is your captain working with Unk'Ar?"

"How are we supposed to know! We haven't seen the captain for hours and didn't even know for certain where he could be. We came here in the first place to ask for your help to guide us to this Unk'Ar where our crew is held captive." Josh lost his short temper, almost yelling at the warriors. He had enough of all this. They had been fighting on Unk'Ur's side till' dawn and now they once again get treated like spies.

As the redhead raised his voice, the warriors immediately took that as a hostile sign and brought their weapons closer to the group. Unak's eyes narrowed. "You really want me to believe you have no connection with your own crew and captain on this?"

Miyako nodded quickly. "That's right. Our crew was captured by Unk'Ar warriors and we want to save them. That's why we came here; to ask you for a guide and some supplies that will last till' we come to the city." She stared right at Unak's eyes, showing him there were no lies in her words. The man pierced her with his own cold stare. There was a moment of perfect silence between the groups, the tension still in the air, but suddenly a new voice broke it.

"It's true." They all turned around to see Kah'An standing there, a woman, Khala behind him, resting her hands on the boy's shoulders. She still looked exhausted and breathed hard.

At the sight, Unak's eyes widened a little and Miyako noticed how his expression unconsciously softened up instantly after seeing the woman. The girl tilted her head at this, finding the observation rather interesting. *_Maybe I can even use that to our advantage…Jean Bart saved the woman's life after all, unfortunately that debt was repaid but maybe I can talk to her and she can talk Unak into helping us.* _While the samurai thought over her new plan of action, Unak walked over to Khala in a hurry, leaving his group of warriors to keep guarding the pirates.

"Khala! What are you doing out of bed? You're not well enough." As soon as Unak came to them, he tried to lead the boy and the woman away.

"Wait, Honey, Kah'An has something to tell you and I think you should listen." The woman didn't look threatened or scared at the man at all. Instead she stood there determinately, not letting to be pushed away from the scene. The man looked down at the cowering boy who gulped, looking uneasy and anxious already.

In the pirates group, every member had their eyes open wide in surprise. "Did she just call him honey?" Shachi couldn't help but exclaim.

Unak turned towards them with another piercing glare. "Yes, she is my fiancée." He said in a voice that dared anyone to hurt her knowing that, before turning back to his fiancé and the boy.

The group of pirates still seemed pretty dumbfounded at the information as if they couldn't process it. They huddled up closer together. "That guy has a fiancé? Really?" Penguin whispered in a surprised voice that showed he just couldn't believe it.

"If that guy can find a woman, than I know there's hope for me…." Shachi sighed somehow at ease.

"She must be a saint to be able to keep up with him…" Miyako shook her head still not believing it either.

Suddenly a shot fired near them, making the pirates jump in surprise and prepare for battle wherever it was coming from. After some looking around, Miyako and the others noticed Unak had his gun pointed at the floor next to them, smoke coming from his rifle. "I can still hear you…" The man almost growled with annoyance, a hard glare on his face. The pirates just smiled sheepishly, except for Bart who sighed as if tired of the whole situation.

Meanwhile, the boy started talking, trying to use as much courage and determination in his voice he could muster. "I-I'm sorry I brought these people here without telling anyone…I know I could've made a terrible mistake and do a lot of damage. I will take full responsibility for my actions." The boy's voice wavered a little but he took a deep breath, looking up at Unak right in the eyes and holding the man's stare with newfound determination. "However, as I said before, these people aren't bad even if they are pirates. They could've resisted the arrest and hurt a lot of people but didn't…and they even helped us fight off Unk'Ar's troops. I think what they're telling us is the truth and I think we should help them. I owe them a lot, for saving sister Khala too, so….I will be their guide!"

Unak's eyes narrowed at the boy. "And when did you become so brave, boy?" The said boy didn't answer anything, only stared at Unak harder. The tall man sighed and rested his rifle on his right shoulder. "So what you're saying is that you will help these people even if I forbid it?" Unak stared at the boy harder as if challenging him to answer that. And he was surprised when the boy did.

At first Kah'An was surprised and taken back with the question. He never wanted to challenge Unak's authority or anything, he just wanted to help Miyako and the others. But he knew he couldn't back down now…so whatever happens, he has to stick with it. Kah'Ah gave the man a harsh nod. "Yes!"

Now was Unak's time to be a bit surprised. He knew the boy was a scardy-cat and especially afraid of him; not that Unak enjoyed scaring the boy. So he never thought Kah'An would show such determination, especially for these pirates. Even if they did save Khala and bring the children to safety, which Unak had to show gratitude for, he couldn't understand why the boy trusted them so much. Well he had to admit, he saw no sign of lying as he talked to the pirates about their situation so he pretty much believed them…but he still didn't trust them. They could change their minds anytime and attack the city and rob them after they meet up with the rest of the crew. Even this far in the first part of the Grand Line, the name Surgeon of Death was feared. He heard many rumors about Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates and none were good. Still the boy's determination told him something…at first he just thought Kah'An was being naïve and manipulated but that didn't seem the case after all. And besides…Khala was giving him a stern, warning look behind the boy, probably telling him silently something in the lines of _Don't-be-an-ass._

The man sighed, closing his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, his gaze had softened somewhat. "Then…I suppose there's no stopping you."

As soon as those words left the man's lips, Kah'An's face lightened up and a big smile crossed his face. "Thank you Leader!" The boy almost jumped with excitement. Meanwhile, Unak gave a sign with his free hand and the warriors moved away from the pirates, lowering their weapons.

Miyako smiled at the boy who was grinning from ear to ear.

~…~

Shachi adjusted his backpack which contained some food and water. "Why am I the one carrying this?" He whined at the heavy luggage on his back.

Penguin sighed and rolled his eyes. "We've already been over this; Josh is a midget so it'll be complicated for him to carry a backpack larger than him.." He ignored the annoyed protests from the redhead and continued. "….Jean Bart is too big to even put it on his back and he'll need his hands for fighting, and there's no way I'm letting our fragile, cute girl Miya-chan carry it! Where are your gentleman manners?" Miyako sweat-dropped at his explanation; *_Fragile….cute..?*_

"And I won't be any help to you so I'm returning to the sub. I might try and start working on fixing it again, though I doubt I'll be able to do much with just one hand." Penguin added, a sad sigh escaping his lips.

Miyako looked at the dark haired mechanic with worried eyes. "Will you be able to go back on your own with a broken arm?"

Penguin grinned. "Don't worry, Unak agreed to let one of the warriors go with me just in case." The mechanic pointed at a man next to him who had a rifle on his back and a saber in his hand.

Unak cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Besides Kah'An, Moi here will go with you to Unk'Ar." He gestured at a tall man, dressed in a simple cotton outfit , a spear in his hand and a gun at his waist. "He is one of our best warriors. Don't flatter yourself though, I've only chosen him because he needs to protect the boy; I don't want anything happening to Kah'An because of your little quest." He glared at the pirates who just sighed. They were already used to the man's harsh words and cold glares. "You have enough food and water so you're ready to go." He looked like he couldn't wait for the feared pirates to leave his city. Still, Miyako and the group were thankful for the man's help.

Miyako nodded. "Thank you." She then turned toward the gates and her friend. "Then…" She didn't have to finish. The pirates nodded and turned to leave as well, Kah'An and Moi with them.

Shachi sighed when they were already out of the city. "I still don't get it…why is Captain working with the Unk'Ar warriors? Do you really think he has no choice?"

Penguin, who was absorbed with trying to scratch his broken hand without irritating the wound, looked up at his mechanic friend. "Who knows…But captain has a reason for everything he does so he certainly has one now."

Shachi rolled his eyes. "I know he has a reason; what I'm say is that I want to know what it is!"

"Well how should I know, I'm as clueless as you are, idiot!" Penguin snapped back, annoyed with the whole conversation now.

Miyako sighed. "Whatever it is…I'm sure we'll figure out what it is soon enough." Even though she said that to calm down her friends, Miyako herself wondered greatly what the reason behind Law's actions was. There were a few possibilities that popped into her head; such as that he made a pact with them for a safer place to stay and supplies after they captured them, or that they will be released if he did that, or that they threatened him to do it…But whatever she thought of, it seemed weird to her. But the question that bothered her the most was; _since technically Law failed, what will happen to him and the crew now?" _That particular question left a bad feeling in her gut and worry in her mind. She knew Law wouldn't die easily and he wouldn't let anything happen to his crew but the uncertainty of it all unsettled her.

After a while, the group separated from Penguin and the other warrior and headed for the city of Unk'Ar.

~…..~

**10 HOURS EARLIER:**

Law was sitting on the crate, sighing. The sun was slowly setting but the heat was still pretty strong and it made him hard to concentrate. He adjusted his fuzzy hat to keep the sun away, but at this point it only made him feel hotter under it.

Bart was sitting by his side, telling him approximately how much off course they went. They didn't know much about the island or its position but thankfully having advanced technology helped them out a lot so they could at least know how much the island was away from their previous position.

Law turned towards the jungle and so did the rest of the crew when they heard another loud roar coming from the jungle, then a few shrieks. He didn't like this island one bit and he couldn't help the small anxious feeling inside his chest knowing he had sent four of his crewmembers in that jungle. Who knows; maybe they were responsible for these sounds right now. He couldn't even guess what they could be battling right now, but if the sound was any indication, it was big. An image of his troublemaker samurai came to mind and he couldn't help but sigh again after thinking about all the troubles she could get herself into this time. Law looked at the sub, which was still being repaired and saw Shachi working on its hull. "Shachi, how are the repairs going?" He raised his voice a little so the head mechanic could hear him.

The said mechanic turned toward his captain, wiping some sweat from his forehead in the process. By now he and the rest of the crew all had their overalls unbuttoned or the upper part off, showing a simple T-shirt underneath. "It's not that bad and the engines weren't damaged, thankfully. But it will still take a few hours before she can be as sturdy as before." The mechanic put a hand on the sub as if petting his favorite dog. Law wasn't surprised since Shachi and Penguin were a part of making this submarine and considered it their masterpiece. The captain nodded and let Shachi get back to work, while he looked through some books, trying to find any information on this island.

"Captain!" A yell brought him from his work and Law looked up to see one of his crewmembers, who was on guard duty, looking up at the sky, holding a monocular in one hand and pointing at something upwards with the other. Trafalgar followed the pointing finger with his eyes and saw something flying in the air at great speed right at them. Then two more joined in.

*_What is that?*_ A quick thought crossed Law's mind as he stood up and prepared his nodachi for whatever was coming. He squinted his eyes, trying to see better but it was hard because of the sun which was still setting. Even before Law could see clearly what it was, he shouted to his men; "Get ready for battle!" At this order, everyone took their weapons or tried to find some shelter but they were pretty much on the open here at the beach, which gave them great disadvantage.

After some time the crew was able to see the three figures better and see their true shapes. They looked like big weird-looking birds and human forms riding on them. But as soon as they were close enough to be recognized, the men on the birds started shooting at the pirates.

"Take cover!" Someone yelled and the pirates either hid behind the submarine or the trees in the jungle near the beach. The Heart pirates started shooting back but the birds were extremely fast. Law couldn't get them into his sphere either since they were too high in the air. Still he made a sphere around his crew and tried switching as many bullets that were shot at them with sand. Just then he heard a sound coming from the jungle and his haki warned him something was coming closer. The part of the crew that was hiding near the jungle turned around and stared deeper into the jungle forest, as that sound got louder. The sounds of rustling leaves and stomping feet traveled to their ears and they could see tress ahead swaying wildly. The crewmembers moved back to the beach away from the jungle and the sounds, which proved the right choice after a large group of warriors on beasts, no dinosaurs, came out of the jungle trampling on everything in front of them.

"W-what the hell!" Shachi yelled in utter surprise and bafflement. Real, large dinosaurs stood before them, with people on their backs carrying guns and other weapons. Behind them, men ran on foot with loud battle cries. Meanwhile the men on what appeared to be pterodactyls to Law were still shooting down at them.

A cry of pain echoed and Law turned to see one of his crewmembers getting shot in the leg. Meanwhile, Shura, one of Law's best shooters managed to shoot one of the men on the pterodactyl even in fast flight. The man fell down on the sandy ground from at least 20 meters of height. Even if the shot didn't kill him, the fall certainly has.

Law narrowed his eyes and waited for the infantry to run into his sphere. The warriors didn't know of his abilities, which gave him some advantage. As soon as they were in, Law swung his nodachi, cutting a dozen warriors and two dinosaurs along with their riders. At the sight the warriors stopped a bit uncertain and afraid of this unusual power, seeing their comrades in pieces yet still alive.

"Don't stop men! There is nothing to be afraid of! Defeat these intruders that dare walk on our territory!" One of the warriors shouted. He was riding the largest dinosaur there, Austroraptor, a large carnivore dinosaur prompted on two hind legs with needle sharp teeth. The man riding on it was tall, dark-skinned and with a muscled, toned boy. He had scars on his exposed torso and a large scar across his left side of the face, where there was a closed useless eye; or at least what was left of it. A wild mess of black hair danced around him as he rode. The man had a big sword in one hand while holding on the dinosaur's rains with the other. All in all, Law could see that he was the leader of this attack, which made him the first to take out.

Law swung his sword again, slicing some more warriors. Then he swung again slicing the ground between the incoming warriors and his men which were slowly pulling back to the sub and the sea. He saw one of the riders coming towards him from the side but suddenly Bart appeared between them, punching the animal with his large fist, right in the snout, sending it to the ground and on top of its rider, smashing his bones.

"You alright captain?" Bart asked as he glanced at Law. Trafalgar simply nodded and turned his attention back to what he was doing.

Law new they are in a disadvantaged position on the open, and clearly outnumbered. Even with the fighting skills of him and his crew, he knew there would be great casualties on their part if the warriors get to them and they begin an all-out battle. So Law decided to do anything to avoid a direct conflict. Right now we was most concerned with creating shelter. He outstretched one arm, resting his unsheathed nodachi on his shoulder.

As he was working, Jean Bart and Bepo protected him from both sides. Bepo jumped and kicked the dinosaur in the head, then used its head as a lift of to jump higher and kick off the rider as well. "Ha-ya!" With a loud yell he punched another warrior and dodged a spear coming at him then jumped in the air in the middle of five warriors, kicking and punching all of them at such speed that the natives didn't even have time to react. Meanwhile, Bart had tossed a dinosaur into a group of incoming warriors, new warriors ran forward but a dead pterodactyl fell right onto them, courtesy of Garry who shot the animal.

"Everyone pull back towards the submarine!" Law ordered. "Tact" he then simply said and the ground started rising in front of them, creating a barrier between the crew and the warriors. But just then a crumbling of ground created by Law's powers was replaced by the sound of ground crumbling by hard pounding from the other side. Whatever was going on there on the other side, it was making the cracks in makeshift shield which was going to crumble any minute now.

What Law didn't know was that the natives were using Ceratopsidae to run into the ground-shield, crushing it. By now there were at least a hundred warriors waiting for the wall that encircled the pirates to break so they could storm in.

"Everyone get to the sub!" Law realized there wasn't much they could do. A part of his mind was still reminding him of his four crewmembers who were still somewhere out there in the jungle, and could easily become victims of these same natives, if they haven't already. But he had his crew that was here to worry about so he had no other choice but to move out for now. However, just as he said his orders the wall broke. Law slashed with his sword again, taking out one of the first warriors. Jean Bart was by his side, sending the natives flying. "Mister Bart, with Sai gone, you are the only navigator. Go to the sub and submerge it!" Bart looked uncertain about this, not wanting to leave the crew and the captain to their own fate, but the order in Law's voice was clear. After a sigh, Bart nodded.

"Take care, captain…" With that, Bart took off, fighting through the natives who have already encircled them.

Shachi, who was already on the sub using a gun to shoot at the warriors from higher ground, tried to jump down to his captain's side, but Law, seeing what the mechanic was trying to do, gave him a stern look of '_Don't you dare!_' ordering him silently to save himself.

The crew remained to fight even when they were outnumbered and encircled without any cover, and the sub already gone and submerged. The natives tried shooting at it but they couldn't stop it before it was gone. Law sliced and slashed, but the natives just kept coming. There were no dead in his crew yet but a dozen of them had either gun wounds or slashes and cuts. After a while, Law saw there was no point in continuing since it was just hurting his crew more.

"Men! We're surrendering!" As soon as the words left him, Law felt a bitter taste in his mouth, cursing silently at their bad luck. When the warriors heard that, the Leader gave them a sign to stop, but they made sure to point all the weapons at the pirates in case they tried something else. The leader of the natives walked to Law, a good head and a half taller than the captain, and looked down at him with a satisfied smirk.

"Trafalgar Law, are you not?" The man's voice was deep and hoarse.

The pirate captain remained silent for a while. "Who wants to know?" He finally asked.

But as a response, the big man just grinned wider as if really satisfied with something. Still looking right at the captain, the man ordered his warriors; "Take them to the city." Then he turned to see his fallen comrades, some of them still alive even though in parts. "And take back both dead and alive." Then before leaving, he turned to glance at Law again. "I hope they can be fixed…for the sake of you and your crew. That's the part of the reason I'm keeping you alive after all." The man was talking about his sliced up but alive men. He grinned at Law, which made the pirate captain want to slice his head off, but he just narrowed his eyes at the leader with a dark look under his hat.

~…~

"So what exactly do you want from me?" Law was standing in the middle of a room, his hands chained behind his back with sea-stone cuffs. Briefly he wondered where the natives got them, but they probably belonged to some other ship that had the same unfortunate luck to come to this island just like the Heart Pirates. Even though the cuffs were tiring him out, Law was able to stand tall, his pride intact. Well at least that's what he told himself; but it was hard to speak about pride when you were a captive. Still, if someone could pull it off, it had to be him. He didn't even look scared of the of the natives' leader, but he did have a dark look on his face as he glared at the big man before him.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Arrak, I am the leader of this city of Unk'Ar." The tall man turned from Law and looked out the window of his office. They were in the city hall, the highest building in Unk'Ar that had a view of the entire city. A perfect working place for the town's leader. The city itself was large and seemed quite prosperous. It wasn't high-tech developed but the architecture and constructions were still impressive, and they used the beasts on this island, capturing, training and then using dinosaurs both for war power and labor work.

"I can't really say it's a pleasure…" Law mumbled more to himself, but Arrak must have heard him as he let out a deep, throaty laugh. The pirate captain ignored him and sighed. "So what exactly am I here for?"

Arrak turn towards him and smirked. "You're quite impatient Trafalgar Law. That is not a good trait for a leader." Law only narrowed his eyes at the man's taunts. But Law really _was_ getting impatient. He wanted to know what this man wanted from him, but Arrak kept changing the subject as if to irritate Law on purpose. By his gloating smirk, Law supposed that was exactly the case.

With a clearing of his throat, Arrak put his hands behind his back and turned towards the window again, looking at the vast city ahead. "There is another city on this island. Its name is Unk'Ur and it's just a bit smaller than ours. You see, there are a lot of dangerous creatures and other dangers in this jungle, just lurking around, so getting supplies is very difficult. Both we and Unk'Ur are isolated by these mountain chains, the only way to protect ourselves from the monsters, but that makes living hard as well. For decades, even before I became the leader of this city, those two cities were at war, fighting with each other and trying to take food and other supplies from one another. However, Unk'Ar was better evolved and usually it would win, and Unk'Ur would have to hand some of their supplies over if they didn't want their city destroyed." As Arrak said this, he made a wide grin as if remembering the good ol' days. But then his eyes narrowed and his face darkened. "However…three years ago Unak suddenly appeared out of nowhere." Arrak almost spat the name out. "He came to power soon after and became Unk'Ur's leader. After that, everything started changing. He taught the Unk'Ur warriors how to fight better and used numerous strategies to fend us off. He even built better defenses. Before we knew it, we were at a disadvantage and we couldn't break in nor win anymore. The battle would usually end in a way that we had to retreat. Unk'Ur would lose a lot of great warriors too but Unak even started making some strange war constructions that would make us lose twice as many men. So you see, the evolution of our prosperous city is becoming stagnant and we can't let that happen. We need more supplies! What the jungle has to offer is just not enough...and every time I send my hunters for some dinosaur meat, they succeed but at least two or three of my men die in the process. It's just too risky."

As the man finished, Law couldn't help but sigh tiredly one more time. _*So he wants me to help him in his war? I don't have time for this…* _"That's a very sad story but I don't see how it concerns me." Even though Law was very aware of what Arrak wanted, he still wanted to annoy the man a little for the hell of it.

Arrak's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he walked over to Law who didn't even flinch as the big man stood right in front of him, glaring down at the pirate. "Since you are my captive and I have your crew at my mercy, I think it concerns you a lot. I think you already know what I want from you, so don't play dumb. I'm not very nice when angered."

"So you want me to help you…alright, and how do you expect me to do that?" Law asked, cutting right to the chase now.

The man walked to his desk and picked up a piece of paper, before raising it into the air for Law to see. "Even on this god forsaken island, we have heard of the fearsome Trafalgar Law and his abilities."

Law looked at the paper and his eyebrow rose. He heard the wanted poster; *_310 000 000 Beri? They raised my bounty?* _

"And I'm sure your abilities will be perfect for breaking Unk'Ur's defenses." Arrak finished, his voice becoming more deep and deadly, as he grinned evilly.

~….~

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**:

Law was once again standing in Arrak's office with a great feeling of déjà vu. He was still shackled with sea stone cuffs that were returned on his hands immediately after the fight at Unk'Ur. Even then, the guards and warriors of Unk'Ar never let Law out of their sight, and knowing his crew was held captive in Unk'Ar and could be executed after one simple call on the den den mushi if Law tried anything suspicious, wasn't helping his situation either. He thought about several plans that would enable him to escape, but all of them would get his crew in danger. The warriors themselves weren't a problem and he could easily take care of them with his powers and nodachi, but not before they signaled Arrak about it who would then kill off his crew.

Arrak was once again standing with his back turned to Law, looking outside of the window at the great big city. "So you have failed…." The man said in a gruff voice, simply and matter-of-factly, but there didn't seem any anger or annoyance in that voice. Somehow that didn't comfort Law, but instead made him more anxious.

"I got you inside as was the deal….It was your men who failed to do the rest." Law answered in the same simple tone, not willing to be intimidated by the chief.

The big man made a barely hearable sound, still turned away from Law. It almost sounded like a chuckle, but Law couldn't be sure. Suddenly, Arrak turned around and walked slowly towards the pirate captain. When they were about half a meter apart, Arrak stopped with an expressionless face. Law slightly moved his head upward, to be able to see into Arrak's eyes, trying to determine what was in them. But the man had a strange expression that Law couldn't decipher. Then suddenly, a sound of something hard hitting echoed through the room. Arrak had punched Law at the side of his face. Even though Arrak wasn't going easy on him and the stone cuffs were eating up his energy, Law was able to keep himself standing. He stumbled just a little though and there was a red mark that already started swelling in the corner of his mouth. A small trail of blood trickled down to his chin. Even so, Law's glare didn't falter as he stared with murderous eyes at Arrak.

The bigger man simply sighed. "So you pirates are just useless scum after all…" His voice sounded disappointed as if he was talking about mare trash and that made Law's guts swirl with rage. Still, he managed to keep his calm face, but all the hatred and anger were clearly written in his piercing grey eyes that seemed darker than usual. Arrak just smirked at the threat in them.

"Have you forgotten, Mister Trafalgar? That your crew is at my mercy…You shouldn't be so insolent with me." Arrak said it in an over-polite manner which was obviously used to mock the captain.

Law didn't say anything. He kept his mouth in a thin line and waited for this whole irritating situation to end and for Arrak to finally say what he wanted to say in the first place. Law knew the man had no intention of letting him and his crew go nor stop the attack at Unk'Ur; which meant he would use Law again. But the pirate captain had no interest in helping this man again, he decided to break out of prison and save his crew before the next attack….and then pay Arrak back tenfold.

The said man sighed again and walked back to sit behind his desk. He was going over some papers in his hand, and deliberately made Law wait to annoy the pirate captain further. Then after a while he finally spoke; "Do you know why we failed?" The question was simple enough, but Law had a feeling the answer wasn't. There had to be a reason why Arrak asked that.

"Unk'Ar's men were pushed back and they had to retreat….You lost too many soldiers out there." Law answered.

"You don't find that strange?" Arrak suddenly asked, but Law stayed quiet. He didn't have time nor the patience for Arrak's little games. The big man continued; "True, ever since Unak came their soldiers are getting better training and are more capable…even their defenses and weaponry strength has improved….However, the main reason why we haven't been able to beat them yet was because of their strong defenses. Our forces are still stronger and we should've had no problems crushing them once inside. I counted on losing quite a few soldiers in that battle, but ultimately that battle should have ended with me being victorious."

Law almost wanted to roll his eyes at Arrak's egoism and overweening character but managed to contain himself as he listened in silence.

Arrak leaned back in his big chair made out of wood and dinosaur skin and put his hands behind his head. "So what went wrong…" He lifted a sheet of paper in his hand. "Here is the answer to that."

Once again Law contained his cold, calm face not reacting to Arrak's words at all. The truth was; he was a bit interested but he didn't want to show Arrak that. He knew if Arrak found out Law actually wanted to know, he would stall even more just to irritate him.

Arrak didn't stall anymore though. Instead he pierced Law with his eyes and started explaining. "My informants tell me there was a certain group fighting on Unk'Ur's side, that was responsible for our defeat. Some extraordinary warriors who managed to tip the battle in Unk'Ur's favor. By the look of them they didn't seem like Unk'Ur's warriors…besides, I would have heard of them already if they were." He moved his gaze from Law to the paper in his hand. "A monstrous man able to lift and throw a Aucasaurus barehanded, men fast enough to avoid even our rifles, a samurai able to cut down our dinosaur infantry without batting an eye…Only 5 of them and yet they managed to do such mess of my plans." Arrak skimmed through the paper quickly, telling Law about just a short of the report he got from his informants on the battleground.

Meanwhile, Law was able to maintain perfect calmness even though there was a rush of both relief and tension inside of him. The moment Arrak started describing them, the first sentence was already enough, for Law to recognize his crew. He didn't want Arrak to know he had a connection with them so Law kept his indifferent face. But he was glad his crew was alright…at least the ones who didn't get caught. Still, he had an uneasy feeling that Arrak will do anything to get his hands on the people who messed up his plans and made him pull back. And that put his men…and Miyako, in danger. He didn't like that one bit.

"We don't know who they are or where they came from but they sure caused my soldiers some trouble." Arrak sighed, and Law almost did the same after that sentence.

_*So he doesn't know they're a part of my crew…Good. But it'll probably only be a matter of time before he finds out. I need to make my move and get Bepo and the rest out of here before that happens.* _Law looked at Arrak, never softening that dark look in his eyes. "So? What is it that you want from me?"

Arrak leaned on his elbows on the desk and looked at Law with a serious look. It left a bad feeling in the pirate captain's gut. "I don't want them messing up my plans again. I want you to find them and bring them to me…and if you can't capture them alive…well you'll just have to kill them then." His words were serious but also lighthearted, as if he just ordered a cup of coffee and not someone's death.

Law still maintained his perfect calm but cold look, not giving away anything. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Arrak rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be the genius Surgeon of Death? You figure it out. I'll send some men with you…."

Law sighed. "How simpleminded…" He couldn't help but mutter, purposely loud enough for Arrak to hear.

Arrak glared at the pirate. "But remember…The life of your crew is in my hands and so is your life. Don't disappoint me again…or you won't like the consequences." Arrak's look made it perfectly clear what he meant by that threat. The big man nodded to his guards and they took Law away. The pirate captain walked out without resisting.

Law's eyes narrowed as he was taken back to his cell. *_Enjoy this while you can…Because I will make sure you pay for everything soon enough.*_ The pirate thought bitterly.

~…~

"Captain!" A familiar voice of his first mate sailed through the air as Law walked back to his cell, shared with Bepo, Cody and a few other crewmembers while others were sitting not so far away in their own cells. Law walked inside of his cell and sat on the small bed in the corner. He looked at his first mate as the bear stared worriedly at Law, or rather the swelling in the corner of his slightly bloodied mouth. The bear didn't look any better though. He had small bruises and cuts from the battle on the beach still unattended since all of their stuff was taken, including the medical equipment and bandages. Arrak of course didn't care whether Law's men were hurt or not. Bepo's snow-white fur was now the color of grey, somewhere even black and greasy from the dirt he picked up in the cell. Absentmindedly Law though how much of a high-maintenance and a drag that fur actually had to be and couldn't help but feel sorry for Bepo. "Captain! Are you alright! What happened?" Bepo's panicky voice brought him back from his thoughts and made him focus again.

Law nodded. "I'm fine Bepo. We have more important thing to worry about right now." Cody and Bepo looked at him with a questioning look, and Law sighed just remembering it. He looked at where the guards were and when he estimated they were far enough he begun whispering to his first mate and head medic. After he explained the situation, the two had a similar shocked face Law would have when he heard it if he didn't remember to keep his calm.

"Miyako and the others…?" Cody's whispered slowly, as if he still had some trouble processing it. "We have to do something…they're in danger."

Law sighed at Cody's words. "First we need to do something about our situation. We can't help them in here…" Law didn't like this situation any more than Cody did and didn't want his crew in anymore danger than they already were, including his samurai and the rest in Unk'Ur. But he also knew they couldn't rush into anything unprepared. He wasn't exactly angry at the group that stopped Unk'Ar's attack, after all he didn't give a damn about Arrak and whether he succeeded in his war or not. Though he couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at them messing up his strategy and ultimately getting the imprisoned ones of the crew in danger. However Law doubted they even knew Law was behind that attack and the crew imprisoned here. Still, he wondered what were Miyako's and the other's intentions when they fought Arrak's men off. Why did they help Unk'Ur? He had too little information and didn't know what was going on even though they were a part of his crew. But that's why he had to think about those who were here and whose situation he did know. *_Miyako and the others will just have to wait a while.*_ Even as he thought it, Law felt a strange sting in his chest; probably his body telling him how much he disliked that course of action, but thankfully Law's mind was in charge here.

"Alright. First we need to get out of here. I have a plan but it'll be tricky so listen-" Just as Law started whispering his idea, they heard a couple of voices and shouts outside of the jail. The crew looked at each other in wonder.

~….~

A shadow quickly slipped down the street and into the darkness, hiding from the people. The city of Unk'Ar was in slight chaos; several buildings were on fire and the citizens were running around trying to extinguish the big flames spreading quickly through the city. But what was worse; somebody had opened the gates where the animals and beasts were kept, and now panicked large dinosaur were running around from the fire. Their masters tried to calm them but a lot were just stomped on when the wild herd rushed through the streets.

The said shadow met up with three more shadows coming from other directions, and they started running quietly, before splitting up again.

Miyako and Josh hid behind the wall of a house. The samurai girl turned to the short redhead and whispered. "The building across the street is the jailhouse. We need to take out those guards at the front gate as quickly and silently as possible."

Joshua rolled his forest green eyes. "I know, I know. We went over the plan already. I'm no assassin but I think I can handle two lousy jail guards."

Miyako knew Josh was right but she was anxious nevertheless. The plan was going perfectly so far and she didn't want anything to screw it. They had been working on it until night when they finally snuck into the city, thanks to Kah'An and Moi. However the two weren't allowed into the city, by Unak's strict orders, so they waited outside of the town and far enough so they wouldn't be noticed.

The slightest mistake could alter everything and she didn't really want to do the Plan B, which was much riskier and not her style at all…Basically it was; if you're find out, rush in, kill everything in your way and try not to get killed by an army of pissed off soldiers in the process…Yeah, she definitively didn't like Plan B. Unlike that, their plan had been a bit more sophisticated. They opened up the cages of all the dinosaurs and set fires there and in a few more buildings, creating both chaos among the men and the animals, and both were now running around in panic. Meanwhile as the distraction of the townspeople was in process, they divided in to two groups. Josh and Miyako would go save the crew as quickly and unnoticed as possible since they didn't want the whole city after them while Jean Bart and Shachi secured a way out. They had a special task, and Miyako prayed for the two men to succeed, because if they didn't; they'll all be in big trouble.

The samurai girl nodded to the medic. "Let's go." They snuck a bit closer to the guards who were thankfully in their own world, seeing panicked citizens running around and wondering what the hell is happening here. That gave Josh and Miyako enough of a distraction they needed.

Before they could even realize what's going on, a kunai flew through the air and pierced deep into the guard's head. Before the other could react, a shadow of a samurai rushed forwards, the katana flashing in the night and his voice was silenced with a slash at his throat.

The two pirates quickly rushed inside and ran through a long corridor that turned left and made another corridor. The two stopped and peeked around the corner, seeing a big door and two more guards at the end of the hallway. Josh took out something from the pouch around his waist and threw it at the end of the corridor. The guards looked at the rolling item in wonder as it stopped right in front of their feet. A whole in the item started leaking with smoke and the surprised guards started coughing and had to close their teary eyes. Miyako and Josh quickly ran towards them and finished them off without any trouble.

"A smoke bomb? Exactly how many weapons do you have hidden on you?" The girl blinked at Josh in surprise. She already saw senbon and kunai that he seemed to always pull out of nowhere and who knows what else he had hidden in that black pouch of his. The medic just grinned at her words but didn't say anything. Instead he took the keys from one of the guards and unlocked the big doors.

Meanwhile, Miyako had her head on the doors trying to hear any sounds on the other side that would indicate there were more enemies waiting for them. After a while, she heard some movement and her golden eyes narrowed.

"There are at least two people on the other side." She whispered to her redhead friend.

Josh turned the key slowly so that the sound wouldn't be too loud, but it was heard never the less. Miyako heard the movement in the other room stop and knew the men were looking at the doors, confused as to why they were being unlocked. "We have no choice; we'll just have to rush in even if we don't know what's on the other side." Josh whispered and the girl nodded in agreement. "Ready?" The medic asked and once again the samurai just nodded. The medic gave her a pair of goggles, he already wearing ones. Miyako looked at him questionably but he just showed her another smoke bomb. "This time we might be a longer time there so the smoke will affect us to. Try taking shallow breaths. The girl put the goggles on and followed the medic's lead.

Josh kicked open the door but both of them stayed on the sides of the doors in case the enemies started shooting at them. Josh quickly threw another smoke bomb and as soon as it started working the two rushed in.

There were four men inside. Two of them had spears, another one had a rifle and he was shooting randomly into the smoke, and the last one was big and buff, carrying a large axe. Josh threw himself to the side when the tall man with a rifle aimed the gun at him and started shooting. The medic rolled on the floor and ended in a crouch; he quickly threw a kunai that pierced the man's skull. Meanwhile, Miyako was close enough for the man with a spear to see her. The man sliced at her but Miyako jumped backwards, then as he was about to pierce her, she dived under the spear and did a round slash at his feet. The katana easily sliced through his thigh, cutting the artery there. The man fell with a loud yelp but before he could call for help or say anything else, a katana pierced his throat killing him instantly. Miyako felt a familiar tingle on her neck, her Kenbunshoku Haki warning her of danger from above. She looked up and her big eyes widened even more as a big axe traveled down towards her. The girl quickly jumped away, throwing herself out of the axe's way. The big man was standing not far away from her, his axe ready to slice at her again. The man slammed it down and it crushed the ground beneath it, getting stuck into the ground. However the girl wasn't crushed beneath it. Instead, she was standing on the handle of the axe, holding her katana on her side, the tip facing downward. Her weight was enough for the axe to stay stuck in the ground and the man couldn't pull it out. Miyako ran on the wooden handle without any problems or losing her balance, then sliced with her katana upwards and into the man's face. The large man fell down, letting go of the axe. Miyako quickly jumped from the axe and to the ground. When she looked around she saw Josh had taken out the other man with the spear. The smoke was almost completely gone too. Miyako found the keys to the large, wooden doors with a small barred window. Through it, she could see there was a hall with the cells on the other side.

"Finally." She muttered as they reached their goal and Miyako turned the key, opening the door. She noticed there were a whole bundle of keys here, which were probably keys from the cells as well, so she took the bundle with her and opened the doors, Josh by her side.

~….~

"I'm looking for a pirate doctor with a bad attitude? Seen him?" A woman's voice echoed through the hallway, and all the pirates turned their heads towards the sound. Their faces brightened up immediately when they saw a certain samurai girl and a redhead medic.

"Miya-chan! Shorty!" Garry shouted with surprise and glee at the same time. At the nicknames, the couple narrowed their eyes obviously displeased.

"I think we'll leave you behind.." Josh said to Garry as he continued unlocking the cells.

Miyako did the same with some of the keys she took off from the bundle and finally she opened the cell with Law, Bepo and Cody inside.

"A doctor with a bad attitude, huh?" Law mumbled to her when she walked inside but Miyako just grinned.

"Miyako!" Bepo yelled with teary eyes before tightly hugging the girl and pulling her up until her feet didn't even touch the ground anymore.

"Bepo….can't…breathe…" Miyako barely squeezed the words out of her and the bear finally let her go.

"Oh, sorry…" Bepo muttered rubbing the back of his head while the girl took a couple of deep breaths.

Law walked over to them, while Cody was ruffling the girl's hair despite her protests. "Where are the others? Aren't there supposed to be five of you?"

Miyako blinked a bit, confused as to how he could know that but ignored it for now, seeing as they had more important things to worry about. "We'll tell you everything later, for now we need to get out of here." She then saw the stone cuffs on Law's wrists. "What about those?"

"Arrak, the leader of this village has the key…" Law sighed, remembering the man.

Miyako nodded. "Unak told us about him…I mean, the leader from Unk'Ur." She saw Law's inquiring face but only shook her head. "As I said; no time for explaining." That's when she noticed a slight reddened swelling in the corner of his mouth. Miyako fell silent, but there was a strange, almost thoughtful-like, expression on her face.

Law noticed her strange stare. "What is it?"

The girl seemed like she came out of the daze and quickly shook her head. "Nothing. We should go."

With that, the crew went out of the jailhouse and was once again under the dark, starry night sky.

~…..~

Meanwhile in Arrak's office, there was a large man with a dark look of fury on his face as he banged his large fist on the wooden desk. "What the hell is going on here!" Arrak shouted angrily, before turning towards some of his officers. "Does anyone know what happened? What's the status?" He looked outside at the burning city and the rampaging animals.

"We extinguished most of the fires sir. But the trainers are having a hard time capturing and calming the dinosaurs." One of the officers said his report.

"We still don't know what exactly happened but it seems the doors of the cages were opened and the guards there killed." Another added.

Arrak's dark eyes widened as he understood what was going on. Everything suddenly became clear after that report. "There are intruders in the city. Send soldiers to the jail and check on the prisoners." When the men just looked at each other in confusion, Arrak shouted: "NOW!" The men left quickly. Arrak tightened his hands into clutched fists as anger seeped through him. "I am not letting any of you get away, you filthy pirates." He muttered thought gritted teeth.

Suddenly a loud blow was heard somewhere near in the building and before Arrak had time to ask what it was, one of the officers rushed into the room, forgetting all curtsy. "Sir! The building is under attack!"

"What? How many?" Arrak was already grabbing for his large sword.

"J-Just one, sir…." The officer was obviously uneasy answering that since it sounded ridiculous. Several men were already been taken down and they aren't able to stop the mysterious man's progress through the building.

"One? Don't joke with me, soldier!" Arrak yelled angrily. "Where is he headed?"

The officer shuddered under Arrak's deadly glare. "W-we aren't sure but…He could be after you, sir. We put 10 men outside this room just in case."

Arrak's eyes narrowed. "I will not hide here like some coward while you incompetent fools get beaten by one man out there! I know what's going on, and I will stop that damn pirate whoever he is!"

"B-But sir!" The officer tried to stop Arrak and reason with him but only got shoved away and fell on the floor.

Arrak left the room and saw his men outside. "Everyone, follow me! Everyone with guns, form a line!"

~….~

The officer who was left alone in the room sighed, staring at the door. Suddenly a chill ran down his spine as if he felt a presence behind him. He was just about to turn, but there were hands already holding his head and covering his mouth. His eyes widened and that was the only reaction he had time to do before his head was painfully twisted. A sickening snap echoed through the dark room and the officer fell on the floor with his neck broken.

Shachi looked at the fallen officer for a second before looking around the room. _*Heh….I thought he'll be here but I guess I was too late. By the description Unak gave us, this guy isn't Arrak.*_Shachi sighed as he remembered Miyako's words when they were going over the plan.

_-"After we all make a distraction, we will split up. While Josh and I go save the crew, you find and capture Arrak. Sooner or later the townspeople will find out what's going on and come after us. We can use Arrak as a hostage to escape safely." _It sounded good in theory but was a bit harder to actually accomplish. Arrak was the leader and probably the strongest man in this city after all. As they ran towards the City Hall and Arrak's office, Jean Bart decided to act as a decoy, fighting the man in the building while Shachi snakes in and surprise-attacks Arrak when he's distracted. However, the leader just had to go and fight instead of listening to his officer and stay here in the room. Shachi sighed again annoyed by the situation. He was also worried about Bart who was going against the whole building. He knew the man was both smart and freakishly strong, but even he wasn't bulletproof. However they all got stronger in these past 9 months and so did Jean Bart.

_*First, I need to think about my job and do my part of the plan right.*_ Shachi saw a sharp paper opener on the desk and took it. He walked slowly to the doors and crouched in front of them, sticking a part of the paper opener through the crack beneath the doors. He tried to see on the other side, in the bright hallway. There he saw a big man, probably Arrak, standing with a large sword in his hand. Beside him were two men with swords as well, and in front of him a line of five people with prepared rifles in their hands, aiming in front of them. They were obviously waiting for Bart to show up in the hallway, the only way towards Arrak's office. Shachi gulped. *_This is bad…If I don't do anything, Jean Bart will be killed!* _

Then suddenly he heard a loud crash and ruble started flying all around. The dust was so thick he couldn't see anything. He didn't know what was going on but that was all the distraction he needed. *_I think that's my queue to move out!* _

~…~

Arrak and his men stood in the hallway, prepared for anything. However the sounds of fighting had stopped some while ago and now everything fell silent.

"It's too quiet….What's going on there….?" Arrak muttered before nodding to one of his officers to go check it out. The soldier ran cautiously towards the corner of the hallway and peeked around it. He looked back at his leader with a confused expression and shook his head, telling there was no sign of the enemy except scattered bodies of their own men.

Arrak clutched the sword in his hand. "Where could he had gone!"

Just then he heard a crack on the wall next to them. The men turned their heads towards the sound of cracking wall.

"What the-" was all one of the men had time to say before a loud crushing noise came and the wall practically exploded, debris and chunks of a stone wall flying at the soldiers. Out of all the debris and the dust, a large figure appeared rushing towards them with one hand ready to strike.

Jean Bart had gone to the room next to the hallway and broke through the wall there as a surprise attack. His large fist hit the floor where the men with the rifles crouched in their ready pose, and crushed the ground together with the men. The others were still shocked from the sudden attack and tried to regain their wits while they coughed violently to get the dust out of their lungs.

One of the men saw a dark shadow through the dust, a shadow so large it reached all the way to the ceiling. With wide, scared eyes and trembling hands, the man lifted his rifle and pointed it towards the figure. But before he could even fire, a large hand reached through the dust cloud and the fingers easily enveloped the gun. With seemingly no effort the large man clenched his fist and crushed the gun. The soldier made a scared high-pitched noise when the large fist grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him in the air, then swung him and threw him into some other soldiers.

Jean Bart hit another man and sent him flying to the wall, creating a hole there. "Tch, just because I'm big and strong, doesn't mean I'm stupid. Who would just rush to this hall and into such an obvious trap." Jean Bart muttered as he continued to pound into the soldiers with his large fists. Just as he thought he was finished, Bart felt a danger coming towards him. He made a step back and just in time to avoid a sharp slice of a large sword. The tip barely sliced Bart's skin and created a thin bloody line on his cheek, right beneath his eye. Bart's eyes narrowed as he tried to see through the dust, which was slowly settling down. When it finally cleared out, he saw a big, muscular man in front of him. The man wasn't nearly as big as Bart but none-the –less quite big. His dark eyes pierced Bart with menace, a snarl on his tanned face. His long, black hair was messy as usual but also had bits of dust and pebbles from the wall in it.

"You must be the leader of Unk'Ar; Arrak." Jean Bart said in a dry voice. He still remembered what happened the last time they met.

"Hn, I remember you…you're that big fellow from Trafalgar's crew…the one who ran away." Arrak sneered and made a wide grin, taunting Bart on purpose.

Bart's eyes narrowed dangerously. It was hard to go and leave Captain and the crew on their own, but it was captain's orders and Bart couldn't disobey them. As a former captain he knew very well how important the role of captain is and that captain's orders should be followed at all time, no matter what. Otherwise the respect and the importance of the whole role shatters.

Before Bart had time to answer, Arrak ran at him and attacked him with his sword. The metal cut through the air and almost cut a part of Bart, if the navigator didn't move on time. Bart dodged to the side and tried to punch Arrak but the leader was a swift man despite his size. He crouched and dodged the fist then jumped towards Bart still in the crouch, slicing at Bart's feet. Jean Bart tried to dodge but couldn't completely and felt a sting above his knee where the sword went in. Arrak was a skilled fighter. However, Bart was too and he was able to keep his balance and doge a piercing attack from Arrak. But going barehanded at a skilled swordsman was always a big disadvantage.

Just then a figure swiftly approached Arrak from behind. The man sensed movement and turned, slicing with his sword but the other was faster. Shachi ducked and delivered several fast and bone crushing punches to Arrak's abdomen. Even with the big, muscular body the man swayed from the blows and coughed some blood. He stumbled backwards and was about to swing at Shachi when a hand came from behind and enveloped around Arrak's hand which was clutching the sword. Arrak watched in horror as the large fist tightened around his hand. With some resistance at first, the bones in the hand gave away and a sickening sound of crushed bone and meat came to Arrak's ear even before the excruciating pain did. Arrak screamed in pain and let go of the sword, looking at what was left of his right hand.

Shachi sighed and warned the navigator. "Hey, don't kill him, he's useless to us dead."

"I know…this was just an answer for before." Bart said, remembering Arrak's taunt that was spat at him not so long ago. Shachi looked at him with a questioning and puzzled look but Jean Bart didn't have the time nor the will to explain. Instead he turned Arrak around and delivered a hard blow to his stomach and literally punched the man into unconsciousness.

Bart put the man over his shoulder. "Come on, we need to hurry to the meeting point."

Shachi sighed. "You know, you're a really scary man, Bart…" He muttered and ran together with the navigator.

~….~

The soldiers surrounded Miyako, Law and the rest of the crew.

"Men, prepare for battle!" Law yelled and the crewmembers answered with an "Aye, Captain!" as they prepared their weapons that they retrieved from the armory.

"Where are Shachi and Bart with Arrak!" Josh muttered impatiently as the Unk'Ar warriors circled around them and prepared their weapons as well.

Just as the soldiers were about to attack a loud voice made everyone stop. "Stop!" It was Shachi's yell and they appeared behind the soldiers with Arrak on Bart's shoulder. Miyako's and Josh's face brightened up immediately while Law and the other crewmembers looked at the pair confused not knowing what was going on. "You stay away from them or your leader is finished!" The pirate threatened as the couple walked cautiously towards the rest of the crew. As soon as they were together, Cody found a key in Arrak's pocket at released Law from his sea stone shackles. Law smirked at his freed wrists.

"It seems things are finally looking for the better." The pirate captain muttered before looking at the town's soldiers. "Now, I think you should let us leave quietly for the sake of your leader." Law walked slowly as the soldiers made a path for him and his crew, nobody daring to attack them now with their prisoner.

But it seemed their luck hasn't been revived completely after all. Arrak started waking up from his slumber and stirring. With blurry eyes he looked around and it didn't take long for him to realize the situation. The pirates were walking away, his men doing nothing because he was the hostage. Arrak smirked. *_You have underestimated me, pirate scum!* _He breathed enough air to fill his lungs and shouted for everyone to head, surprising both his men and the pirates. Even Law turned around quickly with wide eyes when he heard Arrak's voice behind him.

"Attack! Don't mind me and attack for your honor's sake! Don't let these pirates get away! Kill them! These are your leader's orders! Kill them all!" Everyone was surprised by Arrak's order but it didn't take long before the soldier's moral went sky-high because of their leader's bravery, and they charged at the pirates with a loud battle cry.

Jean Bart cursed under his breath and swung Arrak off his shoulder and into the coming crowd of angry warriors.

Law quickly turned to Josh. "Mister Joshua, about the rest of our crew-" Before he had a time to inquire completely, Josh answered.

"They're waiting with the sub, captain." Even Penguin should have already been there as they planned before leaving Unk'Ur.

Law nodded at some good news for a change and yelled loud for everyone to hear. "Everyone hurry to the submarine!"

The pirates hurried out of the town through the path that opened for them when the hostage situation was still working. But just as they passed the large gates made of stone and wood which were opened for them to pass safely, the pirates came to a sudden stop. Outside was a whole army of Unk'Ur's warriors; men with rifles, swords, spears, some riding on various kinds of dinosaurs. At the front was Unak sitting on a Brachylophosaurus, a large dinosaurs of 20 feet and 2tons with a saddle on its back for the rider, Unak, to sit on. The tall man had his usual big rifle resting on his shoulder and a piercing look in his eyes.

"Men! Prepare to engage in combat! Let's show those Unk'Ar men that you should never mess with Unk'Ur warriors!" Unak yelled words of encouragement which made his soldiers shout with battle spirit. He smirked at the pirates and turned to Miyako. "You should get out of here, it's going to be messy here very soon. Besides, Kah'An and Khala are expecting you."

Miyako blinked surprised a few times at first but then smiled and nodded. She then turned to Law. "It's ok, they're on our side…I think." She sweat-dropped when she saw Unak's glare towards Law. *_Guess he still hates pirates though_.*

As they went through the jungle and towards Unk'Ur, the pirates could hear sounds of battle echoing not far behind. Unk'Ar was already in the state of panic and chaos from the fires and the rampaging animals, some of their warriors already defeated, and Arrak beaten from the start…with that kind of situation they had no chance against Unak and his men. Miyako wondered if Unak kept a close eye on Unk'Ar and everything that was happening and decided to attack when he realized that the situation was in his advantage. Miyako sweat-dropped. *_So he kinda used us…ugh, I hate being manipulated. But he did save us in the end with that…and we can even take care of our wounded in Unk'Ur.*_

~…~

It was already dawn when Unak and his men returned…well most of them anyway, since some still died in battle. They were leading Arrak tied with ropes as their prisoner and proof that the long-lasting oppression of Unk'Ar was finally over. As soon as Khala saw the tall man she rushed towards him and gave him a bone crushing hug, then started scolding him for going into battle so suddenly. The whole scene was so unlike Unak and weird that Miyako and the others who met Unak before didn't know what to think of it.

Meanwhile, Cody, Josh and the other medics of the crew treated all their injured crewmembers and Cody, being a good guy as he was, even treated some of Unak's soldiers when they returned. In return, Law managed to make a deal with Unak for supplies and a few men from the town to help them carry it to the sub. The pirates also managed to get some rest before they had to move on towards the beach. At one point Law disappeared and nobody knew where he went, but the talk in the crew was he paid a little visit to Arrak before they left. Nobody knew what exactly happened in the basement of the jailhouse, but some people swore they heard screams echoing all the way from the other side of the city.

"I hope the sub is all fixed now." Cody said.

"Well, Penguin can't do much with one arm, but Sai and Munk are there too so they probably helped as much as they could." Shachi answered rubbing his chin. But it was obvious he was worried as well about the sub. It was normal, after all he was one of the head mechanics and he considers the submarine his masterpiece and is always boasting about how he manages to keep it running. Though he conveniently leaves out Penguin and the other mechanics who work on the sub as well.

When they were about to leave, some of the townspeople walked the pirates to the entrance.

"Well…I still don't like pirates but….I suppose you're not the worst pirates in the world." Unak said somewhat grumpily.

Law smirked at the man's childish behavior and the other pirates grinned.

That's when Kah'An suddenly ran and hugged Miyako, almost knocking her over. The samurai girl's eyes widened in surprise but after a while she got over the shock and hugged the skinny boy back. Her golden eyes softened as he looked down at him.

"Thank you." The boy said smiling at the girl when he finally released her.

Miyako smiled again. "No, thank you. You helped us a lot Kah'An. And you proved your bravery. Don't ever forget what you did that night."

The boy nodded, his eyes full of determination. "I won't! I'll become a strong warrior too, you'll see!"

A hand came over the boys head and ruffled his hair. "Before that you still have a lot to go, kid." Unak said warningly and ignored Kah'An's displeased look. Josh, Shachi and Miyako smirked at that gesture that seemed so unlike Unak once again, but he obviously seemed nicer to the boy than before.

Then just as they turned to leave, Josh finally stopped. "Wait! We can't go yet!" Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at the redhead in surprise while he looked as if he had forgotten something important. The medic suddenly turned towards Unak again. "I can't go before I know! Who are you!" It was eating at Josh ever since he saw Unak fight. He, as well as Bart, Miyako, Shachi and Penguin, knew Unak wasn't just your average guy. So who was he? Joshua thought he won't be able to sleep at night if he doesn't find out and satisfy his curiosity.

Unak looked surprised at first but then smirked. "So you noticed, kid?" He put his rifle on his shoulder and closed his eyes as if he was remembering something, then opened them again. "I used to be a marine- A Commodore at that….But our ship got destroyed by pirates and I was the only survivor, stranded on this island. The people here took me in and took care of me until I was better….I felt at peace here. Soon enough I realized I like this life and this people…I was getting too old for all that marine business anyway." The man smirked as if he was joking, probably his old age reference. "The marines never even sent out a search party, probably thinking everyone was dead. So I just stayed and made a life here." He took Khala by the waist as he said that and the woman smiled at him.

"eeh…that explains why he hates pirates with a passion…."Shachi answered.

"Yes, I was a marine after all….Any problems with that!" His tone suddenly sounded more threatening as he tapped his rifle with his fingers a few time and gave the group a fierce look just like before.

"No! None at all!" Almost everyone said with a sweat-dropp seeing that scary look. Only Law and Jean Bart sighed at their crew's reaction, and Miyako chuckled lightly. Law looked at her hearing that small sound and saw her smiling face, as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. He remembered the strange look she gave him in that cell but still didn't have any idea what that was about. He gave up on it for the moment and turned to Joshua.

"Well you got your answer Mister Joshua, now let's go. " The truth was, Law was anxious to see the sub and the rest of the crew as well and to finally be on their way again with a fixed sub and new supplies.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Everyone yelled and happily went through the jungle, following the town's soldiers who helped them carry the crates and guided the way to the beach.

~…..~

"So, I think this is the first time that I went saving _you_."

Law turned at the familiar female voice as they walked through the jungle. He didn't even have to look at her to know she had a big, gloating smile on her face. "I think I'm still in the lead for that, Miss Miyako." Law smirked.

Miyako made a mockingly serious face, with closed eyes and her index finger high in the air. "Even so, even so…Mister Law, you should really watch not to get in trouble. It endangers…." Miyako started preaching to him similar to how he had done to her so many times. She knew it wasn't really his fault and he was a good captain and he knew what he was doing. But still, she wanted to get back at him juuuust a little bit. Just tease him a little.

Law, of course, knew her intentions but still his eye twitched a little when he heard her and saw her mocking face. "Miss Miyako…" He muttered, just about to stop her ramblings, when she surprised him.

"Still, I'm glad." Her voice suddenly cut him off with something unexpected. Law looked at the samurai girl in wonder, not knowing what she meant exactly. The girl looked at him sideway and smiled a little. "I'm glad you're alright."

Law's eyes were ever so slightly widened but after he got over the initial shock, the captain simply smirked at her. Seeing this, Miyako cleared her throat and quickly made a serious face. "_Ehem_ I mean, I'm glad _all_ of you are ok….you know, the crew…and…it'll be hard to continue traveling if we don't have a captain…or the rest of the crew!" The girl started rambling and trying to get out of what she said before. Law just stared at her embarrassed expression with an amused smirk on his face.

"We're here!" Somebody from the pirate crew yelled and pointed at the beach. They could already hear the sea.

"Oh, look, we're here! We better hurry then!" Miyako quickly said and started walking straight ahead towards the submarine lucky to be able to get out of the embarrassing topic.

_*Are all the women in Wano like this…?*_ Law could help but think as he watched the girl leave in hurried footsteps. *_I doubt it…*_ He couldn't help but smirk at the girl again before he too reached the beach and went to the sub.

The submarine looked in much better shape than before and it seems they even painted the parts that were scrapped off by the sea monster. Just as they walked over to the end of the beach, the metal gates of the submarine opened. A black hat with a red pompon peeked out.

"Oh, it's Penguin!" Shachi yelled and grinned when he saw his friend was indeed ok. But his smile disappeared soon enough. Actually all the smiles disappeared from the crew's faces when he saw the rest of what came out of the sub.

Penguin was unconscious and being carried by a tall man…a very tall man. The man had a simple suit and a familiar mask that looked like it came out of some Greek tragedy.

"Abaddon!" Bepo exclaimed remembering both the figure and the scent of the strange man. Bepo still didn't even know if he should call him a man since the person had a completely different scent than any human he has ever encountered.

"Captain!" Another crewmember pointed to a bay near from here that was barely visible from their position. Still, Law could make out the sails of a marine battle ship.

In an instant Law figured out what was going on. "A trap." His eyes widened a little before he turned to his crew. "Everyone prepare for battle!"

"Heh. They actually think they can defeat us." A new voice came into hearing range and the crew looked behind them and up. In one of the tall jungle trees, there was a big man who looked like a sumo wrestler. He had a girlish hair style, but there wasn't anything famine about him or the big scar on his face. He was wearing a marine coat of an officer. Finally, in his hand he had a large axe almost the size of a person.

"Hey, isn't that guy from Saobody?" Shachi exclaimed remembering seeing him with the pacifista on the day the marines raided the Archipelago. However the Heart Pirates were able to escape that day without confronting the guy directly. Luckily for them, since they had their hands full with the pacifista and later even Kizaru.

Law nodded. "Yes, I believe his name was Sentomaru." The captain explained the little knowledge he had of the big fellow.

"That's right, I'm Sentomaru, a bodyguard of Vegapunk but also a marine officer now. So I can arrest all of you officially! Ah! But I shouldn't have said all that! Well you aren't gonna get anything else out of me!" Sentomaru yelled.

"But how did he find us here?" Miyako asked more to herself than anyone else.

"Akainu used his best navigators to determine where are the possible routes you could've taken after the last location we had of you. This was one of the few islands in that parameter. You've created some serious trouble for us lately so Akainu decided to end you for good. Ah! But I shouldn't have said that either!" Suddenly he turned to Abaddon. "Oy, Abaddon! Vegapunk said you need to listen to my commands so you better do what I tell you! If it's possible we need to capture Trafalgar Law alive…He'll be executed as an example to all the other rookie pirates and the 11 supernovas."

Abaddon lethargically looked up at Sentomaru and was quiet a few seconds, then answered. "Father did? I see…I understand."

Miyako and the rest of the crew looked at Abaddon. "Father?" They didn't really understand what he meant. Was Vegapunk really this guy's father?

"In any case, be careful you guys. That guy ate the Sliver Sliver Fruit and is a Logia type!" Bepo warned remembering the battle he, and later Law, had with Abaddon.

Law glared at the tall, slender man as well. "What did you do to the crew in my submarine?" There was a dark look in his eyes that almost looked like sheer hatred. But Miyako understood it was because he must've been worried about them. Who knows what Abaddon did to them. The girl didn't remember much of the man since she was unconscious most of the time in that castle but by the reaction of Law and Bepo she understood he wasn't a man to mess around with.

The said slender man just tilted his head, looking at Law through his mask. He was as passive as the last time Law saw him. "Who knows…" The man simply answered, which only served as fuel to Law's fire. However the pirate captain managed to keep his calm and not just charge at Abaddon which would be a bad idea. Especially with Sentomaru behind them. And if his haki was right, the two weren't the only enemies here. He looked over at Miyako who had a tense expression similar to his and knew she could feel the presence of other people around them as well.

Just then Sentomaru lifted his arm as a signal and a dozen marines came out of the jungle, running towards them. The Heart pirates prepared themselves but then a light shone somewhere from the jungle, and it only took Law a few seconds to remember what it was.

"Dodge!" He yelled and the pirates scattered just in time to avoid a laser beam that was shot at them. The ground shook as heavy footsteps stomped on the ground. After a while, a large pacifista came out of the leaves, his mouth open and smoking from the laser beam. Law took out his nodachi and the other pirates prepared as well, but everyone had the same bad feeling in their gut. They were overpowered. A marine officer that could use haki, a pacifista, a logia type user and a bunch of marines to get in their way. Law's grip on his nodachi tightened. *_Dammit_!* He couldn't help but curse at their unfortunate events these days.

* * *

><p><strong>Damn, this took long enough to proofread, I almost fell asleep at one moment. And my neighbors aren't helping me with their constant yelling; I could hardly concentrate to finish this. -.-' *sigh* Anyways, it's finally done and the ending is kinda a transition from one Arc into another. I think now you get why I needed to put that fight with the marines at the beginning in the last chapter; because the fight was supposed to get Akainu's attention on the Heart pirates and so he planned this whole thing to get rid of them before they became an even more threat or went to the New World. And Abaddon is back! Bet some of you were wondering what happened to him. :P<strong>

**So I hope you liked it. After I proofread it I wanted to change a few things but that would make other things change and I would probably find myself rewriting the whole chapter XD So I said fuck it, it stays as it is whether I like it or not! XP **

**As always, reviews, comments and criticism are always welcome so feel free to leave some. And if anyone else wants to draw Miyako and anything else from my story feel free to do so and I'll post it on my profile. :) Actually, I'm thinking I should at least make a picture of Miyako as well. **


	37. Chapter 37

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Waaah, finally! *angels singing hallelujah in the background* So yeah, it's been chaos for some time and I needed some BloodyMarryMe time to sort it all out. :P But with the new school year starts the continuation of my story as well! Yay! ^^ Well I won't waste any more time/space for talking here. Instead, enjoy the new chapter and I hope you like it! :D Also sorry for the long wait!**

**As always, I'll answer some questions/comments and I'll try to keep it short. :) And everyone, thank you all for the wonderful reviews and especially for your patience!**

** .Blaze: **The marines cut off the broadcast, but then Buggy finds a den den mushi determined to show the world what a great pirate he is (I think he wants to beat Whitebeard in front of the world or something impossible like that :P) and nobody is really paying attention to him but instead continue to watch the execution. That's how Law knew Luffy was in need of rescue anyway. :)

**PsychomaticaX: **First I want to say; Thank you! ^^ And secondly; I try to catch all the grammar errors when I proof read the chapter but I still miss some sometimes. And since English isn't my first language I guess it's sometimes hard for me to find the right words. ^^' But whenever you find an error or something, you can just tell me and I'll correct it.

**animelover56348: **Heh, I know what you mean. Even though One Piece has a lighter note most of the time, I want to get some darker and scarier elements like real pirates have. (And it's not hard to do, especially with Law's freaky power. ;P)

**fritillary252: **Meh, I know but I keep them only because sometimes there are italic words in the story (like for emphasizing) that aren't thinking, so it's to avoid any misunderstandings.

**Eviline: **Yep, I've decided to do it as if she's thinking the name of the technique when she does it. That way they'll have names, but she won't shout them. (I mean, if I was fighting someone and they started shouting names of each of their techniques I'd just be 'wtf dude?!' XD)

**Izzie: **hehe. Yeah, Sentomaru is kinda irritating me too...though I'm not sure why. He's just...not likable (at least to me). ^^' But yeah, sorry for the long wait. And I want Miyako/Law fluff too! Oh wait...I gotta write it. ^^' XD But there's gonna be some in the next few chapters cause I've been neglecting it lately.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I own the OC Suzune Miyako. Rated T for blood and language.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 37<strong>

Law gripped his nodachi as he glared at Sentomaru. "Don't underestimate us...we're stronger than 9 months ago." The pirate captain stared at the big marine officer with threat in his eyes. True, the Heart pirates had gotten much stronger than when they were on Saobody, but still, this situation worried Law even if he didn't want to let it show. Even if they were stronger, the Heart pirates were facing a marine officer capable of using haki named Sentomaru commending one of the pacifista, a logia type Abaddon who was still as mysterious as ever and some small fry marine who were annoying nevertheless. Combining all that Law knew they were in quite a predicament. The only thing he could be grateful for was the fact that a vice admiral wasn't here as well. Obviously Akainu didn't consider them such a treat to send a vice admiral after them already but this situation wasn't much better anyway.

As Law looked around he could see some of his men were already fighting off the first wave of marines. The crew's shooters made two lines, one standing and one kneeling in front and shooting at the incoming marines, but the marines had their own artillery. *_I need to do something about that.*_ There was one thing Law had been practicing with his powers but he didn't have a chance to try it in combat yet. _*I hope it works…if not, we'll be in even bigger trouble.* _Law's devil fruit power, the Ope Ope fruit, allowed him to treat everything in his sphere as his operating table…which meant he could use the things in the sphere pretty much as he pleased. When you understand that much and your imagination is big enough, you can do all kinds of things. So understanding that, Law had many ideas of all the possible ways how to use his devil fruit power. This was just one of them.

The pirate captain created his sphere which was big enough to encircle most of the marines. Unfortunately, Abaddon who was still on his submarine, Sentomaru and the pacifista were still out of reach. Law took out his nodachi and put it in a vertical position. He put the palm of his other hand on the blunt side of the sword. "Scan" He simply said and then moved the palm of his hand towards himself. But nothing happened. Law cursed silently and frowned at the same time. The captain sighed before taking a deep breath and concentrating even more on the targets in front of him. *_Maybe I should try with less of them first._* He focused on the handful of marines who were shooting at his men. He once again reached towards them. "Scan!" Suddenly the guns in their hands moved and started rattling. The marines only started at their moving weapons dumbfounded not knowing what was going on. Before they could react, the guns flew from their hands and towards Law, then landed on the beach behind him.

"Oh, cool, more weapons for us!" Josh grinned and took a rifle. He wasn't one of the gunmen in the crew but it's always good to have a backup weapon. He knelt down and shot one of the marines who was behind Cody, trying to strike at him with a sword while the medic was fighting off two more marines in front of him. The blue-haired man looked behind him at the falling marine in shock and then turned to Josh with a same surprised look. The redhead just grinned at the other medic and gave him a thumbs-up. Cody smirked back, then turned around and continued fighting marines.

Law sighed in relief when his power worked and then turned to another group of marines to do the same. Just as he was done, Bepo's voice echoed through the beach. "Incoming!" Only a bright light was seen before the raw destructive power of the pacifista's laser beam hit the ground. The crew jumped aside and dodged the blow but the power of the blow still sent them flying into the sand.

~…~

Miyako jumped into the air to dodge another laser beam and landed with the katana in her hand, a few meter away from the line of the left-over marine gunmen. The girl didn't even stop as she ran towards them. The marines aimed and fired their shots but the samurai was already in the air. Miyako landed among them and slashed mercilessly at the marines, cutting both the rifles and the bodies in her way. She felt another back next to hers and turned to see Sam fighting with his short sword in one hand and a gun in the other. He sliced one marine and turned right in time to shoot another in the face. Meanwhile Miyako cleaned up on her side. Just then a loud grunt was heard and Miyako's eyes widened as she saw one of the crewmembers flying all the way into the water. There, she could see Abaddon slithering his limbs towards the beach while he was still on the sub and then grabbing two of the crewmembers and dragging them into the water. Surely, he was guarding the ship so the pirates couldn't retreat and escape. Miyako's eyes traveled back to where Sam was standing to see Sentomaru who jumped from the tree and used his haki to blast Sam away.

The big man looked down at the girl. "You should just surrender and make less trouble for me…that is if you don't want to die." His voice was serious and cold as he stared down at her.

Miyako glared up at him and prepared her katana without saying anything. Her sword will do the talking instead.

Sentomaru raised his giant axe and sent it down towards Miyako. The girl prepared herself for the blow and blocked the axe. Both warriors used haki through their weapons and Miyako could feel his haki's blow against her own. The two haki powers crashed just as their weapons did and a clash of power created a large blast from the weapons. A gust of wind swirled around rising sand and a curtain of dust appeared around them.

"heeh? So you can use haki too. Still, I am stronger!" Sentomaru suddenly put all his strength in his arms and pushed Miyako away. She quickly jumped backward so not to be trampled by his big body. Just as she landed, Sentomaru was already swinging down his axe at her. But before it could make contact, Bepo appeared out of nowhere, delivering a kick at the big axe that brought it off its course and away from Miyako. The bear landed next to Miyako and made a fighting pose.

"Are you ok, Miya-chan?!" The polar bear was still staring at Sentomaru with serious black eyes as he asked his friend with a concerned voice. But even though Bepo was usually the first one to panic in dangerous situation, she could feel the fighting spirit rising from him. He was always like that; panicking, but when it was time to fight, he never ran or hesitated.

Miyako nodded her head. "Yeah, thanks Bepo." Bepo also got stronger in these past 9 months, just like everyone else. He had good instincts since he was an animal, almost as if he possessed Kenbunshoku Haki himself. And Miyako noticed the last time they fought the marines, Bepo was definitively using Busoshoku haki to enhance his fighting. Not to mention since he was a bear, he was stronger than an average human from the beginning. And with his kung-fu skills he was definitively a fine warrior. *_He also got a lot stronger in these past nine months…*_ But at that moment something crossed Miyako's mind. "Bepo! Shouldn't you be helping Law, though?" Usually Bepo was always near Law's side, especially in a fight, always ready to jump in and save his captain. But the polar bear shook his head, still glaring at Sentomaru who watched the talking bear with both surprise and interest.

"Captain told me to go and help you fight Sentomaru. Meanwhile, they'll take care of the pacifista and Abaddon." Even though Bepo had a determined voice, Miyako could clearly detect worry. She noticed Bepo was especially anxious when Abaddon was in question. The strange man left a bad feeling in the first mate's gut and the hairs on his fuzzy fur would stand up at the sight of the strange slender man. Miyako moved her gaze and glanced at Law who was with Shachi and Jean Bart, fighting the pacifista at the moment. Josh, Cody and the others were finishing the last of the marines. A group of pirates went and tried to attack Abaddon but with no luck. He seemed to fight them off effortlessly. Most of the crew had injuries and a few were unconscious due to the pacifista's laser beam.

Sentomaru sighed, which brought back Miyako's attention to him. "I knew they wouldn't be enough to defeat the Heart pirates but I thought they'd at least be of more use and handicap more of them." Sentomaru had a disappointed look as he watched the fallen marines. "Oh well, guess that weirdo Abaddon, Px-5 and me will have to do…we'll finish this job in no time."

His words and confidence irritated Miyako and she gritted her teeth. She could see Bepo's snarl from the corner of her eyes. He was obviously as angry as she was. "We'll see about that." She murmured and suddenly both Bepo and Miyako charged towards Sentomaru.

~…~

Law jumped and evaded yet another laser beam coming from px-5. He was the diversion while Bart and Shachi appeared behind the pacifista. Shachi kicked the inner part of the cyborg's knee, ruining its balance and making the big body stumble. Jean Bart was already in the air, taking advantage of px-5's misbalance and delivered a punch into the side of its head. The cyborgs swayed sideway and then fell to the ground from the strong punch. Shachi grinned and cheered as they stood on each side.

"Whoot! We did it!" Shachi raised his fist in the air.

But something felt off to Law. *_That was almost too easy…* _Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the pacifista twitch. Shachi didn't notice as he was still grinning with victory and even Bart seemed to relax. "Fools, get away!" Law shouted at his two subordinates as the cyborg suddenly raised both arms, palms aimed at both pirates. The brightening light of two laser beams coming from px-5's palms made impossible to see what happened, as the blast shot out. Only when both the blast and the light disappeared did the shadows of two bodies become visible. It was hard to see precisely but both bodies looked damaged, almost burned and ripped apart.

A blue hat with a red brim appeared in Law's field of vision, a few meters away from him. "T-That was close…" A hoarse voice said.

"Yes…too close for my liking." Another voice responded, near the first.

Bart and Shachi were standing a few meters away from Law, both still wearing surprised looks on their faces.

Around them, Law and the pacifista was Law's blue sphere. Both his hands were outstretched towards the big cyborg, his nodachi shoved into the sand beside him. As the sand and smoke cleared, they saw two unmoving bodies lying on the ground and px-5, slowly standing up. Even though the bodies were charred, there were still remains of marine uniforms on them. Law managed to act fast enough to create the sphere and switch his two crewmembers with the closest marines. Luckily, his speed for creating the sphere improved over time as well.

"Be more on your guard! You already saw what these things can do on Saobody, don't underestimate them. We might have gotten stronger but don't let your guard down." Law reprimanded the two in a serious voice, never taking his eyes over the once-again moving pacifista.

"Sorry captain..." Both Shachi and Jean Bart said at the same time looking at their feet apologetically.

~…..~

"Geeez…Be more careful px-5, don't kill our own men!" Sentomaru saw the scene behind them and reprimanded the pacifista, though his voice sounded bored as though he didn't really care whether the marines got killed or not. He obviously cared more about these machines than the fallen men around him. Suddenly, Bepo's fist appeared out of nowhere, almost hitting him in the jaw, but Sentomaru dodged with matching speed then blocked a sudden attack coming from Miyako.

"Tch…he's fast for someone so big." Miyako mumbled and took another stance.

"Even so, captain left him to us so we have to defeat him! Captain and everyone are doing their best too! So we can't lose!" Bepo landed on Sentomaru's other side, his stance and words showing confidence, which left Miyako a bit taken back. Bepo didn't sound like his usual self but Miyako was sure it was because he too understood the severity of the situation they were in.

_*Bepo isn't loosing heart, so neither should I!*_ Miyako nodded with a determined look at Bepo and crouched a little. She moved her katana in horizontal with the blade turned up and the sharp point pointed at Sentomaru. Her golden eyes seemed sharper and colder than before as they fixed on the target ahead. *_Ittouryu Technique; Needle Rain* _Suddenly, Miyako started making, fast consecutive thrusts at the air, towards Sentomaru while using haki at the same time. The haki from the thrusts traveled at lightning speed towards Sentomaru, creating a number of piercing attacks.

Sentomaru's eye twitched as he saw what was coming and moved to the side, seeing holes in the trees behind him where he stood only seconds ago. „heeh...that's quite a powerful attack...But too slow!" Suddenly he charged at Miyako with his giant axe and was just about to bring it down on her when Bepo appeared next to him and delivered a high kick towards the marine's face. Sentomaru quickly moved to the side and put his weapon in front of him, blocking Bepo's strong kick. Still, the force of the blow made Sentomaru slide backwards.

Bepo landed next to Miyako with his leg still in the air. „Don't forget about me!"

„Tch...this talking bear is seriously annoying!" Sentomaru commented, more to himself than anyone else.

For a while Bepo stood silent, before standing back straight with his head lowered and his arms at his sides. He didn't say anything but Miyako could almost see the dark cloud of depression above him.

„Oy! This is no time for that!" She raised her voice at the polar bear, irritated. He was strong physically and had a good heart, but when it came to self-confidence he was pathetic.

Bepo didn't have time to say the „sorry" Miyako was sure that was coming because Sentomaru already charged forward surprising both Bepo and Miyako. He swung with his broad axe right at the polar bear's head. Bepo jumped in the air and tried punching Sentomaru, but the marine officer put his other hand up, blocking the punch.

„I have a perfect guard! You can't beat me!" With that, Sentomaru grabbed Bepo's extended fist and swung him, smashing him to the ground. The ground shook and a little whole appeared where Bepo smashed in the ground. Without releasing his hold on the bear, Sentomaru swung his axe downwards at the Heart pirate's first mate.

Bepo's black eyes widened in shock as he tried to move out of the way, but Sentomaru's grip was bone crushing, not letting him escape. Before the axe sliced the bear, a katana blocked its path only inches from Bepo's snout. Sentomaru's eyes narrowed as he looked sideway at the young girl blocking the axe's path. Her teeth were gritted and her arms slightly trembling but she wouldn't let the axe budge any further. Suddenly Sentomaru's weapon changed its course and he swung right at Miyako's chest. She was open due to the fact that her katana was stopping his weapon just seconds ago and she couldn't move it backwards fast enough to block the incoming weapon again. Miyako's eyes widened and she jumped backwards just in time. Still, she felt a sting across her right shoulder and upper chest where the axe caught her a little. Luckily, the wound wasn't very deep or deadly. Sentomaru's change in target gave Bepo time to raise and move away from the enemy. The polar bear tried to use the distraction and tried kicking Sentomaru in the head, but without even turning around, the marine officer blocked with his forearm. He turned to glare at the bear pirate before outstretching his arm and opening his palm to let the haki flow out and hit Bepo with a blast right into the chest. The force sent Bepo flying a few meters away but the bear did a somersault backwards in the air and landed on his feet on the sand.

*_Damn...this isn't getting us anywhere_...* Miyako thought, her annoyance masked behind the usual cold, calm face she had while fighting. *_If only there's time to think of a strategy and tell it to Bepo…*_ She saw the polar bear a few meters away. _*But there's no way Sentomaru would let us go over a strategy and cooperate. He's deliberately trying to keep us apart.* _True enough, every time Bepo or Miyako would try to come closer to each other, Sentomaru would attack, giving them no time to do anything but dodge or block and attack separately.

_*Then, there's no other way but to trust Bepo and wing it. We'll just have to try and cooperate based on seeing the other's moves.* _Miyako sighed and gripped her katana tighter before giving Bepo a look. He nodded and so did she.

"Hnn? What are you planning to do now? It's all useless, just give up already." Sentomaru commented seeing the two exchange looks. He still had the same calm expression as if he wasn't the least bit worried.

Miyako ignored the officer's comments and instead charged at him. Sentomaru put his guard up, ready to block. But before she got to him, Miyako suddenly slashed the air with Yawarakai-Te, delivering a gust of haki at Sentomaru. The big man blocked it with his own slash of haki with the axe, but the clash of two blows raised the sand and dust, creating a thick cloud all around them. Miyako smirked. *_Now all three of us can't see…but at least Bepo has his nose and I have Observation haki_.* The polar bear had sharper senses than any human and together with his instincts it was as if he really had Observation Haki too. Miyako didn't know If Sentomaru could use Observation Haki but she prayed he couldn't. Right now she only saw him enhance his attacks and guard, using the force of haki to repel any attacks coming his way. That can only be Busoshoku Haki and Miyako didn't notice anything that could suggest he possessed any other haki than that. Still, you can never be too careful and Sentomaru was no small fry. Even with one haki, who knows what other abilities he possessed.

Bepo appeared near Sentomaru and started delivering bone crushing attacks, both punches and kicks, at the marine officer. As he advanced, he became faster and faster. He was able to get a few of them hit the marine, before Sentomaru realized what was happening. Once he realized where Bepo was, Sentomaru used his axe to block the attacks. Even though the cloud of sand was still up, Bepo was close enough when attacking to have his silhouette seen thought the dust, which made it easier for Sentomaru to block. However, Miyako took that opportunity while Bepo was distracting him to come behind the marine and attack. She decided to use the attack she used on the strange creature when Law and she were in what looked like a torture chamber underneath the mansion on Maple Island. _*Ittouryu Technique; 8 gates of the Dragon* _(1)

The samurai girl rushed at Sentomaru, lifting her katana to start the technique. She could see Sentomaru turning when she was already right behind him, but it was too late. He managed to block and push Bepo back with his haki but Miyako was already coming at him with her attack. However, Sentomaru wasn't a marine officer and Vegapunk's bodyguard for nothing. He was faster than expected as he swung his axe just as Miyako's katana cut into his shoulder and went down towards his chest. However the sword stopped when his axe blocked the way. With his other hand, Sentomaru punched Miyako hard in the gut enhancing the blow with haki, making her lose her breath and fly into a nearby tree. She could hear the ribs inside break when his fist made contact, and a burning pain only intensified when she hit the tree behind her. Her head bumped into the hard surface, making another form of pain appear as her vision blurred for a second. Just then, Bepo punched the marine officer hard into the back of his head, making the giant body stumble forward. But Sentomaru quickly turned and caught Bepo with his axe, slicing the bear across the stomach. Luckily, Bepo was already on the retreat when Sentomaru moved, so the wound wasn't deadly but it still looked deep and wouldn't stop bleeding. If the slice itself wasn't enough, the force of haki coming from the axe blasted Bepo away, and the polar bear flew a few meters and rolled on the ground. He tried to get up but as soon as he moved, a seething pain traveled through his body, pooling to his wound and he immediately fell back down.

Miyako was trying to get up as well, but almost instantly she felt the presence above her and a shadow clouded over her. The girl looked up with eyes bigger than usual and saw Sentomaru standing beside her and leaning down. She grabbed for her katana but the marine stepped on her hand. She could feel the pressure of his weight on her bones and made a sharp yelp. There was no way she could move her hand under all that weight. Miyako gritted her teeth and coughed a few time, blood coming out.

"Your little plan failed…" Sentomaru looked down at the girl. The dust cloud had gone down and the girl could see Bepo also on the ground in no better condition than she was. The marine officer leaned his broad axe on one big shoulder. "…and there won't be anyone to save you." Sentomaru raised his axe high in the air, ready to swing it down on Miyako and all she could do was watch helplessly. Ironically enough there wasn't any particular flashback in her mind, nor her whole life flashing before her eyes; only the bitter taste of failure mixed with the blood in her mouth.

~….~

Law, Shachi and Jean Bart were panting hard as they saw the giant body of the pacifista fall down on the sand. Its neck was bent in a strange way, a big gash in it. From it, electricity still sent small sparks through the cut wires. The pacifista had a few dents in its big body, but the finishing blow was dealt by Law's nodachi that the pirate captain managed to dive into the crevice of px-5's neck. However, the three pirates didn't look much better than the defeated pacifista. Their clothes were torn and burnt in places, and they had several burns on their skin as well. Shachi had a big gash on the upper part of his leg and he had to lean on Bart to even stand. There was also a deep wound of the laser that cut into his shoulder. Bart had a dislocated shoulder and a big cut across his right cheek. Law was in a bit better condition but not much. Luckily he didn't have any broken bones but he had a big burnt cut from the laser beam at his side and a deep wound in his forearm where a piece of wood from a laser-blasted tree flew and dug into it.

The three pirates stood there completely tense and still, holding their breaths unconsciously, as they watched the pacifista, ready to jump and attack or dodge in case it was still running. However the pacifista didn't move except for a few final twitches and the pirates finally relaxed.

"T-this…time….we really…did it." Shachi noted still panting hard. Bart couldn't even respond as he tried to catch his breath so instead he just nodded.

Law closed his eyes for a second to calm his own breathing but unfortunately it didn't help him regain any of his energy. He knew nothing would, except a long rest in his submarine…but there was a long way to get to that.

He was soon brought out of his musings when he heard a yelp come from a familiar voice. Law quickly turned his head towards the noise to see a gut wrenching sight. He saw Bepo on the floor, blood slowly flowing from somewhere under him and soaking the sand. Not far away he saw Miyako in no better condition, lying on the floor and Sentomaru leaning over her with his axe high in the air. Law's grey eyes widened at the sight, his mind already telling him what will come next. At that moment Law didn't even have time to think about the consequences if he didn't make it in time nor analyze the suffocating feeling he was experiencing from just the thought of Miyako dying. He acted more on instinct as he outstretched his arm to create his blue sphere.

_*I—I won't make it in time!*_ The realization only made that suffocating feeling inside of him worse.

The axe came down. "Miyako!" Law called out to the girl unconsciously. If he was his usual self; he would probably be the first one to comment how utterly useless calling out to her was. But right now his mind wasn't processing information as usual. Instead the only thing running through his head was that his blue sphere won't reach Miyako in time.

Right now he couldn't even see or hear anything else. Suddenly through that silence, a loud sound echoed, as if cutting through a dream and bringing back everyone to reality. It took a few seconds for Law to realize what it was; a gunshot. It hit near Sentomaru's hand that was holding the axe, making him release the weapon. The giant axe fell down and dug next to Miyako's head in the sand. The girl didn't even know she was holding her breath until she let it out loudly. Sentomaru looked at the direction of the gunshot but another was already fired at him and the marine officer jumped back to dodge it, taking his axe in the process.

"Who…?" Sentomaru looked up to see a tall middle-aged man at the edge of the jungle. He was pointing a long rifle right at Sentomaru, his eyes piercing the marine officer.

"Unak!" Shachi yelled surprised and everyone looked at the newcomer. Even Abaddon tilted his head as if interested. But perhaps the real focus of their interest stood behind Unak. A few dozen of Unk'Ur warriors on their dinosaurs pointing their guns and other weapons at the marines and just waiting for Unak's orders.

The leader of the town looked at Law and grinned at the pirate captain. No doubt he was amused by the pirate captain's surprised expression. "Did you forget whose island you are on?! Don't make a mess on my territory!" His voice was stern as usual but he still had a grin on his face. "It seems I'll be able to repay my debt sooner than I thought…good, I don't like owing pirates anyway."

Sentomaru narrowed his eyes at the new group before turning to what was left of his men. "Men, take down anyone who's in your way! They're obviously with the pirates!"

Miyako watched Unak and his men with wide eyes as well. It took a while for her to get herself to speak, since it was hard to even breathe with two broken ribs. But still she shouted at the warriors; "Unak-san! If you get involved you will become the marine's enemy as well!" Shouting a warning was all she could do to stop them in her condition but a part of her was glad they were here. She knew they were the pirates' last chance now.

Unak gave the wounded girl a sharp look. "You should worry about yourself more than me, Burning-Eyed Miyako! Shut up and let us help you!"

Miyako couldn't help but think how Unak-like his answer was. If she wasn't in such pain, she would have probably chuckled. But right now it was hard to even keep her eyes open.

"Tch…I don't like being saved by you mister Unak…but I can't say we don't need it this time." Law leaned his nodachi on his shoulder and glared at Sentomaru. His blue sphere was around all of them now and Law didn't want to waste any more time. He switched Miyako and Bepo with the closest marines. "Mister Bart, take care of Bepo! Mister Cody, you help Shachi, he can hardly stand with that wound. And Mister Joshua, you help Miyako. Everyone else, help the wounded around you. We'll need to hurry to the submarine!" Law started yelling orders and soon everyone was helping carry the heavily wounded or the ones who had trouble walking.

"But Captain, what about him!" Cody pointed at Abaddon who was holding one of the Heart pirates in his tight grip, slowly suffocating the poor man.

Law's eyes narrowed dangerously and the medic could almost see real lightning in those stormy eyes. "I'll take care of him. We have some unfinished business anyway."

Just as the pirates started walking towards the ship, Sentomaru gripped his axe tighter. "I won't let you just walk away! Don't make a fool out of marines!" He was just about to throw his axe at Law when a beast suddenly charged at him. It was Unak himself, riding one of the dinosaurs. The animal collided with Sentomaru and any normal human would be trampled under it, but Sentomaru stopped its full charge with his big body. As he was about to use his haki to send it flying backwards, Unak jumped high in the air from the animal, flying over Sentomaru and aimed his rifle at the marine, shooting at him. Sentomaru gripped the dinosaur and turned it, using it as a shield from the bullets. The animal screeched as it was shot and then thrown by Sentomaru in the air and towards Unak. But before it could hit, another dinosaur blocked it and the rider helped Unak get on.

"We are your enemy now!" Unak called at Sentomaru and then signaled for the warriors to attack Sentomaru and the rest of the marines. To the big marine those warriors didn't present any problem but there were a lot of them and there were a good distraction for Law and the others to flee. No matter how much the marine officer fought and beat them, the Unk'Ur warriors didn't give up and kept getting in his way.

Meanwhile, Law created a blue sphere around the submarine and the beach and switched Abaddon with a random marine. Cody took the marine out as soon as he got to the sub and the other Heart pirates soon followed.

"Penguin!" Shachi called as he saw the unconscious and heavily wounded mechanic lying on the deck.

Josh ran up to him and checked his pulse and then his wounds. "His alive and breathing but we need to take care of these injuries! Garry, help me get him inside to the infirmary!" Garry, one of the other medics nodded and helped Josh carry Penguin.

Meanwhile, Cody took care of Miyako. He looked for a few medics who weren't too injured and as soon as he spotted some, he ordered; "You go look for Sai and Munk. They should be inside the sub. Treat them and get them to the infirmary!" He looked back to the beach to see some Heart pirates still there, and Jean Bart helping Bepo out and staying close to Law just in case.

Abaddon was not far away. The strange man looked around as he was suddenly teleported to the beach and away from the submarine, but he didn't look surprised or confused at all. Instead he simply sighed. "Oh my…I was told to guard the submarine…this is quite troubling." His gaze hidden behind the mask returned from the sub to Law. "I suppose I'll just have to kill you first then." His voice was as monotone as ever as he said that, as if stating some completely normal fact.

Law didn't seem amused in the least and he gave Abaddon a dark look. "Why don't you try it then?" He unsheathed his nodachi and instantly swung a horizontal cut aimed at Abaddon. The other didn't even bother to dodge as his body split in two, but then started connecting itself again. But before it could regenerate completely, Law made fast cuts one after the other, making little pieces of Abaddon fly everywhere in his sphere. *_This won't do much good…but at least it'll give us some time.* _He outstretched his arms and started playing with the pieces, shuffling them and connecting them with marine parts that were scattered around the sphere from his previous dealings.

But it didn't take long before Abaddon's body started slipping from the other body parts and the slivers crawled to reattach themselves.

"I'm not done yet." Law slashed with his nodachi and outstretched his arm one more time. "Tact" Suddenly the ground on the beach started to rise, sand falling everywhere making a sand cloud in the process. *_This will be a good distraction and give us some more time.*_ With that he moved his fingers and the ground started falling on Abaddon's body, creating a sand pit to bury the strange man under it. "Mister Bart, we need to move quickly!"

"Yes Captain!" Jean Bart took Bepo over his arm and they moved to the submarine.

"Quickly, everyone inside! Mister Bart, prepare the sub for diving!" Law was helping some of his last men on board. Most of them were injured; be it heavily or minor. He's going to have a lot of work in the infirmary and he still needed Cody to patch him up too.

Almost everyone was inside except Law and Cody who made sure the last of the crew enter the sub. Sam came to the entrance soon after. "Captain, we're ready to dive!"

"Alright. Let's go-" Law's eyes widened as a strange feeling surged through his body. It felt hot...burning hot. He could see Cody's surprised and mortified look but couldn't understand what it meant.

"Captain!" Cody yelled, his light blue eyes widening.

Law looked down to see a strange object piercing through his stomach. It looked like an organic object, but in a form of a small spear. The texture looked and felt oddly familiar when Law pulled it out and a second later he realized it belonged to Abaddon. As soon as the object came out of his stomach, it flew back to the beach and towards Abaddon to recombine with his body. Law followed it to see Abaddon who had his upper body freed from the sand while he was still dug into the sand from the waist down. However the temporal inconvenience didn't stop him from trying to give the Heart pirates one last blow. Law didn't even feel the pain at first; only scorching hotness that burned his stomach. Then he coughed, blood spilling from his mouth, before he stumbled. He almost fell overboard but Cody caught him. However his spotted hat wasn't that lucky as it fell from his head and into the sea, disappearing somewhere below. Cody didn't have time to worry about the captain's hat no matter how important it may have been. Last thing Law saw was the medic calling for him before everything went black.

~…..~

Unak watched with a surprised look as he saw the pirate captain fall down. His gaze soon turned towards Abaddon and he growled a war cry. "Men! Get them!" Some of his warriors charged at Abaddon though they weren't very successful. Unfortunately he was in no position to help them. Unak moved sideways and dodged a big axe that flew towards him, then dodged it again when it made an arc in the air and flew back to its master's hand like a boomerang.

"You shouldn't have gotten in our way, foolish little man." Sentomaru didn't look happy at all. "Now I'm gonna hear it from Akainu because I let them escape…" He looked annoyed as he glared at Unak.

Unak only smirked at the marine officer. "Don't underestimate us. I hate pirates…but I hate owing people even more. "

"Tch…I'll finish this quickly and go after the Heart pirates."

"Don't be so sure. We might be more than you can chew! We're tough bastards, you know." Unak grinned and aimed his rifle at Sentomaru. A shot ripped through the air as the battle continued.

~….~

'_Beep….beep…beep'_

That's all Miyako could hear; she didn't even know for how long anymore. How long has it been since they set sail and dove in the ocean? How long were they already sailing underwater away from the island and the marines? How long has it been since Garry patched her up? How long was she sitting here…next to _his_ bed?

Miyako was out for some time under anesthesia. When she woke up she was faced with the catastrophic consequences of their battle. The infirmary was almost full, medics having to take care of their injuries and of the rest of the crew. Sai, Munk and Penguin had some broken bones due to Abaddon's attack and were resting in their quarters. Bepo was in the infirmary, sleeping soundly with a freshly sewed up scar on his belly. But one fact in particular left Miyako completely stunned; Law was in surgery. It seemed he got pierced by Abaddon in the stomach and was losing blood fast. Josh and Cody were operating on him for hours before they both came out in the middle of the night exhausted but much calmer than before. It was a good thing Bepo was asleep or the situation would be even worse with him panicking over Law the whole time. Instead, all the crew could do was quietly wait for their captain's recovery, cursing their own helplessness in the process. At least that's what Miyako found herself doing while waiting. Josh informed them Law's internal organs weren't damaged which was at least one good thing. However he lost a lot of blood and was recovering slowly.

When the situation on the sub calmed down a little, the medic team split into a night and day shift to watch over the injured in the infirmary. Right now Cody was watching over Law, while Josh got some rest. The taller medic had to practically force the redhead to leave their captain and get some sleep for his own good. It was understandable after all; nobody wanted to leave the captain in that state but right now all they could do was sit and wait. And that's what Miyako was doing now too. Cody tried to make her rest some more too but she refused…she didn't know why, but she couldn't. She wanted to stay beside Law even though she felt utterly useless.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back from her miserable thoughts and she looked up to see Cody standing beside her chair. He tried to put a professional look of a doctor on his face but she could see the pain in his eyes. "He'll be alright. Just give him some time."

Miyako didn't answer anything, just looked back at the sleeping face of her captain. He actually looked peaceful like this…too peaceful. He was deadly pale and completely still. If it wasn't for the constant beeping sign on the machine to measure his vital signs, Miyako would wonder if he was still alive. She never thought she would see the day when she _hoped_ to hear some sassy comment come out of his mouth and she never knew she would miss that heart-piercing look of his he always gave her.

Suddenly a dark look came across her usually gentle features. "I can't believe I actually thought I was getting stronger these past 9 months…In the end I couldn't protect anyone. I'm pathetic…." Miyako didn't even have time to be surprised that she cared so much about the current situation and the wellbeing of the man lying here on the bed. All she knew right now was that the bitter taste in her mouth still wasn't going away and the thought of Law dying was unbearable. She didn't even want to think about it but her annoying mind kept telling 'what-ifs' inside her head.

"We _did_ get stronger...just…not strong enough." Cody whispered, the grip on her shoulder tightening though he probably did it unconsciously. Miyako knew how much Law meant to Cody…to _everyone_ on this submarine. And she couldn't deny this feeling of pain inside her chest either.

"No crew should see their captain in this state." Cody whispered closing his tired eyes for a second.

~…~

Miyako looked at Cody who was silently snoring, leaning uncomfortably on a chair. It's been a few more hours but not many changes in Law's condition; however, Cody was happy to notice his state was slowly improving.

Miyako looked at Law's form again before lowering her gaze. She couldn't even look at her captain right now. She was too ashamed. They faced utter defeat on the island, all of them. *_My whole journey…everything sensei taught me…It was all to help me understand…to make me stronger. But I still feel so weak…No! I still AM so weak! I…I couldn't protect anyone._* She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She was so frustrated, so angry…but she could only direct all that towards herself. She had been edgy all night, even Cody noticed it so he didn't want to feed fuel to the fire, but she knew it was being unfair…none of them were guilty. She was at fault here for her own weakness. *_Tch…I'm really pathetic. I failed everyone…* _"I'm sorry…" She whispered though nobody could hear her.

"Why are you crying?"

The soft, hoarse voice brought her back to reality like a splash of cold water. Miyako raised her head quickly with golden eyes wide open. Her stare was directed at the form in the bed. Law's eyes were slightly opened, his gaze on her. But his usual piercing grey eyes didn't have the same sharp edge as usual and that only made the pain in Miyako's chest worse. "Law!" She breathed out, almost jumping from her seat. "How are you feeling?! Do you need anything?"

But Law's stare was piercing her without a word. Only then in that silence did her mind register his question. "huh?" She blinked a few times before raising her hand to her cheek. On her surprise it was warm and wet. She didn't even notice she was crying nor did she know how long was she at it, which bothered her even more. But she didn't have the strength to think about that or anything else right now. Miyako slumped back to her chair and gripped the fabric of her skirt in her fists. Her head was down and she couldn't bear to look at her captain. But what frustrated her the most was the fact that those tears still weren't stopping nor matter how much she willed it. So all she could do was bite her lower lip even harder.

"Miyako…" His hoarse voice started, breaking the silence, but the last thing she wanted to hear right now was his concern for _her_, while _he_ was the one nearly falling in coma a few hours ago.

"I don't know!" She cut him off before he could continue. "I..I just don't know…I'm sorry…" She wasn't even sure what she was talking about or was she answering his question or one of her own. Right now she didn't even know herself. But Law didn't pressure her or say anything. Instead he silently moved his hand and put it on top of the girl's head, without a word. No words were necessary; both of them understood that much. Words would only make it worse right now. The least Miyako wanted was for someone to try and make her feel better.

_*No! What I need right now isn't pity, it's strength. I'll never let any of my friends get hurt like this again. Both Sentomaru and Abaddon will pay!*_ Miyako could feel her self-pity being replaced by much stronger of an emotion…anger.

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><p>(1) A technique that requires great speed, where one targets 8 weak points of the opponent's body; both sides of the torso, both shoulders, both sides of the target's legs , the top of the head and finally the chest in one fluid rush, before passing the opponent and ending behind him.<p>

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><p><strong>Yep, and thus ends the dinosaur island arc along with the marine fight. A total defeat of the heart pirates I'd say…but hey, nobody died at least! :) I thought it was time for a change, and this battle was the beginning of it. But of course it's only been 9 months so they're not ready to kick strong marine ass such as Sentomru and Abaddon. Still, they're strength and skills improve and from now we gotta get them even stronger so they can set sail to the New World soon! But there's still more to come before that. And Miyako and Law are getting closer all the time so yay for them. :) Nothing brings you closer than a near death experience of your important person...who you have yet to realize is important. ;) <strong>

**So yeah, I'll definitively post the next chapter must sooner since the story isn't on pause anymore. Now comes the Heart pirates' healing time but I won't waste too much time on that. (Maybe just for some Miyako- Law moments. ;P) **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya' soon…hopefully. ^^' **


	38. Chapter 38

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

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><p><strong>Waah, I'm finally done! This took so long but I think I really wrote a lot this time. O.o<strong>

**And I have all kinds of goodies in it for you! ^^ So yeah, sorry for the delay; once again I had bunch of work to do but thankfully holidays are near and then I plan on going on a writing spree! XD (Especially since the crew here we'll be going to the New World soon so there's a lot of work ahead of us. ;P ) **

**Also, I've decided to put the answers to all the reviews down, at the bottom (after the story) because I wouldn't want any of my answers to spoil the story ahead (which can happen, especially since I can't keep my big mouth shut… ^^') **

**Okie, guys; as always have fun! I'm reeeally interested what you'll think of this one, though. ;)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I own the OC Suzune Miyako. Rated T for blood and language.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 38<strong>

Miyako was sitting patiently, waiting for Cody to change her bandages. The tall medic just went to the back of the infirmary to get some new supplies and meanwhile Miyako passed the time by looking around the metal room. Finally, her gaze fell on the pirate captain who was lying in the bed, not far from her own examination table, reading a rather thick book in silence. *_Some medical book no doubt.* _Every now and then he would move slightly, but as he would, a barely noticeable expression of pain would cross his face. It was obvious Law was being a bit impatient and didn't like spending his whole time in the infirmary bed. But Cody wouldn't even hear it when Law suggested he was well enough to return to his quarters. It's been three days since the fight after all. But when it came to medical issues and his patients, Cody wasn't going to let even Law off the hook. His captain or not, Cody would let anyone feel his wrath as a doctor if they didn't listen and rest as instructed; after all he learned from the best...Law himself. So all Law could do was bring his work to the infirmary. Cody didn't approve of that either but Law wasn't going to compromise on that issue. After all, he needed to see all the stats about the injured, the state his submarine was in, their current position, future destination and so much more.

Miyako watched with amusement as Law kept squirming almost childishly and had to bite her lip not to break into a smile. Still, there was a pang of guilt in her chest when she remembered exactly how he became this way and bad memories she wanted to forget for now came back to her. Her smile soon disappeared from her face unconsciously. Especially after the thought that she was allowed to leave the infirmary while he had to stay there. For three days they lied in their beds next to each other. Miyako even started borrowing Law's medical books to read just to ease the boredom. But this was her last day and after her check-up and Cody replacing her bandages, she was finally free to go.

"Are you ok? You want me to bring you a glass of water or something?" She couldn't help but offer.

Law looked up from his book a bit distracted since he was into it obviously, but his expression changed into a slightly surprised one with his raised eyebrow. He was doing it on purpose, no doubt. "Hm…"

"What?" Miyako couldn't help but frown at his expression.

"Oh nothing, I was just wondering if Hell froze over just now."

Miyako looked at him confused though she already had a feeling where this is going. "Meaning?"

"Well it's highly unusual for you to be so kind to me." Law smirked.

Miyako's frown deepened. "Well my apologies for trying to be nice once in a while. If you want I can always tell you how horrible you look…" She smirked saying that last sentence.

It was true though. He had cuts and some burns visible on his torso and arms; there were even a few small cuts on his face. His stomach was bandaged and so was his forearm. His dark hair that grew a bit since his last haircut was rustled and Miyako found it strange to actually see it, instead of his fuzzy hat. But she heard when Cody told the captain that the hat was lost for good.

Law smirked at Miyako's comment. "Perhaps…but you shouldn't be the one telling me that. You almost look as bad as me." Just like Law, Miyako had some cuts on her face and body, her ribs were bandaged under her kimono, it was easier to wear it in her condition than a shirt, and there was a big bandaged cut on her upper chest part.

Miyako frowned once again at his words. "Don't remind me…"

"I don't have to; seeing your reflection should be enough for you." Law couldn't help but poke fun at her. After all, it seemed like the last time he did that was ages ago.

"Tch…" Miyako sighed overdramatically on purpose. "That's what I get for trying to be nice." She then looked at Law, leaning back on her arm and smirked at the pirate captain. "It seems you like it better when I treat you badly."

Law chuckled but even that little action caused him pain. "On the contrary, I'm flattered. And I'm glad you finally lightened up a little."

Miyako looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You had that dark look for three days already. You seem deep in thought and even more out of it than usual…I have to admit, I didn't find it possible but you proved me wrong." He couldn't help but smirk as he teased her again.

"Well I sure can't be happy right now. Besides…I'm not the only one; everyone seems to be down…you too."

"Mmm…you're right; we faced a great defeat." Law started and saw Miyako's expression getting darker again as if she was remembering something painful. "However…" He emphasized, loud enough to get her attention again. "…we fought much better than we would have 9 months ago on Saobody…we've improved. And the fact that nobody died is proof of that."

"Yeah, but someone _almost_ died…." Miyako was staring at the floor with a dark frown.

Law almost smiled at her expression that looked like a child sulking. "_Almost_ Miss Miyako…_Almost_." Emphasizing that word it sounded as if Law was reassuring her and surprisingly enough it helped her. Law smirked that devilish smirk of his that looked like he had some plan already in action. "Now all we have to do is keep improving…after all, One Piece is waiting for us."

She smiled at his words. That guy was cautious and always had a plan, but a strong will that would never let him give up, as well. "Yeah…"

For a while they stayed like that in silence, both feeling their energy and positive attitude rising again.

After a while, Miyako broke it. "So how does it feel being without your hat?"

Law obviously wasn't expecting the question and he looked at the girl in surprise for just a second, widening his eyes. But then he quickly remembered his fuzzy spotted hat, understanding what she was talking about. "I admit, it's strange. I had it for a long time." He went through his rustled black hair with his hand.

Miyako could understand it. Her thoughts flew to her red ribbon currently tying her long hair, and so did her hand and she played with it. That was a token from her deceased mother and the only this she had of her; she wouldn't forgive herself if she ever lost it.

"Was it very important?" Miyako found herself asking. After all, he always wore it so she thought he might have some special reason behind it.

It seemed like Law stopped to think for a while. "Well…I suppose it was. But there's nothing I can do about it. Perhaps, this is also just a change…a way for a new start."

Miyako looked up at the metal ceiling and smiled a little. A first real smile in three days…a first smile that didn't look bitter. Even Law couldn't help but notice it. "A new change, huh…?" It seemed she thought about it for a while. Then she looked back at Law, still smiling like that. "Well…you don't look bad like this either….So I guess it's fine." She winked.

For the first time Law didn't have a comeback as he heard the girl's words and saw her smiling face, looking right at him. For the first time all he could do was curve his lips into something between a smile and a smirk, closing his eyes. The girl's smile was still fresh in his mind and her words echoed in his head. *_I must admit, the first time we met; I never thought I'd see that girl, always hiding behind her cold mask, smile at me like this or ever give me anything that sounds like a compliment. You sure exceeded my expectations Suzune Miyako. You're still full of surprises.*_

For a moment there was silence again and both of them sat there in their own little world. Then Law's face changed as if he just decided on something and he broke the silence first this time. "Miyako-"

"Finally, I found them!" However Law was interrupted by Cody who finally returned with fresh bandages and new supplies. "Everything's been a mess since we crashed to that dinosaur island and it took me ages to find the new supplies in the storage room." The light-haired medic sighed tiredly as if he just battled those bandages he was holding. He smiled to the samurai girl seeing her sitting on the examination table. "Come on Miyako, let's change your bandages so you can finally be free from this place. I know you can't wait."

Miyako grinned. "oooh, it wasn't so bad. I had good company." She winked at Cody. Her friend had day shifts in the infirmary these days and often kept her company in here. Miyako was sure he made those working arrangements on purpose so he could care for his friends and the captain. She knew that beneath that calm and reassuring smile he always wore, Cody could worry a lot as well. And these days he certainly had.

"You'll hardly be missed…." Suddenly a new voice interrupted them and they all looked towards the metal doors where Josh stood. He was just closing the doors behind him and he must have heard their conversation when coming in.

Miyako's eyes suddenly narrowed and a disappointed frown appeared on her face. "On the other hand maybe getting out of here won't be so bad…." Then changing her mood, she smirked and lifted her nose, as if trying to literally look down on Josh. "What's up Shorty? You're so small we didn't even notice you come in? Maybe you should try becoming a ninja or something. I'm sure you're very light on your feet too, Twinkletoes."

"…..why you!" Josh only needed a second to erupt like a volcano. His face was as red as his hair and even his green eyes seemed as if burning.

"now, now…" Cody sweat-dropped and smiled as he held Joshua back, preventing him from attacking Miyako who just sat there and laughed at the enraged medic.

"Well I suppose I'll be nice to you this time since you worked so hard in the infirmary and helped with my wounds….Thanks." Miyako smirked at Josh who was so surprised by her sudden show of gratitude that he even forgot about his killing intent from just seconds ago. The girl smiled at him, both as appreciation and because of his priceless dumbfounded look but it was obvious she was sincere in thanking him.

"I mean, it must've been hard dealing with patients when you can hardly reach the operating table. Did you use a stool or something?" Of course, the touchy-feely moment couldn't last for long; not with Miyako's and Josh's relationship at least; and she couldn't help but tease him again. It was just too amusing sometimes and Miyako realized she missed those light-hearted talks and teasing she used to share with her friends. She hoped they'll be able to return to that state once again soon.

"That's it!" Josh yelled startling the other patients and medics in the infirmary, receiving a couple of 'shush-s' and reprimanding looks. Once again, Cody had to hold him back as Josh tried attacking Miyako, this time gripping a nearby scalpel in the process.

"M-Miyako-chan…." That was all Cody could say at the sight of raging Joshua and Miyako who had a pleased devilish smirk on her face and you could almost see the fox ears growing out of her head. But even Cody was glad since it seemed Miyako and everyone else returned to normal and the gloomy atmosphere from before seemed to lighten.

Law just watched and sighed tiredly. Why was there never peace and quiet on this submarine…?

"Well now, let's get back to business." Cody walked back to Miyako's examination table and put the supplies near it. He grabbed the curtain so that he could work in privacy and peace. Before Cody pulled it all the way, Miyako's exclaim stopped him.

"Oh right!" The girl turned to Law with questioning eyes. "You started saying something before…?"

Trafalgar was quiet for a while as if thinking, but then he just shook his head closing his eyes as if concentrating. "No…it's nothing. Forget it."

Miyako didn't dwell on it and just shrugged as Cody pulled the curtain all the way.

~…..~

"I fold …" Cody put down his cards on the table.

"Me too…" Josh grumbled, not long after.

Shachi stared at his cards, then looked up at the people around the table, then suspiciously at Miyako and Penguin who still had their cards in their hands, then back to his own cards once again. There was a long moment of silence, but finally he sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm out too."

"So it's just you and me now, Wano-girl." Penguin stared at the bright eyed girl sitting across from him.

Miyako raised an eyebrow and pierced him with her own stare. "_Wano-girl_?" She couldn't help put spit the word out as she repeated it.

Penguin shrugged. "Hey, we're adversaries right now. There has to be some trash talk in these kinds of situations, no?"

Miyako rolled her eyes at the mechanic's comment. "Whatever, just play will you."

Penguin looked disappointed but didn't say anything about the matter. Instead, he put a few chips on the table, in the value of 50Beli. "I rise for 50Beli!" He grinned at her, so sure of his win already. "You calling or folding?"

Miyako and Penguin stared at each other in perfect silence, both having a look of tension on their faces, cards firmly in hand hidden from the other's sight.

"Take him on, take him ooon!"

"Nah, just fold, it's Penguin we're talking about."

"Just shut up and watch!"

The guys around them were staring at the two, commenting on the game, but Penguin and Miyako never uttered a word, just stared at each other as if trying to see through the other.

*_Is he bluffing or does he really have a good hand…Curses, I can't read his expression since he's hiding his face so well. Maybe that's why Shachi and Penguin always have their faces hidden…They're already known as the two pirates who are like professionals in poker and both of them are unreadable like this.*_ Miyako's mind was full with questions and possibilities, trying to choose the right one. Luckily, these trivial thoughts along with the trivial activity were an excellent distraction from the recent thoughts on her mind that were still bothering her. Such as her total defeat, the important friends she finally realized she had, the tough decision between the crew she got much closer to than she ever thought she would and her homeland which was drawing ever closer along with the day of making that decision….and one thought that was coming to her mind for quite some time now, but now more often than ever; The closeness she felt for a certain captain…a closeness she never expected and that somehow appeared despite her better judgment…and now it was too late to deny it. Miyako didn't want to admit one simple truth to herself, especially since she knew that if she did there would be no going back. And she knew that was something she certainly must not do….yes….certainly…Yet in her mind that one single realization kept coming to her and her will to deny it was slowly withering.

Thankfully, just as the troublesome thoughts started appearing in her mind again, Bepo interrupted them as he walked to their table with interest. His pitch black eyes blinked in confusion as he sensed the tension at the table and the silence between Miyako and Penguin who still stared at each other. The white polar bear looked over Penguin's shoulder, which wasn't a problem considering how big he was, and looked at the cards with interest. His fuzzy head tilted a bit and he scratched his ear with a sharp claw. "So when you have three cards with the same number, that's a good thing right?"

Suddenly, there was absolute silence in the room. Even Josh, Cody and Shachi stopped commenting and everyone's stare turned to Penguin who still looked completely calm…luckily nobody could see the raising red color appearing across his face.

"I think you should call." Josh was the first to speak, looking at Miyako than back to her cards. The rest just had sweatdrops, feeling a bit bad for Penguin. By now the said mechanic was already shaking with rage, the cards falling out of his grip.

"BEEEPOOOOO!" The loud voice roared throughout the submarine.

Joshua, Miyako, Cody and Shachi just watched, still with a sweat-drop, as Penguin was trying to hit Bepo with a wrench. Josh took Penguin's fallen cards and showed them to the others. "So he was bluffing! That bastard! I even had a better hand than him and I actually folded!" The red head all but growled.

Miyako blinked as she looked at Penguin's cards, then looked back at hers and blinked again, then realization hit her; "Eeeeh?! Hey, that's not fair, I would've won if we went on playing"

"I think that's already impossible though…" Cody said with a sweat-drop and a nervous smile as he pointed at Penguin who was still trying to kill Bepo, and the big polar bear backing away from the enraged mechanic.

"Ah~ Poor guy…" Shachi sighed.

"Which one exactly…?" Miyako added.

"Should we stop them?" Shachi said a bit worried now when Penguin was very close to Bepo already.

Somehow even Munk got involved now, together with his big wooden spoon, trying to hold Penguin back. The big chef still had a bandage around his head and was limping since he busted his knee, a reminder of the bad encounter with Abaddon.

Just as the other mechanic suggested it, the doors of the galley opened and Garry, one of the medics, came in. He looked at the ruckus with confused eyes but didn't attempt to get involved. By now, he knew better than that. If you'd try to get involved in the other pirate's quarrel you'd just end up as one of the victims of either Law's fury or Munk's big spoon. And he definitively didn't want either of that to happen. Instead, Garry simply walked to the group still sitting at the table. "Hey, we're gonna be emerging soon, it seems we'll be coming to an island soon."

"Finally! I was starting to get claustrophobic in this tin-can already!" Josh stretched his arms as he sighed contently.

Cody just sighed at his words. "I still don't get you…a pirate who likes land better than sea…"

"Shut up." Josh just rolled his eyes.

"T-Tin can…? D-did you just call my work of art_, t-tin can_!?" Shachi's left eye was twitching, though it was hard to tell under his sunglasses.

But Miyako could see his left cheek moving upwards every time his eye would twitch. She tilted her head and stared at the shocked mechanic. _*Wow…I've never seen _this_ expression on Shachi before…this might be interesting.* _

Garry's vein popped out a bit as he was being completely ignored. However, mature as he was, he just cleared his throat to get their attention and continued; "The captain wants everyone to prepare themselves, we'll be arriving shortly." He then turned to Bepo and sighed as he saw the scene. Bepo was holding his head with his fuzzy ears down, bowed down, as he kept repeating 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' to Penguin who was still holding that menacing wrench but wasn't able to use it since Munk was holding him back. The old chef was as big as Bepo and as strong as a bear too, so he easily held the mechanic back, picking him off the ground in the process. Penguin kept trashing in his arms as his legs kept swinging in the air while he tried to break free. Garry just sighed once again at the sight, then called out to them. "Bepo! The captain needs you! He's in his quarters, getting ready."

Bepo's ears twitched at the word 'captain' and he suddenly changed. He stood upright and his eyes became more serious as his look sharpened. When it came to Law and his duty, Bepo, the first mate, knew no messing around. "Hai!" The bear responded quickly, completely ignoring the still enraged Penguin who was slowly calminging down now. "I'll be going right away!" The first mate then turned on his heels and left the galley quickly.

"Tch, he sure changes when it comes to Captain-san." Garry muttered a comment though nobody heard him. The rest of the pirates were already talking about the new island, guessing what kind it might be this time. Garry sighed once again as he was being ignored but he just shrugged his shoulders and started leaving. "Oh well, I said what I had to anyway."

~…..~

"Are we there yet?"

"No! Just like we weren't a minute ago when you asked!" Miyako couldn't help but remark at Josh's question…the question he had been asking for the past 20 minutes, ever since they resurfaced. And not only was Josh annoying but she was cold…very cold. The climate changed radically as they got closer to the island and it even started snowing. Miyako was never a fan of the cold, especially when she didn't have a lot of warm clothes. She had a pair of skinny black trousers, her black boots over them, and her white turtleneck underneath a black jacket that wasn't really meant for cold weather.

"Jean Bart said we should be able to see the island soon." Cody came through the doors of the submarine and looked at the horizon ahead of them. He had his usual white overall but he put a white scarf around his neck and there were white gloves covering his hands that looked a bit too big for him. They weren't the only ones on deck though. Most of the crew was, leaning on the sub's railing and waiting to see the island up ahead, all wearing some additional winter clothes but still in their usual overalls. It seemed those suits and work boots were thick enough to keep them warm even in this weather.

They had been traveling for some time now and everyone was excited to see some land again. Though, Cody was sure that what they were really waiting for were cheap drinks and even cheaper women if possible. Everyone needed some partying to leave their bad memories from the previous island behind and the medic was sure they'll forget all of them after a few bottles of watery beer and strong rum.

"There it is!" One of the crewmembers shouted and everyone followed his finger which was pointing at the first visible outlines of the island. As the submarine sailed on, the island grew bigger before their eyes and so did the grins of the excited crew. The island seemed big and thick, white clouds hovered over it. It was obvious it was snowing there as well and the weather just went colder and colder. However the icy weather didn't seem to discourage the crew; well most of them were from the North anyway. *_This probably seems like home to them*_ Miyako thought a bit bitterly, trying to warm herself up more. She was from the South of Wano where snow wasn't that frequent and winters were mild.

"I hope they're pirate-friendly!" Sam grinned as numerous ideas already came to his mind.

"Haha! Idiot, there's no such thing." Garry laughed at his friend's comment, but Sam just ignored him as he leaned over the railing, as if he couldn't wait any longer to arrive.

"Wow, they look so excited." Miyako looked around at the grinning Heart pirates, in both awe and amusement. "What exactly are they expecting on that island…a mountain of gold?" But even though the girl looked at them as they were acting like idiots, a part of her could understand them. She was also somehow glad to get to a new island, start a new adventure quickly, get stronger and leave the past behind. And somehow she had a feeling that getting on this new island would be a start of that…of a 'new beginning' as Law called it.

"Well I don't know about gold, but it's been a while since we had some fun. Everyone needs to get their spirits up; that's what I think. And what better way to do it than visiting some local taverns." Josh grinned at the samurai girl, and so did Penguin, Shachi and even Cody behind him.

*_Even you, Cody_?!* Miyako couldn't believe that even the usually level-headed medic would succumb to such notions. But then again, Cody wasn't a saint either…far from it. He definitively had a way with girls; something Josh was secretly jealous off. And the tall medic would always mysteriously disappear during crew's parties…and usually the innkeeper's daughter would mysteriously disappear with him.

With a sigh she turned around from the 'dolts' as she named them in her head and her gaze fell on Bepo. He was on the deck with Law's sword in his paws, but there was still no sign of the captain. "Hey Bepo, where's Law?"

The bear's ears twitched and perked up when he heard his name and not a second later, Bepo turned to face Miyako. "Hm…now that you mention it; he said he'll be right there, but he's still not here. And we've arrived." The polar bear looked at the island, now clearly visible in front of them, along with a big port ahead. The submarine was slowing down as they maneuvered around the ships, looking for a place to dock. On the crew's surprise theirs wasn't the only pirate flag there. Actually, there were at least five more pirate ships docked at the port, not even trying to hide they identity.

"Wow…maybe it really is pirate-friendly…" Garry muttered not believing that Sam could've actually been right.

"I don't think there are any marine bases nearby so I guess there's no marine threat here." Penguin scratched his head though it didn't do him much good since the hat was in the way.

Miyako noticed there was still no sign of Law. She looked around one more time and hummed. The crew was already acting like little children waiting to enter a candy store and the girl decided it would be better to ignore them for a while. She was starting to hear some ideas and comments they had for this island and the local girls that she really didn't want to hear. "I'm going to get the captain." Happy to have a reason to get away from them for a while, Miyako started heading back into the sub before Bepo could stop her and offer to go in her stead.

~…~

Law was sitting in his chair at the big, oak desk filled with various books and papers; mostly medical or status reports from his subordinates. He was leaned back, staring at the metal ceiling of the submarine, tapping his finger on the newspapers sprawled on the desk in front of him. There was an article about the newest happenings in the world; especially interesting was the New World where new threats started to arise. The Supernova that Law met on Saobody, were all already in the New World, making their name for themselves….one in particular. Eustass Captain Kid seemed to become even more infamous as he flattened everything to the ground if it was in his way. He left behind seas of blood and ruin wherever he went. Personally, to Law, that behavior seemed completely illogical and just a waste of time. Law was all for destroying and removing anything in his way but he preferred to do it in a more…sophisticated way. Bathing in the sea of blood was definitively the redhead's style though. Law didn't know Captain Kid for long but it was long enough to understand his character.

However, what surprised Law more was the Navy's inaction in all of it. For some reason it seemed the marines didn't bother much with the Supernovas even though they were wracking havoc in the New World. Actually, Law was surprised that he didn't encounter any since they left that dinosaur island, either. He thought the marines would pursue them and surely try to finish the job; but instead it seemed as if they have completely given up. Law's eyes narrowed a little as he thought of that possibility and dismissed it right away. *_No…there has to be something more. Akainu would never give up so easily, neither would he miss a chance to kill pirates. Especially Supernovas. He must be up to something… If the Marines haven't acted yet it must be because they have a plan.*_ But the million Beli question was; What plan? Right now the Heart pirates weren't at their best; physically nor in spirit. Everyone was still remembering the grave loss they went through; especially Law. And the submarine wasn't in its best shape and glory either. Penguin and Shachi worked day and night with their mechanics team, repairing it but there's so much they could do without new parts. In other words, the Heart pirates were full of weaknesses now. If the marines ever wanted a chance to strike at them, they wouldn't find a better one than now. So what was stopping them? Why wasn't Akainu taking advantage of this situation? *_Except…Perhaps they aren't in a better situation either..? The War ended almost 10 months ago but they did lose a lot of men…And ever since Whitebeard died the number of pirates grows more every day, the marines probably have their hands full with containing pirate riots and robberies that are happening all over the world._ * Trafalgar hummed at his own thoughts. *_Could the attack on us have just been a desperate attempt to finish us before we enter the New World and become a new threat for them as well? But Akainu doesn't seem like a man that does things out of desperation…*_ Law sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a while to focus better. _*What is the Navy planning…I have to find out. We're in a bad state now, but if I can find out about their plans maybe I can get us more leverage. We need the advantage.*_ Then his eyes opened and the metal ceiling reappeared before his eyes. *_Perhaps I should use…him?* _

Just as a plan was beginning to form in his mind, a soft knock on the doors was heard. Law's eyes darted towards the doors, though he didn't move and stayed laid back in his chair. *_Ah, that must be Bepo coming to get me* _"So we're at the new island already." Law muttered to himself before ordering a simple "Come in."

However, he was surprised to see someone else entirely at his door. Of course it was impossible to notice Law's surprise or any other expression on his perfectly masked face, but right not even Law wasn't sure if he was pleased or not by this guest. One thing Law was certain of is that ever since Miyako came to his submarine and joined the crew he was acting stranger and stranger. At first he was just having some fun with her and it was always entertaining to see her usually calm demeanor broken and her face flushed with embarrassment or anger. But somewhere along the way he realized Miyako wasn't the only one changing. He was becoming…strange; and Law didn't like it. The word '_soft'_ crossed his mind but he didn't even want to consider it. He was _not_ becoming soft. Especially not for this girl or because of her. And yet he couldn't deny the fact that his behavior started to change whenever she was near him. And Law didn't like that change…not at all. He couldn't let himself get distracted from his goal, which was One Piece. That was all that mattered and he couldn't jeopardize that in any way. He _wouldn't_! And so when he caught himself a few days ago almost saying something to Miyako that he could've regret later, Law had made up his mind. He needed some distance between them and he needed it fast. _*I can't let this go on any longer…I need to kill these distractions right away. This is no different from any other obstacle and I will easily overcome it.*_ At least that's what he has told himself and it was actually going according to plan the last few days; he barely ever saw her and avoided her as much as possible. When he couldn't avoid her though, he would act cold and calm with her. He could see the girl had noticed something was wrong and that there was a new, cold air between them but she didn't say anything. Actually she seemed to have accepted it quietly and went along with it, pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary. That only made Law wonder even more. Miyako wasn't the type to just let things be if something was wrong. She would surely confront him; or at least that's what Law thought. A small voice echoed inside his mind; *_Perhaps she simply doesn't care?*_ That voice was annoying Law the most. Mostly, he kept it inside and hidden, but sometimes it would resurface and whisper in his mind, bringing out uncomfortable feelings along with it that Trafalgar tried hard to ignore. *_I should be happy if she doesn't care…Doesn't that solve all my problems?*_ And yet, he didn't feel happy. All he got was that irritating voice still whispering doubts in his ear.

And just as he thought he was finally starting to settle things with himself, he found himself in the worst situation possible. Alone with the person he tried so hard to push away.

Miyako opened the doors of his quarters and he knew it was her even before he looked away from the ceiling and towards the doors. He would know those soft, barely hearable footsteps anywhere. She was so light on her feet; you would think she was training to be a ninja instead of a samurai.

"Law?" When he heard the girl call his name, Trafalgar moved his gaze towards her and looked at her with the corners of his eyes. She was the only one of his crew that called him by his name. Even Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, his childhood friends, started calling him Captain once they founded the Heart Pirates. At first, she called him that because she refused to acknowledge him as her captain and superior but he knew that wasn't the case anymore. Now, she called him that more out of habit…and perhaps some newfound closeness over the months. Even though it was still rare for her to call him 'Captain' but he knew it meant something when she did. It was a rare but a meaningful thing for her to call him that. That's probably why Trafalgar never insisted on it nor did he mind that she called him by his first name. At least that's what he thought…Though that little voice whispered in his mind; _*…Or perhaps it's because you like her calling you by your name.*_ Once again, the thought was extinguished as soon as it appeared.

"What is it, Miss Suzune?" _Suzune_….he never called her that and it sounded weird, even to him, but he wanted to get some distance from her in any way possible. Even if it was simply using her family name instead of her first name. He watched her expression close to see any changes or discomfort but her face remained as calm and neutral as before. There wasn't even a twitch of surprise…nothing. A part of Law felt disappointed by it but also intrigued. She was completely disputing all his expectations and it confused him, even if he would never admit it.

"We've arrived at the port. Everyone's waiting for you." Miyako's eyes darted across the room, focused on one of many Law's bookshelves, then moved to the newspaper on his desk filled with the newest wanted posters. It seemed her eyes went everywhere but on him, whose gaze she avoided. It seemed she was trying to remember something as her eyes focused on one of the wanted posters. "I remember this person; he was on Saobody when the marines and Kizaru came." She was looking at Kid's poster, the man glaring daggers out of the picture right at the photographer. Miyako was surprised they even got to his picture and were able to send it to the headquarters before Eustass killed them on the spot. The girl saw him fight at Saobody and saw what he could do…he wasn't someone Miyako wanted to get into a fight with carelessly.

"Eustass 'Captain' Kid." Law's voice brought Miyako back from her musings. "He's done some big damage in the New World…it seems he even went against some of Big Mom's men…he's got guts, I'll give him that."

"Big Mom! One of the four Emperors? Is he crazy?" Miyako couldn't restrain her surprise as she heard the infamous name of one of the Four Emperors. To pick a fight with someone like that…he was either really brave or really stupid. Miyako guessed 'both' in this case.

Law smirked at the girl's outburst. "I would think so, yes. But also very confident. Well, he's still alive for now and he got himself a pretty big bounty…so I suppose things are going rather well for Mister Eustass." Law smirked again with amusement as he remembered the gruff-looking, tactless man he once fought side by side with. But he also remembered their promise that the next time they meet it will be as enemies; Law had no doubt about that. However going against Big Mom seemed like an interesting course of action for Law. And he was interested to see how that will progress in the future. *_One thing is for sure; we can expect a lot more surprises like this from Mister Eustass…I'll be looking forward to them.*_

A clearing of Miyako's throat brought him back from his thoughts. "He seems strong though…You sure he won't get to the One Piece first while we're still _training_ here in the first part of the Grand Line?"

To Law it seemed as Miyako asked such a question on purpose, just to get a reaction out of him, to sting him a little. Perhaps she was mad at him after all? However, Trafalgar ignored her attempt. It'll need much more than that to unnerve him...though, this girl succeeded in that even without trying sometimes. Instead, the captain smirked as he pierced the picture on the poster with his stormy eyes. "Don't worry, Miss Suzune…the One Piece isn't going anywhere."

Miyako's eyebrow raised though he didn't know was it from the statement or the fact that he was using her family name again, which was unusual. "How can you be so sure?"

Law sighed as if he was getting bored with all those questions. "Trust me…I know."

The girl 'humped' sarcastically, as if showing her amusement. "Now you're asking a lot…" She wasn't looking at him, but instead found interest in one of his pens made from a big black feather. She took it and observed the silky texture of the feather before trying it out with her long, delicate fingers. There was a distinctive contrast between her pale fingers and the pitch black silk in her hand.

Now it was time for Law's eyebrow to rise, though this time it didn't disappear underneath his fuzzy hat as before. The Dark Doctor leaned on his elbow and rested his head on his hand, tilting it slightly and smirking with amusement. "Oh? I thought we were already passed that."

"Hmph." Miyako just huffed with a frown as if thinking of something, but she didn't share her thoughts with Law. Instead, she completely changed the subject. "Seeing all these posters and this talk about Saobody, it reminds me of him…"

Law didn't have to ask who she was referring to. It was clear.

"Still no sign of him? It's been almost 10 months since the War already…" The girl continued, staring at the newspaper now as if she'll find the answers in there.

"Not a word…But I'm sure he's alive and well. He's not someone to just disappear and stay hidden forever. He must be up to something. I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later." Trafalgar didn't seem interested in this new subject, but he was actually wondering about Luffy as well. What was that pirate doing all this time? Resting his wounds? Law doubted it; after all he went back to Marineford only a few days after his escape from that place with his injuries still fresh. Monkey D. Luffy wasn't one to just wait and rest. Then perhaps some kind of training? Yes, that was probably it. Law doubted Luffy was wasting any time these past 10 months. *_And I shouldn't either…We need to get even stronger before going into the New World, especially since I plan to do that soon. Yes, very soon…And I'm sure we'll meet again there; Mugiwara.*_

"Well, I better be going up and so should you. I'm sure we're already at the port." Miyako broke the silence as she put the pen back where she had found it. Law just nodded without a word, and the girl turned around to leave. When she was already at the doors, opening them, she stopped for just a second standing at the door but not quite going out yet.

Law noticed it and something awkward nestled in the pit of his stomach. As if an alarm had gone off in his mind; warning him about something that was to come. Something that he must stop at all costs. Before Miyako could say anything Law asked in a completely cold tone, just like a captain talking to nothing more than his subordinate; "Is there something else you needed?"

The girl stiffened only slightly at his voice, as if she wasn't expecting it…or perhaps as if she was expecting something else. However, that only lasted a second and soon she shook her head without even turning back. "No…that is all." With that she left and the sound of closing the heavy, metal door echoed through the silent room.

Law sighed, suddenly feeling very tired and leaned back in his chair again, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.

~….~

Miyako got off the ship along with most of the crew and saw her friends waiting for her. Penguin was holding some papers in his hand and debating vigorously with Shachi as he scribbled down on the papers now and then. *_I guess they're talking about the parts for the sub.*_ Meanwhile, Cody was talking to some of the medics, giving them instructions on what supplies they needed to buy. Some other crewmembers were harnessing the ropes of the submarine to keep it in place even though the port was calm and without waves in sight. Jean Bart was sitting on the deck, with his own papers in front of him, probably calculating their next destination already.

Miyako walked over to her friends and as soon as Josh saw her he put his arms on his hips and looked at her disapprovingly. "Where were you? We were waiting for you!"

"She went to get the Captain, did you?" Bepo jumped in with his comment to everyone's surprise. They didn't even notice him, which was surprising considering his size.

Shachi's eyebrow lifted. "So where is he then?"

Miyako shrugged, feeling annoyed with all the questions…or rather; with all the questions about Law. He was the last person she wanted to think about right now. "I don't know. He's on his way I guess." Her answer was sharp enough to end the conversation at that, but also enough to tell her friends that something was wrong.

"What happened? Did you and Captain have another fight again?" Penguin asked with a tone that sounded as if he was asking a child who had a fight with her older brother.

However, that only earned him a glare from Miyako. He almost heard the growl of an angry lioness, though the look was enough as it is.

Cody, perceptive as he was, but also knew when it was wise to let a person be, quickly changed the subject. He cleared his throat before saying; "In any case, we should hurry and get all the supplies and anything personal you might need. According to the locals, the log pose will set somewhere around tomorrow morning."

"Which doesn't give us much time to relax and party…we still need to find parts for the submarine, which is never easy." Shachi sighed, sadly. Penguin was right there beside him, with a sigh of his own. The two were looking forward to some relaxing times, preferably with a glass of rum in their hands and a pretty lass in their lap.

Suddenly they heard the metal doors opening and everyone looked up to the deck, where Law now stood with a long, black coat over his usual clothing. However, even the coat bore the Heart Pirates logo. As soon as he went out, he walked over to Jean Bart probably asking about the island and Bepo, who was until now happily rolling around in a pile of snow, went up to him quickly.

Miyako, however, couldn't help but frown as soon as she saw the captain. Definitively not someone she wanted to see right now. Their little talk, if you could call it that, in his quarters left a bad aftertaste in her mouth. For some reason, ever since she left the infirmary, Law was acting differently towards her…colder, more distant. She didn't know why but it was starting to bug her…however, prideful as she was, she refused to succumb to her worries and demand an explanation since Law would surely say he had no obligation to give her any. So instead she quietly went along with it. A part of her was actually glad…somehow she had a feeling this was for the best. They _should_ be just captain and subordinate, and nothing more. This was much safer for her as well…she knew that…she knew that and yet…A part of her felt pained and betrayed by the sudden change between them. That part feared that perhaps it was because she wasn't good enough...because she failed on the last island. _What if I'm not good enough after all? What if I get abandoned_? Those doubts and fears came up sometimes though Miyako assured herself she was just being paranoid and irrational. However, after they spent those few minutes alone in his quarters it became clear to her that he was indeed different and colder and it only made the fears stronger. She didn't want to feel that way again; yet she knew she would if they end up in a situation where they are close to each other again. Before, she could reassure herself that Law was just being busy with everything that happened so he was just distracted and not intentionally pushing her away. But after today she knew that wasn't the case after all. *_It's fine...it's for the best. But I just don't want to see him right now. I can't…*_

She looked up to see Law giving orders to his men, as the crew ran around getting supplies and doing whatever he ordered them to do. Without even thinking, Miyako quickly turned around and started walking towards the town.

"huh?" Josh was the first to notice Miyako was walking away quickly. "hey, where are you going? Miyako! What-" He called after her but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was Cody, who just stood there quietly, looking at Miyako who was leaving quickly. "Just leave her be for now." The taller medic looked a bit troubled himself but he still wore his usual, calm demeanor.

Josh looked at his friend skeptically, as if trying to understand what the other was thinking. Finally he sighed, giving up. "Why do I always have a feeling you know more than me about what's going on."

Cody looked at him with the most natural look as he said in a matter-of-fact tone; "Because you're a blockhead who doesn't understand anything."

Josh was actually surprised by those insults since they didn't go along with the calm face that was looking down at him. "Wha..-? Hey!" When it finally hit him, Josh started shouting at Cody, but the other medic just smiled with a sweat-drop as he tilted his head so the redhead would stop shouting in his ear. He didn't even look like he was listening to Josh as the short man continued, already forgetting about Miyako.

~….~

As Miyako walked through the streets she looked around the town. It was pretty big and everything was white with snow or decorated with colorful lights. She heard a noise behind her and moved just in time as a small sleigh passed by, a man standing on it, as it was dragged by four strange animals Miyako had never seen before. They were the size of ponies, with long white and grey fur and black hoofs. On their heads there were two big horns that branched out. Miyako blinked as the sleigh passed by, and then two more after it. Just as she gazed in wonder, something caught her eyes. In a window of one of the stores there was a pretty, check coat with black and red colors. It even had a hood to match. Miyako walked up to it, putting her half-frozen, bare hands on the window glass. *_Whaa~ It's so pretty_!* But then she looked at the price. "Expensive!" But at that moment something else caught her eye. "Eh?" Miyako looked at the item next to the coat. It was a hat…a fuzzy white hat with black sports and a brim. It was so similar to Law's old hat, Miyako could hardly believe it…Actually what she really found hard to believe was that they would make more hats like that. The girl almost laughed at the irony. _*Really…I can't go anywhere anymore without something reminding me of him. This is really ridiculous…* _

She would still be laughing at herself or rather her bad luck if someone hadn't grabbed her arm and turned her. Miyako was surprised to see an old man, almost half her size, looking up at her. He had a white, comical looking beard that reminded Miyako of those mountain goats and even more comical, snowy white pointy mustache which was split into two and that stuck unnaturally outwards. On top of it all, he had small, round glasses. "Ah, so you're finally here! I was waiting for you; you're late!"

Miyako blinked a few times, feeling completely confused. "huh?"

The man put his hands on his hips and looked at her disapprovingly. "Don't just 'huh' me, I have a shop to run. Don't you know how important this time of year is? The people shop more than ever now, we need to be open and prepared. Come on, help me get the new items out on the shelves." Before Miyako could protest, the small, old man grabbed her arm again and dragged her inside of the shop. The warm air of the inside hit her frozen skin, instantly soothing it. Miyako looked around the small shop. It was decorated with the same bright, colorful lights as the rest of the town; and everything else inside it was colorful as well. There was so much stuff here Miyako didn't know where to look. Clothes, toys, some strange machines Miyako has never seen before, candy, furniture…and everything lying all around the shop making it hard to move. The place was filled with stuff but Miyako noticed most of them looked really old or were simply junk.

"What is this place?" The girl frowned as she tried to walk but almost stepped on a toy-mouse which was wound-up and moving around the floor.

The man looked at her as if she was crazy. "What do you think; this is my shop of course! Didn't you see the sign; Mister Crock's World of Stuff!" He said the name with so much pride. "And I'm Mister Crock! Hahaha!" The man laughed full-heartedly, though Miyako couldn't understand why. Instead, she was still thinking of what he just said.

"Mister Crock's World of _Stuff_?" She repeated, spitting out the last word in disbelief. _*What kind of a name is that!?* _

"Yes, because I sell stuff, you see! Hahaha!" He laughed again as he moved his hand gesturing at all the stuff around them. There were so many things that it was indeed hard to focus on just one category of items, hence the word _stuff_ in the name, Miyako supposed.

"And you are here because of the add are you not? For the job. I was wondering when someone would come…you're the first, so you're hired. Hahahaha!" The old man, Mister Crock, played with one of his mustache as he stared at Miyako with a grin. "You're name, child?"

_*C-child?!*_ Miyako was about to object but Crock started talking once again, making it impossible for her to say anything.

"You see, every shop is the busiest at this time of year so I thought I could use some help. You'll be paid of course. "50 Beri per hour, it's quite a lot isn't it? Well of course, I'm not a cheapskate after all. Haha. But to tell you the truth it's not very busy this year…actually this shop isn't very busy any year. Haha. Ah~ I guess people rather go to one of these fancy stores than here, even though everything in this store is hand-made and there are a lot of antiques too…"

Miyako couldn't do anything but stand there silently as the man continued to talk without stopping. *_Antiques…No matter how you look at it, it just looks like old junk though…* _

"Hey! You just thought that all this is old junk, didn't you!?" The exclaim of the old man startled her though she was more surprised by how right on the mark he was.

"N-No that's…" She tried to defend herself but the man had already cut her off.

"As I was saying, you'll need to get some more stuff from the storage and put them out and clean the whole shop and be at the counter while I'm out (which is a lot) and…" Once again the man was talking non-stop,

Miyako just sighed tiredly. *_Why do I always get involved with these weirdoes..?*_

"Hey! You just thought I was weird, didn't you?!" The man exclaimed again, surprising the girl once again.

_*Seriously, is he psychic or something?! How does he do that!?* _However, Miyako just had about enough of everything. She was in a bad mood to begin with and this was certainly not helping. "Anyway, sorry but I-"

Once again she was interrupted. "How about we make a deal?" The old man grinned and then pointed at the window of the shop. There, on the hanger, was the beautiful winter coat Miyako had her eyes on earlier. "I saw you looking at that earlier. So how about this; instead of payment, you can take that for yourself once the work day is done. Doesn't that seem fair? Aren't I great?" The man grinned, full of pride.

Miyako thought about it for a while but then a smile appeared on her face. "You've got yourself a deal." Suddenly, this turn of events didn't look so bad after all. She'd get the coat she wanted and besides…this was a small shop. How much work can there be?

~….~

Miyako got an answer to her question soon enough; Plenty! Mister Crock kept ordering her to do this and that and she didn't have any time to rest. However the coat was on her mind the whole time, urging her to continue with the hard work. And luckily, she didn't even have time to think of some other things, especially her recent problems that were bothering her; such as Law's odd behavior. However, every time she would pass near the window and see the white cap, her thoughts would become filled with the captain once again and that bitter taste would reappear. However every time, Mr. Crock would call for her and give her another job, making her forget about her problems and think of new ones.

After a while, Miyako remembered something from their conversation earlier. "You keep talking about 'that time of the year'. What do you mean by that?"

Mister Crock suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at her as if she just announced snow was hot. "Y-You don't know? How can you possibly not know?!"

Miyako suddenly thought she was in for something bad and tried to think of a good explanation to get out of this situation, but it was already too late. Once again her words were interrupted by Mr. Crock. "It's Christmas of course!"

"Christmas…?" Miyako repeated in an unsure and soft voice. The word was foreign to her.

"Child, don't tell me you don't know what Christmas is? Where have you been living up until now!?" The old man was red in his face from all the disbelief.

"Umm..well I'm….new here…" Miyako decided it wouldn't be a good idea to say she was currently a pirate, traveling with the Heart Pirates led by the infamous Surgeon of Death. On her surprise, Mr. Crock didn't ask her much about her origins anyway. She didn't know was it because he didn't want to pry or simply didn't care…or maybe he was just too absorbed into his own stories to remember to ask; either way, Miyako was grateful for it.

"This is a Christmas Island, whether the island was named after this special day or vice versa, I don't know; but I know one thing; Christmas is definitively the most important time of the year here!" The man cleared his throat as if preparing for a very long story, and Miyako sighed tiredly, already regretting that she asked. "This town, Laponia, has celebrated this event for as long as we remember. It is the time of joy and happiness and celebration, where people give each other gifts to represent their love for each other. Whether it's something simple, something you made yourself or something you bought, it's precious as long as you were thinking of the other person…." The old man continued, explaining the tree decorating, the colorful lights and candy, the presents and so much more. Miyako listened carefully and as she did she realized more and more that she liked this Christmas thing. It sounded lovely. But then Crock sighed sadly. "However, it seems people here are starting to forget the true essence of Christmas."

"True essence of Christmas?" Miyako repeated, her golden eyes wide with wonder as if she was a child listening to an exciting story.

"Yes…Christmas was about giving and sharing your love and happiness with others...but it seems people forgot the joy of Christmas. Now it is only about buying the best and most expensive presents or having better decorations than your neighbors. As if it has become a competitive sport. " The man looked around the store now and his gaze fell upon an old clock on the wall. "That's why people don't come here anymore I guess. Now they go to those big stores in the town, everyone buying the newest doll models for their daughters, or the same jewelry that they sell everywhere. But here.." Crock pointed at the things in the store. "Every item here is unique…the only one and with a certain story behind it. Perhaps you think it's old junk, but to me…these things have soul. A soul that the numerous things in those big stores don't have. Each of these items was made with care unlike those manufactured things in fancy stores." Crock sighed tiredly. "But I suppose there's nothing we can do about it…times change."

Miyako looked at the man whose spirits suddenly fell. She felt bad now, for thinking all of this was junk, to him it obviously had a lot of value and she could understand him. In a way, it reminded her about her Yawarakai-Te which was fastened securely around her waist. That katana had its own essence as well. It had a story, a connection with her and it was one of a kind. That's why it was so special. Miyako knew it wouldn't be the same if that katana was made in some factory and only one of thousands that all look the same, feel the same, and everyone else has them as well.

The girl bit her lip as she thought this. She didn't owe this man anything, but she still felt as if she wanted to help him. She felt bad for him. "Isn't there something we can do?"

Crock looked at her in surprise. "Like what?"

Miyako thought for a while, trying to think of a plan. "Can't we…bring Christmas back? Make other see what you see."

The man smiled a bit, taking of his glasses and cleaning them with his sleeve, before putting them back on. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it. The people are just not interested anymore. It's only a matter of time before I lose my business too…"

But for Miyako that wasn't enough. She was a stubborn person and when she got an idea she wanted to see it through till' the end. She wasn't the one to give up before even trying and she knew her master wouldn't want her to, either. Miyako shook her head with a smile. "Don't give up yet! I have an idea."

Mister Crock looked at the girl with confused but interested eyes as she smiled at him mischievously.

~….~

The town's square was truly a magnificent sight. At the middle, there was a huge Christmas tree decorated with colorful lights and other decorations, from snowflakes and little angels to Christmas balls of all colors and sizes. The rest of the square was covered in lights and decorations as well. The picture was complete with snow everywhere, sparkling like million little crystals.

However the people were just passing by, too immersed with their Christmas shopping problems to pay any attention or notice the beauty of that simple picture. Instead all they were thinking of was what to buy, what to cook, how many people they needed to invite to their house for the Christmas party and so on. Suddenly, a big sleigh arrived, decorated with bells which chimed while the snowyaks, as Laponians called them, pulled the sleigh. At least that got their attention as the people around stopped and looked at the sleigh in wonder. On them were two people, dressed in red and white.

"Eeeh? Isn't that Crock?" "What is that crazy old man doing now?" There were whispers and comments in the gathering crowed.

The two figures ignored them though as they stood up to be seen. One was the old man, dressed as a famous character from the legend, a man who was said to be the one who started this whole holiday by giving people his gifts accompanied with love and joy. The other was a young, woman in similar clothing, red and white, but instead of a jacket and pants she had a red dress that went just above her knees, and her usual knee-length, black boots. Miyako was freezing but that didn't matter now as she fixed the red and white hat on her head. Unfortunately these were the only kind of costumes Crock had and it was a surprise that he even had one for a woman in the first place. However Miyako didn't want to ask why he had it since that would surely lead to another hour-long story.

Mister Crock stood on the sleigh getting everyone's attention. "Everyone, can I have your attention please!" The old man cleared his throat as he looked at the gathering crowed. "It seems to me that we have forgotten what this special day is all about!" He eyed everyone in the crowd and finally his gaze stopped at one little boy who was no more than 7 years old, looking up at Mister Crock and the new lady with interest. "In the old days all we needed was each other, the presents were just a token of our love for our family and friends! And now..? Now, there's a big store at every corner that sells the same stuff, everyone just buys the most expensive appliances, the shiniest jewelry, the biggest toys…! Have we forgotten what Christmas is all about?! Have you all lost the Spirit of Christmas?"

It was clear on the faces of people there was annoyance and disagreeing. Miyako wasn't surprised, after all, she didn't expect them to just stand there and listen to Crock's words so casually...even though he was right. But people can't always admit to themselves when they are wrong, when they know they've done wrong. It's much easier to disagree and burry your head into the sand…or snow in this case. By now, the crowd was full of mutters and mumbles, none of them good, Miyako supposed.

Still, Mr. Crock didn't give up as he talked on. "A long time ago, every toy, every gift had a story, just like this holiday! There was importance in every gesture. Our presents weren't just for show, they were there for a specific someone…for a special someone, to make them happy. Remember!"

"What are you talking about? We don't have time to listen to your silly, long ramblings. We still have a bunch of things we need to do before Christmas arrives!"

"Yeah, we need to finish shopping too!"  
>"You're just promoting your run-down, old store. Just go back to your garbage you have there and leave us alone!<p>

"Yeah, who do you think you are, preaching to us?!"

The townspeople of Laponia raised their voices in anger, glaring and yelling at the poor old man. Miyako couldn't stand to watch, but it wasn't something she wasn't already expecting. People don't change their ways and minds that easily. Mister Crock still wouldn't give up though as he tried to remind the townspeople what Christmas used to be all about and he tried to tell them the old legend of how a mysterious man in red and white, and black boots appeared out of nowhere one night when the people needed him the most.

Laponia used to be a poor town. Since this was an island where it was winter all year long, nothing grew here, the land was barren and covered with ice. Many people would die from the cold every night. At that time of need, suddenly a man appeared. Nobody knew who he was or where he came from and through the generations as this story was told, he had many appearances. Ones say he was 3 meters tall at least, others say he flew to the island on magical sleigh pulled by snowyaks, the strange animals Miyako saw earlier in town, coming down from the thick, wintery clouds…But they all had one thing in coming; the red and white suit, a thick, snowy white beard that looked like the clouds above Christmas island and a deep, cheerful laugh that rang across the island. The man came one night just as Laponia was being attacked by some pirates. Even though the townspeople had nearly nothing, the pirates wanted to take even what little they did have. He defeated the pirates all by himself, using his large broad sword. But that wasn't the only thing he did. He had an enormous bag full of treasures and other presents which he gave to the townspeople; food, clothing, toys for the kids…everything. Taking the pirates' ship, the people redecorated it and used it as a merchant ship to trade with other islands and little by little, the town became prosperous, since it had contacts with other towns on the Grand Line now and all the treasure and goods the people needed. The mysterious man became the town's protector, but as quickly as he came, he went away; leaving one night without anyone noticing. The people didn't know anything about the generous man who didn't just save the island but bring the people hope and joy as well; however some say the man's name was actually Christams and that the island was named after him.

Miyako wondered how much of that story was true and couldn't help but stop and think what a strange name Christmas is anyway. But as she was deep in her own thoughts, the situation out there on the main square worsened. Mister Crock couldn't even finish the story since people were now openly objecting and disapproving.

"We know that story already, we all heard it as kids! And it's just a legend!"

"Yeah, Christmas is just a name for a holiday, this man never existed! This is just tradition!"  
>"Yeah, Christmas isn't real you idiot!"<p>

"hahaha The old fart must be senile already!"

The people laughed or yelled at old man Crock who didn't seem to want to give up. "B-But…NO! That's not true! I….Christmas…" The old man obviously lost any will or hope to continue now, as he couldn't find the words anymore. This was the first time Miyako saw him at a loss of words…for a man who always had a story to tell, this said something. The girl couldn't look at the scene anymore. Soon people lost interest in Crock and the crowd dissolved, everyone going their own way again, leaving Crock at the middle of the square.

"Mister?" Suddenly, Crock and Miyako heard a voice and they looked down to see that 7 year old boy from the crowd. "Who is this Christmas?"

Miyako could see some light coming back to Crock's eyes behind his glasses. He was obviously happy to be able to touch at least one person with the story. "Well you see boy, he was-"

"Tommy!" But before Crock could continue the boy's mother walked to them and dragged the child away. "Don't talk to that old man or you'll become just a dreamer like him!"

Miyako put a hand on the old man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Miyako….You know, when you told me to try and reason with them, you actually gave me hope…that maybe, just _maybe_ they would listen. That they would understand. But it was no use after all. Let's go …" The two sat in the sleigh and rode back towards the shop. "It seems Christmas is really dead...and so is my shop."

"Will you really give up so easily? Maybe we could-" Miyako tried to find another way.

"No...that's enough, child. I'd like to be left alone for a while...I'll leave you here in town." The man sighed sadly. "And to think tomorrow is Christmas…Though I don't know what I am even celebrating anymore. It's obvious mine is not the same Christmas _they're_ thinking of." He almost spat the word "they" in anger.

"Crock-san…Why do you care so much about this? I mean, I understand you want to stay true to the _real_ Christmas and you don't want your shop to close but…why do you care so much what others think about this?"

Crock sighed. "I was there…"

"what?" Miyako blinked as she heard Crock mumble, but couldn't understand him.

"I was there that night. The night Christmas came to this island and saved us all."

"…How old are you exactly, Ossan?"

"Shut up, don't make fun of the old!" Crock yelled at the girl almost comically as his glasses fell further down his nose. "Besides, I'm the oldest person in this town…How else would I know all those stories. I have wisdom you youngsters haven't even experienced yet!" He fixed his glasses before continuing. "That story didn't happen so long ago as everyone thinks. I was only a child though, no more than six years old, but I still remember it like yesterday. I remember joy and happiness that came to this island with him…the kind that we didn't feel for a very long time before that. I was born and raised in that poverty and he got me out of it…out of the darkness. And I saw him the night he went away and disappeared…I'll never forget that night. He saw me peeking from my window and grinned. He wasn't just any man…"

Miyako could see that spark in the old man's eyes again. It was clear he was sucked in his world as he remembered his childhood.

"I just…wanted everyone else to feel that joy…I don't want them all to forget that man who saved us all." Crock's eyes became sadder all of a sudden as his gaze blurred a bit. That fire in his eyes died out again.

~….~

The snowyaks ran along, pulling the sleighs with old Crock in it as Miyako watched him drive off. She bit her lip thinking and trying to hide her irritation. *_Honestly, these people have no values anymore!* _She didn't know Crock for very long and he was surly a little weird, but Miyako also saw he was a good old man and she wanted to help him. *_He looked so sad…* _

"ooooooy!" A familiar voice brought Miyako out of her musings and she looked up in surprise to see some familiar faces. Sai, Cody and Josh were walking towards her and Cody was waving to Miyako to get her attention. It's not like she couldn't spot them easily in the crowd of moving people as they all had their colorful unique hats and white overalls that blended in with the whiteness all around them. Her eyes stopped on the yellow, smiley marks of their jolly roger on their suits. Suddenly, as she started at that grinning face, an idea popped up in her head. Her lips almost mimicked the Heart pirates jolly roger as they moved into a grin of their own. *_If we can't make them see their folly with words…we'll have to do it with actions.* _

"Where have you been, woman?! You just ran off without telling anyone where, you know how long we were looking for you!?" Josh already started with the preaching as soon as they walked up to her.

"Hey, Miyako! What do you think of this place, huh? It's so cheerful and colorful and all this snow…it reminds me of my hometown up north. Ah, the nostalgia…and meeting our crew for the first time…the memories just keep coming back to me." Sai kept talking as he drifted off into his little memory world.

Meanwhile, Cody looked at the crowded streets. "But they all seem in a rush…must be that Christams thing tomorrow that we heard about."

"You think they'll have a party then…Maybe we can see some of it before we go." Sai commented obviously finished with his reminiscence.

"Will they have booze?" Josh questioned.

Cody sighed looking at the shorter medic. "Is alcohol all you think about?"

"Oh, excuse me Mister I-mysteriously-disappear-with-a-woman-at-every-frickin'-party-we-go-to!" Josh countered.

"That temperament of yours must be keeping you warm in this cold weather…" Cody mumbled innocently, though purposely loud enough for Josh to hear. Cody was always passive-aggressive like that…and good at it too.

Miyako just sighed and rolled her eyes but she ignored their little bickering since she had an important idea in mind right now and she needed them to see it through. "It doesn't matter, look, would you just stop and listen for a second. I need you to act like pirates right now!"

The last sentence was enough to bring everyone's attention to her as they looked at her as if she just announced she had two horns and a tail with hoovers instead of feet.

"What?"

"But you never like us acting like pirates?"

"Yeah, you always give us crap when we steal things too! Like last time when I-"

"Well I want it now!" Miyako interrupted Joshua before he had time to digress again. "Listen, you've already heard of this holiday tomorrow right? And the whole Laponia is preparing for it."

The men nodded without a word. "Yeah, Christmas, so?" Josh asked.

Suddenly, Miyako's smile and gaze became devilish as she looked at her friends. "We're going to steal Christmas."

"waaaah?!" Sai, Cody and Josh all sang in unison with surprise.

~…..~

As fast and clear as possible, Miyako told her friends about the things that happened today.

Cody sighed. "How do you always get yourself in these kinds of situations…?"

"So…who exactly is this Crock and why are we helping him?" Josh asked as he folded his arms on his chest and looked at Miyako, his forest green eyes holding a skeptical gaze as they watched the girl under the brim of his hat.

Miyako sighed. "You should've seen him, he looked so disappointed. Besides, I'm not just doing this for Mister Crock."

"Why then?"

"Well…these people really pissed me off!" The girl put her fists on her hips.

The three pirates sweat-dropped. "So it's more about getting back at them…" Cody muttered.

"More importantly….I think we're not addressing the main problem here…." Josh started and everyone looked at him in suspense. "Why the hell are you dressed like that!?" He pointed at Miyako with disbelief on his face and his tone a few notes higher than usual.

Everyone sighed disappointed.

"And I actually thought you'd say something useful…" Cody grumbled.

"Actually I want to know too…" Sai added looking at Miyako's Christmassy dress. "Just don't let Shachi or Penguin see you, we can't have them in the infirmary for blood loss now, they need to work on the sub."

"Damn perverts…" Josh muttered just imagining what would happen if the two mechanics saw Miyako in this new edition.

"It's a costume…something related to Christmas….I'm not sure myself…" Miyako scratched her head, fixing her ribbon in the process as she tried to remember Crock's explanation of the costumes. Something about how those were the colors Christmas wore and it was supposed to make people remember of Christmas tradition. "In any case, are you with me? Come on, you're pirates aren't you, you should be glad about this!"

Cody fixed the bandana holding up his hair and bangs "Listen, I'm not one to spoil the fun…usually that's Josh's job-"

"Hey!"

Cody ignored the redhead as he continued. "But it could get a bit troublesome. We need to fix the sub, Shachi and Penguin are going all around town looking for needed parts and the others are around buying supplies. It's only night time and we still have hours to go before the pose sets. It would be troublesome if we have an angry mob coming at us before we can set off."

"And we're kinda standing out in these Heart pirates' uniforms…" Sai added, pointing at the jolly roger on his overall.

Miyako thought for a second. *_They're right...Then how about-!*_ "So…What if we wear disguises?"

Once more the three men looked at the girl in wonder and interest; she was obviously plotting something.

Miyako smirked amused at their expecting faces. "If I remember correctly, Crock-san has more of these uniforms for both men and women in the storage of his store…He said he was going home now so we could sneak in and…borrow them." Miyako smirked devilishly again.

"Eeeeh? Wear stuff like this? But…why does that guy have so many of these uniforms anyway?" Josh tilted his head as he looked at Miyako's dress, imagining what the male's suit would look like.

Miyako shook her head with a confused look. "I don't know…and not sure I want to. The old man is a good guy but…a bit weird."

Sai, Cody and Josh looked at each other in wonder at her words.

Miyako sighed, a bit impatient now. "Come on! Where's your Christmassy spirit!"

The guys were still looking at each other as if communicating mentally and trying to decide whether to go through with this or not. Sai grinned suddenly; "Well, we are pirates after all. And this sounds interesting."

The guys looked back at the awaiting girl and she could see by the looks on their faces that they decided to do it.

"But….how do you steal a holiday?" Cody asked what the other two guys were thinking as well.

Miyako grinned and that devilish gleam in her eyes was back again. "Leave it to me…I have a plan."

~…..~

"Are you sure this is a good idea…?" Josh fixed his hat pulling it down, almost over his eyes just to make sure he isn't recognized. He was wearing a red and white suit, similar to one the old man Crock had earlier that day. The others didn't look much different as they snuck to steal the big sleigh Crock had also been using a few hours ago. Sai and Miyako were sitting in the back, carrying big empty bags with them, while Cody and Josh were sitting in the front and the taller medic was handling the reins.

"No, but those people need to learn...one way or the other." Miyako answered as she tried to warm up by puffing hot breath into her frozen, bare hands.

Sai looked at the girl beside him skeptically. "Aren't you just pissed off and want to get back at them for what happened earlier?" By his tone it was obvious he wasn't buying the whole _Teach-them-about-true-values_ reason Miyako gave them.

And by the expression she gave when asked this, it was obvious he hit the mark.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Miyako answered in a complete even tone with a mask of pure innocence on her face. She didn't even blink while saying such an obvious lie.

Sai had to admit he was a little impressed by her perfect mask. *_You're good Suzune…you're good.*_ However he didn't comment on it. Sai didn't really have a problem about their plan anyway; Hey, they'd get a bunch of free stuff out of it. Besides, it was about time for Miyako to start acting like a pirate more. The navigator was actually quite pleased with the plan. He just hoped it worked because if they get found out and the whole town comes after them, they'll be in trouble…Sai wasn't really worried what the townspeople would try and do to them; oh no, what he was worried about was something much scarier. What the captain would do to them if they messed up his plans for fixing the sub and departing with the log pose set. Thinking of Law's punishment was much scarier than the rage of the Laponians. Just thinking about it, a shiver ran down Sai's spine and it wasn't from the cold.

Everything was completely still and quiet in town. The lights were out in all the houses, everyone sound asleep. Even the children who awaited Christmas morning with impatience. The only things moving were four shadows of the Heart pirates, carrying large, empty bags on their shoulders. They tiptoed from house to house, from street to street, across all of town.

"The townspeople here only think of this holiday as something material. It seems they can't even have Christmas if they don't have shiny lights and big presents. So let's see what they'll do once all of that is gone. That should teach them that it's not about the material stuff, but something much more important." Miyako spoke in a whisper before jumping onto the wall of one house, then springing off it towards the house across and unsheathing her katana in the process. As she was in the air, she sliced a few times with her katana in such speed that it was barely visible. As she did, she landed back on the ground and quickly opened her bag. Only a second later, all the colorful Christmas lights from the house fell apart and fell right into her bag.

Meanwhile, Sai was working on another house, stripping it from all the Christmas decorations as well. Josh was opening the lock on the window with his skillful fingers and entered soundlessly putting everything related to the holiday in his bag. Cody was standing guard, sitting in the sleigh and ready in case they needed a quick escape.

Miyako snuck into one of the houses, tiptoeing across the wooden floor and putting everything in her bag along the way. As she came to the Christmas tree, she sliced it into little bits, putting even them into the bag until there wasn't even one splinter left.

As the night progressed, the Heart pirates used their warrior and thieving skills to take everything Christmassy from every house in the town. It took hours, but somewhere around dawn, the pirates successfully erased any sign and evidence of Christmas there was. With bags and sleighs full of decorations, presents, cookies, and lights, the pirates drove off out of town and buried the bags in a nearby forest along with all the evidence of their misdoing, under heaps of thick snow.

~….~

The townspeople of Laponia rose with the first rays of sun but what awaited them was quite different from what they expected. From every house, Miyako and the others who observed everything from a distance, could hear disbelief and racket. First shock, then anger. The people ran out in the vast streets that were as bare as their houses, completely stripped from any Christmas decorations.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A man yelled, expecting an answer. But nobody could give it to him because everyone was just as surprised and confused.

"All the decorations…."

"Where are my presents, mommy?"

"E-even the big Christmas tree at the town's square is gone!"

"Who could've done this?!"

"There are a lot of pirates in this town too…maybe one of them?"

"Hey, don't ya ge blamin' us now!" A captain from a certain pirate crew jumped in when he saw they were starting to accuse the numerous pirate crews that were staying at the island.

Soon, the whole town was at the main square, arguing and yelling, everyone accusing each other.

"This could get ugly Miyako…" Cody warned as he saw what was stirring.

"They'll just have to accept it!" The samurai girl said stubbornly, even folding her arms on her chest as if to emphasize her point on the matter. She obviously had no intention of giving up and giving back all the stuff to those materialistic people. However, beneath her firm exterior, Miyako was starting to feel a bit guilty. Especially after hearing the children and some of them even started crying.

But then something caught her attention. It was Mister Crock who was also wandering around, confused as rest of the townspeople. Miyako and the others returned both the costumes and the sleigh after using them so the old man didn't suspect a thing. Miyako even took all of his decorations in and on the house but it was for a different reason than the others. She wasn't mad at the old man but she knew it would be bad for him if his house was the only one left untouched. That could make him seem guilty for the whole thing and get him in serious trouble. The girl strongly believed that he was the only one in this town who actually deserved all those presents and decorations but she had to put practicality before her emotions. And now, she saw him running as fast as he could on the snowy ground, towards his shop. Miyako wandered what he was up to and by the determined way he fought against heaps of snow in his way, it was obvious he was up to something.

~…..~

Crock couldn't believe it. Everything….gone! When he woke up it was as if Christmas had already passed and he slept through it; for a short moment that was exactly what he believed. That or he must've gone insane! But after seeing the whole town in no better state he knew this was for real…Everything was gone! He saw the shocked and confused looks on everyone's faces. For them, it was as if Christmas was really gone. Crock didn't feel that way though. You don't need presents and decorations to have Christmas! That's what he was trying to say and make them see all along! And for a short while, Mister Crock actually felt glad for this strange occurrence. He felt glad that the people lost all those materialistic things they connected Christmas with. But then children started crying, adults started despairing…and Crock's glee turned into pity. However this was a perfect chance to show the people that they can really enjoy this holiday without anything material, just like it used to be. Now he really got the chance to show them what Christmas was all about.

He ran back to his shop, taking his big sleighs and putting all of the items from Mister Crock's World of Stuff in them. The shop was almost completely empty now.

~…~

The crowd of people turned towards the coming sleigh. There, on top was Mister Crock, once again wearing his Christmas costume and a giant bag beside him. The people watched in even bigger confusion and some even in annoyance as they realized the old man was up to something again.

"There, are you happy now Crock? It seems your wish came true!"

"We won't have Christmas this year! Look at our town…it's all…it's all….gone!"

The people were once again calling out in panic and desperation. However the old man ignored their cries as he raised his hand in the air to silence them. It seemed the townspeople were interested enough to actually obey and the crowd fell silent. "Good people of Laponia! Listen to me!" Crock begun. "We all know the legend how this holiday began. We all know of a man who gave everything to this island when we needed it the most!"

"That's just a myth Crock!" A young man in the crowd yelled back.

"It is not a myth! I've seen him!"

The crowd looked at the old man in shock, but soon their gazes changed and they looked at him as if he was completely insane.

"It's true! I was only a boy…Nobody of my generation is left and I know nobody can vouch for me…but please, believe me! And even if you don't, even if you don't believe that Christmas was indeed real, you should all know this; That our island had nothing! How poor and cold and miserable we were! Think about it; this island is always covered in snow and ice, we can't grow food on this land…nothing grows here except pinewood. Yet, this island is prosperous! We even have enough money to build greenhouses to grow our food and flowers in them! Why do you think that is!? How could this island suddenly evolve so much?!"

The people looked at each other, obviously trying to find a logical explanation but failed.

Crock didn't wait long before continuing. " But right now I don't want to make you believe in Christmas…what I want to give you know is hope! We had nothing…no money, no food, no firewood….but the most precious thing that man did for us…it wasn't giving us the money or even saving us from those pirates. No…what we all remembered him for was something else. He gave us hope! And most of all he taught us that even if we were poor, we were never alone! We had each other and we always helped each other out! We were strong and we were happy because we had the ones we loved by our side! Money wasn't everything and for that short time that Christmas stayed with us, he showed us that!"

Crock needed to pause to get his breath back and meanwhile observed the crowd. The people were looking at each other as if trying to decide what to say or do in this situation. They still seemed skeptical but at least they were thinking about his words this time.

"I…I don't need this after all!" Suddenly a small voice echoed in the crowd and everyone made room to see who it was. It was the small boy from before and in his hands he had a Christmas decoration, a lovely snowflake. The boy saw it on the Christmas tree and was so charmed by it that he took it with him to bed and put it under his pillow. "Mister Crock…even if I don't have this, I still have Christmas right?" The boy walked up to the sleigh and handed it to the old man, who smiled at the boy.

"Of course youngster! Nobody can take it away from you! For example, you still have your voice don't you?!"

The boy blinked at the man confused. "My voice?"

The old man grinned before clearing his voice and starting to sing a cheerful Christmas song that everyone knew. The child smiled and started singing with him. Then the other children started too. It seemed a light bulb lit over everyone's heads as they realized what Crock meant. Soon, everyone was singing with him. The old man laughed as he saw everyone holding hands and for the first time in a long while, nobody was thinking of presents, of shopping, of trying to be better than their neighbors...everyone was just celebrating this holiday. Laponians realized; everything they needed was right here.

"Come everyone! I'll make some hot chocolate for everyone to warm up! Then we can put another tree at the town square!" A man said. Ironically, he was the one to own one of the biggest stores in town, filled with industrial merchandise Crock so hated. Later, that man will build his own workshop to make custom made toys to every child's liking.

"Yeah, and we'll make the decorations!" The children of Laponia said eagerly.

Crock laughed as how enthusiastic everyone was and a tear appeared at the corner of his eye. A tear well hidden under his round glasses. Then he remembered something! "Ah, before we go! There is something I want all of you to have!"

The people looked back at the man who was still standing on his sleigh. "What is it old man? You already changed our minds, you don't have to-"

But Crock just shook his head to stop them. "Christmas is a holiday of giving after all…giving to your loved ones. And this whole town, you, are my loved ones. And so…I want you to accept at least my presents for you." He opened the big bag and started taking out items from his shop. There was so much various stuff in it that there was a little something for everyone. "This colorful fan was said to be owned by a certain Wano princess who was sailing through this waters with her followers and visited this snowy island, on a white Christmas just as this one. The woman fell so in love with the ambience and atmosphere that she wanted to stay here forever…She also fell in love with a certain Laponian, but since her duties forbid her to stay here with him, she gave him this fan as a token of her heat. That's how the legend goes at least…Oh, but it's such a sad story." He gave a big decorated fan to one of the townswomen. "Oh and this clock is actually-" Crock continued to hand out his shop items, always telling the story that went with every item he handed. Every present had an interesting history to it and Crock handed it to a person who he thought it fit the most.

~….~

"It seems your plan failed...They got their Christmas after all." Josh said to Miyako rather gloatingly as they looked at the townspeople all happy, cheerful and singing Christmas songs.

Miyako smirked as she kept her gaze on the Laponians as well. But she didn't look angry or upset…she looked glad actually. Her golden eyes had a soft gleam in them as she looked at the people's happiness with nostalgia. "No…I think everything ended perfectly."

The rest of her friends looked at her with confused looks , well everyone except Cody; for some reason it seemed that guy knew every step before it even happens. He knew her too well already and knew exactly how and what she would think. He smiled at the people and put his gloved hands in the pockets of his overall. "Well, we should go back now…it's already morning, the log pose must be set already."

"Yeah…I wonder if Shachi and Penguin found everything they needed to fix the sub." Sai was in his own musings.

"Heh, I feel kind of guilty for letting everyone work while we had our fun here." Miyako muttered.

"AHA! So you admit this was fun! Even though you were stealing!?" Sai had a grin on his face as he finally caught her.

"Well…I'll admit it was a little fun doing this with you guys…" She said with a smirk and a devilish gleam in her eyes. But soon that smirk disappeared and was replaced by a serious face and tone; "Though you'll hear that now and never again, understood?!"

"Yes, mam.." Everyone said with a sweat-drop and a nervous smile. Miyako could sure look scary when she needed to.

Then Josh remembered something. "Hey, what about all that stuff we took then?" With a little less enthusiasm he continued; "Do we give it back….?"

Miyako shrugged. "Nah, they don't need it anymore. Besides, we wouldn't want them to change their minds again. You can do what you like with it for all I care."

"….What should we do with tons of Christmas decorations…?" Cody said a bit disappointed. Now if those were medical book they stole, he would be the first to take all those bags with him even if he had to carry them by himself.

"But we can take the presents, right?" Josh grinned mischievously and with his short stature he really looked like a child getting ready for christmas morning. Cody, Miyako and Sai were all thinking of that exact same thing but they all decided to let it slide this time….well, it was Christmas after all.

~….~

"Aaaah! Where were you guys! You've been gone for the whole night! Don't tell me you partied all this time!" Bepo ran up to them as soon as they came back. He was guarding the sub while happily enjoying this cold weather while he still could. Bepo never really like the sub, or rather the small, metal, unnatural space with no breeze or cold temperature to cool his furry body. That's why he always spent his time outside as much as he could when he had the chance and this island was surely heaven for the polar bear.

"Is Captain pissed?" Josh wanted to test the territory to know what to expect once they entered the submarine.

"Well..hehe….How bad can it be?" Sai couldn't help but laugh nervously. He knew already though, it could be bad…very bad. Depending on Law's mood of course.

Bepo tilted his head as if thinking. "I don't know, he's been in his quarters since yesterday." The polar bear seemed to be in thought.

However, Miyako ignored them as her friends kept talking about what they missed. She didn't really want to even think about Law right now. Luckily, she was occupied most of the time while they were here so she completely forgot about the awkward situation between them. But now, the time of confrontation was growing near with every step towards the sub that she took. That made her slow down even more while her friends were already going inside through the metal doors. And just on cue, as if her prayers to prolong the inevitable were answered, a familiar voice stopped her.

"Miyako!" Old man Crock called out at the girl as he drove towards the port in his sleigh.

The samurai turned around in surprise as she saw Crock coming. "Crock-san? What are you doing here?"

"heh…So you were a pirate. I figured as much." The old man smirked as he saw the big painted jolly roger on the side of the sub. "And quite a famous crew, aren't you..?" He didn't look angry or scared though.

"A-ah…well…" Miyako wasn't sure what to say. Technically she didn't lie to him but she didn't tell him the truth either.

"Oh it's fine, it's fine. I know how to deal with pirates." Crock grinned then took a package that was beside him. He tossed it to Miyako with surprisingly good strength and the girl caught it with one hand. "A promise is a promise."

At first Miyako didn't know what he meant but then a flashback came to mind. She made a deal with him; if she helped around the shop he would give her that coat she was looking at. A bright smile came to her face and she opened the package eagerly. However that smile soon turned up-side down into a confused frown. Inside, wasn't the nice check coat but instead a fuzzy white hat with a brim and black leopard spots. "Wait..but this is…."

"What you were looking at." The old man continued her sentence even though that wasn't what Miyako was thinking. "I saw you…you were looking at it and thinking of someone, weren't you? So this must be meant as a present for someone no? Hehe, even if you never heard of Christmas before, its spirit is in you as well." Crock looked proud and pleased with what he said.

However Miyako still planned to protest…at least until she heard his words. Then, she closed her mouth and just smiled, giving up. It wouldn't be of any use anyway. The samurai girl just closed her eyes and chuckled to herself before looking at Crock and nodding a thanks.

"Come on Miya-chaaaan! We're submerging!" It was Penguin's voice as he called for her.

The girl cast a last glance at Crock, before turning around and running inside the sub. "Comiiing!"

~…..~

_*I won't give it to him!...Or maybe I should….The hell with it, he's been acting like a real jerk so why should I even care?! But would Crock-san be disappointed in me…He said I had a spirit of Christmas in me…Aaah, the hell with christmas spirit, I'm from Wano! We don't even have Christmas!*_ Miyako was torn to say the least. She didn't even know what to do but she was starting to annoy herself with this indecision. She was finally warm and alone in her quarters but she couldn't even relax.

"Gaaah! When did I start acting like some in love school girl!?" She kicked the metal wall of her room hard enough to make a small dent. " ...Wait! What did I just say; In love!? Have I gone completely insane!?" The samurai girl grabbed her head as if to shove all those thoughts back in, deep in her brain, where they belonged. "No, no, no…That was just…just a mistake. Right…hehe…" She comforted herself as she tried to justify her outburst just now. "And what the hell is a school girl anyway?" Miyako was even more confused than 20 minutes ago when she started this whole debate with herself. *_Great, now I'm even talking to myself. I really might be going crazy.*_

Just as she was about to give up and have a nap for a few hours in hopes she'll be more clearheaded after a rest, a knock was heard on her door. "Oh what now…." The girl muttered as she dragged herself to the door and opened them with a clear frown on her face.

"Well it's good to see you too." Cody said sarcastically, with a smirk, as he saw Miyako's expression.

Before she could even decide whether to let them in or not, her friends were already walking inside as if they owned the place. Over the months, they've become totally at home in her room, going in and out as they pleased, which irritated Miyako immensely...or at least that's what she always complained about. But what she didn't want to admit neither to them nor herself was that she actually didn't mind the company...at least most of the time.

Cody, Penguin and Bepo were the ones who came and Cody was holding something underneath his arm. Bepo had a bit of trouble entering her small room but somehow all four of them fit inside, though it suddenly became a lot more claustrophobic there.

"What are you all doing-" But before she could even finish the question, Penguin already began talking.

"I heard from the other guys what you did on Christmas island! Haha I can't believe it...and here Josh always called you a Stuck up."

"Here…" She finished her question though it remained unanswered. "What! He did!?" Miyako almost growled at that piece of information she didn't even know about. Oh she'll get the redhead back for that later.

"Umm…But I wonder if that was okay. Next time, first ask Captain about things like that, Miyako-chan." Bepo scolded her as a proper first mate should.

"Oh shut up Bepo." Penguin commented though it sounded more like out of habit than any actual anger.

Miyako smiled at the big bear. "It's fine, it's fine…Everything went perfectly smooth, according to plan, so there's no reason to worry…or get Law involved in that, right?" Miyako smiled sweetly at Bepo, scratching him behind one ear which he always enjoyed. It was obvious to both Penguin and Cody, she wanted something from Bepo, but the bear didn't suspect anything as he happily twitched his ear. "So…there's no reason tell him about it, right Bepo?" She continued smiling sweetly as she played with his white fur.

_*Ah, there it is…* _Both Cody and Penguin thought in unison with a sweat drop.

"Eeeh? You want me to keep this from Captain!?" Bepo called out in utter surprise and disbelief. The bear was the most trusted companion to Law and he could never lie or betray his captain. Just the thought of it was unbelievable to Bepo.

"Oh come on….there's no harm in it…." Miyako said sweetly and innocently while she put all her scratching skills to use on his head.

And for a second Bepo seemed won over, unable to think under Miyako ministrations but then…"Hmm…But…I actually already mention to him…what I heard from Shachi." He managed to mumble half asleep from the good feeling Miyako's fingers were providing. But then suddenly they stopped.

"Shachi…?" Her sweet voice was completely gone and so was the innocent look in her eyes. Then that icy glare turned to Penguin. "And how did Shachi know about it…?"

Penguin unconsciously took a few steps back when he saw Miyako turning towards him. Surprisingly, her smile was back on and she talked in a calm, sweet voice but they all knew things weren't as they seemed. "Penguin?" Miyako asked, knowing he was behind it already. She took another step towards him and he took another step back, slowly backing in the corner.

"W-well you see Miya-chan…I didn't think he'd talk about it with the others too. When you think about it, it's actually his fault right?" Penguin smiled at her nervously, putting his hands in front of him as protection though it didn't do him much good and now his back had already hit the wall behind him. He had nowhere to escape.

It was common knowledge on the sub that Penguin ad Shachi just couldn't keep anything to themselves. They were horrible at keeping secrets and it was an impossible task for then. They had to make all those boring hours down at the engine room more fun for them, right? At least that's what Penguin thought. You quickly run out of topics when working for hours down there and now they had so much work to do with fixing the sub. So what better way to spend it than talking about new, hot topics like Miyako planning and raiding the whole Laponia last night. Yes…Shachi and Penguin were total gossipers.

"Oh come on! You know I can't keep a secret!" Penguin tried to defend himself as he saw Miyako, still with that fake smile, coming towards him with her katana. Luckily, it was still in its sheath.

~…..~

"But it's actually strange captain didn't call us to his quarters yet and scolded us. Maybe he doesn't mind after all…" Cody thought out loud.

"See!? You have nothing to worry about." Bepo said with a strange optimistic attitude.

"In any case, I wanted to give you something, that's why I'm here…and these guys just tagged along." Cody explained, pointing with his thumb back at Bepo who was sitting on the floor and Penguin who was sitting on the bed and mumbling something while holding his bruised head with a new bump on it. Cody gave her the package he was holding.

Miyako unwrapped it and gasped with surprise. It was the coat she had her eyes on since they arrived at Christmas Island. "Wah-? How did you…?"

The tall medic smiled at her. "Well we saw it in that Mister Crock's World of Stuff shop and I remembered that you didn't really have a winter coat and I'm sure this wasn't the only winter island we'll come to. Josh actually suggested to give it to you, I think his exact words were; 'I don't want to waste my time curing her from frostbite in the infirmary every time we encounter some snow.' You know Josh…"

Miyako laughed a little. Indeed, she knew Josh, and she knew he was a good guy thought both of them would never admit it. But the redhead was becoming more and more like a brother she never had.

"And Sai mentioned you had that check skirt so we thought you'd like this." Cody finally finished his explanation but Miyako was still silent. "Uhh…Miyako?"

The girl raised up her head and looked at him with a smile. She had a touched expression on her face like he had never seen before. "Thank you, Cody. It's wonderful." She said and hugged him. At that moment Cody was so surprised that this girl would hug him, a girl that barely had any physical contact except when hitting them. Hell must've frozen over. A small smile appeared on the medic's face while Penguin and Bepo blinked at the scene in disbelief. They couldn't believe it either. _*You've really changed Miyako. I'm proud of you.*_ His thoughts went back to the first time they met, her first day on the submarine. She was quiet, antisocial and gave everyone a cold look who even dared to look her way. However he was brought out of his musings when she said;

"Thank the others for me, ok?" Before he could answer she picked something out of the closet and opened the doors.

Cody blinked in confusion. "Where are you going?"

She turned to look at him with a small smile on her face. Her golden eyes looked more gentle and softer than usual. You wouldn't believe those were the same eyes as ones who stared coldly at their enemy without mercy. "You helped me more than you think…I need to do something. Spirit of Christmas, you know." She winked at her friend before going out. Cody could still hear her fast footsteps echoing through the hall further and further away.

~…~

The doors of Law's quarters opened and the captain walked in carrying a book with him. *_I can't believe I forgot this in the infirmary. Maybe I should really listen to Bepo and take a break for a while…?*_ But as soon as he thought he, Law decided against it. There was still too much to be done to let something like fatigue waste his precious time. But when he came close enough to his desk, Trafalgar stopped suddenly, watching the item on his table with surprise and confusion.

There was a hat lying there on the middle of his desk. Law was gone for only a few moments and there wasn't anyone near his quarters, so who could've left it? But as he observed the hat, it was rather to his liking. It was similar to his old one, but this one had a brim and a slightly different shape. Still, he liked the white color and black spots printed on it. It didn't take him long to notice a note next to the hat and he opened the folded paper to read what it said.

_Even though you're a jerk I'll give this to you, since it's Christmas after all. Merry Christmas! _

There was even a drawing on the note; a small drawing of Miyako's face (it was actually recognizable) holding a V sign with her fingers and a smiling face with one eye closed and her tongue stuck out, looking right at him.

Law stared at the note silently, his expression a complete mask of calm and cold, before folding the paper again and leaving it on his desk. Without a word he turned around and headed for the doors again, the hat still in his hand.

~….~

As Law walked hastily through the hallways he bumped into Sam who was walking in the opposite direction.

"Sam, did you see Miss Miyako?"

The mechanic seemed a bit surprised at the quick question but it didn't take long for him to get his wits together and think about it. "Yeah, actually I saw her not long ago." Sam chuckled, remembering their short conversation. "She said she can't find any peace and quiet in her room cause it's always filled with people so she went to take a nap in the infirmary."

"Hmm.." Law just hummed to himself and walked on without a word. True enough, the infirmary should be empty right now and Miyako still had some time before starting her duties in the kitchen.

Law walked in the infirmary, quietly closing the doors behind him. He didn't have to look long to find Miyako in one of the beds, her eyes closed and breathing evenly. Trafalgar leaned against the metal wall, next to that bed, both his hands deep in his pockets. He put the hat on the bed where Miyako was sleeping.

"I always thought of myself as a strong willed person…I still do. Yet, somehow I always felt you'd be the death of me…I know you will, because you're the only one who is able to throw me off my game." As he spoke, Law just kept staring in the distance, in front of him, talking slowly and calmly as usual. He didn't look at Miyako once, but he didn't have to. "You're awake, aren't you…" It was more of a statement than a question.

The sheets next to him rustled, but Law still kept looking ahead instead of the figure that was now sitting in the bed.

Miyako had her head down a bit, her bangs hiding her big eyes. Her bluish, dark hair was loose and flowed down her back and sides, pooling around her on the bed. The red ribbon was tied around her katana, which was leaning against a chair next to the bed along with her clothes. Meanwhile, Miyako was wearing a big blue T-shirt with a grinning, yellow jolly roger of the Heart pirates. The same T-shirt she wore the first time she woke up in this submarine, all those months ago. She completely forgot that it was actually Law's shirt that somehow stayed with her all this time. It reached down, a bit under her waist, reveling most of her long, pale legs. However, as Miyako sat in complete silence, her expression still hidden from view, she didn't even bother covering herself up.

"Don't you think it's time we stopped this game…I'm already tired of playing it." Law continued.

Suddenly Miyako looked up at him, but her serious expression from before was completely gone. Instead she had an innocent smile on her face. "What do you mean?"

Law's eyes narrowed as he looked back at the girl in the bed. "Why did you give me this?" He gestured at the hat which was still on the bed.

"I got it from the old man in Laponia and thought you might want it…It's similar to your old one. But if you don't want it, you can just throw it away." She explained completely emotionless and indifferent as if she didn't find anything odd about what she did nor special.

Law's grey eyes became colder as they narrowed slightly again, watching her. She was wearing that perfect mask again…that mask hiding all her real thought and emotions. But it was in vain because she couldn't hide them from Law any longer. He knew her too well. He knew exactly what she was trying to do and what she was thinking.

"This won't go away even if you pretend nothing's wrong. Not this time." His voice was quiet and calm but there was a sharp edge underneath it. As if he was losing his patience with the topic.

"I don't know what you're talking about but I don't have time for your games this time. I have work in the galley." The girl got up and was about to take her clothes and leave, when she felt a hard pull on her hand. Before Miyako could even react she was back, lying on the bed, Law on top of her. He was propped up on his knees and hands, looking down at her with those icy, grey eyes that would pierce her very being every time. One of his hands was firmly holding hers against the bed, making sure she wasn't going anywhere.

But Miyako was returning his icy gaze with her own. There was no burning left in her golden eyes, just a silent, deadly warning in case he made a wrong move. "What are you doing?" A completely serious and cold, but still a calm voice.

"You're a liar Miyako….we both are. How long do you plan on keeping it up?"

"I should ask you the same thing, Law. You're the one who can't decide what he wants so you keep changing your mind any way the wind blows." Miyako spat back, losing both her patience and cool a little but she was still remaining calm…for now at least.

"Hn, true. I wanted to push you away, it's the most logical and practical decision after all."

"Then why are you here?"

"You're a nuisance." A short reply from Law, but it was enough to make Miyako's blood boil. How dared he?! First he plays with her and her emotions, then when she finally accepts him he pushes her away like there was nothing between them, and now he was here and she didn't even know what he wanted form her anymore. Was this supposed to be some weird confession?! Is she just supposed to yield to him because he had her pinned down on the bed?! That just made her more determined to protect her pride!

"What is that supposed to mean?" She answered with narrowed eyes.

"It means all my efforts have failed but I won't let you get in the way with my goal; to find One Piece. As long as my mind is filled with you and this ridiculous dance we've been dancing together for the past few months I can't concentrate on important things and I want my mind clear for a change."

Miyako made a mocking smirk at this. "So what, I need to succumb to you so that you can be a better captain and find One Piece? That's ridiculous."

Law smirked but his smirk looked more evil than anything else. His grey eyes were still piercing her. "I was never going to wait for you to succumb to me anyway. I don't have that much time." Suddenly, his hand gripped Miyako's wrist tighter while the other rested on her neck, putting a little pressure into the grip. "I told you you'd be the death of me…but I can't let that happen. I won't let anything get in my way…not even you." Another smirk as he watched Miyako's surprised expression with amusement. He lowered his head a little until their noses were almost touching. He could feel the girl's hot breath on his skin and he knew it was the same for her. "Maybe I should just get it out of my system…let all my desire out now and then kill you afterwards. That way it won't be a problem for me, right?"

Miyako's eyes were wide with disbelief now as she felt his fingers grip her neck even tighter. It was seriously getting harder to breath now. *_Is he serious? He's really planning to kill me?! And what does he mean 'his desire'…he couldn't mean….!*_ Miyako would gulp if she could, but it was hard to swallow while Law was gripping her neck. She was trying to pry the hand from her neck with her one free hand but it was useless. Her eyes darted to her katana which was still leaned against a chair, far from reach. Her icy glare moved back to Law who never stopped staring at her. But right now, even for Miyako, it was impossible to know what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was serious or not, but his expression and the grip in both his hands seemed serious. Even that amusing smirk was gone, replaced by a serious expression as he kept watching her while her breath slowly left her lungs.

Suddenly the doors of the infirmary opened. "C-Captain?!" One of the medics called in shock as he saw the compromising position his captain was in, with Miyako underneath him. The medic became red with embarrassment in an instant.

"Get out." Trafalgar Law didn't even raise his voice as he ordered. He didn't even look at his subordinate. He was still piercing Miyako with his cold gaze, never breaking eye contact with her. However, the deadly tone he used was enough to give the medic a shiver and the man retreated without another word, closing the doors behind him.

Law lowered his head even more, until their lips were brushing and suddenly Miyako fell completely still. She couldn't even move…all she could do was stare deep into those stormy eyes. Yes, there was definitively a storm coming her way, in more ways than one.

"And the worst part is; I can't even kill you." As he said that, his grip on her neck lessened and Miyako took a deep breath. But before she could get her thoughts back in check and put herself together, Law closed the remaining gap between them, closing his mouth over her soft lips. Miyako didn't even have time to relax and once again her eyes were wide open with shock.

_*Wh…What's going on?!* _That's the only thing that went through Miyako's head but then she was able to calm down a little and she tried to push Law away. However with him holding her like that and being on top of her, he had an unfair advantage and she couldn't do anything.

Miyako's struggling became weaker by the second as she was once again losing her breath, but from a completely different reason this time. Law deepened the kiss, not letting her go, and the girl's mind was becoming fuzzy. Soon, all she could do is grip Law's hoodie tightly and hold as if holding for dear life. The captain used this little moment of distraction and easily slipped his tongue in Miyako's mouth. He was skilled at this...too skilled. But Miyako had no time to think about where he might have picked all this up. Instead, she was trying to fight a new sensation that was slowly coming over her. She thought that having another person's tongue in her mouth would be gross and slippery but surprisingly it wasn't so. It was hot. That's the only way she could describe it as she felt her whole body burning.

"Un…Umm…!" By now she didn't even know whether to push him away of pull him closer anymore. If she was confused about her emotions towards him before, Miyako was completely baffled now. And just as she was about to decide on one or the other, Law released her lips though he still refused to let her go.

He couldn't help but smirk with amusement as he saw the girl. She was nothing like the usual calm, level-headed samurai girl she always tried to be. She was breathless, trying to catch her breath while she still could, her pale face was completely red and flushed, her eyes slightly watery and her lips parted a little and swollen. Damn, it was like she was inviting him to kiss her again with such a look. But Law kept himself under control as he gave the girl time to recover herself…not much though. He liked having her confused and flushed like this; it gave him certain advantage over her.

"You…*pant* sadistic bastard *pant*" Miyako said slowly, almost in a whisper, when she finally caught her breath.

Law couldn't help but chuckle at her comment though it was barely hearable. However, the amusement in his eyes was quite clear. "Yes. Yes, I am." He said, putting the hand which was on her neck under her chin and lifting her head up for better access, before he teasingly brushed her lips with his own. "Though, by your eager reaction I'm inclined to think you're quite a masochist." Even now, he couldn't help but tease her.

Law was rewarded by a crimson blush across the girl's face. "M-M-Masochist!? I am not!"

But Law ignored her protests as he got up and already started walking away. Miyako wanted nothing more but to get up, take her katana and slice him into million pieces but she couldn't even move. Her body wasn't listening to her at all and she just kept lying there, still in too much shock. Before Law walked out of the infirmary he turned around to smirk at her…that devilish smirk of his that so obviously said '_Ha! I've won!'_ The one Miyako hated the most. "I'll see you later…Miyako."

Miyako could feel her heart skip a beat as she heard her name being called. For the past couple of days Law not only avoided her but even avoided calling her by her first name. And now he didn't even put the usual Miss before her name. It sounded so personal…it sounded….*_Embarrassing_!* Miyako's mind screamed as she became bright red in her face again. She heard the metal doors close behind Law who had already walked out, but the girl stayed lying there for a long time after he left. _*But…it doesn't sound bad…* _She thought as unconsciously her fingers went to her lips where the captain's touch still lingered.

As she finally sat up, Miyako noticed the hat was gone from the bed. Law must've taken it with him. At that realization, a small, mysterious smile appeared on the girl's face as her long bangs once again hid her eyes and face from view.

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><p><strong>Waaah, it's done, it's done aaaand…MiyakoLaw finally getting together (kinda, yes…Their relationship will definitively change from now on, if you know what I mean. ;) ) I know it probably isn't very clear from the story that they are together now, but I think you can see that Miyako doesn't have a choice anymore, anyway. XD (She should just accept it cause it's obvious she wants it too! ;P) One of the reviewers once wrote that the long suspense between the couple can lead to very big expectations from the readers once the moment for finally getting together comes…So I've decided to meet that expectations head on! And I hope I did; I'm really interested in what you think so please tell me. :) I really wanted the moment when they finally come to this be as realistic and in character for both of them as possible (and I thought of this!). **

**(But writing love scenes is sooo embarrassing! /)**

**Also, I kind of went ahead and put the Christmasy chapter early (cause I'm in that spirit already and everything is white and snowy here and there are christmas songs on the radio all the time). I also wanted to dedicate it to my favorite christmas movie, I'm sure you realized which one. ;) (Btw am I the only one who loved the evil Grinch more than when he became good…?)**

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><p><strong>And now enough of my ranting! Let's see some reviews and answer some questions! :D<strong>

**Aiko Yamazaki: ***dodges the raccoon* Sorry, for the long wait…again. ^^' Ah, but I do like raccoons so it's not so bad..XD

**Zoro et Robin: **Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it (and your wish came true ;P) You know, I always have an urge to start learning French when I read your reviews. XD

**SeaDevil: **Yes, I wanted that defeat to be kind of a turning point. (You also need to know defeat to be able to become stronger, right?) So from now and I'm going to make them stronger and stronger. ^^ (Need to prepare them for the New World which is coming soon. ;)

**Izzie: **hahaha XD I thought about that angsty way of getting them together but then I realized…Naaah, I just can't picture Law in that kind of situation. He's more of a take charge of things and just do what you want to do kind of guy, right? Hehe and yeah, when the crew finds out…I think that's gonna be fun to write. :D Especially Josh's reaction. XD

**DrainaPurpurne2412: **I agree, even though One Piece is full of ridiculously funny situations, I also want to picture the realistic part of being a pirate (and I think Law and Kid make that possible more than Strawhats since they're just more serious and evil). Thanks for all the good wishes, I can't wait for winter breaks to start. :D And Law's hair…even exceeded my expectations! :) Though I must say, I looked messier than I thought it would (not a bad thing though)….but that could be because of the hat. ^^'

**Hesmus: **Thank you. ^^ Hm, I don't know yet but quite long since we haven't even come to Punk Hazzard yet and I still have to make an Arc where the Heart Pirates and Miyako finally come to Wano (which is probably a long way from now) Right now I want to get them to the New World and see some explanation Oda will give in the manga about Law's crew and joker (It's hard having to sync your story with the original manga when you have so little info :/)

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yep, I wanted the whole life-death experience to be a an eye-opener for both of them (especially since they're both so stubborn) and also so that Miyako could see how important the whole crew actually became to her. And of course to realize what's really important to her and that it isn't just strength alone that she needs.

** .just: **Ah, I know, I know, cause I suck at naming my stories…I think I'm gonna hire someone to name my stories for me. XD But I'm glad you decided to read it anyway. ^^ About the bounty thing, I guess I didn't express/write what I meant clear enough. What I meant is the same as the bounty Luffy had (before the whole Marineford case). I fixed it now…I think. Thanks for pointing it out. :) About the haki, yes, I know he has Busoshoku Haki, but I haven't given it to him yet (in a sense that he can use it; I will though, before they enter the New World too.) First I wanted to give him Kenbunshoku Haki (even though I don't know if he has it ^^') cause as I was building his strength it kinda seemed more logical to me for him to first gain and control Kenbunshoku Haki and then Busoshoku Haki. However if it turns out that he doesn't have Kenbunshoku, I'll see what I'll do, though I might just leave it as if he does have it? I'll see…

About the 690...right!? He's awesome! (but yes, deciding between Zoro's and Law's awesomeness is too hard XP) And yes, ever since I saw Law with a new hat I thought to myself; I just got to involve Miyako in that one! It was the obvious choice. So I made it so! ;D

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><p><strong>Ok, I think that's it! I've covered everything I wanted to say and now it's nom nom time for me, so excuse moa! Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, comments or propositions, put them in the reviews or message me!<strong>


	39. Chapter 39

**So here's the new chapter! HA! I bet you didn't expect it this soon! :P Well, since I can't give you Christmas presents, I can at least give you this. (And I'd so like to thank you guys with lots and lots of gifts for staying so patient with me and still reading my story for so long. I love you guys. ^^) Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. **

**Since I kinda gave you a Christmas special in the previous chapter, this one will be normal, however, I drew a picture of Miyako – Christmas edition, so if you guys want to check it out just follow the link to my DA account, which you can find on my profile page. (I drew a few other pictures for this story as well). **

**As I already said; from now on the answers for some of the reviews you guys posted will be at the end of the story. Also I try to proof-read each chapter but if you find any grammatical mistakes, feel free to warn me about them and I'll correct them. Well that's all, so let's go!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood and language.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 39<strong>

Law sighed tiredly as he continued to wrap bandages around Miyako's left hand. "How were you able to hurt yourself…again?"

"I told you already, I just got a little burnt in the kitchen…no big deal." The samurai girl rolled her eyes and shrugged it off.

"Maybe I should just find another duty for you. The way things are going, you're seriously going to kill yourself."

"Eeeeh? No way! I just got used to the kitchen and Munk and the rest of the people there…I don't want to change jobs now. Besides, Munk is even letting me cook for the crew now!...well, sometimes." The girl protested.

"Yes. I see that...and you're doing a terrific job." Law commented half mockingly and half upset as he raised her bandaged palm to her face…as if she needed to see it better.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine." Miyako protested once again, this time staring him right in the eyes to emphasize her point….a bad idea though. She was doing a great job of avoiding his eyes and face until now, by looking everywhere around the infirmary except at him. However, as soon as their gazes met, embarrassing memories started coming back to Miyako in a flash and before she could even control it her face was hot and red, almost steaming. It has been a couple of days since that shocking moment in the infirmary and ever since then Miyako couldn't forget it or act normal when near Law. She thought the captain will for sure act as if nothing happened afterwards but that wasn't the case either. Quite the opposite actually. It seemed he started to tease her more in any way he could, and there was plenty to choose from.

At first, after that incident, she was shocked…but after the disbelief wore down she realized she wasn't confused at all. No, for once her thoughts seemed perfectly clear. She knew what Law meant and she knew what he wanted…and it was obvious he had no intention of letting her run away anymore or let her act as if nothing happened. But surprisingly enough, Miyako didn't mind…not as much as she thought she would. Somehow she felt as if she didn't have a choice in the matter but she wasn't trying to push him away anymore either. Maybe it was good that he gave her no choice…that way she had an excuse for not even trying to push him away or go against him. However, she was still too stubborn to just let him do as he pleases or admit that he finally won. Of course not! He couldn't just do whatever he wanted…especially since some of those things were downright embarrassing and way too much for a girl who didn't even kiss before meeting the Dark Doctor.

Soon, Miyako realized the closeness between them right now was far too much, not to mention they were currently alone since Josh was behind, in the small storage room where they kept the medical supplies. "W-well, all done! So I should be going." She quickly said and hopped down from the examination table to run from the infirmary and Law as quickly as possible. No such luck though.

"And where do you think you're going?" The dark voice behind her was enough to send shivers down her spine and make her stop dead in her tracks.

Miyako slowly turned around just about to tell another excuse why she needed to get going when suddenly Law cornered her. She was already leaning against the wall with no escape and now the captain put his hands on the wall on each side of her head. "Where's the hurry Miyako?" _Miyako_, that's how he called her now; no _Miss_ anymore. However, he only allowed that gesture when they were alone. Law had that sly smirk on his face that promised nothing good and nothing but amusement in his eyes as he watched Miyako like a predator that just caught himself a delicious meal. And that's exactly what Miyako felt like at the moment.

"Josh will come out of there any second, you know!" She warned. A feeble attempt and completely unsuccessful.

"So?" The captain came a little closer.

"H-He'll see…." Miyako mumbled though it was hard to think of anything constructive to say when those grey eyes were piercing her. Yes…these kinds of things were happening more and more lately, whenever they were alone. The captain never missed an opportunity to make his samurai blush.

"See what?" Law inquired, coming even closer, an amused but lightly sadistic smirk on his lips.

"This is sexual harassment, you know!" A last attempt of The Desperate.

Law's smirk seemed even wider now as he heard that. He brushed his lips against Miyako's for just a moment before murmuring; "Is it now…?" And then he closed the gap completely.

Once again, Miyako could only feel that hot feeling, spreading through her body. She was sure her face and ears were crimson red because she felt as if ablaze. Law barely gave her any time to get used to the kiss before gently biting her lower lip, asking for entrance...no, not asking; demanding. Miyako parted her lips slightly, just enough for his tongue to slide in. The girl could hardly stand from just that but Law had no problem with that. With ease, he put both his hands on the girl's hips and guided her back to sit on the exam table without even breaking the kiss.

After a while he gave her just a second to regain her breath. "Why *pant* do you *pant* always harass me *pant* like this?" The girl said while still trying to catch her breath.

The captain of the Heart Pirates just smirked and lifted her chin a little with his hand as he smirked, looking down at her. "Why? Oh come on, I know you're not _that_ innocent to not know that much." He examined his work as he saw Miyako's face completely flushed, her lips moist and parted slightly and her big, golden eyes a little unfocused. He was proud of his work, that's for sure. Still, he wasn't done yet. Seeing as they weren't alone that much, he wanted to make use of every second they had…and make _good_ use of it. Once again the captain kissed her, putting his hands on her sides and he was pleased to feel her own hands around his neck. So somebody was slowly forgetting about their embarrassment, it seemed.

"Captain, I can't find the chloride you sent me for. Are you sure we even have any? And why do you even need it…" Josh asked; the last question more of a comment to himself, though. He just came back from the medical storage room to see a bizarre scene in the infirmary. Law was cleaning the medical equipment which wasn't that odd though he usually let some of the other medics do that. Meanwhile, Miyako was sitting on the exam table, hunched and with her head down with a depressing aura around her. She reminded the short medic of Bepo. And she was mumbling something about her innocence and asking how she will ever get married now? Josh had no idea what was going on but somehow the whole scene looked awkward. "Eeh...Captain?" Josh asked, not sure what was going on and still expecting an answer to his previous questions.

"Never mind Joshua-ya, I don't need it anymore." Law said with a perfectly calm face.

Josh was a bit confused but shrugged it off. However he didn't notice the death glare Miyako was giving to his captain. *_I knew it! That bastard just sent Josh away so he could harass me while we're alone!* _However, as much as Miyako glared at Law, he pretended not to see it, still wearing that innocent calm mask that just annoyed Miyako even more.

However the girl managed to keep her cool as she hopped off of the exam table once again, trying to hide the vein that was slowly popping out on her forehead. "Well I suppose that's it so I'll be going back to my kitchen duties." She said, sounding somewhat strained but Law just shrugged, not minding her.

"And try to stop hurting yourself, klutz!" Josh called after her as Miyako marched out of the infirmary. "What's with her…." Josh commented before turning to his captain. "Women, right?"

"Right…" Law answered, hiding his amusement though a smirk was once again forming on his perfectly sculptured face. Oh how he loved this new development. Suddenly the captain asked himself why he didn't confront Miyako sooner. _*And to think I could've had this much fun instead of battling with my thoughts every day.* _

However, Law's amusement didn't last long as the red alarm lights suddenly went off along with the sound of alarm. From one of the den den mushi that served as an intercom, connecting the control room with the infirmary, Sai's voice called out; "Captain, we need you in the control room! It's urgent!"

As soon as Law heard that he turned to Josh. "Joshua-ya, call the rest of the medical team in the infirmary just in case and be ready."

"Yes captain!" Joshua answered, already going towards the den den mushi while Law headed out of the infirmary.

~…~

Law hurried in the control room to see Jean Bart and Sai both busy, Bart using his diversion skills the best he could, which just made the submarine turn hard left. Trafalgar had to grip the railing to stop himself from falling.

"Mister Sai, what's going on?"

"A sea king, captain. And a big one. It seems it thinks we're its next meal and won't give up. I don't think we can outrun nor keep avoiding it for long."

Law went to the main window to look into the darkness and just in time to see a large Sea King coming straight at them with its mouth fully open. Jean Bart made another hard turn, while Sai adjusted the sub's speed to maximum and they were able to avoid it…However, if Jean Bart reacted just a second slower they would've already been fish food. Trafalgar narrowed his eyes. Everything was going just smoothly today and this big eel-looking thing just had to come and ruin his good mood. Unacceptable!

"Bart-ya, take us to the surface. Sai, ready the torpedoes, if the Sea King comes too close, fire at will."

Both navigators responded with a "Yes, Captain" and did as they were told. Meanwhile, Law walked out of the control room heading for the main doors of the submarine. As he walked, Bepo came to his side, bring him his nodachi that Law gripped in his hand and put on his right shoulder.

"Bepo, warn the crew through the den den mushi; we'll be resurfacing soon." Then as he walked a few more steps he stopped as if remembering something. "Oh….And tell Munk to be ready; it seems we're having Sea King meat for dinner tonight." The captain added with a smirk that looked particularly sadistic today, probably portraying his worsening mood.

The bear's eyes shone with excitement at this piece of information. They didn't have a sea king meat in a while now and Bepo really missed the taste of it. "Aye, captain!" He said excitedly, already rushing away.

~…~

It didn't take long for the submarine to emerge, but they had to fire one of their torpedoes to push the sea creature back enough so they could safely resurface. Law opened the doors of his yellow submarine, his heeled boots splashing on the remaining puddles of water on the deck. He felt the submarine starting to rock on the waves and suddenly the water raised, the submarine sliding backwards. From the water, emerged a giant Sea King that looked like an eel but it had two horns above its eyes and there were thousands of spikes on its back. The giant sea monster opened its mouth and roared. Unconsciously Law thought to himself how could a fish even roar? However he didn't have much time to dwell on trivial things so he prepared his nodachi. With his free hand, he was already in the process of creating his Room as the usual swirl of air started rotating in his palm.

"Hey, don't take all the fun." Someone of his left protested and his eyes moved just a little to see Miyako smirking at him. She had Yawarakai-Te already out of its sheath.

"We're here to help, Captain!" Penguin said as he and Shachi ran towards Law. Of course, Bepo was right behind them, getting ready to fight as well.

Law smirked. "I doubt I'll need it, though. It's just one little nuisance." He answered looking at the Sea king.

The creature growled as if it understood him and rushed its long body towards them with its mouth gaping open.

"Room." Law said as the usual blue sphere circled the whole sub and the sea monster. His subordinates looked at the sphere in interest as it seemed even bigger than Law's usual ones. He was improving his devil fruit powers. "Size isn't always an advantage." The captain commented, looking at the giant monster as he unsheathed his nodachi in one quick move and slashed the air with it. The creature was too big to dodge and its head disconnected from its body easily. But as Law made that slash, a strong pressure followed along and it seemed like Law split the air itself together with the monster.

Everyone else felt it as well. Bepo's fur stood up in the air as if electricity passed through it. Shachi and Penguin looked at each other in wonder and Miyako's head turned quickly towards Law, her eyes sharp and piercing as if she was inspecting and analyzing his every move.

Law didn't notice his crew looking at him strangely as his whole focus was on the beast in front of him. He moved his nodachi again and slashed with it, this time splitting the monster in two. Again that strange force behind his slash…

_*This is….*_ Miyako's eyes widened just a little bit.

"Captain…?" Bepo was about to say something, but Law was too busy slicing up the Sea King.

However, as Law proceeded to slash the Sea King into little pieces, that force wasn't there anymore. It was just Law's usual slashes and moves with his nodachi.

"Eeh…in the end we didn't even have to come." Shachi said a bit disappointed.

"But we're having Sea King for dinner!" Bepo said excitedly.

"Do we really need this much, though?" Shachi countered as he looked skeptically at all the Sea King pieces floating around in Law's blue sphere.

"Pick some and bring it to the kitchen for dinner. Put the rest in the storage. We don't know how long it will take to come to an island with food supplies." Law answered, leaving his Room on so that his crewmembers could easily take all the meat they needed.

The two mechanics and Bepo soon forgot about Law's strange power he just presented, but Miyako didn't. The whole while she silently watched the captain as he sheathed his nodachi and started walking back into the submarine.

~…~

Law took a bottle of rum from the storage and went back to the control room, sitting in the captain's chair there. He leaned back comfortably, putting his feet up on the control panel in front of him and took a sip from his newly opened bottle of rum. He had the main window of the submarine right in front of him and he lazily watched the scenery.

Unfortunately, his peace and quiet didn't last long as the door to the control room opened and Miyako walked in, heading right towards him. It was quite unusual for her to come here since she rarely visited the control room, except when there was a spectacular view of the sea world that could be seen through the main window of the submarine. But right now they were resurfaced and there was nothing but vast sea ahead. Most of the crew was enjoying the sun and the breeze outside since the Grand Line offered them a favorable weather for a change. So the question remained; what was the girl doing here? However, Law didn't show his curiosity nor interest and he only looked at Miyako with the corners of his eyes. He knew there was no need to ask anything anyway, since he'll find out everything soon enough. And he did. But not quite what he expected.

"Hey…let's have a duel." She said it so simply and straightforwardly as if she just announced the most normal thing in the world. Even her expression didn't change; it looked a little bored but her eyes were piercing. It reminded Law of the expression she wore so long ago, when he first saw her at the auction house.

Law was just about to take a sip of his rum, but stopped his hand, the tip of the bottle resting against his mouth. He looked at her with interest and a raised eyebrow, showing just a little bit of surprise. "What?" Now, Trafalgar Law was usually a very eloquent man with a wide vocabulary, but right now even he couldn't think of anything better to say. It just showed exactly how unexpected Miyako's words were.

Even Sai and Jean Bart who quietly steered the submarine, exchanged confused and a bit worried looks.

"Umm.." Miyako looked a bit troubled, as if she didn't want to be bothered with explanation and she leaned on the control panel, next to his feet. "I want to see something…confirm a theory. But the explanation is unnecessary if the theory proves wrong." She explained, but there was a certain reason why Miyako didn't want to explain anything to Law yet. *_If I tell him, he'll just be preoccupied with it instead of focusing on the fight. And I want him to go all out, without holding back.*_ Miyako knew that would mean a very big possibility of not only defeat but also death but it was the only way. Besides, Law wasn't the only one who's been improving this whole time…the whole crew was, including her. She was able to stand her own ground against him, even if it would be a close call.

Law hummed as he analyzed Miyako's expression to see what she was up to. But he couldn't find anything helpful there. "I don't like to be kept in the dark, Miss Miyako. I thought I told you that once before. Especially if you involve me in your plans."

Miyako vaguely remembered the beginning of their partnership, if you could even call it that since it was mostly him imposing his wants and occasional threats on her, where he had warned her of something like that. "Tch. I'll explain it to you afterwards so it's fine." Miyako waved her hand in front of her face as if trying to wave away his doubts as well.

Law didn't seem pleased with that though. He took another sip of his rum and closed his eyes to focus. Now he was really interested in what the girl was planning. "Even if I agreed, where do you plan to have this…duel? I don't want my submarine damaged; Shachi and Penguin just fixed it and its been through enough as it is in these past two months."

Suddenly a clearing of throat was heard behind them. Miyako turned her head to look at Sai, who was the one to make a noise and Law just moved his head ever so slightly, looking at his assisting navigator with the corners of his eyes. "Actually sir, it seems we're approaching a small island." Sai said as he looked at the small dot on the radar. "It's really small so it's probably not inhabited but the crew could rest and stretch their legs there for a bit…." Sai wasn't sure if it was a good thing that they so conveniently stumbled on this small piece of land but as a navigator he had a duty to inform his captain of it….even if the timing was horrible in Sai's opinion.

Miyako grinned as if she just solved a hard math problem. "Excellent!" She clapped her hands in the process to emphasize her delight and that just made Law more suspicious.

"Sai-ya, inform the crew that we will be docking soon." Even as he said that, Law didn't move his skeptical gaze off of Miyako who just kept smiling mischievously.

Then suddenly she turned around and started walking out. "I'll get ready, then."

Law's eyes narrowed. "I didn't say I accept." He said that with a sharp warning in his tone. He didn't like to be ordered around and he _especially_ didn't like to be made to do things he didn't want or accept to do…and he felt forced into this, which definitively wasn't to his liking. Not giving him a choice was a bit too much freedom Miyako was allowing herself to have and he wanted to remind her who exactly was the captain and the superior here. *_In that case, perhaps a duel won't be a bad thing…Maybe just what I need to teach her a lesson.* _Law's mind already started working on schemes and plans and thought of all advantages he could get out of it, if he wins; or rather, when he wins.

Miyako didn't seem fazed by his warning tone as it just brushed passed her without her even blinking. Instead she turned around halfway, just enough to show him her amused smirk. Was it just his imagination or did she really look a lot like him right now? "Oh come on, Mister Law, I thought you liked experiments." And with that she left before he could say anything else.

Law's eyes narrowed. *_Only when they're done by me.*_ He sipped some more of the strong rum he was still holding in his hands. *_Was it just me or was she really trying to provoke me now? Does she want to fight me so badly….what could this be about?*_ Law sighed as he momentarily gave up on trying to find the answers that just wouldn't come…not yet. But he _will_ find out. Everything in due time.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, captain?" Jean Bart asked behind him as if reading Law's mind. Law knew exactly what he meant by that question but he remind silent for a while before answering, as if thinking about it.

"If she wants to fight that badly, it'll be a pity to disappoint her." He took a sip of his rum again and it was clear he didn't want to continue this discussion.

Once again, Sai and Jean Bart exchanged curious and worried glances, both having a bad feeling about this. Right now even the usually sharp Jean Bart couldn't decipher what his captain nor the samurai girl were thinking.

~…~

"Aaah, it feels so good to stretch my legs like this!" Bepo was the first to run out of the submarine and onto a small, moon shaped island where they were currently docked. The island was a spring one so the weather was nice and it was covered with short, green grass and tall trees here and there. It was so small, the crew managed to walk around it in only half an hour. There were no animals or fruit that could be used as supplies; however, it was perfect for the crew to enjoy their meal and alcohol as they all gathered around the food and the drink. There were already rumors flying around among the crew about Miyako's and Law's dual.

The captain, himself, didn't seem too worried about any of those rumors as he sat under a tree, enjoying the shade it was providing. He was holding a new bottle of rum in his tattooed hand, the first one already finished. There was still no sign of Miyako, but just as he was starting to wonder if she was even serious about the fight, the girl came out in her usual attire, the katana secured around her waist. A few heads turned her way when she stepped on the land, since everyone was wondering what was going to happen next. Miyako ignored the questioning stares and walked towards her captain, as she fixed her hair in a tight ponytail, tying it with her red ribbon. The girl stopped right in front of the sitting man who didn't even bother to get up, he just lazily looked up at her.

"So you're really serious about this." It wasn't a question, it was a statement since Law could see in her eyes that she wasn't kidding. He wasn't worried thought. If she wanted a duel, she'll get one; as simple as that. And it's not like he didn't know how to control himself; he wasn't planning to kill her anyway, so Law decided there wasn't any harm in it. He stood up and sighed a bit tiredly as if this whole ordeal was troublesome to him.

Miyako just smirked at his comment. "Quite." Then she started walking towards a small clearing in a distance. She didn't want their surrounding crewmates to accidentally get hurt though she knew it wouldn't come to that; the Heart pirates could take care of themselves and knew to stand at a safe distance where they can observe the fight.

Law rested his nodachi on his shoulder as they stopped, facing each other. He tilted his head with one eye closed. "If this is about what happened earlier in the infirmary, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

Miyako blinked at him with wide eyes, completely confused for a second before she realized what he meant. The girl couldn't help but laugh at that. She could see Law's a bit surprised and confused expression; he didn't expect her to laugh like this. This just amused her more. "Oh come now, even I wouldn't go to all that trouble for something like that." But then she suddenly became more serious. "However….I am serious about this and I'm not going to hold back, I advise you to do the same."

Law raised his eyebrow with interest but he still looked a little bored. "Oh? So you'll really go against your captain…Fine, show me how much you've approved in these past ten months."

Miyako didn't answer but her eyes became sharper, as if preparing for something and she took a battojutsu stance. Law could feel a certain pressure traveling from the girl, towards him and it was uncomfortable to say the least. He remembered Miyako once told him about the samurai spirit that was also a big part of the fight even before it actually begun. Even though she couldn't use Conqueror's haki, and her spirit wasn't as nearly as powerful or useful as that, it was a crucial part in swordsmanship. A swordsman can use his spirit to weaken his opponent's will, intimidate them or even paralyze them for a while; at least that's what Miyako had told him. Of course, he never saw the girl paralyze someone like that since she obviously wasn't on that level yet but it was good to know that she had such potential for the future and that she was on their side. Even though Miyako wasn't quite there yet with her powers, Law could clearly feel the suffocating pressure coming from her. However, Law's wasn't just any man either. He stood there lazily, seemingly unaffected as he withstood Miyako's spirit with his own will.

Law took his nodachi of his shoulder and put it in front of him, ready for use, as he started creating his sphere around them. But just as the power started accumulating in his hand, Miyako suddenly disappeared right before his eyes. Law's eyes widened in surprise but luckily his Kenbunshoku Haki was already evolved enough to warn him in an instant. Law turned around just as Miyako unsheathed her katana in a slash towards him and he blocked with his nodachi still in its sheath. *_Tch. She's really not kidding._* Law didn't have time to think of anything else as her next attack already came at him.

Miyako jumped in the air and with a loud cry that promised a hell of a strike, she brought her katana down towards Law. _Ittouryu technique: Heavenly strike!_ She even used haki and all her weight to get a stronger blow. Law dodged in one fluid motion, jumping to the side, and right on time. Miyako's strike made a hole in the ground, rising dust everywhere. As soon as she landed, however, she sprang towards the captain, not even stopping to catch a breath. Law gritted his teeth and finally unsheathed his nodachi right after creating a room. He sliced the air right at Miyako, but the girl actually cut through his slash, again using her haki and all her power.

*_I'm sorry, Law but I can't hold back. Not if I want you to fight with all you've got!*_ Miyako thought as she rushed towards him without stopping. However she knew Law wasn't so easy to beat either. Not only did he become even stronger with his sword and devil fruit power but he also had excellent analytical skills to quickly conjure a plan when needed. She would also have to fight this fight carefully if she wanted to achieve her goal before losing her head or any other part of her body.

Law cut the ground right in front of her, and used Tact to rise the surface. Miyako's eyes widened but she acted in time, putting a foot on the vertical wall and springing upwards, but then she managed to see a small crack appeared in the wall and the girl quickly pushed herself backwards right in time to avoid a new slice coming from Law. *_I need to get out of his sphere…he has an advantage like this.* _

She jumped up with everything she got, jumping out of the sphere and she could see him looking up at her, his nodachi in a sideways position and a dark, serious look in his eyes. It seemed Law realized this won't be a lighthearted fight nor an easy one.

* _Ittouryu Technique; Needle Rain* _Miyako put her katana in a horizontal position, beside her, the tip aimed down right at Law and she started making fast thrusts using haki in the process. A rain of sharp thrusts of haki came down at Law. Miyako landed back down on the ground but she couldn't see anything from the big veil of dust and sand that rose up in the air. She had to trust her Kenbunshoku Haki. For a while everything was quiet but Miyako knew Law wouldn't be beaten that easily. Not with all the training and fighting they had these last few months. Suddenly the blue sphere enveloped her and it was too late for Miyako to get out of it; it was even bigger than the last one. She felt something behind her and turned around with a slash motion but too late did she realize that it was a decoy. Just a tree trunk Law used with his Shambles. Law slashed at her from behind, successfully grazing her check near the eye with a tip of his nodachi, but she managed to dodge most of the blow. However, something wasn't right; he wasn't attacking further even though she was in a vulnerable position right now. Suddenly, the ground beneath her disappeared, a perfect cube-like hole appearing beneath her feet. Law was already far away so not to fall into his own trap but Miyako did.

*_When did he-!?*_ The girl didn't even have time to wonder when or how did he cut the ground (probably even before she was standing there, since it seemed this was his plan from the start). Miyako knew he would use this opportunity to try and slice her up while she was in the hole with nowhere to run so she had to act quickly. She thrust her katana on the side wall to stop her fall and sprang from that wall to the one across, then sprang from that one and jumped out of the hole….one mistake thought. As soon as she did, Law slashed the air towards her almost cutting her head off, but she managed to dodge the slice by leaning backwards as much as she could. She did a full backwards somersault, landing in a crouch on the ground sheathing her katana back in the process. She rushed forward before Law could react and it seemed as if she just appeared right in front of him….but she wasn't just in front of him; she was still in a crouch, with the sheathed katana in one hand and the other hand on the hilt, ready to pull it out. She looked up at him, her eyes burning, though Law couldn't tell was it from excitement or anger.

And the she smirked…she actually smirked with amusement. *_She's having fun!*_ Law deducted from her expression and he didn't know was he to be amused by this or angered. But one thing was for sure; if he doesn't think of something and act quickly, he's screwed. She was too close to him like this, breaking through his defenses. But Law would be damned if he gets defeated, especially this easily! He noticed they were still in his sphere, and even though he couldn't slice her with his nodachi since she was too close, he could still use his powers.

_*I didn't have time to properly try this out yet but it's the only way. I just hope it works because if it doesn't….*_ Law didn't even want to finish that sentence since thinking like that wouldn't do him any good anyway. Instead he focused on his task; a very risky task.

Miyako was already starting her attack, aiming at Law's right side as she unsheathed her sword in one smooth motion, but she faltered for just a second when she saw Law's movement. That second was everything Law needed though. Instead of trying to dodge, Law moved forward, towards her, his free hand moved as he started to form a fist but it stayed loose. At first Miyako thought he was going to hit her since his knuckles were already touching her. But then she felt something strange…something that felt like static electricity. The hair on her neck rose in the air as if an electrical charge was somewhere near her. At this point, her katana was already cutting into Law's side but he didn't do anything about it; just gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He focused on his next attack completely, especially since this will be his first try in doing it in a real fight. And that was always different than experimenting with his powers in the infirmary, with no stress or pressure involved and maximum peace and quiet. "Counter Shock" he said simply.

Miyako wasn't sure what he was doing but when she realized the possibility it was too late. She stopped her slash and started pulling backwards, veiling herself in haki for a better guard at once but she couldn't make it in time and most of the blast hit her. However, blast wouldn't be the exact word for it. What hit her was the frying power of an electrical discharge. A discharge that if powerful enough could make her heart stop but thankfully it seemed Law didn't yet master it to that level. Still it was enough to blast her away and shake her body with the electrical shock. The girl fell to the ground in both surprise and pain as she felt the electricity still traveling through her body in small discharges. Her body twitched and spasmed a few times, painfully.

Before she had time to regain her breath Law brought down her nodachi at her and Miyako, who was still lying on the ground, rolled to the side to gripped her katana that she let go of during the shock then moved her katana upwards to block Law's attack. And that's when she felt it, this time on her own body; that pressure that came along with his attack. The same pressure she noticed when he was fighting the sea king. Miyako gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she tried to push Law away who had a big advantage on her now. With a yell and gritted teeth, she used all her strength and haki to push him away, using Busoshoku Haki. Law felt the blast and jumped backwards though some of it still hit him and sent him away a good five meters. He landed on the balls of his feet but had to dig his nodachi into the ground to stop himself from sliding backwards even further.

Miyako, who was in a crouch, braced het katana that she previously stuck to the ground so she could stand up more easily. They were both facing each other, both gasping. Law noticed he was much more tired than he expected to be. Even though he used his newest technique, he didn't expect to feel so drained of most of his strength. *_I'm not even that hurt. How could've I lost so much energy?* _However, once again he had to leave his musings for later because Miyako was preparing her next attack.

"I'm finishing it with this." The samurai girl simply said as she sheathed her katana again and moved into a battojutsu stance.

"Tch, don't be so conceited." Law answered as he created a room around them and prepared his nodachi.

"Ittouryu Technique; Kiritateru_"_ Miyako said almost in a trance as she prepared to rush forward and soon she did.

At the same time Law rushed forward as well, deciding the best option to counter her attack would be to block her for real with his nodachi and try to break her attack and defense at the same time. That would give him a chance to strike at her and give the finishing blow. A surprising rush of power went through him and he felt as if it was channeling into his sword itself but he didn't have time to be distracted; their swords met.

With a loud clash, two swords charged with haki met with a strong burst of power that circled all around the two warriors and spread even further so that even the Heart Pirates felt it. For a while, both Law and Miyako thought their swords would break but then the rush of power was gone and the two were left standing there, with their swords still crossed. They were both only standing through the sheer power of their will since they had no energy left.

"What now?" Law asked her, he was the first of the two to catch his breath. "I can still use my powers and you hardly have any energy left to stand."

Miyako smirked as she panted, still trying to catch her breath. When she finally did, she responded; "Never mind. I found out what I wanted to know."

Law eyed her curiously. "Enlighten me then. What was the point of all this?"

"You have Busoshoku Haki." The girl answered simply.

It didn't take Law too long to sink in nor to connect the dots. The strange rushes of power he was experiencing lately, the greater fatigue than usual when those powers would cease… "I see…and you couldn't just tell me that?"

Miyako moved away, sheathing her katana and tying it to her waist. Meanwhile, Law sheathed his nodachi though he still pierced Miyako with a slightly annoyed gaze since she made him do all this just to see if her theory was true. Still, he was pleased with the result and his newfound power so that lightened his mood a little bit….just a little bit, though.

"If I told you before the battle I was afraid you'd just be concentrated on that, while the best way was to just go all out and let your body unconsciously do the work it needed to do to survive." Miyako explained. That was pretty much the start of her haki training under her master, as well. That's pretty much how he trained her; she learnt with her body. It was painful most of the time and she got some traumatizing memories out of it but in the end, it was efficient.

Law smirked but then he tilted his head in slight interest. "But why are you so out of breath? I'm not used to haki so it's still hard on my body, but you should be used to it."

Miyako grimaced in pain as if remembering something. "It's that shock of yours…I even put my haki guard to defend from the shock but it still hit me quite hard. It did more damage than I thought…" She saw Law's pleased smirk at this and wanted to give him a glare, but just then new voices interfered as the rest of the crew ran up to them with their cheers and yells. Miyako completely forgot about them during the fight. The crew seemed impressed by what they saw and everyone circled around Miyako and the captain, commenting on the intense fight. Mostly she could hear their impressed comments about Captain and both his devil fruit powers and haki.

"Need some help?" Miyako turned to see Cody, offering her his hand for support, smirking at her.

"Yeah, that'd be great." She said, too tired to fuss with pride about wanting to stand and walk by herself. She was capable of it right now and she needed Cody to fix her up anyway. She could still feel some static in her body from Law's attack and wondered how long it would take for the strands of her hair to stop flying upwards.

~…~

"Wow, that was some fight today, huh?" Shachi said excitedly as he sat down with his tray of food; he was already on his seconds…but then again, Penguin was on his thirds.

"Yeah, though by the way you guys are eating I'd think you did most of the fighting." Miyako couldn't help but tease as the two mechanics were stuffing themselves with Munk's cooking. However, she had a smile on her face, showing she didn't mean anything bad by it. She was actually amused so she couldn't help but smirk at them; was it just her imagination or was she starting to get some of Law's habits?! The idea made her wonder but she soon shook her head, mentally disagreeing with herself. *_Naah, couldn't be.*_

"Hfey, bfeing a mfecfanic inf sfuch a largfe subfmarine if a toughf jfob, fyou kfnow." Penguin defended with his mouth still full of food, making it fly everywhere.

"Speak or eat, choose one!" Josh yelled, annoyed at the mechanic.

"Aaah, but to think Captain can use haki…He's really amazing, isn't he." Shachi said thoughtfully, with a big grin on his face; the only thing visible of his expression.

"Hn, of course, I would expect nothing less from Captain." Josh said with a proud glint in his eyes as he smirked.

"And what are you so proud about? It's not like _you_ have haki…." Cody commented looking at the red-headed medic with the corners of his eyes and a raised eyebrow.

Their friends laughed as Josh reddened with embarrassment and anger at the same time, giving a sharp glare to Cody who just shrugged it off and ignored it as always. It seemed nothing could break the taller medic's pace.

"Speaking of the Captain, it seems he'll miss another meal time, again. He forgot about lunch again, I bet." Penguin said, fortunately without food in his mouth this time.

"He's cooped up in his quarters again, probably working. He said he had some urgent business to attend to…he only threw some disinfectant and bandages quickly on his wound and left the infirmary." Cody said with a sigh, obviously worried about Law's health.

"Mmmm, when he's working he doesn't bother with anything else. It's the same as when he's operating or experimenting on something. He always focuses all his attention on it and forgets about everything else…even his health. That explains those dark circles he always has around his eyes, too. I wish he'd look after himself more, you know…" Shachi complained, more like an old friend than a subordinate.

Miyako didn't say anything, she just kept quiet in her own thoughts, listening to Shachi. However, she agreed with the older mechanic. Law would always stay in his quarters with the lights on until late at night or even until dawn, without any sleep, just working and planning their next move. Or he would perform experiments with his powers in the infirmary for hours without proper rest. The girl sighed at her own thoughts. But suddenly a big shadow came over their table and a loud but familiar voice brought her back from her musings.

"But tha's why we be he're, aye?" It was Munk with a big grin on his face as he rested his big wooden spoon on his shoulder. He was still wearing his cooking apron filled with grease and other smears. "We got ta watch fo' tha captn's well-beein' an' I always say to im' how importan' regular an' healty diet be!" The man said with a slight furrow of his big, fuzzy eyebrows indicating his displeasure with the captain missing his meals again. "But tha's be why I hav' ya, dontchya lassie!? Hahahaha" Munk gave Miyako a rather hard slap on the back that made the poor girl lurch forward, almost into her plate as the big man gave a loud laugh.

True, Miyako would sometimes bring Law's meals to his quarters and it already became one of her kitchen duties here. She rolled her shoulder to ease the stinging pain in her back and took her tray to the designated place where used, dirty trays were left for washing. "I'm going, I'm going." She mumbled. Truthfully she was still a bit sore and tired from the fight that happened a few hours ago though they were well off the island and sailing the deep seas again. And this hit from Munk, even if done with only good intentions, didn't help her. But she wasn't the one to skip her duties, though there was one other problem she was more worried about; *_Even if we'll be alone in his quarters…I am NOT letting him harass me this time!*_ She thought with all the determination she could muster.

~…~

Miyako walked through the metal, dim corridors until she finally came in front of Law's door. She was just about to knock, balancing the tray of food in one hand, when she heard a voice on the other side. It seemed Law was talking to someone, but she couldn't hear the other's voice. However, from Law's tone it was obvious that the pirate captain wasn't pleased with the conversation.

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Then a long silence.

"...I see…. I won't risk my crew!" Another silence but much shorter.

As much as Miyako tried to hear the other's voice she couldn't but Law's voice just became a shade darker.

"How will I get there?...How long?...I need to be informed of the situation clearly, I don't want to just put my crew into danger like that!"

"I see…." Another long silence. "And about what I asked you a month ago? Hnn…." Law hummed as in thought. "It's not that easy. .." "Tch…I understand….yes….alright." Miyako could almost imagine Law gritting his teeth on the other side of the doors. After that, there was complete silence, then rustling of papers and she could hear Law sitting back in his chair, leaning backwards as he usually did when in thought.

The girl knocked on the door and waited for the usual "come in" that came much later than usual as if Law didn't even register it at first. *_He must really be in thought…I probably shouldn't ask about what I heard though; I was eavesdropping, that's bad enough.* _

Just as Miyako expected, when she opened the door, she was Law leaning back in his chair, elbows leaning on the armrests and fingers intertwined. There was a serious look on his face as he looked down at the papers on his desk, though Miyako wasn't sure was he really focusing on them or just staring at the desk while in his own, deep thoughts. "I brought you your lunch. As usual Munk won't let you skip your meals." She said with a little smile when she remembered the chef's slightly reprimanding face. Miyako was planning to leave as soon as she put the tray down.

"Hnn…." Law just hummed and the girl was certain he didn't even hear what she said. But then just as she had turned and was about to leave, Law called out for her. "Wait…Sit down for a second." At first Miyako was about to protest, sure that this was another attempt to harass her now that they were alone, but after seeing his serious and thoughtful face she silently walked back and sat on the chair across the desk and Law.

"What's bothering you?" She finally said, interested in Law's thought. Perhaps she couldn't mention the conversation he just had, which she realized was over the den den mushi, but this was enough of an innocent question.

Law looked up at her and leaned forward, his intertwined fingers in front of his face, so Miyako could only see his sharp, grey eyes. "Why do you think something is bothering me?"

Miyako raised her eyebrow and smirked, almost mimicking his usual expression as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh come now, you're not even trying to hide it."

Law leaned back in his chair as well, staring at the girl for a while though Miyako had no idea what he was thinking. Right now he looked miles away in both spirit and mind. Then suddenly he took the den den mushi and called the control room. Sai's voice answered a few seconds later with a "yes, captain?"

"Sai, tell Mister Bart to emerge. We'll be sailing on the surface for the rest of the day."

There was a small pause on the other side, obviously Sai wondering what the captain was up to, but after a while came a "Yes, captain" response without any unnecessary questions.

However, Miyako had questions and her expression clearly showed it. She had one eyebrow raised and her big eyes were wide open. Law could almost see the question mark across her face and couldn't help but smirk. This time she was left wondering in question, as she did to him earlier today. "I'm expecting a package…." Law simply said as if that explanation alone was enough though as he did, his expression became more serious and all amusement was gone.

_*Obviously it's not just any package…Or maybe…it's the person sending it that's the problem?* _Miyako could only guess but she didn't voice any of her thoughts out loud. She knew Law wouldn't answer her anyway. He didn't like giving explanations, especially to his crew who were used to following his orders with perfect trust in their captain and without unnecessary questions. Besides, Law wouldn't feel obligated to explain anything to Miyako nor does he like people prying in his business. Chances are, that would just darken his already dark-enough mood.

"I think you forgot to answer my question." Miyako said teasingly, referring to the question about what was bothering him. Of course, she knew he didn't forget…he just avoided the subject as he didn't _want_ to answer it.

"No, I just chose not to." Law answered simply, with a bored look on his face. "More importantly…I wanted to talk to you about Busoshoku Haki, or rather how to control it."

"Hmm…well I told you everything about haki and its types the first time we had this talk, so you know everything about it already." Miyako said remembering the night when they spent a few hours in his quarters talking about haki so long ago as she explaining its use, after the War. "As to how to control it…that can only be achieved through hard training of course." The girl finished, matter-of-factly._ *Well considering how quick Law was able to learn to use his Kenbunshoku haki and control his powers, he probably won't have many problems with mastering Busoshoku Haki either.* _Miyako thought.

It was true, Law was constantly evolving in his strength and skills and he already had a good grip on both Kenbunshoku haki and his devil powers. Law could really be considered a genius and not only concerning medicine, but also because of his ability to learn quickly, get a hold of every situation fast and quickly come up with a plan for the new, best step to take. He had a predisposition to achieve great things in every aspect; he knew it and his crew knew it, including Miyako. But it seems marines were quickly finding that out as well, which made him a rising threat to them with every new action he made.

"Fine. Then we'll start the training immediately." Law answered, feeling more pleased now.

"Eh? W-We?" Miyako repeated a bit uncertain though she already knew what Law was getting at. But she just hoped she heard him wrong.

Law raised his eyebrow as if wondering what was wrong with her, or rather if there was something strange in what he said. "Of course. It seems your tactic from before was successful…even though not very refined. You're the only one on the ship who has control over haki so it's only logical for you to train with me, no?" Law smirked, and even though he ended that sentence with a question mark, there was no question or asking about it; it was a given in his mind.

"I…suppose…" Miyako said a bit skeptical. "But why the sudden hurry?" When he found out he could use Kenbunshoku haki, he took his time seeing what he could and couldn't do, or rather sense, and trained it thoroughly. Yet now, it seemed as if he was in a rush to learn and master this.

Law tapped his fingertips on the armrest of his chair while he leaned his head on his other hand. "I have my reasons…you'll find out soon enough. But for now, let's just focus on our task, shall we?" Once again that dark, thoughtful look and voice was back and even though it sounded like a question, once again Miyako knew it was a demand. So all she could do was nod quietly. Perhaps in the past she would purposely poke more in the matter to annoy Law or even anger him, just for fun of seeing that mask of his crumble down, but she has learnt to respect the captain over these past 10 months and didn't even feel like angering him anymore.

"Ah, it seems Bepo is close to developing it too….though I can't be sure yet." Miyako commented as she remembered something important. Law gave her an inquiring look to go on, so she did. "Well his animal instincts work almost as Kenbunshoku haki so even though he doesn't have it, he doesn't need it anyway. Even though the whole crew got stronger, it seems he in particular did. I think he's showing real potential to develop Busoshoku Haki, he probably will over time and when that time comes, he'll need to train it as well."

Law nodded in understanding. "Then, when that time comes, he will. But since it's too soon, for now just leave it be." He saw the girl nod as she probably agreed with him.

Miyako stood up from her seat, seeing their conversation was over. "Well if that's all-"

"Say…today in the control room, were you purposely provoking me with insolence so that I would fight you?" Law said it so calmly that Miyako didn't even register the question at first. Nor did she expect it at this moment; but then again she knew Law wouldn't like her actions from earlier that day and she knew he would punish her somehow…she just didn't expect it to be now. She couldn't help but blink in surprise a couple of times, looking at his perfectly calm expression as he was waiting for her answer.

Miyako smiled sheepishly with a slight sweat-drop sliding down her cheek. "hehe…Well you know, I thought that would be the easiest if not the only way to get you to cooperate. Since you don't like to be told what to do…" She didn't even have to finish that statement.

Law rose from his chair and Miyako couldn't help but stiffen a little. It wasn't that she was afraid of him or thought that he would hurt her, but she knew her punishment was coming. *_Come on, what will it be; double shifts in the laundry room? Extra hours in the kitchen? Cleaning the whole submarine from inside and out?* _Her mind was already forming all forms of punishment that Law was capable off; from cleaning every medical tool in the infirmary until it shines to using her as the newest experiment for him devil fruit powers.

Trafalgar walked up to her with one hand in his pocket and it seemed he took his sweet time with those few steps as much as possible. As if purposely prolonging her worries. When he finally walked up to her he put one hand under her chin, raising it so he could stare right into her eyes, his other hand still in the pocket of his spotted trousers. Miyako didn't understand how he can be so relaxed in this moment while she was both nervous and embarrassed from being looked at so intensely. But then that image of a predator observing its prey returned to her mind and it suddenly had a lot more sense.

"I don't like to be controlled either…Miyako. Nor provoked by my crew." His face was close to hers and he had a smirk on his face, even though she could hear in his voice that he was quite serious. "So you should be properly punished for that." He said the last statement right into her ear, his hot breath grazing her already hot skin.

That last sentence sent shivers down Miyako spine and her face became even hotter than before. It's not just what he said, it's _how_ he said it that made her especially uncomfortable and it didn't help that it was said right into her ear like that. However she decided to regain some of her composure and she cleared her throat. "At least put the good results we got into account…"

She felt a nip on her ear as Law gently bit down and she almost jumped in both surprise and because of the sensation. "Don't give me orders Miyako." There was certain amusement in his tone, obviously pleased by her reaction.

*_T-that bastard, he's playing with me_!* Somewhere in her fuzzy mind she remembered her determination that she won't let herself be harassed by him this time and that newfound determination resurfaced. She glared at him even though she couldn't look into his eyes due to their position and she put her hands near his stomach, pushing him away. "Don't start this again!" She warned.

However, Miyako was surprised when she saw a slight grimace of pain on Law's face before he masked it once again with his usual apathetic mask. That's when Miyako remember the wound she gave him in their fight; that's right, she wasn't the only one who got hurt. Law was acting so naturally that she completely forgot he was wounded and she knew that cut in his side, even though not fatal, was deep. Miyako unconsciously made a worried face as she looked up at him. Now that she looked closely, he really didn't look all that well, probably because of long working hours and lack of sleep which was now accompanied with a hurting wound at his side. His tanned skin looked paler than usual and his already dark circles around his eyes looked even darker. Also, only now did Miyako notice he wasn't wearing the new white hat she got him, that he started wearing lately but instead his uncombed black hair was clearly visible, looking like he had his fingers through it quite a few times, probably while thinking deeply. Without even thinking, Miyako instinctively put her hand on his check to look at his pale state better and there was still worry in her bright eyes.

Only when a clearing of throat brought her out of her musings and concerns did she realize what she was doing. She saw Law's raised eyebrow and an amused smirk which only grew bigger at her panicked reaction when she finally realized what she was doing. She quickly let go of him, pulling away, with a face of utter disbelief, probably because of her own actions. "S-Sorry! I just…w-well…because you don't look so good!" She tried to explain. After a while when she finally composed herself and cleared her throat while desperately trying to hide the blush on her face, she said to him trying to sound serious despite her embarrassment; "I-In any case, you should really go sleep for a while. You look like you need rest and I'm sure that wound is still hurting."

"Hn, you don't need to look so worried, I'm not that fragile. This wound is nothing. However, it's time to change my bandages so I'd appreciate a helping hand." He hated asking for help but she was a crew member after all, so it was different than needing help from an outsider. Nakama should help each other out, anyway. Even though Law was more than capable of doing it alone, it would go easier and faster this way, so why not make use of the situation?" At least that was his way of seeing it. "Have you ever changed bandages before?" He asked as he strolled to one of the cabinets and took a medical package he had there for times like this. It would be a hassle to go all the way to the infirmary for something as simple as this.

Miyako nodded, forgetting about her embarrassment and made a confirming noise. That made Law wonder so he looked at her with interest clearly showing what he was wondering about. He didn't have to say anything as she started to explain.

"I've learned some basic first aid. I usually had to apply it on myself." That brought Miyako back memories of her training where she usually had to heal her bruises, broken bones and cuts afterwards. Just thinking about those scary training times brought a sour expression on her face. Inner Miyako was crying waterfalls at the painful memories right now. She sweat-dropped when she saw Law's enquiring expression but she didn't want to get into detailed explanations. "Master had …peculiar training methods..." It seemed the explanation was enough to satisfy Law as he probably got what she meant and instead focused on cutting enough bandages that he'll need.

Law walked back to Miyako with some pure alcohol, bandages and a big medical tweezers in his hand, gesturing with his free one to the bed. He pulled a chair near the bed to put down his medical supplies as Miyako sat on the bed in the meantime. When he had everything he needed, Law started to take off his hoodie, narrowing his eyes in slight pain from the movement even though he was determined not to show it.

"W-w-what are you doing!?" Miyako suddenly called out in a tone a bit higher than usual that showed slight panic, mixed with surprise and embarrassment.

Law just raised his eyebrow questioningly, not seeing what the big deal was. "I told you, we'll change my bandages." Then he noticed Miyako's wide eyes and absolutely red face as she stared at his half-naked torso since his hoodie was lifted slightly, revealing his bare stomach. "I can't access the cut with my shirt on." He sighed a bit tiredly. Why did he have to explain something so simple to her…? This girl was way too uptight and unused to men. Unconsciously Law wondered if all Wano women were like that since he concluded from Miyako's stories that norms for women expressing themselves or having relationships with men were very strict and formal.

However it seemed Miyako calmed down as she realized the necessity of the situation and remembered that what Law was saying actually makes perfect sense….as always. "Right...sorry."

Thankful that there was no need for any further discussion about the matter, Law took off his hoodie all the way and sat on the bed. Miyako could now clearly see the bandages going around his abdomen, with some gauze fixed on the place where the wound was and held by bandages. The captain started unwrapping the bandages until the red, slightly swollen gash in his side was visible.

Miyako knew that every movement brought Law stinging pain, coming from his wound, but his expression didn't change at all as he unwrapped the bandages. He didn't even twitch. Still, when she saw Law leaning over to take the tweezers and a piece of cotton, putting alcohol on it, it was clear that move alone had to bring him pain, so she stopped him before he opened his wound unnecessary. The stiches were holding it together but Miyako didn't want to risk it. She felt bad enough that she was the source of that cut in the first place; she knew she cut him deeply but didn't know it was that deep. Now she couldn't help but feel guilt for it. "Let me." She quickly said and she took the items from him, preparing the disinfectant. It seemed that Law was think about it for a second, wagering how much that action would affect his pride, but then he finally nodded letting her do it as he sat back on the bed.

Miyako got closer as she started to work on the wound, putting the alcohol on it as gently as she could. She knew Law was right when he said he wasn't fragile, however there was no reason to hurt him unnecessarily any more than he already was. The girl expected at least a hiss when the alcohol-coated cotton touched the wound since Miyako knew it should've stung him, but Law didn't make a sound. She was sure his pride wouldn't let him anyway. Still she saw a slight twitch in his eyes when she accidentally put a little more pressure on the wound than she should.

"Sorry" Miyako muttered though she didn't get a response. Obviously, Law didn't take it as a big deal. As she was working on the wound she couldn't help but notice all the other little scars Law had on his torso. There were some on his sides and stomach, and a bigger one on the right side where his ribs were. They were a clear proof of all the fights Law had been in though Miyako was sure he was in a lot more, he just didn't have many scars to show for it since Law was careful and rarely got any grave injuries in battles as far as Penguin and Shachi had told her. She could understand that since she only saw him get one fatal injury in these 10 months. And the reminder of that was clear on his stomach, a big scar lighter in color than Law's tanned skin, clearly visible. Miyako's eyes narrowed a little as she unconsciously slowed down her ministrations, remembering that day when the Heart Pirates had their personal little war that they lost. Thinking back, she was relieved and grateful that nobody died.

She shook her head, trying to put those feelings and memories aside, knowing nothing good can come out of it now and she focused on her work again. However, as her eyes traveled across Law's body, first only to look at scars, a little unexpected thought popped into her head; Law was built quite well. It was obvious even with his clothes on, but now she could clearly see the lean body and wiry muscles. He was lean but not skinny and even though he wasn't overly-muscular, he certainly had a toned body. It took her a few seconds but then Miyako suddenly realized what she was thinking about and stopped herself in an instant. She could feel her face getting hot again so she bowed her head down, hiding it from Law's view as she continued disinfecting the wound while chanting. *_Don't think about his body. Don't think about his body. Don't think about his body…*_

Law just stared at the girl who was fussing around, seemingly in her own little world but all he could do is sigh. He was already used to this, after all. When she finally finished, he handed her a clean, new gauze and bandages which she started putting on and wrapping around his body. Though he could see it was awkward for her since she had to lean forward, towards him, every time she was wrapping around his back.

Miyako worked in silence, as careful but fast as possible so she would finally be out of this embarrassing situation but suddenly she felt Law's movement and something like a slight chuckle came from his chest. She was just wrapping around his back, awkwardly close to him in this position, when she glared up at him with narrowed eyes. "What?" As soon as she did that though, she realized exactly how close to him she was and once again her cheeks became red even though she managed to hold the embarrassment in this time.

"Nothing. Just observing." Law explained simply, though it didn't really explain much.

Miyako frowned and finished with a few more wraps around Law's stomach before finally moving away to a much needed distance with a sigh of relief. "Observing what?" She didn't really expect much of an answer, just more of his simple yet unsatisfying explanations.

"You" Law said as he tiled his head to one side. His expression was normal and unreadable, just his usual one that always looked a little bored. As if he didn't say anything strange just now. He was once again rewarded with Miyako's shocked expression as she snapped her head up to look at him. She didn't notice but Law was observing her closely the whole time she worked with care on his wound. The worried eyes that would gaze at his wound or sometimes move towards the big scar on his stomach and Law could see she was remembering something, her gentle hands that were working carefully not to cause him pain, the slight blush ever-present on her cheeks, one expression that especially amused him when she bit her lower lip as if in deep thought and her eyes traveling across his bare torso as if inspecting it, but then she shook her head with a crimson flush across her face as if she just caught herself thinking something she shouldn't have. Nothing escaped the analytical, hawk-eyes of Trafalgar Law. And when he saw her shocked and slightly confused expression, he couldn't help but tease Miyako further. "What, you can look at my body but I can't look at you?" He had a raised eyebrow, still with his head tilted to the side, resting on his shoulder.

"W-wha? I wasn't-" Miyako tried to defend herself but it was useless, it was obvious he saw everything. *_Well I didn't do it on purpose!*_ Miyako wanted to protest, almost feeling like a kid trying to defend herself, but realized that comment would be pointless since it didn't make much sense anyway…only in her head it did, though. In her mind where she would unconsciously drift away in her own world or in this case, observe Law. So she decided on a different approach. She sighed and lifted her nose up, closing her eyes and moving her hand as if waving the whole thing away; "Fine, whatever. Tease me all you want, I don't care anyway." She shrugged at the end, just to emphasize her point more. She opened one eye ever so slightly to see Law's reaction but he didn't look any less amused. Actually, it looked worse, because his expression changed into more devilish and mischievous one as if he just got a nasty idea. And Law's nasty ideas were never good….especially not if they involved her.

"So I can tease you all I want and you won't protest at all, huh?" He said it more as a statement than a question and leaned forward, closer to the girl. That devilish smirk what still on his face.

"Huh? Hey, wait, that's not what I meant-" Before Miyako could protest further, Law pushed her down on the bed with his own weight and propped himself on his arms, on top of her. He didn't even give her time to protest or a chance to refuse as he lowered himself further until he was propped on his tattooed forearms and brushed Miyako's neck, before coming back up to her lips and claiming them.

The kiss was slow and lazy, Law taking his sweet time. He knew all he needed was some patience and to give Miyako a little push, for her to react. So instead of demanding entrance in her mouth, Law just lightly kissed her, from time to time nibbling her lower lip or lazily licking it. Well she did say she didn't mind him teasing her…and nobody said the teasing had to be verbal anyway; Law thought with amusement. He noticed she moved slightly and opened her mouth a little, as if wanting more, but instead of giving it, Law started to slowly move away. It was then that he suddenly felt Miyako's hands in his hair and her lips softly grazing his as she followed them. And for the first time, Miyako kissed _him_. It wasn't just a reaction as usual, it was a kiss that she started. Law was pleased with his work as it paid off and he indulged her by moving forward again, parting her lips and pushing his tongue in. His one hand was still propped on his forearm just above Miyako's head, but the other one started roaming, starting from the girl's neck, his thumb trailing down her throat. Then his hand went even further down to her collarbone and started going even lower, and then….-

A sharp pain in his side. Law pulled back in surprise as he felt a pressure in his wound that was now hurting more than usual. At first he didn't know what caused it but by Miyako's disagreeing expression he quickly got a good idea. He looked down to see her finger poking him right into the wound. She was careful even now though, careful not to cause him any damage but enough for him to feel the pain. Law frowned in displeasure, with one eye closed. "What are you doing?"

"Protecting my innocence. Where was your hand going, exactly?" Even though she asked him that, both knew the answer to that question.

"Your _innocence_?" Law couldn't help but look at Miyako as if she was talking crazy. "Is this one of those Wano customs again…?"

"Yes, I want to marry one day, you know! I should at least preserve _some_ chances for that."

"Merry to whom?" Law asked in a tone Miyako couldn't quite decipher but it was obvious his good mood was slowly fading away.

"I don't know...just marry! Now get off!" The girl retorted, getting annoyed, and she poked him once again in the bandaged wound just to show she wasn't kidding.

Law's gaze darkened and so did his ruined mood, but just as he was about to say something about Miyako's insolence he felt something was off. As if…there was something intruding. And by Miyako's expression it seemed she noticed it too. The couple, with Law still lying on top of Miyako, turned their heads towards the doors of the room, somehow knowing the strange feeling was coming from there. And they weren't mistaken. Law could feel Miyako stiffen like a statue beneath him though he just gave a bored, expression. He was more disappointed that his fun was ruined than shocked and he certainly wasn't embarrassed even though he was seen in such a compromising position.

The first strange thing the couple noticed was that the doors were opened, which they weren't before and not even a second later, they saw the intruder in the room; wearing the standard Heart pirates uniform and a black cap with a white rim decorated with mean eyes on the hat. It didn't take them long to realize it was Josh, who was standing there paler than ever, with his green eyes as wide as two plates. The short medic had his jaw dropped so low that for a second the doctor in Law wondered if he had dislocated it.

Miyako's reaction wasn't as calm as Law's; she had a similar expression as Josh's right now and she couldn't even move from shock, which meant she was just lying there…still beneath Law. Usually, seeing such an expression on Josh's face would make Miyako die with laughter…that is, in a situation where she was just a bystander instead of the one who got caught. Right now, she only wanted to die from embarrassment.

It must have been at least a full minute if not more…a minute that seemed like an hour, as the three of them just silently stared at each other, nobody even moving an inch. Finally Law got bored and sat back up, finding his hoodie and putting it back on as he chose to speak first, hopefully brining Josh back from his shocked trance. "Is there something you wanted Mister Joshua?"

It seemed like it worked and Law's voice brought the redhead back into reality as he managed to close his mouth and actually say something, though it came out in a weird tone and with a stutter. "I-I did…knock…" Josh said as he pointed at the door not even sure why himself.

"I'm sure you did. Now, about my question?" Law said with a sigh, getting up from the bed and taking the dirty and used bandages and medical supplies from before, throwing them into the bin. He didn't seem concerned with Josh's slow reaction. Trafalgar looked at Miyako with the corners of his eyes to see if she defrosted yet and noticed she was sitting on the bed awkwardly, ready to hara-kiri herself any moment now.

"I….uhh…" Josh was trying to remember why he was even there and it took him a few good moments to do so, but then he suddenly noticed a small package in his hand and remembered. "Right, this! Um, a seagull that looked like it was sent by someone came and dropped it on the deck right into my hands. It says your name on the package…"

Law walked over to Josh and took the package from the medic, his mood worsening suddenly as if he just got some back news.

"I-Is everything alright, Law…I mean, captain! I mean, captain-san…sama!?" Miyako started rambling as she tried to use the honorifics and anything formal as if that would help her situation somehow. It's not like Josh would think he just misunderstood, it was obvious what he saw….and he saw _everything_.

Law gave Miyako a side-glance but only nodded with a "Everything's fine." He obviously wasn't in a talking nor explaining mood right now.

"W-well, I'll be going now…." Josh said as he tried to excuse himself, prying that Law wouldn't stop him. Luckily, the captain didn't try to stop him, he just nodded at Josh, letting him go.

At that moment Miyako sprang up from the bed as if she just remembered something important and looked at Law preparing to say something though she was almost to the door already.

"You want to make sure he doesn't say anything to the others." Law said instead of Miyako who was just about to give the same explanation. It was more of a statement than a question but Miyako nodded, confirming her intentions and Law just lazily waved her off, not interested. He honestly didn't care whether the crew knows about him and the samurai girl nor what anyone thought of it. Though, he knew the crew wouldn't object nor meddle in their relationship since it's none of their business anyway. They would probably tease Miyako to death though…and she's getting enough of that from him as it is. Still, he left the decision on her whether to tell them or not, though in his personal opinion it was impossible to hide it. Something like this was bound to happen and Law was surprised it didn't happen sooner. You can't really hide a relationship in a crowded submarine, nor among a pirate crew for that matter. That word got stuck in Law's mind; _relationship_. It was the first time he used it and it sounded a little weird. Miyako and he never defined what they had between themselves, really, but in his opinion they didn't have to. They both knew it and that was enough.

By the time Law was done with his musings, the girl was long gone, and he couldn't even hear her steps echoing through the hallways anymore. He just sighed and focused on more urgent matters right now; the item in his hand. As he unwrapped the package, the glass in his hand glistened under the fake lighting. It was an eternal pose.

~…...~

Miyako ran around, looking everywhere for Josh, not even bothering to greet her passing crewmembers. She finally saw the redheaded mechanics walking towards the crew's rooms. "Josh!" She called out for him to stop but he stiffened as soon as he heard the girl's voice. He turned around with a grimace on his face and then quickly turned back and started walking even faster away from her.

_*Did he just totally ignore me…?* _Miyako looked at his back with a sweat-drop as he went off as if he didn't even see her standing there. But she started walking faster as well, right behind him. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

But Josh just continued to walk, even faster now, desperately trying to get away. His fast footsteps echoed through the halls. However, Miyako's echoed as well, with a fastening pace as she quickened her step every time the medic did. Soon enough, the two were walking frantically, on the brink of running already, both gritting their teeth with a comically pissed off expressions on their faces. Finally, Josh gave up the pretense and started running but as soon as the girl saw it, she started running as well. The crew that they passed all looked at them strangely as if they were crazy but most of them just thought it was another fight between the two, which became a normal everyday thing already.

Suddenly Miyako noticed Josh was about to turn and walk into his quarters and she could hear Penguin's and Shachi's voices inside. If there was someone who mustn't find out about her secret, than it was Shachi and Penguin, since they couldn't keep a secret even if their life depended on it. "Oh no you don't!" She yelled and jumped when she was close enough to Josh, jumping on his back and knocking him down, with her on top of him.

"Get off me, you crazy woman!" Josh protested when he finally moved his face away from the metal floor and turned his head, trying to glare at Miyako who was still on top of him, not letting him go.

"Not until you promise not to tell anybody about what you saw." She said in a whisper so that nobody could hear her speak.

Unfortunately Josh wasn't even trying to be quiet. "I don't need to promise anything."

Miyako's eyes narrowed and she grabbed his arm twisting it behind his back painfully. "Promise, and I'll explain everything."

"No!" Josh barked, too stubborn to admit his defeat.

"Promise!" Miyako wasn't trying to stay quiet anymore either as she yelled, twisting his arm some more.

"Argh, fine, fine! Just let go of me already!" The redhead finally gave in since he still planned to use that arm later in life.

The samurai girl finally stood up and got off of him, helping the medic up as well who was still giving her an icy glare. That's when they noticed the crew from the quarters nearby who were all poking out their heads from their rooms, looking at the two questioningly. In front of them were Shachi and Penguin, both having their fists on their hips and looking at them disapprovingly, their expressions were obvious even with their hidden faces. Shachi shook his head with a sigh; "Will you two ever grow up?"

The guilty couple looked at each other with a frown on their faces. There was a moment of silence until Josh decided to speak; "She started it!" He accused, pointing a finger at Miyako.

"Did not! You wouldn't stop!"

"Cause you traumatized me enough for today! Actually for the rest of my life!" He retorted.

"Hey, would you at least let me explain!"

"Now, now, guys, chill will ya'?" Penguin tried to intervene coming towards them, but stopped in his tracks when they both looked at him with death glares and was it just his imagination or did they just growl like wild animals? They were obviously in no mood to calm down. He backed away slowly, giving up.

Meanwhile, the two started fighting and arguing, though nobody understood what the hell they were talking about since they both yelled at each other at the same time. They were so into it, that they didn't even notice the shadow coming closer, behind them. The other crew members did notice however, and backed away with a sweat-drop knowing how this will end already. Only when two fists came down on their heads with a hard impact did the two shut up, now holding their heads in pain.

"What the hell!" Josh recovered first and looked behind him to see who was the idiot who dared to sucker-punch him like that. However, his angry expression soon changed into a frightened one and he gulped when he saw who he was up against. Someone even Josh didn't want to see angered besides Captain…Miyako looked as well and instantly calmed down.

It was Cody, standing behind them with his arms crossed on his chest and such a frightening look in his dark eyes that none dared to challenge him. Yes, when Cody was mad he was more like Law than anyone else. And right now, Cody had a dark aura around him with a fury of a thousand sea kings seeping out of him.

"H-hey Cody…what's up?" Miyako said innocently, trying to smile the best she could but it was obvious it was only a nervous smile with sweat beads already forming on her forehead.

"Bepo….get them." Cody said simply with a dark tone only Trafalgar Law himself could match. Only then did the two realize Bepo was behind Cody.

"Sorry guys, but you need to cool down." Bepo said and picked both Miyako and Josh up with ease. "No fighting among the crew!" The polar bear warned, ignoring the couple's trashing and protests.

"What are you doing, Bepo!? Put us down!" Josh ordered through gritted teeth as Bepo carried them off like two bags of potatoes through the halls. Cody was walking right behind him, ignoring the protests of the two as well.

Finally they arrived at the designated place; the storage room. Bepo threw both Miyako and Josh inside and luckily they landed on some bags of flour.

"You can cool off in here and deal with it between the two of you. I'm not letting you out until you've solved whatever you're fighting over even if you have to stay in here for days." Cody explained and even thought at first Miyako and Josh thought he was just kidding, his expression soon told them otherwise.

"O-oy, wait, don't-" Josh was about to come out but the doors were slammed right into his face and he heard the locking of the doors from the other side. "Hey, open up Cody, this isn't funny!" Josh called out as he banged his fist on the door but with no avail.

"Resolve it among yourselves!" Cody's muffled voice came from the other side before his footsteps disappeared in the distance, leaving only Miyako and Josh alone in the dim room.

"I can't believe that bastard! I'm so gonna get him for this! Both him and Bepo!" Josh said angrily as he already started planning the demise of the taller medic and the first mate.

"Just give up, he's not letting us out." Miyako said, still sitting on those bags of flour with her legs crossed and the elbow propped on her knee while she leaned her chin on her hand. She rolled her eyes at Josh's attempts. It's not like she wanted to give up, she just knew it was useless. And she knew Cody wasn't kidding about keeping them here as long as it takes either. He had Bepo on his side so it's not like they could escape even if the storage doors were opened. Miyako didn't even have her katana with her but she knew damaging the doors would be a bad idea since then they'd have to deal with Law and that would be far worse. Not to mention, the doors were big and metal which made it impossible to kick them down anyway.

"This is all your fault." Josh suddenly said as he turned to her, staring at her accusingly.

"How exactly is this my fault?" Miyako said through gritted teeth. She didn't want to start another argument but the short medic was just asking for it.

"Because you didn't want to leave me alone."

"If I did, you'd tell everyone about me and Law" Miyako answered, a bit lower in voice this time, just to be sure though she doubted anyone could hear them through these metal, closed doors anyway.

"Argh, don't even say it! I don't want that picture in my head!" Josh put his hands on his ears and closed his eyes as if trying to completely tune her out.

"oooh, that's real mature, Short-stuff."

"What did you call me?!"

"And _that_ you heard!?"

"Argh, enough! Let's just think of a way out of here!" Josh announced, finally ending the argument. They were both quiet for a while, thinking of a plan. Then suddenly Josh hit his fist in the palm of his other hand. "I know! How about we pretend we've sorted it out and act all buddy-buddy to trick Cody. Then he'll let us out."

Miyako looked at him skeptically. "You really think Cody is that easy to fool….?" She didn't seem too sure about that.

"Hey, he can only hear our voices so how can he know we're lying? It can work."

After a while of thinking, the girl simply shrugged. "Well I suppose it's worth a shot."

Josh called out, banging at the doors, demanding for someone to call for Cody. After a while, they really did hear the medic's voice on the other side.

"Yes?" Somehow it sounded suspicious, even though Josh didn't even say anything.

"Look, we worked it out, ok? Tell him Miyako." Josh lied through his teeth, using all his acting skills for this.

"Yep, we're all buddy-buddy and fine now." Miyako said with a sour grin on her face that was obviously forced and mostly mocking.

"No you're not." All Miyako's and Josh's hopes were drowned instantly with that statement from Cody.

"Huuuuh?" The trapped couple couldn't help but gape with slack jaws in surprise as they were seen through so easily.

"What are you talking about? How could you know that? We worked it out, I'm telling you." Josh still tried to sell the story to Cody.

"Knock it off, redhead." Cody obviously wasn't in the mood for this. "I can tell that you're lying from the tones in your voices. And there's no way you two would be able to patch things up so quickly and easily…you're forgetting I've been sailing the seas for 10 months with you, Miyako, and I've known you, Josh, even longer." Cody explained.

Both Miyako and Josh grimaced when they heard their names being spoken in such a reprimanding tone.

"Now talk to each other and deal with your problems like adults that you are!" Cody ended and once again, Miyako and Josh heard his footsteps disappearing in the distance.

"So much about that plan…" Miyako said, leaning her head on the palm of her hand again, a disappointed frown clear on her face.

They were quiet for a few minutes again, but this time Miyako was the first one to speak. "Maybe we can convince Bepo to let us out?"

"Naah, he's agreeing with Cody on this so he'll never let us out without that guy's permission." Josh grumbled, dismissing that idea instantly. Josh thought for a second. "Hmm…Maybe we should ask for Captain…" As soon as those words left his mouth, the two looked at each other.

"No way." They both said in unison, slight discomfort showing on their face as they thought of that idea.

There was a long silence between the two, both deep in their thoughts, then Miyako broke it once again; "So…How did you end up joining the Heart Pirates anyway?" The question was obviously unexpected because Josh looked up at her and blinked in surprise.

"Why ask that all of a sudden?" He seemed a bit skeptical as he tilted his head and gave the girl a suspicious look as if she was going to use that information against him, somehow.

Miyako just shrugged deciding not to comment on his rude answer and behavior as if she was a marine questioning him. "Well I've been aboard for so long yet I've never heard your story. Cody once told me about him so…" The girl shrugged again as if it was a no-big-deal thing.

"Hmm.." Josh seemed to think about her words for a second, as he fixed the cap on his head and then put his hands in the pocket of his jumpsuit, walking over to the girl and sitting beside her on the bags of flour. "Well…it was about two years ago. There's a big city called Merith in the North, where I was born and raised." He made a sarcastic expression as he said that, as if remembering something that gave irony to those words but Miyako couldn't quite understand why. The girl just kept quiet and listened on. "I lived with my bastard father until I was 15; then I finally ran from home and became a street rat. I lived from what I could steal or earn doing some petty jobs for gang leaders and such. I was always…in what you would call a "wrong crowd" I guess." The redhead chuckled to himself, but Miyako gave him a nod to go on. "So…one day I got myself involved with the wrong kind of people; they gave me a job that seemed simple at first; I had to steal a treasure map from some pirate…And you can guess who that pirate was." Josh gave her a grin that said it all.

"Eeeeh!? You tried to steal from Trafalgar Law!?" Miyako couldn't believe it as her eyes widened and she moved closer to him in wonder, almost as if to make sure he was serious.

Josh nodded. "At that time Captain wasn't that famous yet so I had no idea who he was. A lot of pirates came to my island so I thought he was just one of those petty, wannabe pirates who haven't done anything worthwhile anyway. But boy was I wrong." Josh gave another chuckle and he scratched his head, thinking back to those days. "Not only was I caught but also I experienced those devil fruit powers of his all too well." A slight shiver went down the medic's spine. "I still remember his words to me at that time; '_You're not even a challenge to me but you have guts, so I'll let you live this time.'_ He even had that wicked smirk of his on his face." Josh sighed. "I think he spared me because I actually tried to fight him and talk back when he caught me so I proved I had some guts; I can't think of any other reason, really. Also, even though he knew I was working for someone I refused to say who it was, I was a thief but not a snitch; but surprisingly Captain seemed impressed by it."

"Yeah, it's really hard to understand what that guy is thinking, sometimes." Miyako agreed with a sigh as she remembered when she first got on this submarine. She still wasn't quite sure why Law decided she'll become part of the crew, since he could easily find some other swordsman….or swordswoman in this case.

Josh nodded. "However, even though captain let me live, the guys I was doing the job for weren't too happy for not getting it done. They beat me up pretty bad, almost to death. Broke both my arms and my fingers, busted my knee…It wasn't a pretty sight. I was dumped somewhere in a dirty, dark, wet alley but nobody would help me even if they did see me….it was a big city and those kinds of things weren't uncommon. Nobody would bother with a little street rat like me." Josh's eyes narrowed a little and his stare became more hateful even though it was aimed at the metal doors of the storage; but Miyako could see that stare was actually meant for something, or someone, else.

Josh broke out of his personal thoughts and continued the story. "However, someone _did_ notice me. A big, white bear…" Josh laughed a little at the memory. "I thought I was so far gone that I started to hallucinate…especially when the bear wearing an orange jumpsuit started to talk." Josh snickered once again. "Bepo must've smelt the fresh blood and followed the sent and after a while, Captain came into my blurry view as well. And you know what he did?" Josh didn't wait for Miyako to guess as he continued. "He smirked at me! He saw my pathetic self in that condition and actually gave me one of those amused smirks of his!" Josh said it in a tone as if he still considered it unbelievable to this day, even though he was well aware of what Law was like.

"Heh. Are you really surprised by that..?" Miyako asked, giving him a smirk of her own.

"Not anymore…but still, at that time I couldn't believe it and oh, how I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but I couldn't even move. Anyway, he crouched down to examine me and said I needed to go to the doctor cause I was in a very bad shape…like it wasn't obvious. But I just said to leave me alone and that I could handle it myself. You see my old man was a doctor…well at least he was, until he became his drunken, worthless self…." Josh said the last sentence almost grumbling with a dark frown, obviously remembering something unpleasant but he didn't want to go into much detail about it. Miyako didn't want to pry either so she didn't ask further questions about his family issues. "However, when he heard I had some medical knowledge, captain became interested. He proposed to save my life if I joined his crew. I guessed; being a pirate beats dying like a dog in some stinking alley so I accepted." Joshua shrugged, finishing his story but then he remembered something else. "Oh and when I got better I heard from Bepo that captain found out who was behind the whole plot of stealing his treasure map and he killed them all, he was just heading back from their hideout when he stumbled upon me. I guess justice was served after all." Josh grinned with evil satisfaction.

Miyako seemed a bit in thought after hearing the medic's story. "It seems everyone I talk to about their past, owes a great deal to Law-san."

"Hn, of course. Trafalgar Law is a great captain and an awesome pirate who will find One Piece one day, for sure!" Josh said without any doubt in his voice just like the rest of the crew would. They all respect Law and it seems they all have a good reason to.

Miyako smirked at Josh's statement. "Well…I guess I can see it too…Law as a Pirate King. He's smart enough to pull it off and if he trains more and perfects his haki…" Miyako could see great potential in Law and she was sure the pirate captain knew he had it too.

But as they started talking about Law, both Josh and Miyako remembered a certain awkward moment they wanted to forget and looked at each other with crimson faces and shocked expressions before turning away from each other quickly. A long, awkward silence fell and stayed there for quite some time.

Finally, Miyako sighed giving up and decided to try and actually listen to Cody's advice…well it was more like an order in this case. "Look, can we just talk about what you saw in Law's….I mean, Captain's room?" Once again she tried sounding more formal to ease up the situation.

"Let me guess; there's a perfectly good explanation for it?" Josh said with a mocking and sarcastic tone which earned him a glare from Miyako.

"Actually there is!...But I wouldn't like to go into too much detail about that…." She trailed off, muttering as she remembered what led Law and her to be in that position in the first place. She should probably skip that part, if she wanted to leave some of Josh's mind unscarred. "Anyway, it all started about a week and a half ago when I took a nap in the infirmary…Or maybe it started 10 months ago actually…Ah, no, that's too early, I hated him then…though I must admit I was a little impressed…" Once again Miyako trailed off into her own world leaving the redhead even more confused than before.

"What are you trying to say….?" Josh muttered and just looked at her with a sweat-drop as he realized he was totally forgotten and out of the conversation. After a while he sighed and snapped his fingers, getting back the girl's attention. "Would you just come back from wherever you ended up in that strange mind of yours already?!"

That seemed to get the girl's attention back on him and she cleared her throat. "Look, I'm not sure yet myself what's going on, I'm probably more confused than you right now. I just know that…_something's_ between us, ok? And we just kissed, nothing else!" She added the last part just to be sure Josh doesn't get any wrong ideas. "So until we work it out, would you pleeease work with me and keep this a secret?"

Josh obviously didn't like that idea judging by the face he was making. "Why are you getting me involved in this…?"

"You're already involved, like it or not." She answered, matter-of-factly.

Josh sighed, giving up. "Fiiiine." He ignored the girl's beaming, bright face. "Why me…?" The question was more directed to himself or maybe some higher deity that really loved to make his life a living mess. "Does this mean I'll have to see you and captain all lovey-dovey around the sub?" Just the thought made him want to vomit and grimace as if in pain; especially imagining Law like that, which was impossible. No, there's no way the captain would go soft or turn into some Romeo-mode no matter what's going on between him and Miyako. At least that's what Josh was telling himself, wishing and believing with all his heart.

Miyako chuckled. Obviously the thought seemed rather impossible to her as well. "No. Especially if you start waiting for an answer after knocking on other people's doors." She said teasingly, with a smirk.

"Yeah, I learned my lesson with that one…" He mumbled in response, not really wanting to remember the awkward scene. "Captain didn't seem to care though…"

"He rarely does." Miyako sighed not knowing what was in Law's mind either but obviously the pirate captain didn't care who knew about them nor who saw what on the submarine. Miyako, however, couldn't be that laid back, especially concerning things like that. "So….we good?" She looked at Josh a bit worried he might start another fit again, but luckily that didn't happen.

"Yeah…I'll keep your secret." He said and gave her his hand which the girl shook in agreement.

"Well I'm happy you two finally worked it out." Another voice came from the other side of the door; Cody's voice. It gave them both a start as they had no idea he was outside at all. The two almost jumped but then realization hit them and both Miyako and Josh looked at each other in desperation. A moment of dead silence occurred before Miyako totally lost it, grabbing Josh by the collar of his jumpsuit and shaking him as her face expressed total disbelief and panic, her eyes as wide as they would go. "I thought this was a soundproof room!? How the hell can we be heard through a thick metal door!?"

Josh tried to calm her down but it was hard when he was shaken violently and he was starting to get dizzy. "Well…they're not that thick."

In the meantime, Cody unlocked the doors and Miyako suddenly let go of Josh who fell on the floor, still feeling dizzy and out of it, and she saw a smiling Cody who had a suspiciously pleased face, a slightly confused Bepo who was scratching his head with a sharp claw and both Penguin and Shachi who had a shocked expressions on their faces similar to the one Josh had in Law's room a while ago.

"Y-You...heard…" Miyako slid to the floor with teary eyes and a depressed look on her face that could match Bepo's. It was more of a statement than a question.

Still, Cody answered. "Yep. I was wondering when you two would finally realize it; but you actually had me worried there for a while." Cody said, thinking back as if remembering something Miyako had no idea about.

However she realized he meant her and Law which made her blink in surprise. "What do you mean? You say that like you knew this would happen."

"Well it was kinda obvious." The tall medic answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders as if it was a given.

"It wasn't obvious to us!" Shachi suddenly said as he came back from his shock. "Why didn't anybody tell _us_!?" He seemed a bit offended.

Penguin was looking somewhat disappointed. "Miya-chaaan~…..and I really thought I had a chance…"

Miyako couldn't help but sweat-drop with a nervous smile as she saw the reactions of the two mechanics. But one thing was for sure; now that Penguin and Shachi knew, it was already as if the whole crew knew. Also, Miyako knew there was no point in even trying to tell them or threaten them to keep quiet about this since they were utterly incapable of it. "I'm doomed." Miyako simply said as she bowed her head with a dark, gloomy atmosphere all around her, still sitting on the cold floor. Josh was lying beside her, still half-unconscious. The two of them probably looked like the sorriest bunch around and they probably were, even though Bepo was there.

~….~

Miyako was leaning on the railing of the submarine, though she looked more like a corpse left there as her upper body swayed loosely, over the metal railing. She was still in a gloomy mood but that was because she kept hearing whispers or teasing comments coming from the rest of the crew who were also on deck. Bepo was sitting beside her, leaned on the railing and snoring lately, a bubble of snot appearing now and then from his big snout.

"So you and the captain, huh?"

"Ah~ How nice, to have some romance on this submarine~"

"Now that I think about it, doesn't Miya-chan spend a whole lot of time in the infirmary when there's no one around? Hehe maybe not no one though…"

"Yeah, she says she's going there to take naps. Riiiight, naps. Hahaha"

There were veins clearly popping up on Miyako's forehead by now as the gloomy, depressing mood slowly started turning into a dark and deadly one with every new comment she heard.

"Ah~ But no fair! Why does Captain always get all the girls?" Another crewmember sighed and added in a disappointed tone.

Miyako's eye twitched as she finally lost it. She turned around suddenly towards the crew with a threateningly raised fist and a clear pissed-off look on her face. Her eyes were almost glowing red with anger by now. "Would you all shut up already! I'm telling you it's not what you think so keep your damn comments to yourselves or I swear, I'll kill you all!"

The crew all looked at her in silence as she had her loud, angry outburst. There was a long silence between everyone there…and then someone just had to break it;

"You think they did it already?" One of the crewmembers asked.

"Aaaargh!" Miyako yelled in anger and frustration and unsheathed her katana, ready to bring down all the fury she had on the poor guy. Penguin and Shachi both held her back as she trashed in their arms, still ready to kill.

Just then the metal doors of the submarine opened with a loud bang and Law came out, his nodachi resting on his shoulder as usual. There was something in his other hand and when the crew looked at it better they realized it was an eternal pose. The captain walked over his crew and leaned on the metal railing, completely ignoring the strange sight where Miyako had her katana up in the air above her head and the two mechanics holding her in place. But even she stopped trashing and looked at Law with interest.

Law raised the eternal pose for the rest of the crew to see. "We have our new destination; Abney Cove." Law simply showed them the name engraved in the small wooden plate on the eternal pose.

The crew blinked but Shachi and Penguin were the first to get over the shock. They finally released Miyako who had calmed down and was looking at everyone's faces with slight confusion. *_Why does everyone look so surprised all of a sudden? Is Abney Cove special, somehow?*_ She didn't voice any of her questions though since she knew she'll find out everything soon enough.

And she did when Shachi decided to speak up. "Abney Cove? But isn't there a big marine base there?!"

Law nodded. "Yes. And Vegapunk's laboratory, though I hear the doctor isn't using it at the moment but it's still active."

"So you're aiming for that…" Penguin was the next to speak. "But that's crazy captain! We'll get killed; the security is way too tight. There's no way we can go in and out of there without trouble. It's way too risky!"

Trafalgar sighed getting a bit annoyed. He didn't like his orders and decisions questioned, even if it was from his old friend. "Enough already; isn't being a pirate a risk for itself already?" Then he smirked as he looked at his crew; "Besides, have I ever let you down? As always, we will get what we want and there's nobody who can get in our way…if they try; their faith is already sealed."

Those cocky words and the smirk that showed no doubt in Law's expression, only that he was completely sure of himself, were enough to change the crew's feelings of discomfort into agreement and determination. The crew roared with their fists in the air and grinned widely, believing fully in their captain. "Aye, Aye captain! We won't let you down!"

When the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Miyako decided to ask one question that was still bugging her; "But why are we going there anyway? I know you're interested in Vegapunk's work but isn't this a little too risky just so you could satisfy your curiosities?" She sheathed back her katana in the meantime and was now standing there with her arms folded on her chest.

"Hey, don't doubt the captain! He knows what he's doing." Sam reprimanded the girl.

Law wasn't happy with her choice of words either as he gave a serious look in her direction. "It's not just to satisfy my curiosity Miss Miyako, there are some important things in that lab that I need. That's all you need to know."

He said it in a way that clearly showed it was just a masked way of saying it's none of her business and that made the girl frown a little. However, Law ignored her as he stood there, listening to his crew exciting rambling about a new, dangerous adventure.

"So how long will the trip to Abney Cove take?" Cody asked, looking at the eternal pose with interest.

"Mister Bart said about a month. He's got some knowledge of the island that will be helpful to us, even though he hadn't been there either." Well that wasn't surprising. No pirate would willingly go to a place filled with armed marines…unless you are Straw-Hat pirates it seemed, since that crazy lot raided Enies Lobby. Also, Abney Cove wasn't just any marine base; it was a marine base that protected one of Vegupunk's many laboratories, which meant it will be heavily guarded. Law had mixed feelings about this adventure. He knew how dangerous raiding a marine base can be and even though he knew his crew had gotten stronger, he didn't want to risk their lives. He was a cautious man and even though taking risks and getting into dangerous situations isn't unfamiliar to him, he would never take unnecessary risks like this. But that's because this wasn't Law's idea in the first place…no, this was a direct order from _him_…_Joker_. Just the thought of that word and that name made him narrow his eyes in both hate and disgust. However, another side of him couldn't help but feel excited and interested when thinking about all the work he could discover in Vegapunk's laboratory and all new experiments he could do. Just the thought made him grin with an excited gleam in his eyes, just like when he was about to do a risky but interesting operation or a new experiment. Yes, if he had to do this for Joker and get what the ever-grinning man had asked him to, at least he'll make the best out of it and enjoy some spoils from it. However, what the pirate captain needed to do now was make a perfect plan for this. He knew there was no plan that could guarantee 100% safety for him and his crew, but he needed to at least have a good plan and a few back up plans to be sure to lower that risk as much as he could. Thankfully, in the package were also plans of the marine base and the laboratory, which made things a bit easier for him. Joker wasn't a man to ever make things easier for him nor did Law have any idea how the Shichibukai got those plans of the buildings, but he didn't care at the moment. Law could still remember the conversation he had with the man over the den den mushi; he never even gave him the right to refuse and when Law did it anyway, one word was enough for the tall doctor to bite his lip and think over his answer: _Vergo_.

Vergo was a man that always made things harder for Law. He was Joker's, or rather Doflamingo's, right-hand man and did quite a lot of dirty work for the boss of the underworld. But Law had especially bad memories concerning Vergo. He still remembered that sorry state he was in; blood everywhere – his blood, broken bones with few external fractures…and that laugh. That grinning face behind Vergo, barely visible in the darkness, but still Law could see those shiny white teeth leering at him. And that amused, pleased laugh as Law laid there broken and beaten by none other than Vergo himself who was looking down at him with those emotionless eyes. It was the first and last time Law allowed himself to be so weak, to even show such weakness. Never again…he promised himself that. All this time, he was waiting…patently waiting for his chance, getting stronger so he could realize his plans. So he could have complete freedom and do what he wanted, never having to listen to anyone's orders again. _*Soon…Very soon, Joker. I'll get you what you need and I'll quietly wait for my chance and then I will be the one with complete control. And you can just keep grinning while everything around you crumbles. You'll never even see it coming because you're too sure of yourself, Doflamingo. You won't even realize it until it's too late.*_ Law looked at his crew that were happily chatting away, some of them heading back into the sub to do their duties, then the captain's gaze fell on Bepo who was just waking up from his slumber, still groggy._ *No, I won't die here…not now when I'm so close to starting things. I'll survive Abney Cave just as I survived everything else. One thing is for sure; I will never let anything stand in my way.*_

As the crew continued doing their own thing, some talking about Abney Cove and others just enjoying the sun, Miyako was the only one who stayed quiet and watched her captain closely. She saw a dark look in his eyes, similar to the one he had in his quarters earlier today. She didn't know what was going on with Law but she was suspicious about this whole Abney Cove ordeal. Why such a decision now? And why does Law seem so effected by it? How is all this connected to the call he got earlier? Miyako had so many questions right now but no answers to help her. She knew she couldn't ask the captain since he wouldn't tell her. Miyako knew Law wouldn't use his crew or let them die but she could understand from what the pirates were saying that Abney Cove certainly won't be a vacation for them. She was still perplexed by such a decision that he made but knew there had to be more behind it than what he let on. Now if only she could find out what it was. _*But at least this explains why Law is in such a hurry to master Busoshoku Haki.* _The girl thought with interest as she realized he had a month to learn how to use it properly. Miyako sighed, suddenly feeling tired. _*Whatever is happening with you Law, you know you have your crew to watch your back. Honestly…these guys are ready to even go to Hell and back for you.*_ She looked at the Heart pirates around her. She couldn't help but smile at the thought even though it was barely visible. But then another thought came across her mind and Miyako closed her eyes with a slight chuckle; _*Don't worry, I've got your back too….Just don't disappoint me, Captain.*_

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><p><strong>And another chapter finished! So not much happening in this chapter; more like preparations. For the first time, I'm putting Doflamingo in my story and starting the whole Joker connection. (Hopefully we'll soon know more about the whole history between Doflamingo and Law from Oda. Hurry and tell us Oda-chin! .) <strong>

**Law and Miyako's relationship is progressing more too and I finally put Josh's story in. (I hope we'll find out Bepo's, Shachi's and Penguin's history with the Heart Pirates too, one day. Though, I think we all already have a theory for Bepo…) **

**So I hope you liked this chapter and that it was interesting to read. I know I had fun writing it. :) If you have any comments, questions or just want to tell me what you think of the story; feel free to review or message me! :) Now as always, I'll answer some reviews.**

**JustChan: **The _him_ Law was thinking about is Doflamingo, but for information, no to help him get the Shichibukai position. But since Doflamingo is a Shichibukai, he probably has access to a lot of marine information Law would find useful. However, more on this in further chapters. Also, I don't think Law needed anybody's help to become Shichibukai especially since, if I remember correctly, he got the position by sending the marines 1000 pirate hearts.

Nope, Miyako didn't abandon all thoughts of Wano, which can be seen in some parts of the story where she is still undecided about her final decision. (In chapter 38; while they're playing poker.) For the second part of the question, you'll just have to wait and see. I don't want to give any spoils. :P

Yes, that was Miyako's first kiss! (Unless you count the time when she was sleeping :P) I'm glad you like that scene, I was hoping to make it seem as much Law-like as possible. XD And for the haki thing; yep, I think I'll just leave it (hey! It's fanfiction after all, some divergence is allowed, right? :P).

**SkittlesKat: **I'm glad I was able to leave them in character even for the kissing scene. Yeah, she's kind, but I also don't want her to look like a goody-two-shoes, so I want her to be mean sometimes. :P

**Kongo Isamu: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! ^^

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: **Heh I thought it was finally time for some romantic action for a change. :)

**Moonlight Calls: **It seemed to me that Miyako didn't have an adventure with her friends for a long time so I decided to make one. They needed it after the last island… And I always thought of Law as a guy who wouldn't give her much say in the matter after deciding things for himself. ^^'

**Izzie: **haha Yes, I actually listened to that song while writing that part of the chapter. XD It was more fun that way. :D I hope he tells us more about the crew too. :/ But they were on the cover of the last OP chapter so they're still there and apparently they wear black uniforms now (Black looks better on them anyway). Haha and I wonder how long Law will be able to work with Luffy before losing his mind. XD He's already losing it slowly. Law doesn't seem to me like he would care who knows about them so I doubt he would go out of his way to shush that crewmember from telling. Hahah Actually, the marriage part was in my mind when I was writing that scene, too. XD Especially since Miyako's from Wano where women are more conservative.

**Tsaurn: **I'm glad I did (mission complete!) :D Yes, English isn't my native language so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes even though I always try to write as grammatically correct as possible. ^^' About _Shichibukai_, yeah, I know it's written with a _shi_ (I didn't even realize there were some places where it was written _sichibuki_ so thanks for warning me. I went back to chapter 9 and corrected it.) Oddly enough, in some places it was written correctly and in some not, so I really don't remember what happened there. o.O

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **haha oh you hentai, you. ;P Well about the Josh thing, you got the answer in this chapter. ;) I must say I like his new hat better, probably because it has a brim so it kinda looks cooler to me. :P

**Zoro et Robin: **heheYeah, causeMiyakocan't go against herself anymore…nor against Law. :P haha It would be out of character but just imagine what faces the crew would make at that moment. I think they would choke on their food. XD I'm glad you like how I portray Law though it's not very hard to make him sexy since he already is. ;) Well, who would've guessed; your wish came true again! ;) *salutes* Yes, mam! I hope the chapter came fast enough. Consider it a Christmas gift. ;P And since you always leave me a nice lesson in French, here's one for you; Hvala na osvrtu! Sretan Božić i Nova Godina! (translation: Thanks for the review. Merry Christmas and happy New Year!) :)

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><p><strong>So that's all for now, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Stay tune for the next one. Have fun on your holidays and Marry ChristmasHanukkah/anything else you're celebrating and happy New Year! :D**


	40. Chapter 40

"**I don't like you!" **by** BloodyMarryMe**

*whew* Another long chapter done. I kinda took my time with this one since it was long but I wanted to put the whole "episode" in one chapter and not stretch it out more. This is just a little something before the Abney Cove Arc. Sorry for the wait but here it is! :D Also, sorry but I didn't have time to proofread it this time but I really wanted to upload it today since if I don't do it today I won't be able to for at least another week. With that said; sorry for any grammatical mistakes. I'll proofread it later when I have the time so for now if you find any mistakes please point them out to me and I'll fix them. Thank you! Have a nice read! :)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but the plot and the OC Suzune Miyako is mine.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 40<strong>

"Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable!" Akainu was sitting in his leather chair, tapping his blunt fingernail impatiently on his mahogany desk. With his other hand, he was clutching a wanted poster almost to the point of crumpling it. His eyes were piercing the face on the poster; Trafalgar Law – Surgeon of death, bounty: 310 milion Beri. "I don't have time to deal with such nuisance at this time. We already have enough work as it is."

"Hn…I thought that weirdo Abaddon got him good but it seems he survived after all. The Heart pirates were spotted near Christmas island, a few weeks ago." Sentomaru was sitting in a chair, across Akainu looking unpleased about the situation as well. They didn't really have time to deal with it and Sentomaru hoped Law died when Abaddon pierced him but the Dark Doctor obviously had more luck then they thought.

"And to think they escaped you and Abaddon, along with all the marines I sent with you." Akainu almost grumbled as he stared at the poster. The Fleet Admiral stretched his short, trimmed beard that framed his angular face. His hard features looked even darker than usual with the unsatisfied expression he wore.

"They had help. I don't know why but the locals from the island helped them escape. Fool, all of them!" Sentomaru still didn't understand why somebody would help a pirate unless they were criminals themselves and Unak wasn't telling them anything. "But we got their leader, his in level 1 in Impel Down. I'm sure that will teach him a less…that traitor." Even though the marines didn't find out much from Unak, searching his history they discovered he was a marine reported missing in action a long time ago. Everyone already thought he was dead but it seemed he was saved by the locals and stayed on that island…and was now helping pirates! Sentomaru got a bitter taste in his mouth as a feeling of disgust followed his trail of thought. *_Marines working with pirates? What's next; an alliance between the World Government and the Yonkou?!* _

"Hmm…" Akainu hummed in thought as he planned his next move. No, he didn't have time to go after petty pirates right now even though those petty pirates were getting more troublesome by the day and even though he firmly believed all pirates should be erased from the face of the earth. But right now practicality came first and he couldn't afford to lose more men. "For now, we will raise their bounties and hope the bounty hunters do their jobs for once." Then another wanted poster got his attention; the newest member of the Heart Pirates who has been giving them trouble as well. "Burning-Eyed Miyako…What do we know of her?" He looked at the woman on the photo, her cold, sharp eyes staring at him from the picture and she was obviously in the middle of a fight when it was taken.

"I fought her on the island. She's strong but not strong enough to beat me. Tch, I almost had her but she was able to escape…along with that talking bear. She could cause problems in the future though…especially since she's from Wano. Their warriors aren't to be taken lightly, you know. It seems her caretaker was one of the four samurai who ran the country but he died in a war they fought a few years back."

"Is that all?" Sakazuki wasn't very pleased with so little information. And as soon as he heard the name Wano, he was even less pleased if the dark frown on his face could be any indication. Wano was always somewhat of a thorn in the World Government's side. No matter how much they try to negotiate, Wano refuses to become their ally nor be affiliated with them.

"For now…We're trying to find out more." Sentomaru answered simply. It was harder to find out anything about the woman especially since she was from Wano, a country that never wanted to work with the marines. They weren't exactly cooperative.

"In any case, these pirates are becoming more of a pain ever since that bastard Whitebeard announced One Piece exists. And these Supernova rookies are especially tiring. I want them wiped out before they reach the New World." The Fleet Admiral glared at the faces on the papers as his fist crushed the wanted posters in his hand.

~….~

"Aaah~ This sucks…" Josh was lying face-first in his bed. He looked completely out of energy and bored as hell, which he was.

"You're right, I can't take it anymore. It's hot and stuffy in here…especially with you guys taking all the oxygen. I want some fresh air!" Bepo added, as he looked at the rest of the pirates with the corner of his black eyes.

"You take most of the oxygen, you big bear!" Penguin yelled back, annoyed at Bepo's attitude.

"I'm sorry." Bepo answered quickly as he bowed his head down with a depressed expression.

*_He's way too weak_..* Were the thoughts of everyone there as they looked at the first mate.

"But there's no helping it, there's a storm outside and it's been like this for a week. Even if we resurfaced, we couldn't go outside and it's safer to be underwater than sailing on it right now, with all the waves, wind and lightning outside." Shachi answered as a voice of reason.

The Grand Line was a tricky and dangerous place, and one of the biggest dangers was the ever-changing whether that didn't let a navigator rest for even a second. There were deadly, strong storms raging for days outside and the Heart pirates were never so glad they were traveling underwater as they were now. The strong currents were still hard to deal with but at least they could escape the worst conditions by diving deeper into the sea.

"But I'm so boooored." Josh complained though his voice was muffled since his face was still buried in the pillow. The others wondered how he could even breathe in that position.

"Then go read a book." Miyako said simply, ignoring the complaints coming from the redhead. For a change they were in their quarters instead of her small room. The girl was resting on Cody's bed while the medic was working in the infirmary and she had a small book she borrowed from Law. At first she asked her friends to borrow her something but soon realized all their reading material was…well, more suited for men to read than women; let's just leave it at that. After that realization where she accidentally opened one of Penguin's magazines and regretted it instantly, she decided to go ask Law. Also, Penguin and Miyako made a silent agreement to never talk about what she saw in there either. It was best for everyone if that stayed undiscussed.

"And I'm hooot!" Bepo whined together with the medic as he rolled on the floor with his big red tongue out.

"So go take a shower." Miyako countered simply once again not even raising her eyes from the book she was reading. Luckily, Law didn't only have medical and scientific books. The current one was about a scientifical and philosophical discussion about the existence of Sky islands that were topics of many rumors among sailors and pirates. There is no real proof of their existences, only the reports of ships falling from the sky, sailors swearing they were on one and items they had with them that were never seen anywhere else on land. However, suddenly the book was snatched right out of her hands. "Hey-!" She tried to protest, but it was too late.

"What are you reading so intensely?" It seems Josh tried to kill his boredom by bugging her as he stared at the title of the book that was now in his hands.

"Give it back, shorty!" Miyako tried to grab it back but Josh was quicker and he dodged her attempt to snatch it back.

But as Josh stepped back he stepped on Bepo's paw who was still helplessly lying on the ground in hopes the metal floor will cool him down a little. "Hey, watch where you're stepping!" The bear growled as he got involved as well. Little by little the men's quarters of Room 2A were getting nosier and nosier. Somehow Penguin and Shachi got involved as well as Shachi tried to help Miyako get her book back and was arguing with Bepo about him carelessly lying on the floor under everyone's feet, which the mechanic considered a bother.

Everyone was so busy that they didn't even notice a newcomer in the room. Miyako swung her hand trying to get the book, but Penguin accidentally pushed her as he was fighting with Bepo and her hand only hit the book, making it fly from Josh's hand and right towards the open doors where Cody stood. The tall medic caught the book easily with one hand before it could fly into his face and glared at the group that suddenly stopped their actions and watched him silently. For a moment there was complete silence as Cody tried to control his annoyance that was showing in a form of a vein on his forehead and the group was silently watching him in shock, too afraid to say anything to thick the medic off even more. Cody looked at Josh and Miyako, since that's where the book came flying from but as he did, both the medic and the samurai pointed accusingly at each other as if saying '_he/she did it.' _Unfortunately that didn't help Cody's annoyance at the group that were all acting like kids in his opinion but he sighed, relaxing and getting over it, he still needed to do what he came here to do after all.

"Miyako-chan, the Captain wants to see you. He's in the infirmary." Cody simply delivered the message, the reason he was sent here in the first place.

Miyako was sure she didn't get in any trouble but now she wondered what the doctor wanted from her. *_I'm sure I haven't done anything lately nor gotten into any trouble…I think.*_ Sometimes it was hard to remember all the mischief that happened around here, especially with such a crew as the Heat Pirates. However, she was sure she was playing nice recently and she didn't even pull a prank on Josh in a while. At least not after that frog incident when she saved it from Law's experimental clutches in the infirmary and hid it in Josh's room. Well Josh wasn't kidding when he said he was afraid of frogs, or rather their croaking, that's for sure. The short medic was slowly losing it and didn't sleep all night because he could hear croaking somewhere in his room but couldn't find the source. After being the whole night awake he concluded he was hallucinating and going crazy, but that's when Cody came to him and asked if he saw a frog somewhere on the submarine. Miyako could still remember the redhead's twitching eyes and half-crazed look from lack of sleep and hearing frog croaks and hoped Josh will never discover she was behind it or he'd seriously kill her. The girl snickered to herself at the memories. *_Ah~ Good times, good times.*_

That's when she noticed she was still in the men's quarters staring into space and grinning stupidly at the memories while everyone was looking at her as if she was really losing it.

"Are you alright, Miya-chan?" Penguin asked looking at her suspiciously.

The girl could feel her cheeks and ears getting hotter from embarrassment. She smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry. I'll be on my way then." She quickly left the room while her friends followed her with questioning looks on their faces.

~…..~

Miyako knocked lightly on the doors before entering the infirmary. "You wanted to see me, Captain?" She saw Law hunched over an operating table, standing in the blue sphere of his Room. He was currently working on something but Miyako had to come closer to see what it really was and when she did, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about the sight. There, tied to the operating table was a creature, an animal they found on the last island they visited. They just made a short stop at the uninhabited island to restock their water and food supplies. There was a strange species there that Miyako had never seen before. They almost looked like monkeys but they weren't more than a meter tall and walked on only two feet but they had pig-looking noses and bear-like ears. It was a strange combination of animals all in one small package. Law found the species interesting since he never saw it before so he ordered some of his crewmembers to catch a few of them alive, so he could experiment on them no doubt. However, it seemed the pirate captain was a bit disappointed with the results since he didn't find anything special nor fascinating, even on the inside. So he decided to at least use them to practice his Devil fruit powers, which he was doing now.

The strange animal on the table was still alive even though parts of it were cut up and floating in the air in the Room, even its insides, as Miyako saw a heart float by near the animal's head. That's when the girl noticed another of those creatures on the operating table next to her but that one was already dead and discarded, probably of no interest to the Surgeon of Death anymore. Right now, that nickname served Law justice more than ever. At least since this was the first time Miyako witnessed Law actually cut up a living-being with such precision and a sharp eye following every reaction he was getting. Usually he would just cut up his enemies and use Shambles on them, than leave them be in their own misery or death, uninterested. But right now Miyako could see the analytical eye following closely and with interest every action Law took and every reaction he got from it. Miyako had to admit; she was starting to get interested in what he was doing since he was awfully focused on his task but it still made her a bit uncomfortable to see that Law could cut up and experiment on a living being without batting an eye. At least the creature didn't seem in pain, since it was unconscious; the only reason Miyako knew it was alive was because the machines it was connected to showed a pulse, giving off a regular beeping sound.

Even though the girl entered his Room and came next to him, though keeping a safe distance not to get in the way, Law didn't answer her or even acknowledge her arrival even though he noticed her. He was obviously doing something important and Miyako could see he didn't want to be disturbed right now since he was in the middle of something. Still, there was a slight frown on the girl's face. _*Then why did he call me, if he's busy?*_ She sat on the operating table across the one being used and waited patiently, observing the operation, as she put her chin on her hands and propped herself with her elbows on her knees.

She didn't quite understand what Law was doing, though. He would cut out an organ with his scalpel, then create another small Room around that organ and watch how the animal's conditions were doing with that organ out of its body. It seemed even though the organ was out, the animal still lived on, as if it was working properly inside of it. Even if the organ was out of the Room where the creature was, it still didn't affect the creature's life signs but if Law did something to the body parts or organs, like making a small cut with his scalpel, it was obvious the creature could feel it because the pulse and blood pressure would get higher. Once again Miyako was glad the creature wasn't awake since this would certainly be painful to experience. She couldn't help but grimace when Law cut the creature's heart out though it was in a little box formed by his powers. He gave it an experimental squeeze through the box and watched the machines as the pulse suddenly got quicker and the sound warningly started beeping faster and louder. As Law released the heart, the machines slowly went back to normal along with the animal's life signs. Law hummed, pleased with the results he was getting. He was obviously making progress, judging by the discarded corpse of another creature that was a failure.

Finally, Miyako decided to break the silence, seeing Law in a good mood. "What are you doing?"

The captain spared her a quick glance before focusing back on his task. "I'm seeing how far I can use my powers and keep it alive even if it's in pieces."

Miyako tilted her head curiously as a child would. "But you could do that before too, right? I saw you cut up marines countless times and even patching them together differently and they were still alive after that."

"Yes, but I would always cut them from the outside." Law explained and made a slash in the air with his scalpel as if showing her an explanation. A clean cut followed and the head of the animal came off. Law made a slight movement with his fingers and it easily put itself back to its rightful place. "Now, I want to slice from the inside." At this, Law moved his free hand again and the creature's heart flew back inside its body, then shortly after all the rest of the organs floating outside did as well, and finally the creature's torso which was cut open closed as if someone sew back a ripped puppet. However, it seemed Law wasn't done with his show and tell. With a flick of a finger the animal flew in the air and Law slowly put the tip of his scalpel in front of where its heart should be, but not touching the animal. Then, with a simple movement of the scalpel as if he was pushing something, that cube-like mini Room appeared again, going outside of the animal's body and Miyako's eyes widened when she saw the creature's heart was trapped inside. The creature was still alive as before, even though the Heart was out of its body completely, floating around in the Room before it reached Law and he grabbed it in his hand and put it back into the animal that was once again lying on the table. "Also, it would be good if I could use this with only creating the small room around the organ and not having to use my standard Room for it. I need some more practice but it could work."

"Wow…slicing from the inside, indeed." Miyako couldn't help but feel impressed as she muttered the comment. "And if you really manage to use that as an attack, stealing people's organs, without having to put up your Room every time, that would be even more amazing."

Law smirked but it looked absentminded as he stared at his 'guinea pig' on the operating table. "Yes, but it would be more useful to try it on humans instead of animals."

Miyako couldn't help but freeze nervously as he said that, especially since she still didn't know why he called her to the infirmary and this comment wasn't giving her a peace of mind.

Law looked up and saw the girl's shocked and nervous expression with her eyes slightly wider and her face paler than usual. The captain almost laughed when he connected the dots and realized what the girl must be thinking after hearing him say that in this situation. However, he managed to control himself and only gave her an amused, though slightly devilish, grin. "Don't worry, I don't experiment on my crew…despite what the rumors are saying." There were many rumors flying around about the infamous Surgeon of Death and one of the more often ones was about him experimenting on people. Well that was true enough, but he didn't use his own crew for it, he would simply kidnap a local for that.

"I knew that…" Miyako said though she didn't really look believable as she looked sideways instead of at him.

Law just sighed and shook his head but didn't comment on it. Instead, he released his Room and unconnected the still unconscious animal from the machines. He gave it a big needle shot that Miyako didn't know what was it for and then put it back to its cage. He would later get someone to take the cage away from the infirmary, for sanitary reasons. He liked his working space clean and without animal germs just like any doctor would. He took off the white, surgical gloves he was working with and washed his hands in a small sink. "I called you here so we could work on my haki some more." He finally explained.

Miyako was a bit surprised though, since they trained together all morning. Law worked with his haki every day, constantly training, ever since Miyako told him he had it. "You shouldn't overexert yourself though, it's tiring to use it a lot, you know." She tried to warn but somehow knew that won't do her any good. When Law wanted to do something, he would do it, no matter what anyone says or thinks about it.

_*Well it's less than two weeks to Abney Cove…he wants to perfect his haki till then so that's probably why he's working so hard._* Miyako stared at the Dark Doctor, unconsciously. Law always seemed like a laid back and relaxed person but he was actually a man constantly planning his next move or working towards his goal. Actually seeing him take a break was a real rarity and those dark circles under his eyes were a proof of it.

"As you wish." Miyako sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to persuade him further. Law seemed pleased with the answer and he started walking towards the practice room. It was actually one of the bigger storage rooms on the sub but since they were unable to practice outside on the deck, Law ordered for one of them to be cleared out and made into a training room. The space wasn't very big but it was enough to serve its purpose. It didn't have anything in there accept a few old, empty crates that were sometimes used for Law to practice his haki slashes on them. He created his Room, encircling the whole space then took his nodachi in one hand.

He remembered one of the first things Miyako told him when they started this training. _"Remember the power you felt when we fought; remember how it coursed through your whole body. That's the best way for you to recreate it." _Law concentrated on that feeling and he could actually feel tingles throughout his whole body, getting stronger and stronger. Then he remembered the rest of Miyako's instructions; "_Then channel that power towards your hand, imagine it flowing towards where you want it. Concentrate on the feeling in your hands, on the sword you holding, and then release it." _

Law opened his eyes and with a sharp stare at the creates in front of him, he swung his nodachi, feeling the power traveling through his body, arms and finally sword, then out of him completely and into the air. The pressure in the air released in the form of a cut as it traveled to the creates and sliced them all in one clean cut. Law could feel some of his energy disappearing but he wasn't as tired as he was when they first started training. At the beginning, using haki would really take a toll on his body and after two or three slashes he would already be out of breath and feeling weak. Now, however, he barely felt a change in his, but then again this was just the beginning of training.

Miyako nodded approving at what she saw. "You're improving very quickly." She was impressed by how fast Law was learning to use Busoshoku Haki.

Law smirked at her comment. "Why are you so surprised by that?"

Miyako just returned the cocky smirk. "Now don't get too conceded, there's still much you need to learn." She looked at the crates again. "You're precision has gotten better, but you're still a bit lacking in stamina. It's no use having powerful haki if your body can't follow. You'll need a lot of endurance for this."

Law frowned a little at the teacher-tone Miyako was using to warn him. Well, he knew she _was_ the teacher now but he was still a captain and he really didn't like being preached to by anyone. Miyako obviously noticed his displeased look because she smiled a little, though it didn't look taunting. "Don't look at me like that, you're the one who asked me for help."

"I might have asked you for help, but don't get too full of yourself. You're still just a subordinate on my submarine and I still don't like to be ordered around." Law warned though his voice didn't sound menacing. It sounded more like a simple comment, without any real anger behind it.

Miyako rolled her eyes but her amused smile was still on her face. "Aye, aye, captain." This time Law did heard some mockery in her voice, though and he turned to glare at her warningly. Seeing his expression, Miyako's lips formed a thin line, indicating that she'll stop teasing, but there was still some amusement in her eyes as she looked at the pirate captain. However, she decided to become more serious since it was time to get back to business and Miyako cleared her throat before continuing. "Alright, let's start with a short duel to see how well you control your haki now." She took a stance, one hand on the sheath of the sword and the other on the hilt, as her eyes became sharper and that pressure from her samurai spirit was once again enveloping her and being directed right at Law.

The said pirate captain unsheathed his nodachi and gripped the handle with both tattooed hands. "Let's start."

~….~

Law was panting heavily as he sheathed back his nodachi. He wasn't sure how long they've been training but it must've been for several hours. Miyako looked tired too, but he noticed she wasn't having so much trouble since she was already used to using haki unlike him, he had to admit it irritated him a little. She didn't look smug about it, though.

"I think we should stop here for today." Miyako also sheathed her katana and rolled her shoulder a little, grimacing in slight pain. She felt stiff and sore all over from all the training. She hadn't trained this hard since she left Master's house.

This time Law agreed, since he was in no better shape. It was enough for today. His body was used to the strain and he had quite the stamina, but it was still far from being enough to keep up with the haki level which was rising every day through his training.

Just then, Miyako and Law could hear Sai's voice trough the intercom and they both looked up at the pipe which led the sound from the control room to the training space. "Captain, you better come to the control room. You need to see this." Sai didn't explain anything else, which meant he didn't know how to explain it.

Law and Miyako exchanged curious glances for just a second before they both headed to the control room. Law could feel the submarine slowed down which only made him wonder more about what was going on.

~…..~

"Mister Bart, Mister Sai, what's going on here?" Law walked in the Control Room where Bepo, the first mate, was already waiting for him and greeted him with a "Captain" before turning around to look outside the main window. Miyako was right behind Law and walked over to where Bepo was, to see what he was looking at.

"Well the good news is we're out of that awful storm. It's weird; it was as if we just passed through a wall where the storm stops." Sai said, fixing his knit hat on his head. "However, this doesn't look much better; look outside."

Law walked over to Bepo and Miyako, who looked like they were stuck to the window as they looked outside. The pirate captain looked through the glass as well, seeing sharp rocks, ending with sharp pinnacles, most of them reached all the way to the surface. There were a lot of underwater twisters around as well, swirling on the surface though they couldn't see it since they were still below, in the water. However, the most interesting sight was at the sandy bottom of the sea, where Law could see numerous shipwrecks, some old, some new, spreading throughout the seafloor. There were dozens of big and small ships that got wrecked on the dangerous sharp rocks or sucked into one of those whirlpools that were raging from the surface all the way to the bottom.

"It's like a graveyard down there." Miyako muttered as she looked at all kinds of busted ships.

"I don't like this place, Captain. It's creepy…" Bepo looked around as they just passed by another dangerous rock. It was good that they had a skilled navigator, since they could easily end up like one of those ships if Jean Bart's skills were any less exceptional.

"They must've got caught in one of those sea twisters and then sent in those sharp rocks. But we're in no less danger from that happening just because we're underwater." Jean Bart warned, as he avoided yet another whirl that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. This was even more dangerous than they thought since those twisters seemed to appear suddenly every now and then.

"How come the scenery and weather changed so much?" Law muttered, but loud enough for everyone to hear, as he stared at the ruined ships.

"This is the Grand Line after all, we have to be prepared for anything here." Bart said and Miyako turned towards the first navigator to see his troubled face.

"We're approaching an island. Its climate and magnetic field probably effected the change in weather. " Sai explained as he looked at his radar, but then he looked at another screen that showed some numbers and temperature. Miyako couldn't be sure what it was but it looked like it measured and kept track of the conditions outside. The numbers were rapidly changing though and the samurai girl could see Sai's expression change into an even more troubled one. "It seems that storm we just got out of is coming towards this island and fast. If we get hit by those waves and currents in this place, we're done for Captain. We'll end up in those rocks and down in that graveyard for sure."

Law's face darkened at the thought and their bad luck. "Get us to the surface, Mister Bart. Let's see if we can dock here somewhere. We won't be able to get out of here fast enough and avoid the storm. We'll have to wait it out." Law explained and tapped his fingers on the metal railing impatiently.

"Yes, Captain." Bart obviously agreed with that plan though it was hard to tell from that stoic, always-serious, face. But the navigator slowly started heading upwards to the surface as Sai measured their decreasing altitude.

After a while, they emerged with a loud splash as the submarine created waves around them. However, the situation on the surface wasn't any better than underwater. The whirlpools were all around them and one formed close, almost sucking them and throwing them into the nearest rocky spike, but Sai quickly increased some speed and Jean Bart managed to moved them in time and escape the pull from the whirlpool. The wind was slowly picking up in speed and Miyako noticed the first, small droplets of rain falling on the glass of the window. It didn't help that a fog was starting to form around the area, getting thicker by the minute. They sailed slowly through the watery chaos as the navigators tried to find some shelter where they could wait for the storm to pass. As they approached the shore of the island, they could see it was a big rocky surface with nothing other than big cliffs and sharp mountaintops on it.

"Tch, it looks like it's impossible to get close enough to the island in these conditions." Sai muttered through gritted teeth as he looked at the scenery outside, irritated.

"Captain, there!" Suddenly Bepo called out and pointed towards a cliff up ahead, that had a slight dent below, making a small, shallow cavern. They could be safe from the hard wind and big waves there.

Law's lips formed a slight smirk, showing he was pleased with Bepo's discovery or rather relieved since they were running out of time to prepare for the upcoming storm. The rain and wind have already gotten harder as the storm approached from behind them.

Jean Bart carefully sailed towards the small cavern while Sai warned everyone through the den den mushi to prepare for docking. Miyako could hear the rushed footsteps on the halls as pirates ran around.

"Come on, we're going out too. Bepo." Law turned to walk out of the control room with Bepo following by his side. The pirate captain gave Bepo his nodachi as he always did.

Law stopped at the door with Bepo abruptly stopping behind him. The bear blinked in confusion when he saw his captain turn around. Law looked at Miyako with a lazy look he usually wore and fixed the hat on his head. "Aren't you going?"

The girl was surprised that Law expected her to go with him but decided she didn't mind accompanying him. Miyako smiled and turned around to follow the captain and first mate. "Yeah." She simply said and walked towards the exit, resting one hand on the hilt of her katana.

Outside, the Heart pirates were preparing the sub, making sure it was secured with more than one anchors and tying the chains to some nearby boulders and rocks to stop it from moving as much as they could. The waves could still reach here even if they won't be that strong, and they had to make sure the submarine won't be tossed around and damaged on the rocks. Meanwhile, Miyako looked behind too see the approaching storm. Dark clouds were quickly moving towards the island, carrying the wind and rain with them. It was already blowing hard and Miyako wiped some water droplets from the sea and rain that fell on her face. The fog was getting thicker too and it was getting hard to see their surroundings, not to mention the night was slowly falling over them. At this rate the conditions for sailing were really impossible and they could only hope that this storm will pass quickly.

The pirates managed to prepare for the storm in time and Law ushered everyone back inside. Somehow he didn't like the atmosphere around here and he could see Bepo was thinking the same thing since the bear's hairs stood up as if he was threatened by something. He looked over to the stormy clouds. The whole sight looked ominous. The night slowly falling, the winds and rain picking up, the dark clouds heading towards them with the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning, the rising fog around them and the dangerous terrain of bare rocks and whirlpools just waiting to add another ship to the graveyard collection at the bottom of the sea. Law didn't like the sight of it all as well, especially when his instincts were warning him about something.

"Captain?" He heard an inquiring voice of his samurai beside him. She could spot his troubled gaze as he stared at the oncoming storm.

Law looked at the girl who was looking at him a bit worried. Obviously she didn't like the atmosphere either and his troubled look wasn't helping his crew's nerves. He closed his eyes for a second to regain his usual calm composure. "It's nothing." He assured her and saw that her expression softened with ease a little as well. However Bepo was still nervous as he almost glared somewhere in the fog. The bear gave up after a while and started walking inside the submarine with everyone else. "Let's go everyone!" Law called out to his crew, waiting for everyone to go back in to safety, before closing the heavy metal doors behind him.

~….~

Most of the crew was sitting in the big dining room since they had nothing better to do at the moment. They made sure to be able to set sail and get out of here as soon as possible, though. It seemed nobody really wanted to stay here for long. For some reason this place was just eerie. It gave you the creeps even though nobody really knew why. But there was obvious nervousness around the crew even though nobody really wanted to show it or say it out loud. Instead, they played cards games or read books or just talked while drinking sake and rum after their dinner.

The raging of the storm was clearly hearable even there as the thunder roared over them and every now and then flash of lightning could be seen through the windows of the submarine. The wind howled outside, making strange sounds in the sub as the sound traveled through the metal pipes. But the strangest part was the thick, milky fog surrounding them.

"It's unnatural. There shouldn't be any fog with all this strong wind and rain outside." Sai murmured, more to himself, as he walked over to one of the windows and stared outside. He rested his hand on his chin while thinking about the strange Grand Line weather.

"You're forgetting this is the Grand Line, you know. Everything's possible here." Kai, the second in command chef, answered. However Sai didn't look content with such an explanation.

"I don't like this place…" Once again Bepo murmured.

"Shut it, you said that five times already! You're making everyone else nervous as well!" Penguin yelled at the bear in annoyance. One of the head mechanics looked more irritable than usual.

Bepo just quietly bowed his head down in depression.

Miyako tried to ignore their bickering as she walked over to the window of the galley and looked outside. She couldn't see anything from all the fog, though. Then suddenly her eyes went wide as she saw something through the fog. It was for only a second that a shadow moved in the fog before disappearing. Actually, it was so fast that Miyako wasn't sure if she really saw something or not. _*Was it my imagination…?*_ She stared even harder outside, to catch a glimpse of something again, but there was nothing. She could only hear the wind and rain through the thunder that was raging outside. She turned to Sai who was beside her, in hopes he saw it too, but he was still discussing something with Kai. The girl sighed feeling slightly troubled. If she says she saw something everyone will be even more nervous and on edge so if it turns up to be a mistake they'll hang her from the sub's mast at this point. However, if she doesn't say anything and they get attacked, it'll be her fault. Miyako scratched her head sighing. *_What should I do? I guess, I need to be sure before I say anything, it was only a glimpse of something after all. I don't have anything concrete. I need to check somehow.*_ She squinted her eyes while looking outside hoping to get a better view but It didn't help. There was no sign of anything living outside. *_Maybe it was just an animal…a bird or something…? How do I even check without going outside?* _Law gave them direct orders to stay inside the sub since the weather outside was too dangerous. If someone accidentally fell into the sea now, they'd be crushed by the rocks and waves or swallowed by the sea whirlpools in an instant. She looked over to where Law was. He was sitting at one of the galley tables, his feet propped on the table and crossed, his white hat over his eyes to block the light. He seemed to be taking a nap though Miyako doubted he was asleep. Especially since Munk was standing right by his side with his fists on his hips, nagging Law about putting his feet on the table. The captain didn't seem to be phased by Munk's words and was successfully ignoring him. The pirate captain looked his usual relaxed self as if he didn't worry about their current situation at all. However, Miyako didn't know was that really the case or was Law actually having the same uneasy feeling she had.

Before Miyako could reach a decision, the lights in the galley flickered, then after a while went out completely. Complete darkness surrounded the crew and Miyako needed a few minutes to adjust her eyes to the dark and see anything. The crew went silent suddenly, before silent murmuring started throughout the room. The men were all looking around but completely clueless as to what happened.

Law instantly looked up, adjusting his hat back on his head and off his eyes. His eyes narrowed as his gaze became firmer and sharper. Something was wrong. He could feel it. His hand instinctively moved to his nodachi and he gripped it loosely. He turned to the brown-haired mechanic who looked just as lost as everyone else. "Shachi, go down and see if there's something wrong with the generators."

Shachi nodded. "Alright, but Penguin checked everything before we docked. All the machinery on first floor seemed fine." The mechanic quickly hurried out of the room and towards the lowest floor of the submarine. He was lucky that he already knew the whole vessel like the back of his hand before everything was completely covered in darkness and it was hard to move around. Luckily, Shachi didn't even need light for orientation, after all he was on this sub ever since it was created, not to mention, he also helped in its creation.

When Law saw Shachi run off he turned to his first mate. The bear was instantly beside him, ready for danger and to protect his captain from anything that might be coming at them. "Bepo, contact the control room. Maybe Mister Bart has some clues as to what's going on here."

"Tch, I knew it. This place just isn't natural." Sai murmured through gritted teeth. There was a troubled expression on his face even though nobody could see it at the moment. But the tone of his voice said it all anyways.

Suddenly the metal of the sub creaked as the vessel tipped to the left as if something pushed it. The pirates yelped in surprise as everyone was sent to one side, most of the men falling over. Miyako was lucky to be on the right side of the submarine at that moment so she balanced herself, putting one hand on the wall for support.

"Captain, I can't reach the control room! It's as if someone had cut the communications!" Bepo yelled, already slightly panicking.

Law had just about enough of this. Nobody would mess with _his_ crew and _his_ submarine. He gripped his nodachi tighter and yelled, just as another creak was heard; this time as if someone was scratching the metal with their nails. "Everyone get to your positions! Bepo, Penguin, Miyako, Sai; come with me to the control room!"

All of the crew yelled "Aye Captain!" as they ran around the dark sub, to their posts. Luckily, some of the crew members took flashlights used for such emergencies and everyone ran in groups just to be sure.

As Miyako ran through the hallways towards the third floor where the control room was, she felt a presence in the darkness even though she couldn't see anything. A hand instinctively felt for the hilt of her katana as she opened it slightly with her thumb on the hand guard. "Something's here." Her golden eyes looked as if they were glowing in the dark as she watched her surroundings sharply.

"What do you mean?" Penguin blinked as he stared at her in confusion.

"I felt it too. It's creepy." A shiver ran down Bepo's spine but the bear glared at the darkness bravely.

"For now, let's just get to the control room as fast as we can. Everyone be on your guard." Law muttered, still running.

When they finally got to the room, Law rushed in. The doors slammed at the wall loudly as the group went in. However they sighed in relief when they saw Jean Bart there, completely fine and out of danger. The big navigator blinked in confusion when he saw the group that just burst into here all of a sudden.

"You're ok." Penguin stated the obvious as he watched Jean Bart. The navigator was looking out through the windows in the control room, as if searching for something. Then, with a sigh he took the periscope to look all around the sub but only sighed in disappointment again. Sai didn't waste time as he sat down at his control panel, quickly pushing a few buttons and looking at all the radars.

"Oy, Jean Bart! I called the control room earlier, why didn't you pick up?!" Bepo looked annoyed as he asked the big navigator in a scolding voice.

However the man just frowned as if he didn't understand what Bepo was talking about. "What are you talking about, the den den mushi never even rang. I was here the whole time."

It seemed Bepo wanted to say something to that and he still didn't look pleased with Bart's explanation but Law cut him off. "The den den mushi lines must've been cut after all."

"Bart, what hit us earlier?" Sai asked from his spot as he looked over some stats on the panel, probably estimating the damage of the sub. Luckily, there was none. Whatever hit them, it didn't damage the vessel. Still, those creaking sounds could still be heard now and then, as if the metal was being stretched.

"I don't know, that's what I was trying to find out, but there's nothing outside. Not that I can see much through all that fog…And there was nothing on the radar, no warning of impact at all."

Before anyone could say anything, footsteps rushed through the hall and Shachi, one of the mechanics rushed into the room while panting. He was obviously in a hurry as he ran all the way from the room with the generators on the first floor. "Captain, the generators for electricity are still plugged in and full but we're not getting any light. I tried the spares but it was the same thing. Something's probably wrong with the connection; the men are trying to fix it right now. It's like the circuits are messed up all of a sudden and the electricity won't flow. Someone could've of messed with the wires I guess…"

"So it was done from inside the submarine." Law gritted his teeth. Well it's not like he didn't notice it…there was an unknown presence inside the vessel, though he couldn't tell was this a work of only one or more. "The power is down and we can't communicate through the den den mushi either." The captain closed his eyes for a second to concentrate and think of a plan. When he opened them again he looked at Penguin and Shachi. "Then we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Go and take a few men with you, then run and warn everyone there's an intruder in the sub. Tell everyone to stay in groups and take two search parties to search the submarine." He then turned to Bepo with more orders. "Bepo, you take two more men and guard the exit. Nobody is leaving this submarine until we find the intruder." Lastly, he turned to Sai and Bart; "Keep an eye on the outside, inform me if you notice any movement." He took out a small mobile den den mushi and tossed it to Bart. Luckily he had a few more of those in such cases. Shachi already had one and so did Bepo, and they were all connected to his own den den mushi which he always kept in his pocket.

"Are you sure the intruder didn't already leave?" Penguin looked around a bit anxiously, as if the said person could be listening in on them even now.

"No, he's still here." Miyako glared at the doors of the room as if something was on the other side. "I can feel it…But it's weird."

"Kenbunshoku Haki, ha? Must be nice to have that…" Shachi mumbled as he stared at the samurai girl. "Ah, but what do you mean, it's weird?" The brown-haired mechanic tilted his head in question.

"It's almost as if…it's not human." Miyako still held one hand on the hilt of her sword as she answered.

This time Shachi, Bepo and Penguin all looked at each other. "Y-you don't mean…G-ghosts?!" They huddled up together as if that would protect them from evil spirits.

"Don't be ridiculous." Law cut them off before they could say anything more. He didn't believe in such things as poltergeists nor supernatural powers. He was a scientist and as a scientist he always needed proof before jumping to conclusions. Everything can be explained by facts; that's what he believed. The crew was already on edge and they didn't need talk of ghosts right now; that would just make things worse. He knew some of the men were even superstitious and believed in ghosts so this would just be fuel to their anxieties. He needed everyone to stay calm and focus right now. "I gave you your orders, now go!" The captain ordered and the three quickly saluted before running out of the room. Between ghosts and an angry Law, they still preferred ghosts though.

Law then turned to Miyako. "Why do you think it's not human? I felt a presence too but I can't tell what it was."

"I can't tell _what_ exactly it was either. But I've had my haki longer after all so it's more precise. I can tell the difference between living and non-living presence of things. This didn't feel like humans usually do."

Law sighed in slight annoyance. He didn't know what he was dealing with and Miyako's information didn't help either. He hated going into battles without previous knowledge of his opponent or any clues but he had no choice this time. "Let's go. I need your Kenbunshoku haki for this, mine won't be enough."

The girl simply nodded and followed her captain out of the control room and into the dark corridor. "Where do we start?"

Just as she said that, a loud call for help echoed through the submarine. Law and Miyako looked at each other before dashing towards the sound of the scream; the infirmary. Law didn't seem to mind the darkness around him as he moved swiftly through the corridors but Miyako didn't know the submarine as good as him so she had to follow the sound of his footsteps instead. They both arrived at the infirmary quickly and Law once again slammed the doors open and into the wall. The sound echoed through the dark room but there was no one in sight. The captain recognized the voice that called out; it was Garry's, one of the members of his medical team. However as they searched the room with a flashlight that Law found, they didn't see anything nor anyone.

Then finally Miyako spotted something behind one of the infirmary beds. There seemed to be an arm there, barely visible from behind the bed. "Law, quick!" She hurried to the spot, Law right behind her, and the captain shone the light over the body that was lying there. Indeed it was Garry.

Law moved Miyako to the side so he could get a better access to his crewmember. He crouched down next to the body and checked its pulse; as he did, he sighed in relief. "He's just unconscious." The doctor checked Garry for any injuries but didn't find anything. "Help me get him onto the bed."

The girl helped Law lift Garry up and onto the bed. There Law examined him more carefully but still found nothing. Garry was just sound asleep. The doctor furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion. He tried to wake the medic up but it was no use. "He'll be out cold for at least an hour…" Law muttered before gritting his teeth in annoyance. This was getting serious and he was getting more irritated. Somebody dared to come on to his ship and even attack them.

"Who could've done this…? There's no sign of struggle either." Miyako interrupted Law's thoughts as she looked around.

"Whoever is doing this is trying to take us down one by one. Garry must've been alone. What was he doing here alone anyway…? That's why I told everyone to stick in groups." Law had a cold look on his face, it was a look Miyako was familiar with; the silent fury. And she knew that Law would make the person responsible pay dearly once he finds them.

"Well they're already gone now. I don't feel any presence here." Miyako said as she looked around the dark room.

Law nodded then proceeded to call Bepo so the bear could tell one man to come here and watch over Garry while Law and Miyako went on, searching for the intruder. As they walked on Law got a call on his mini den den mushi from Shachi, to hurry to the engine room. Once gain both Law and Miyako had a bad feeling about this call and they were right. As they went down to the first floor they found Sam, one of the mechanics, lying there on the cold floor. The machines were buzzing around them and Law had to speak up to even be heard over the noisy engine and boilers.

"What happened?" Law didn't waste any time as he cleared everyone who were surrounding Sam and once again checked the unconscious body. And once again saw no injury on his crewmember but couldn't wake him up.

"I'm not sure. We were searching through the first floor when Sam said he saw something in the engine room." Shachi started to explain. The engine room was big with lots of pipes and machines everywhere, which gave the intruder a lot of places to hide, especially in this darkness. "We split up to search the engine room when suddenly we heard a loud noise. When we ran over, Sam was lying on the floor totally out of it. We can't wake him up but he doesn't look hurt."

"Tch, just like Garry." Law mumbled.

Miyako bit her lip in thought. Suddenly Law's den den mushi ran again and Bepo was on the other side. "Captain, we saw something. It's in the shadows and it's fast! Come to the exit hall, quick!"

"We'll be right there, Bepo." Law answered and the group was just ready to start running when another call arrived. This time it was from Munk who was in the galley. "Capn' Kai here's seing things. Somethin' bout a shadow in tha gall'y!"

Just then another call came from Penguin who was searching through the second floor all the crew rooms. He reported they saw something that looked like a person that ran by while they were inspecting one room, but it was too fast and too dark to see what the person looked like. Also, another crewmember was found passed out on one of the beds there.

"What's going on here!? How many of these bastards are there!? And why can't we catch a single one!?" Shachi yelled in anger and irritation.

The others had the same angry face. Only Law stayed calm though he was getting more and more annoyed on the inside. He's going to cut all those bastards up once he finds them for daring to attack the Heart Pirates. Miyako was biting her lip as she stared at the unconscious body on the floor, trying to connect the dots and find an answer to what was going on.

"But how did so many people come in unnoticed? And how do they move so easily without being caught?" Miyako asked the questions out loud though she wasn't really expecting any answers. The others were just as clueless as she was about this. She was still gnawing on her lip, trying to find a reasonable explanation. Something just didn't sit right with her. _*And why can't I feel their presence as well as I should…especially if they're people, I should be able to notice if someone was around this close. Yet they keep eluding me. They don't even feel quite human…*_

Meanwhile Law ordered Shachi and Carl to take Sam to the infirmary, and ordered Penguin to bring the other crewmembers there as well. His crew was slowly losing their numbers and Law didn't know why or how. It was frustrating. The only consolation was that none of the attacked crew was dead but only unconscious. That and the thought of what he'll do to the intruders once he catches them. And he _will_ catch them.

~…~

The group gathered in the infirmary. It has been more than half an hour since this wild hide and seek game begun. The group consisted of Law, Miyako, Bepo, Shachi and Cody now. The others were ordered to keep searching and some to guard the exit. 9 people were out cold and lying on the infirmary beds, all in the same mysterious condition. The calls about sightings kept coming but nobody could pinpoint the exact location as it came from all around the sub and all they could see were glimpses and shadows as the intruders ran by quickly and out of sight.

"I don't get this at all…."Shachi mumbled and looked around the infirmary. There were candles around to give them as much light as possible and to save the flashlight's batteries.

"Maybe we should call everyone and go in one big group? That way it'll be safer." Bepo said in a thoughtful tone.

"What about the control room? We can't let it be unsupervised when there are enemies on board." Shachi countered as he put a hand on his chin and sat on one of the empty infirmary beds with a sigh.

"Sai-ya and Mister Bart still seem fine. I put Penguin there as well just in case." Law answered as he examined his last unconscious patient in hopes to find any clues but didn't see anything. Suddenly the captain saw something with the corner of his eye, a glimpse of a shadow as the light of the candle flickered. It could've been just his imagination or just a shadow that formed from the candle's light but Law was a natural skeptic and he suspected anything at the moment. He created a Room over the whole infirmary and unsheathed his nodachi.

"There!" Suddenly Miyako said as she saw something move as well and she quickly ran over to the spot with her katana unsheathed. But there was nothing and she could feel no presence in the room except the heart pirates. "Something's not right…" Miyako mumbled. Nobody was coming at them, nobody was attacking and Miyako noticed one of the shadows moving near the infirmary door as if someone was standing and moving on the other side. She wouldn't even notice it if Cody didn't turn on the flashlight and shed light to that part of the infirmary.

"There's someone there." Cody said and quickly started moving towards the doors, taking a scalpel from the tool's platter on the small table.

"Wait!" Miyako stopped him before he could open the doors. True, there was a shadow there but Miyako couldn't feel any presence on the other side of the room. It wasn't even that strange presence she felt when they were in a corridor and the control room; as if something was there but not human. Now, there was absolutely no presence at all. And a theory started forming in Miyako's head from that realization. She turned around to the rest of the group. "I think I get it now."

She pulled Cody back from the doors and towards the rest of the Heart pirates. "It's not our enemy, it's just a diversion." The men gave her a curious look and Miyako continued. "Think about it, if there were so many enemies as all the moving shadows the crew saw, we'd already be outnumbered and there would be more than just 9 people lying here. These shadows are just a diversion to lure or separate the crew. Most of the men who were attacked had flashlights or were near to some light and they saw the shadows."

"There's no shadow without light, huh?" Cody muttered in thought and it was more of a statement than a question.

Still, Miyako nodded agreeingly. "That's why I can't feel any presence from them; they're not alive. If our enemy can manipulate shadows that would explain it."

"So we're dealing with a devil fruit user?!" Shachi said in slight surprise.

"Most likely. But this isn't a bad realization; it means we're dealing with a much less number of enemies than what we originally thought." Law explained and this time the crew all looked at him in question so he continued. "If we focus only on the crewmembers that were actually attacked and estimate the time between each attack we can see that it took a long time from one attack to the next. The longer the distance between victims, the longer it took. It means that we are probably dealing with one, no more than two, attackers who had to sneak from one floor of the sub to the next. It makes things easier for us."

The group all nodded in understanding and Shachi and Bepo looked at Law in awe, praising the intelligence of their captain, as if Law was the only one smart around here. Miyako rolled her eyes at that thought, a little annoyed. She let it go, however, since they had more important things to worry about.

"So first, we should get rid of the shadows right? Which means we need complete darkness." Cody added as he switched off his flashlight.

Shachi and Bepo followed his example and started blowing out all the candles. "Hehe. We already know this submarine as the back of our hands so we don't even need light. This will be his loss!" Shachi grinned. Miyako wasn't so sure since she didn't already know the submarine that well as the rest of the crew. However she could rely on her haki and the rest of her senses so she wasn't that worried.

"So what would be the next step for our Shadowman?" Miyako bit her lips in thought again.

"Probably taking over the sub so he had full control?" Bepo asked a bit uncertain as if afraid he might say something stupid. However he actually had a good point.

The group looked at each other before everyone said at the same time; "The Control Room!"

~….~

"Did you find anything?" Sai turned to Jean Bart for a second to ask the big navigator. The said navigator was currently standing in front of the periscope, trying to look outside in case they notice something suspicious but no luck. Nothing could be seen through the fog. Sai was sitting at the control panel as he checked the radars now and then to be sure there was nothing approaching them. But everything seemed peaceful except the raging storm which was passing above them. With any luck it will pass by in an hour or two and then all they'll have to worry about is the dangerous sea terrain of rocks and whirlpools around them. That is, if they manage to solve the problems of the intruder in the sub but Sai had great trust in Captain and knew Law will deal with the person on board quickly. However the navigator was still a bit shocked when they heard how many people ended up in the infirmary because of the mysterious attacks. The current events really weren't helping him concentrate and it has already been an hour since the power went down yet they still didn't catch the person responsible. Luckily, the control room machinery was working on a special generator that didn't seem to be meddled with so they could still use the control panels. The room was in the dark, but the light from the radars and other machinery was lighting the place up a bit. Sai was glad at least for that.

"So who do you think is responsible for it?" Sai asked the big navigator as he got bored with the silence. Usually it wouldn't bother him at all since he was already used to it. Jean Bart never talked much and when he did it was in short sentences. However, right now Sai needed something else to focus on except the intruders running around their sub and the lack of knowledge he had about the whole situation. It bugged him and made him anxious. Especially since it had been about 20 minutes since he last got any news from the crew. It seemed they regrouped and Captain along with a few others went to the infirmary to check on the unconscious men. He didn't hear from anyone since.

"Hmm… I don't know. But those shadows are constantly rushing around the submarine. We've seen it too. However, something seems strange about them…." Bart answered in a deep, slightly thoughtful voice. The situation was bugging him as well.

"Yeah, I thought so too. The shadows are all around the sub yet we weren't attacked at all. Shouldn't the control room be the first to take care of?"

"Yes, though only if you want to take control of the ship. If you just want to kill everyone on it, it wouldn't matter."

Sai gulped at Bart's explanation. "Why do you think that?" He sounded more nervous than he wanted to.

"We're already out of power and can't move because of the weather and sea conditions. Taking the control room at this point is unnecessary since they don't need to mess with the submarine anymore. All they need is to take us out one by one now." Bart still had that thoughtful voice but was unusually calm as if he was talking about the most normal thing in the world. He didn't seem upset with the fact they could all die at all.

Sai couldn't really understand such calmness at this moment but the shorter navigator didn't really think they'll die either. Captain would surely come and help them if they needed it….right? The way things are and the lack of communications was making that greatly difficult to believe though, but Sai wanted to stay optimistic. He had great trust in Law after all and even though the pirate captain could be scary and cruel, he still took good care of his crew.

"But if they want to take over the submarine…We'd be in big trouble, right?" Sai concluded and he didn't really need Bart to confirm that for him; he already knew. The fair-haired navigator played with the fire on the candle that was on the control panel next to him. The light flickered, making small shadows on the walls as he moved his palm over the flame again and again.

Jean Bart turned to look at the other navigator. He could hear the quiet mumble of Sai's question and could feel Sai's tension throughout the conversation. Bart knew Sai wasn't the one to get scared easily but the fact that they didn't even know what they were fighting against must've made him more anxious than usual. But he also knew the smaller navigator was tense ever since they docked on this island; probably because of the bad weather conditions. Bart opened his mouth to try and say something reassuring to his crewmate but his eyes went wide at the picture in front of him. Sai's shadow behind the navigator moved even though Sai didn't, then it started to morph and raise until it formed into another person. Sai, who was sitting in his chair, playing with the candle's flame didn't notice anything as the shadow formed behind him silently. "Sai!" Bart yelled to get his attention, which seemed to disturb the strange shadow-person as well.

Sai turned quickly at Bart's voice to find himself face to face with a completely black creature. A creature without face, without anything human other than a person's form. His eyes went wide with shock but his warrior reactions didn't betray him so as the Shadowman reached for him Sai quickly jumped sideways from his chair and fell on the floor with a loud thud. He kicked the falling chair with his feet as it flew towards the shadow, but on his surprise the piece of furniture simply passed through the person. Just then he noticed Bart behind the Shadowman as he tried to land a heavy punch on it. The Shadowman noticed and surprisingly this time he moved away and dodged Bart's punch that left a dent on the metal floor. Sai's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he quickly got up. *_Why did the chair go through him yet he had to dodge Bart's punch?* _

Sai didn't have much time to dwell on it since they had a bigger problem. The shadow-person was gone again, not a sign or sound to indicate where it could be, but both Bart and Sai had a strong feeling that it was still in the room.

"What is that thing?" Sai whispered with strain in his voice.

"Shh" Jean Bart just shushed his crewmate as he tried to concentrate on his surroundings. Any movement or sound would be helpful right now.

"The rat bastard could be anywhere at this point." Sai said through gritted teeth as he took his rifle that was leaned against the control panel. He always carried it close to him. However he knew he couldn't shoot carelessly in here so his rifle at the moment wasn't helping him much. Even though he's shooting skills were one of the best on this submarine, they were currently in the most important room of the sub. He couldn't risk damaging any of the machinery in here and it didn't help that the darkness and constant moving shadows were impairing his vision and skills. Suddenly Sai noticed a rising form behind Jean Bart and called out for the big navigator to move. Unfortunately he couldn't shoot because there was a possibility the bullet would just go through the shadow and behind the person was an important machine of the control room. Sai cursed under his breath and jumped towards the Shadowman trying to hit him with the rifle, but the weapon simply passed through the person.

Sai found himself face to face with the Shadowman though the face was just a darkness of shadows that were swirling and moving around in the form. There were no features, nothing. Still, Sai could hear an amused chuckle and a tickling breath coming from its nonexistent mouth. The Shadowman reached towards Sai and the navigator just watched wide-eyed as the dark fingers touched his forehead. No, they didn't just touch it, they went through it. The Shadowman's fingers started going through Sai's forehead. Sai knew he had to move, jump, dodge, anything, but it was as his feet wouldn't listen to him. Was it fear that was stopping him? Or that dark form in front of him that seemed to be piercing him with his nonexistent eyes. Suddenly something changed in the Shadowman though Sai couldn't really explain what. But as it did, Sai felt tremendous pressure in his head, sheer pain running right into his brain where Shadowman's fingers were. He felt himself losing consciousness fast.

Sai completely forgot about Jean Bart being there but luckily so did the Shadowman, since he didn't expect Jean Bart to throw a punch at him. Weirdly enough, this time the punch landed, hitting him directly in the side of the face and making him crash into a nearby metal wall. Jean Bart sighed in relief when he saw Sai hadn't lost consciousness completely yet, but the smaller navigator dropped to his knees staring at the ground with an unfocused look. If Bart attacked just a second later, it would've been too late and Sai would have been in a dreamland with the rest of the attacked crew. Bart still didn't understand what this shadow-being was but he quickly ran through his mind everything they saw and learned so far. "It seems he can become solid or non-solid at will. That's why we can sometimes hit him while other times things just go through him." Bart explained as he helped Sai up.

Sai was feeling like he will lose consciousness any minute but his state was improving by the second. The vision that was blurry at first was clearing up now and his sharp eyes were slowly returning again. He felt his energy coming back as well. "Thanks, Bart." He muttered still trying to regain the rest of his consciousness. Bart just nodded with a short hum, but kept his eyes on the shadow form.

The Shadowman didn't seem to come near them again which was weird but he didn't move into the shadow either. Sai found that weird and suspicious so he wanted to test something out. He adjusted his rifle, carefully to only shoot its leg since the bullet couldn't hit anything precious if it went through there. He shot quickly in the direction of the Shadowman's knee. Even in this state the hit would be a clean shot if their enemy didn't quickly dodge, jumping to the side. He predicted what Sai would do as soon as the navigator raised his weapon so he was prepared. Sai cursed but it still peeked his interest. *_He had to dodge it?*_

"Maybe he can't become non-solid yet? So he has to wait a certain amount of time before he can do it again." Bart said exactly what Sai was thinking, so the light-haired navigator nodded in agreement. They heard an annoyed sound coming from the Shadowman before he slipped into the shadows once again and disappeared.

"You're right. I'll admit you have some skills and brains in comparison with the rest of your idiot crew. But that won't help you much." Sai and Bart heard a voice that sounded like it was combined with a numerous voices all talking in unison. It left a chill in the pale-haired navigator.

"So it can talk." Bart mumbled through there was no surprise or any other emotion in his voice.

"What do you want with the Heart Pirates?" Sai asked as he looked around the room, careful to spot anything suspicious. However those moving shadows were deconcentrating him. *_What are those? At first I thought it was him, but there's only one attacker and these shadows are all around. Must be something he's creating, but how do we get rid of it?* _

There was that cackle of a laugh again. "Oh, well that's an easy answer. We want to take you down."

Sai gritted his teeth in annoyance but then his eyes went wide and so did Jean Bart's. They were thinking of the same thing; *_We*?_

"Who are '_we'_?" Bart asked but there was only silence in the room now.

"Tch!" The Shadowman made an annoyed sound as if he said something he shouldn't have and then appeared in front of Bart. Sai and Bart were back to back, to cover each other and look out for the enemy better. The Shadowman created something that looked like a sharp long spike, coming right from his hand. Since it was all black it was hard to tell where his hand ended and the sword-like weapon begun. Still, Bart had no time to think of it as the man attacked him, trying to pierce him with the sword.

But if he wanted to pierce him it meant he had to be solid now. Bart didn't want to let the Shadowman escape again so instead of just dodging he blocked with his big arm. The shadow sword went in and pierced the big muscle, but the navigator just gritted his teeth and hissed in pain. With the other big hand he reached at the surprised Shadowman to slam him down to the ground. But as he did, the enemy suddenly grew spikes all over his dark body making the navigator slam his hand right into the spikes and pierce it everywhere.

"Gah!" Jean Bart yelled in pain but still didn't bend as he slammed the enemy down to the floor with all his might. The Shadowman yelled in pain and surprise but stayed on the floor unmoving. He was still breathing but Bart didn't know was he unconscious or not due to the lack of face.

Just in case Sai pointed the rifle at the lying body. "You got him!" He grinned at Bart but then looked down again. He didn't want to lose the bastard.

"Hn." It was all Bart said as he looked at his arms. One had a pierced forearm but there wasn't much damage, though the other had numerous bleeding dots on its palm and some wounds even reached all the way to the other side of the palm.

Suddenly the doors of the control room opened and both Sai and Bart looked at the group that ran in, led by their captain.

"Captain!" Sai said in both relief and joy as he saw Law. Behind him were Miyako, Bepo, and Shachi. Cody bravely decided to stay behind in the infirmary by himself to watch over the unconscious men.

"Is everyone alright?" Law quickly checked the room and he looked at both Sai and Bart. Sai didn't seem injured but his sharp doctor eye examined Bart's wounds even from afar already thinking of the best treatment for his navigator. He would have some trouble using that palm for a few days, so he won't be able to steer the helm as skillfully as usual. That left a bitter taste in Law's mouth. They didn't need any more handicaps when the terrain was already dangerous and hard enough to deal with.

"It's ok now. This guy was trouble but Bart really did a good job at handling him." Sai smirked as he enjoyed remembering how the big navigator slammed him into the floor like the guy was nothing but an annoying bug. However the questioning looks on the group's faces puzzled him so he looked down and his eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as he cursed. There was nothing beneath his rifle anymore. "The bastard escaped again!"

"He's still in here." Miyako quickly said as she put a hand on her katana.

"Die!" Suddenly that strange voice yelled in complete anger as he formed behind Sai and reached for him just as the navigator started turning around in surprise. The hand went through Sai's chest to grab his heart. If he solidifies and grabs Sai's heart it would be instant death from a heart attack. Maybe he'll be even able to crush the navigator's heart. He would rather do it to the big navigator who both injured and humiliated him but Sai was the closest and he wanted to kill at least one of the bastards who ruined his perfect plans.

But then suddenly the room was enveloped in a blue sphere and all the light from the candles and machinery went away. Everything turned off and all light disappeared and with it, the shadows.

"Wha?" The man could feel his powers disappearing as he started returning to his original form. Even his voice turned to a normal, human's one. Sai pushed him away too and the man fell on the floor. The darkness that was enveloping him disappeared and instead, a simple human around 20 years old showed underneath the ceasing shadows. He had spiky blonde hair and green eyes that were wide in surprise now. There was piercings on his nose, lower lip and ears. He wore simple black clothing with military bots that usually marines wore. The man looked stunned at his human hand that wasn't black anymore as he stood there but he didn't have much time to be wondering what happened since he was already surrounded.

A rifle was pointing right at his forehead and a sword was right at his neck. Sai was right in front of him still aiming a rifle at the man, Miyako was on his right with her katana out and dangerously near his neck, Bepo was behind him with a furry paw holding the back of his neck threateningly and Shachi was on his other side standing in a kung-fu position, with his leg near the man's head, ready to kick him into the oblivion if he moves an inch. The man looked around as he was completely surrounded by the Heart Pirates then he glared at the captain who was still near the door, smirking as he was pleased.

"What did you do?" The man asked with a menacing look but that just made the surrounding group have even a more threatening, dark aura that swirled around them.

"I would watch my step and my mouth since my crew is in a rather killing mood right now. They don't like what you did to their crewmates, you see." Law said still with that amused smirk as he sheathed back his nodachi and rested it lazily against his shoulder. But then his expression suddenly changed into a deadly one, that smirk completely gone as his lips moved into a tight line. "And I don't like brats trying to make a fool of me and my crew." His voice was completely cold and dark, almost in a hiss, as his stormy grey eyes pierced the man.

The Shadowman couldn't help but flinch and gulp as that look was directed at him, almost piercing him to death. The Surgeon of Death himself was here before him and he didn't look happy.

"I will be the one asking questions, Mister…?" Law walked over to the man as he left the question in the air, waiting for the blond to tell him his name.

The blonde man gulped but stayed firm never the less. "I won't tell you anything." He spat back though his courage was slightly disappearing as Law walked closer with that dark aura around him.

Law didn't look surprised, not even annoyed. Instead he just reached for the hilt oh his nodachi again. "Good. I hoped you'd say that." His voice was cold but there was something sadistic in his tone. Something that promised things the blonde didn't want to know about but was sure to find out. It made a shiver run up his spine. The rest of the Heart pirates didn't seem any better though. They all held sharp, dark gazes as they stared without a word at him ready to kill him in an instant if necessary. He looked at the only girl among them, if remembered correctly she was 'Burning-eyed Miyako; worth 900 000 Beri. But all he saw was a cold, murderous look in her eyes that shone slightly in the darkness.

Then suddenly the lights came back, but not from the candles. Instead the whole rooms brightened with unnatural lighting of the lamps and the machines in the control room started working again. "Ah, it seemed Penguin and his group managed to finally fix the power that you meddled with." Law answered as he looked up at the bright celling before returning his gaze to look at the blonde.

"So he was a devil fruit user." Bart mumbled as he looked at the blonde enemy.

"A logia?" Sai asked surprised.

"No, a paramecia." Law answered. "That's why he can't move now; because he can't just turn into a shadow and run. He probably needs the shadows to get his power going in the first place. Isn't that right?"

The man gulped and Law could see he was right on the mark but the blonde still refused to answer. Then after a while he said; "Don't think you won yet. Even if you kill me, it's too late; I already sent the signal." He smirked and opened his palm to show then a small device that had a red light blinking in the middle.

Law's eyes narrowed.

"That's right, captain. He said '_we'_ once. I think he isn't the only one here." Sai quickly said as he remembered their short chat from earlier.

Bart, who was near the control panel, looked at the radar. "But there is nothing moving around the submarine. The radar doesn't show anything."

The blonde smirked at that and suddenly the submarine shook and tipped to one side, just like a before. There was a scraping sound and again those sounds of creaking metal. Then the submarine was pushed and shook again. Everyone gripped the first things they could find to steady themselves.

"What's going on here?" Miyako said as she gripped the control panel trying to not fall down.

Suddenly a big dot appeared on the radar as it blinked and went _beep beep_ constantly. Miyako didn't know a lot about reading navigational equipment but even she knew what that meant. "There's something heren near the sub!"

Sai ran up to the radar and his eyes widened. "Not just near…they're directly underneath us!"

Meanwhile, the blonde tried to use this commotion to run away and he started going for the door. Bepo noticed him first and yelled "Captain!" getting Law's attention and pointing towards the escaping enemy.

Law maintained his balance as best as he could since Bart was at the moment moving the submarine quickly so they wouldn't get crushed by whatever was beneath them. The harnesses outside made it hard to move and were surely breaking but he'll think about that later. Instead, he made a room that encircled all of the space and swung his nodachi. He saw the blonde's legs stop moving while the body fell forward, unattached to the waist. "Stay." Law said.

Law came up to the shocked man who was watching wide-eyed at his detached legs next to him. The pirate captain grabbed the man's shirt and almost growled with a menacing look as he pierced the blonde with his cold eyes. "Why couldn't we detect your friends before?!"

The blonde gulped but then smirked smugly though it looked nervous. There was a trickle of sweat forming on his forehead. "You think you're the only person in the world who owns a submarine? Think again! And ours is much better! We even have the technology to go unnoticed on the radars! We can sneak up to anyone…even you!" The blonde found some courage as he talked and his expression became more determined as he returned Law's stare.

Law didn't look taken back by that at all. He just smirked. Yes, he actually smirked with devilish gleam in his eyes. Law just got an idea and the blonde obviously didn't like it. "That's interesting….That's very interesting." Law mumbled, still smirking evilly, though it looked as if he was talking to himself more than the blonde. Law let go of the enemy's shirt and turned around, not interested in the man anymore. He got the information he wanted anyway and he knew the blonde was too stubborn to tell him anything else even if he dies. Ah, such foolish youth. Unfortunately Law couldn't sympathize; he didn't like fools.

"Mister Bart, tell everyone who is capable of fighting to prepare. We'll be under attack soon." Law said to his navigator as the big man used the newly established communications, thanks to Penguin and his group, to warn the other pirates in the sub. Law then turned to the blonde again. "I suppose you won't say anything about your companions, like how many are there?" Of course the blonde just made a thin line of his tightly closed lips and gave Law a stubborn expression. Law wasn't surprised by it at all.

Meanwhile, the two navigators were able to move the sub in time as a new submarine appeared right next to the yellow one. "They're here, whoever they are!" Sai warned.

Law put his nodachi lazily on his shoulder and started walking towards the exit and out of the submarine. "In that case, let's greet them." There was an evil grin on his face, though acertain darkness loomed over him. Law hadn't forgotten how they tried to mess with all of them and he still had to pay them back for that. Bepo, Miyako, Shachi and Bart walked out with him, while Sai stayed behind to give further instructions to the crew and watched the control room along with the prisoner. Still, the blonde won't be going anywhere while he was split in two by Law's powers.

~…..~

"You shoud've gotten some more information out of him about our enemies. We don't know what we're fighting against." Miyako sighed as they walked to the exit of the sub.

"It would be a waste of time, we don't have that much time right now. They're already here." Law answered lazily though he didn't feel like he had to explain himself anyway.

"We should've broken all his fingers and limbs." Shachi mumbled. It was a rarity that he would talk like that. Cruelty was usually Law's area of expertise.

"Captain just told you, the guy wouldn't have told us anything." Bepo reminded the mechanic matter-of-factly.

"Who said anything about getting information." Shachi simply answered, completely calm. The rest stopped for a second and looked at the mechanic. Even Law raised his eyebrow at his old friend.

"What?" Shachi just shrugged not seeing the problem with his words. The bastard who attacked them deserved it after all and he knew everyone here thought the same.

"Better save that mood for the enemies you'll be fighting now." Law warned as he opened the big doors and the group stepped on the dock. As soon as they did, Miyako stepped in front of Law, unsheathing her katana and blocking the incoming attack, all in one smooth motion.

Law sighed. "I see they're not wasting any time." He commented though it almost sounded bored as if he didn't want to be troubled by these people right now. He looked at the item Miyako just blocked, lying on the deck. It was a knife but Law's sharp eye caught the glistening fluid on the tip right away. It was most likely poisoned. He turned his head back to see six unknown people on his deck.

First he looked at the one who threw the knife at him. The guy was crouching but he looked short, even shorter than Josh, with a wicked grin across his whole face. His eyes were small and sharp as they pierced Law with their stare. He looked like the plotting kind. There was a belt with numerous weapons around his waist and an open coat where Law noticed something metallic glistening; probably more hidden weapons just like the knife that came right out of the man's sleeve. "So Benny failed heeh? Kekeke. What a useless kid. Kekekeke." The man laughed in a high pitched voice that already got on Law's nerves.

"I'm a little surprised. This is the first time Benny didn't do his job right. And everything was going so well…." A woman sitting on the sub's railing sighed in disappointment. She had a long black coat and only leather pants beneath it with only a bikini bra covering the upper part of her body. There was a typical, black pirate hat on her head with a long red feather sticking out of it. She looked at Law with a somewhat lewd look of her green eyes and smirked at the pirate captain, while playing with a strand of her long black hair. There was a saber tied to her waist, which interested Law more than her provocative looks.

The storm was still raging outside though it was a bit better than before since it was slowly passing over them. Still, the wind and rain was pretty strong and every now and then a roar of thunder could be heard nearby. The lightning would now and then hit the sea or the rocks on the island. They weren't at the heart of the storm but it was close enough. Near their yellow submarine, there was another one, a bigger one in grey, metallic color. The black flag fluttered strongly on the wind; a pirate flag that Law never saw before. A masked skull with two silver sabers tied at the hilt with a red sash; just like the red sash that tied the silver sabre at the woman's hip. *_Was she the captain?*_ Law instinctively though.

It was hard to see from all the rain going into his face and eyes but he did his best to observe carefully every move their enemy was making. That's when Shachi called out; "That's the flag of the Silver pirates. They've appeared after Whitebeard's death and started rampaging around like the rest but they became a bit more famous due to their cruelty. They even took out a few pirate crews that were also getting famous after Whitebeard's death." Shachi explained as he remembered the sign and the wanted posters from the newspapers. Recently the Silver Pirates were burning tows and sinking ships whether they were pirates or marines. And Law was quickly understanding the plan they used to do it. First they would hide beneath and wait for the ship to dock which was easy being a submarine undetectable by even radars and sonars. Then they would send the Shadowman, Benny, to sneak in and incapacitate the crew, bringing panic among men. It seemed Benny could even use his shadow form to go into the circuits and cut the power or communication lines. Then all that was left is to his buddies to show up and take over the ship, though he still didn't know why they went through all this trouble to attack the Heart Pirates in this place. They must've been tracking them for some time, waiting for their chance. But why?

"What do you want from us?" Law asked, ignoring the pouring rain and the killing intent from the six people he was looking at. However, his crewmembers didn't lack killing intent either as they were ready to attack their enemies at Law's order.

The one who spoke this time was a man with a black cape and a big hood. Part of his face was covered by a silver mask so only his mouth and nose were showing. He had a trimmed black beard and by his deep voice and stature Law could guess the man was in his early thirties. The man seemed like an important authority figure among the group, even more than the woman, so Law guessed the man was the captain after all. "What any real pirate wants these days; make a name for himself in this vast sea. And what better way to do it than to beat one of the rookie Supernova that were becoming so famous."

"We spotted your submarine this morning and have been following you ever since. How lucky for us that one of the infamous Supernova; Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death, himself came to us. It was like a gift from the heavens, don't you think." The woman said with a wide smile and winked at Law, which the Heart Pirates captain ignored. "Oh, I'm Jun by the way." She said, still only looking at Law and completely ignoring the rest of his group.

"Hm, so you're just another bunch of wannabe pirates that found the guts to start rampaging now that Whitebeard is gone. " Law simplified their explanation with his own words and smirked with his head tilted to the side. He was taunting them on purpose, waiting for one of them to be a fool enough and attack him in rage. He knew if they attacked him carelessly and due to emotions they would lose for sure and they knew it too. That's why they weren't letting their guards down even while they seemed to just be casually chatting. But Law didn't care for casual chatting, especially in this dangerous weather and with these annoying, so-called pirates.

"Don't you dare disrespect Salvus-sama, you bastard!" A big man, almost as big as Bart yelled and was about to rush at Law but was stopped by the masked man, Salvus.

"Stop it Teck, he's just trying to provoke you." Salvus said to the big man as he raised an arm to stop Teck. The big man instantly stopped and nodded at his captain in respect.

*_So this Salvus really is the captain.*_ Law though, a bit disappointed that Teck didn't attack him so he could cut him up and even the number between the two groups from the start.

"hehe Don't mind him. Teck is a good guy but a bit rash. He's a bit slow in the head you see…his mother dropped him a bit too many times when he was a kid." An old man who was calmly standing there, said. He had a long, pointy white beard with two snowy long mustaches that tangled along with his beard and fell down to his chest. He was completely relaxed, with arms at his back, but a strange aura that Law didn't like emitted from him. The Heart pirates could instantly notice he was dangerous and more than just an old man. The man didn't mind the glares pointed at him by Law's group as he continued. "Let me introduce myself. I am a bit better with manners than these youngsters here. My name is Liu-Fa, from the Silver Pirates." As he said that he made a little bow.

However Law's group didn't answer the pleasantries nor even nod back. They just kept their intent stare at him. "They all have such strong killing aura." Miyako murmured to the rest of her friends.

Bepo nodded but nobody said anything.

"Kekekeke! Fell too many times on his head! Kekeke" The man from before who threw the poison dagger laughed loudly in that annoying, high voice of his. He was crouching on the metal railing, jumping up and down as he laughed.

"Settle down Kinrei." The last man of them said. He was big and muscular, a typical warrior type, with a big, heavy, war hammer on his back and a gun strapped to his waist. He had simple short brown hair and brown, piercing eye while the other was covered with an eye patch. The right side of his face was badly scarred, which explained the missing eye on that side. The man had a serious look on his face, completely expressionless.

"Heeh. You're no fun Dil." Kinrei answered a bit disappointed but settled down as ordered and styed crouched on the railing. He looked like some small but dangerous wild animal with no patience and just waiting to pounce and kill its prey. "Can we kill them now, Salvus-sama!? Can we, can we?!"

Law's eye twitched as he heard that and just then a bolt of lightning hit one of the mountain peaks on the island, blasting chunks of rocks everywhere. "Bepo, take care of the old man. Shachi, you take the man with the war hammer, Mister Bart, the big guy and Miss Miyako, you take the small animal-looking fellow. But be careful, it seems he uses poisons."

"Captain, then you'll take their captain and the woman all by yourself!?" Bepo wanted to protest. The woman also looked like a more authoritative figure, probably the first mate. Taking both the first mate and the captain together didn't seem like a good idea to the bear. The rest of the group didn't look pleased with that decision either.

"Captain, let me take care of the woman and this Kinrei fellow." Miyako protested but Law shook his head.

"No, if Kinrei uses deadly poisons then you'll need all the concentration you have to beat him without getting a scratch. It would be too dangerous to fight yet another opponent." Law explained and his tone was obviously saying he made up his mind and everyone were to shut up and follow his orders. It still didn't feel right with the Heart Pirates but they kept silent since they had no choice but to listen to their captain's orders hoping he would be ok. They didn't doubt him and they all knew how strong he was; but this group of pirates was suspicious and they didn't know much about them. Maybe they had more devil fruit users among them too. The group had to be careful in this battle.

"However, there is one more thing." Miyako said and she saw the others knew what she was talking about.

Law nodded. "Yes, but I wouldn't say we need to worry." He smirked and Miyako smirked as well.

"Yeah, they really have good timing." Miyako smiled.

They all noticed it already. They weren't so weak as to not notice so much people and they weren't stupid enough to fall into such a trap. Law was prepared for this from the start, but it seemed the six Silver pirates didn't notice it yet.

"However we are a bit unfair here. After all we can't risk when fighting the infamous Surgeon of Death. We need a small advantage...in numbers to be exact." Jun, the woman, said as she smiled wickedly with devilish gleam in her green eyes. "To be honest our crew is a bit bigger than just the six of us." As she said that she looked behind the group at the rest of the Silver pirates who were hiding behind the deck until now. They all looked like small fry to Law but there were at about 20 of them. "You could call us the generals of this small army of ours, you see." Jun explained, still with that sweet smile directed to Law which made Shachi a bit jealous and Miyako couldn't help but roll her eyes at the woman.

Law smirked at that. "I think you're not paying attention to your surroundings enough."

Jun blinked at him with confusion in her big eyes.

"They saw through it already." Liu said with a sigh of disappointment but he was a bit pleased that there was more to these pirates than he originally thought. So they were good enough to see through their little trap.

"What are you talking about, old man Liu?" Teck asked with his head tilted like a small child would do while questioning their parent.

"Their men are here too." Salvus answered simply.

Behind the sneering Silver pirates were the grinning Heart Pirates with their weapons prepared. Some of them had already taken down the first of the enemy and some had their weapons or guns aimed at the Silver pirates' backs. They sneaked out from another exit of the sub and came right behind the enemy who were waiting to ambush Law and his group. The Heart Pirates were led by Penguin, and as Miyako turned she saw Cody and Josh nearby as well. Josh had a wicked grin that promised nothing good while Cody had his usual serious battle face, ready to attack.

"When did you-? Tch! it doesn't matter. We're still six against five and we can take you lot down anytime!" Jun yelled over the rain and the wind that muffled her voice.

Salvus suddenly raised his arm. "Attack, everyone! Take the Surgeon of Death and the Heart Pirates down and show the world who is the real threat to the world!" he yelled, his voice carried in the wind and all his men, both the six 'generals' and the Silver pirates' army roared in unison.

Law wasn't one for all those dramatical speeches so he just prepared his nodachi. "Men! Kill them all! No mercy!" The Heart Pirates roared even louder than their enemies as their voices sounded even louder than the storm itself. Meanwhile, Law made his Room that encircled his whole sub, just in case, and unsheathed his nodachi before their enemy could do anything about it.

Miyako prepared herself in a stance. Behind her, the Silver pirates and the Heart pirates started their battle. In front of her, the Silver pirate generals ran towards them and already commenced their attack. She knew what she had to do; stop Kinrei and attack him before he attacks somebody else. And judging by the dagger he threw earlier he was probably packed with hidden poisonous weapons. However Miyako was both angry and prepared enough to beat him. She wanted revenge for her friends but she was level-headed enough to act with reason instead of emotion. But most of all, she felt merciless enough to kill them all without a blink of an eye. With her thoughts, her dark aura became even darker as her killing intent heightened. She saw Kinrei moved, trying to attack Law but Miyako swiftly slashed through the air using haki and cut off Kinrei's path. He turned and threw two daggers at her but she quickly blocked them and jumped in the air ready for an attack. Kinrei threw some more but Miyako easily created the haki barrier to block them and the daggers' tips bent as the weapons uselessly fell to the ground.

Kinrei made an annoyed sound that sounded like a screech as Miyako, who was now in the air above him, stared making her move in her fall downwards. * _Ittouryu technique: Heavenly strike_(1)* She swung down at him and used both her body and gravity to give her strike more power. As the hit the ground the rain which was falling, moved upwards from the blast. However Kinrei was fast and dodged the attack in time then Miyako saw more daggers coming towards her through the rain. She dodged to the side one and blocked the other with her sword but then she noticed that between two, was one more, concealed. Her eyes narrowed as it was heading right towards her and there was no time to dodge. If the dagger just grazes her she's dead since it was poisonous.

~…~

Law blocked Jun's sabre and pushed her away in one swift motion before slashing the air in another in hopes of cutting Salvus who was running towards them, but the masked man jumped and dodged it. Meanwhile Jun jumped and once again brought her sabre down on Law, aiming for his head but he blocked it with his nodachi. It was a long time since he had to actually make contact with his nodachi like that. Usually that only happened when he was fighting Miyako in their training sessions since the samurai girl was quick and skilled enough to get close to him and attack directly. But the raven haired girl in front of him was both quick and skilled as well.

Law still didn't know what their captain carried as a weapon but he soon found out when Salvus came near them. The man removed his cape to reveal light silver armor underneath. Then suddenly the gauntlet on his armor moved and formed an axe which the man threw at Law. The captain jumped backwards and dodged the heavy axe which stuck to the wooden floor where he stood just a second ago. *_A devil fruit user!*_ So he was fighting a skilled swordsman and a devil fruit user; not good. But he wasn't that easy to beat either.

Law saw Salvus walk to the axe on the floor and pick it up with one hand. The weapon formed into a long sword in his hand. "I ate the Gin Gin no Mi, which allows me to control silver as I please."

"I didn't ask." Law simply answered and once again pushed Jun back who attacked him then as she was jumping backwards, Law used his haki and slashed through the air. He cut through the rain and wind and the cut continued to travel towards Jun who was determined to block it with her sabre, but before she had a chance to do so, Salvus appeared in front of her and blocked Law's slash with his sword.

"Don't be a fool. You're level of haki isn't good enough for that kind of attack yet." Salvus warned his first mate who made a pouty face at her captain. However, Salvus ignored her look and continued; "It's better to avoid such attacks. His devil fruit power is a tricky one."

"So you can use haki too." Law murmured a bit displeased since he thought he'd beat the two faster with the haki he's been practicing to use these few weeks. But Salvos' haki was obviously at Law's level, which made a quick win somewhat difficult. At least Law knew now that the other captain was a devil fruit user and a haki user which will help him in planning his winning strategy further. He didn't get an answer but instead Salvus formed some small daggers from his other gauntlet and threw them at Law. Law smirked and moved up his hand, twitching two of his fingers. The silver daggers were replaced by rain and instead they appeared above Salvus and Jun, falling down on them. The couple dodged to the sides and landed at each of Law's sides.

"This guy is full of tricks, isn't he? I like him even more now." Jun giggled and licked her lips staring at Law with that mischievous look.

"Jun, take this more seriously. We are fighting against one of the Supernova rookies after all." Salvus reprimanded the girl in a serious tone. It seems the captain of the Silver pirates didn't have much of a sense of humor.

"Yeeees~" The woman answered in a prolonged, monotone voice, voicing her displeasure. She didn't roll her eyes at the captain out of respect though, but there was a slight pout in her expression.

Law gritted his teeth in annoyance. It's as if they were completely relaxed, taking it easy, not caring that they were fighting the Surgeon of Death. He felt underestimated, which didn't sit right with the captain of the Heart pirates. He was even more annoyed at the fact that he couldn't go all out since they were on his sub and he couldn't risk damaging it now. He had to be careful not to do any damage to the ship or they'll be stuck on this chaotic island for too long. *_We wasted enough time as it is. We need to get to Abney Cove soon and now these people are wasting my precious time as well.* _Law's eyes narrowed at the thought. "You're in the way!" As he said that, he cut the air with another slash of haki aiming towards Salvus and Jun. The couple dodged, jumping in the air and attacked from both sides.

Salvus' sword turned into a long whip and the man aimed at Law, tying up the man's nodachi. The Silver pirates captain landed and pulled on Law's sword, while Jun swung her sabre, ready to decapitate Law. "I would prefer to take you alive and do a public execution for all to see who was the one who beat you, but I can't risk it. You're too dangerous to underestimate…so I'll just have to take your head instead." Salvus said calmly as he kept pulling on Law's sword, making it impossible for the other captain to use it and block the upcoming attack from Jun.

~…~

Bepo jumped high in the air to deliver another of his strong kicks at his opponent but his attack proved futile once again as Liu dodged by simply hunching over. Bepo's leg passed over the old martial artist. The polar bear wasn't done yet though and as soon as he landed on one foot he spun around and tried to deliver another kick at Liu. This time the old man didn't have enough time to move so he put his forearm up and blocked the heavy kick that would otherwise break his neck. Liu slid a few centimeters from the blow but then stopped, along with stopping Bepo's attack. The bear couldn't believe it, which was obvious by his expression and wide eyes. There weren't many people who could meet his strong kick head on and stop it. But this old man obviously wasn't anyone. He was skilled in martial arts and Bepo saw that after the first few seconds of fighting against him.

"You….Who are you?" The bear asked surprised.

The old man smirked, both of them still standing in their pose from before. "Nobody special. I'm neither famous nor feared. But I am skilled. I have been honing my skills in the art for a long time now." As he said that the man slid his hand over his white mustaches and beard as if combing it. Liu-Fa might not have been an infamous pirate like the supernova rookies but he was still a master in martial arts and Bepo could tell he was a dangerous man. Still the bear had no intention of giving up nor losing. The captain expected him to win so he must not let the captain down. As captain's right hand, as the crew's first mate, Bepo knew he had to win no matter what.

"Aye aye aye aye!" Bepo shouted his usual battle cry, which could reach Liu even over the sound of the wind and rain. With that, the polar bear ran forward and rushed at Liu, attackinghim ; punching kicking, throwing heavy attacks that were enough to break bones.

But the old man was surprisingly agile for his age. He was fast; so fast Bepo couldn't even land a hit. Suddenly the bear blinked and it seemed that was all it took for Liu-Fa to disappear from his sight. Bepo's eyes widened as his enemy wasn't in front of him anymore but luckily his keen hearing picked up a barely hearable creak of the wooden boards behind him. His one ear twitched and slightly turned towards the sound and Bepo jumped to the side, turning on his heel at the same moment just in time to avoid an attack from Liu. The old man was trying to kick him and his leg didn't even touch the ground when Bepo already leaped forward to use the situation now that Liu was off balance. Bepo was inside his personal space already, breaking through his defenses and throwing a punch at the old man. Bepo put all his strength in his punch, hoping the man won't be able to block this even if he tried. However, Liu did something else; something unexpected. He bended backwards as far as he could, even though one of his legs was still outstretched in the air from his failed attack and he was only standing on one leg in that awkward position. It didn't seem to bother him at all though. He was even more flexible than he was quick. He barely avoided Bepo's punch that passed an inch over his face.

"Oh-uh. Now if that had hit me even I would've been in trouble. We can't have that." He sounded almost impressed but Bepo just found it mocking when coming out of Liu-Fa's mouth. His black round eyes narrowed in annoyance but he didn't have time to be annoyed since Liu was already counterattacking. The man went even lower, putting his arms on the ground as if forming a bridge with his body and he pulled himself up. The legs that were in the air were now wrapped tightly around Bepo's outstretched arm, locking around it tightly. Then with one quickly movement to the side with his legs, Liu twisted Bepo's arm harshly. The bear might be too big for the old man to throw to the ground but that was part of the plan anyway. If Bepo didn't move accordingly, his arm would be broken in the shoulder and the elbow so he had no choice but to throw himself sideway, following Liu's movements to save his arm. But now Bepo was on the ground and Liu was still doing a handstand though before the bear could get up, Liu-Fa's heel was heading down towards the bear's head. He could feel the strength behind that attack even while Liu's foot was still moving through the air. It was enough to crush Bepo's head into the floor below if it hit him directly.

~…..~

It seemed the six warriors of the Heart pirates were in a pinch. Jean Bart was also exchanging heavy hits with the big but slow guy named Teck. They were both all bloody and full of bruises by now but both men refused to give in and kept fighting with bare fists. Shachi was having a hard time dealing with Dil who was wielding his war hammer, making holes in the deck every time he tried to hit Shachi but missed due to the mechanic's speed. However, Shachi didn't appreciate seeing the submarine, his personal masterpiece, being damaged by this guy and that just pissed him off even more. Like he wasn't pissed enough already because of the whole sneak-attack incident and the fact half of his nakama were lying in the sickbay unconscious. Right now Shachi was more than just pissed…his murderous intent was intensifying by the minute, or rather by every new crack Dil made in the yellow submarine.

Still, it was obvious the situation of the Heart pirates wasn't ideal. Far from it. But this was not the first time they were outnumbered and it won't be the last; and they were certainly not outmatched. However, the Silver pirates would disagree. They saw the Hear pirates struggling, they saw them down on the floor or unable to dodge, they saw them and they all thought the same thing; _*How weak. An easy victory for us. This will bring us closer to our goal. This will bring us closer to the New World!* _

However, the Silver pirates made one big miscalculation; they didn't know the Heart pirates. They underestimated them. They didn't know the strong feeling that was currently driving the Heart pirates on to fight even harder. They didn't know the pure determination each of them held so they could reach their goal. And they didn't know what the Heart pirates were all thinking at this moment; from Shachi, to Bepo, from Bart to Miyako and all the way to Law and everyone else fighting on the sub from his crew right now. One simple thing that gave them more strength than the Silver pirates could ever hope to have and that was the same thing all the Heart pirates secretly vowed to themselves after losing to Sentomaru on that dinosaur island;

*_I will never lose again!*_

~….~

Miyako's eyes widened as she saw the dagger flying towards her. Her katana was in a downwards and sideways position so she didn't have time to turn it and block the dagger. But still she acted in a split of a second after realizing there was a third, concealed, dagger. Miyako let go of the hilt so she could readjust her grip on it and then grabbed it again with the hilt upwards and the blade downwards. She had her hold on the hilt so she could handle it better; she only needed the hilt anyway. Miyako moved the hilt upwards just as the dagger was near her head, almost cutting at her but before it could, Miyako moved the hilt upwards into the flying dagger, hitting it in the middle and sending it off its course and in the air. The weapon flew in the air and then fell down on the ground.

Kinrei's eyes widened but he wasted no time and suddenly outstretched his hand with the wrist showing. There was a strange contraption on his wrist and as he moved it, a gas started coming out of it, towards Miyako; surely it was poisonous. But it didn't matter anymore because Miyako's mind was set. She re-gripped her katana again so she could hold it normally again and sheathed it.

_"Battojutsu Ittouryu; Kiritateru"(2) _Miyako rushed forward, unsheathing her katana and just the process of unsheathing it created a strong whirl of energy around the sword, cutting through the gas. Kinrei could only watch wide-eyed and paralyzed as the samurai appeared before him, not only cutting his poisonous gas but the man himself. Miyako was left in a stance behind Kinrei with Yawarakai-Te in her hand in a sideways position. The remaining gas dispersed quickly in the wind and the rain so it was not dangerous anymore. Kinrei fell on the floor, a slow puddle of blood forming around him and mixing with the water on the deck. Hopefully the rain will wash away the man's blood into the sea. She didn't even want to have his blood staining this submarine.

Meanwhile, Bepo was in a rather precarious situation himself but something like this wasn't enough to stop the polar bear. He was a first mate of the Heart pirates. And he had that title for many reasons; one of them was his strength. Not only physical strength but the strength of Bepo's spirit as well. The sheer determination to protect his captain and his nakama.

Liu's heel was about to reach him and Bepo couldn't dodge like this. So there was only one thing he could do; the bear put both his arms in front of him, preparing to block the incoming attack with his forearms. He didn't care how strong Liu's attack was; Bepo wasn't about to lose!

As Liu's heel hit Bepo's arms the massive energy behind the strike was so strong that the wooden boards beneath Bepo cracked and Bepo's whole body was pushed further down, making a dent in the floor. The old man smirked. Even if Bepo blocked, there was no way he could continue fighting after this. He might've been a bear but his arms must've been crushed completely, the bones broken. However, Liu's smirk disappeared soon enough when he realized something was wrong. The sleeves of the jumpsuit were ripped from Liu's impact and there were bright red marks on Bepo's furry arms, even a few bleeding cuts…but the arms weren't broken. Bepo was able to withstand the attack for two reasons; he was a bear which made him stronger, bigger and more sturdy than a normal human, and two; he was stronger and more sturdy than a normal bear too.

"I got you now!" The polar bear exclaimed as he gripped Liu's ankle with one hand and pushed up with the other.

"Wh-Whait! What are you doing!?" Liu-Fa felt a feeling he didn't feel in battle for a long time now. Worry. Worry that was slowly forming into panic as Bepo gripped tightly his ankle with both his hand and without stopping to even hear Liu's protests, swung Liu like a ragged doll. The body flew over Bepo who was still holding Liu and the bear slammed it to the ground with all his strength. The dent in the deck was much bigger than the one Liu created with the power of his foot.

However it was soon Bepo's turn to panic after he realized what he had done. "Eep! Shachi and Penguin will kill me if they find out I damaged the deck!"

~…~

Shachi was already panting hard from the fight since they had been going at it for quite some time now. He tried to hit Dil but the man would always block and then swing with his hammer. The mechanic rushed at the man again and jumped in the air, trying to kick him but Dil dodged by stepping backwards then swung his war hammer with both hands. The mechanic was in the air and couldn't dodge. All he could do was watch with wide eyes as the big hammer came towards him. Shachi turned in the air and kicked at the incoming hammer with his other leg. He knew that action would take some force out of the hammer's blow so when it hit, Shachi won't be crushed like a bug on the big weapon. Still, even with Shachi's attack, the blow of the hammer sent him flying into the railing that dented behind him from the force. The mechanic felt all air rush out of his lungs in an instant as he hit his back hard. He grunted at the pain and coughed some blood. A small crack appeared on his shades that annoyed his vision. Before he could fully recover, Shachi saw Dil running towards him and raising his war hammer again. In his mind, the mechanic's thoughts screamed that he needed to get up, now. He needed to dodge if he wanted to live. _*Get up! Suck it up and get up! NOW!* _Just before the hammer went down on him, Shachi half lifted himself while leaning on the railing and jumped to the side. Then with a grunt he stood up, still panting. He could feel his legs wobble for a second before he regained his balance and composure.

"Hn, so you dodged…That's all you can do, isn't it? Just run and run until you finally get splatted like a little bug." Dil said it as a taunt of course, but his voice remained cold and almost bored. Still, as he looked at Shachi with a corner of his eyes, a small smirk appeared on his face. That just infuriated the mechanic even more.

Shachi glared at the big man in front of him. Of course the man couldn't see the glare from under his hat and sunglasses but the dark aura around the mechanic was enough to guess what Shachi was thinking at the moment.

"That's enough. Don't you dare put another hole in this submarine…" Even his voice was dark and deadly serious, which was a big difference from the usual mood Shachi brought with him. There was no trace of the usual cheerful mechanic. Perhaps it was strange that Shachi cared more about the well-being of the submarine than his wellbeing at the moment but to anyone who knew the mechanic, that wouldn't be strange at all. More than being pissed about his condition and a probably-broken rib, Shachi was more pissed about what Dil was doing to the submarine with that big weapon of his.

Dil tilted his head to the side a little and raised an eyebrow. "Oh…You care for your ship, that's nice. Too bad for you though…cause I don't!" As he said that, Dil swung his war hammer and brought it down to the deck, making another dent in the floor boards. It was purely out of spite since he wasn't even aiming at Shachi. Dil smirked at the brown-haired mechanic. "If it bothers you so much…why don't you do something about it."

Shachi cracked his fingers, making fists and stood in a kung-fu stance. "Don't worry, I will. I'll make you regret those words."

Both Penguin and Shachi were usually cheerful and got along with each other and the crew. The Heart pirates respected them and it was always fun to play poker or just mess around with the two mechanics. They were usually the heart of every party among the Heart pirates. But the crew all knew one rule that they had to follow in order to stay on the mechanics' good side; NEVER mess with the submarine. There was a reason why Penguin and Shachi usually went wherever Law did and it wasn't only because they were the captain's old friends. Yes, he trusted them but the main reason was that they were strong. They never disappointed him and they didn't plan to do so now.

But right now, even more than thinking about his captain, Shachi was thinking about his submarine. The vessel he helped to build. The vessel he took care of every day. The vessel he already considered home. There's no way he would let this man, Dil, step all over his pride, his hard work over the years. The mechanic clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth in anger when he saw Dil's taunting smile. _*There's no way I'm losing to someone like this guy!* _

Shachi's thoughts were interrupted as the war hammer slammed down towards him but before Dil could hit him, the mechanic jumped and landed right on top of the war hammer. Shachi found Dil's weakness as they fought. The man had to swing the heavy hammer with both hands, which meant he couldn't block at this moment. "Now I'll punch a hole in you!" The mechanic roared as he ran straight at Dil, keeping perfect balance while running on the weapon. He formed a fist and jumped at Dil, putting all his strength in that attack as the big warrior just stood and watched in surprise the incoming attack. With a shout that sounded like a battle cry, Shachi punched Dil right into the face. Punched him hard enough for the bigger man to lose his balance, let go of his weapon that was still stuck on the wooden floor, and start falling on the ground.

Teeth and blood flew from Dil's face as his nose and check bones were completely crushed by the powerful attack. The man fell to the ground and stayed there unmoving. Shachi landed on the wooden floor, panting hard. He looked at the unconscious man on the ground.

Just then he felt something coming and quickly moved to the side. As he did a large body went flying passed him, creating a gust of wind as it went. It was Teck, the big stupid guy Jean Bart was fighting. The mechanic couldn't help but blink in confusion as Teck flew all the way overboard and into the ocean, soon disappearing in the sea as the waves and strong whirlpools carried him down. Shachi turned to see Jean Bart who was panting hard. His face was bloody and the wounds on his hand opened again but other than a lot of bruises and some cuts, the navigator looked ok. Nothing the big guy couldn't handle. Shachi grinned and gave Jean Bart a thumbs up though he was surprised how much power he had to put in just to do that simple gesture. The navigator saw him; he didn't smile but he also gave Shachi a thumbs up as an answer.

~…..~

"You can't dodge nor run now, Trafalgar Law. Accept your fate and go down quietly." Salvus said as he still held Law's nodachi with his silver whip, disabling him from using it.

Jun was running towards them and jumped in the air with a psychopathic grin that promised nothing good. "Hahaha. You're crew will be beaten and so will you. You're done for, cutie!" She laughed and swung her silver sabre towards Law.

The captain's head was down so the couple couldn't see the little smirk that formed on his lips. "Done for...?" Law muttered questioningly but it was too quiet for Jun or Salvus to hear. He looked up at the incoming Jun. "Fools." Law muttered and grinned at her, then rose his free hand. "You should've learned about my abilities a little better before challenging me." He raised two fingers in the air and muttered "Shambles." Before Jun or Salvus could realized what was happening, Slavus found himself on Law's place though there was nothing tangled in his whip anymore. Law was now standing where Salvus was a few seconds ago. However Jun couldn't stop anymore, it was too late.

"Stop, fool!" Salvus roared at her but it was too late. Jun's sabre went right into Salvus, cutting from his shoulder down to his torso. However, Law wasn't in such luck that it was enough to end them. It seemed Salvus wasn't a paramecia who could only control silver, but a logia. Salvus split and stayed like that for a while, before his body started turning into silver and regenerating.

"Waaah! I'm so sorry Salvus-sama!" Jun exclaimed in a high-pitched voice of surprise as she jumped up and down, looking at her split captain.

"Hn, like that would be enough to kill me…" Salvus muttered.

"That's fine." A deep voice of Trafalgar Law came somewhere behind them and as it did, Salvus felt a strange pressure, then saw Jun's eyes widen. Jun was standing in front of Salvus, her back turned to Trafalgar, so she was hiding the Heart pirates' captain from Salvus' view. That's why at first Salvus had no idea what was going on. But then Jun's body split into two before his eyes.

The girl screamed when she realized she was cut in two but still alive. A sickening feeling mixed with a horrible picture of seeing your own split body. As her two body parts fell down, Salvus could see Law with his nodachi in his hand looking as if he just used it, which he did. "Maybe you can't die that easily, but it was a good distraction." Law answered with a smirk seeing Jun's panicked face and Salvus' surprised eyes shown through the mask.

The captain of the Silver pirates glared with piercing eyes towards Law. "You just can't accept defeat, can you…"

Law looked a little surprised but it was obvious it was only a mocking expression. "Defeat? You should open your eyes and look around, Salvus-ya."

Salvus tilted his head as if he didn't understand Law's words but then he turned to see his crew. Or rather, what was left of his crew. The Silver pirate army of their small-fry crewmembers were all beaten by the Heart pirates and so were the 'Silver pirate generals' as Jun called them. They were beaten, bloody, cut up, unconscious or dead. And Teck wasn't even on the deck. The biggest man among the Silver pirates was nowhere to be seen. Salvus'eyes widened in surprise. Jun looked around as well and started shouting something about not believing what she was seeing.

"You are the only one left." Law said with a cold voice, looking at Salvus but the looks was hardly sympathetic. He prepared his nodachi as he gripped it with both hands.

Salvus gritted his teeth and formed a long sword from the whip he had, gripping it in both hands as well. "At least I will beat you. You may have haki but I'm still a powerful logia, you won't be able to cut me that easily!"

Law had a need to sigh tiredly but restrained himself. Honestly, why were all his enemies always so sure of themselves? Always so quick to underestimate him. He didn't work on his haki all this time for nothing. Salvus measured his haki power from what he saw of it earlier but the truth was, Law wasn't going all out earlier. He was only testing his opponents then. That's why Salvus was now underestimating him and that's why that will be the man's doom.

Both captains rushed towards each other. Once again, Law was going to make contact with his nodachi instead of just using his powers. Right now, his haki was the strongest when he channeled it right from the sword and towards the opponent, in close contact. Before, he only released his haki while making usual cuts through the air and towards them but using it in direct contact was much different and a lot stronger. He knew that from experience while fighting Miyako. He was now glad for all those hours he spent with her; it wasn't for naught.

As they clashed, Law released all his haki and put it into the power of his attack. Salvus did the same. The results were instant. Salvus' silver sword broke as Law cut through it and the captain's nodachi traveled further and into Salvus' body, cutting it. This time it wasn't silver that splashed around but regular, human blood and the captain of the Silver pirates was truly cut. He let out something between a grunt and a sigh before falling to his knees and then face first onto the floor. Law sheathed his nodachi and looked back at the lying captain. The man was still breathing but barely. Some of Law's power was taken in by Salvus' sword, which saved his life.

Suddenly Law heard cheers coming from his crew. They were all looking at the final attack. They all waited, not even taking a breath, to see what will happen. But not even one of them doubted that Law would win. Even Miyako smirked as she saw Law win. Even she believed in him and knew there was no way he would lose. Not to these guys. Still, she released a breath in relief that she didn't even know she was holding.

~…~

Now that the victory was theirs, there was only one thing to do; take the spoils of war. The storm had mostly passed and only a slight rain remained. Law ordered Cody and Josh to take the rest of the medical team and take care of the injured. The unconscious ones in the infirmary were slowly beginning to awake as well so they had to be looked at too. Meanwhile, Sai and Penguin went to the enemy's sub to take everything they needed. But what Law was really interested in was the technology they had on their sub. The Shadowman said something about a way to cover their signal from being detected and that's what Law had his eyes on. Penguin and Sai will inspect the control room of that submarine and that technology will be his. Shachi had his own team and they were currently repairing the deck. Thankfully the holes were easily repaired with some wooden boards so there was no big damage to the sub.

There was one more reason why Law was especially pleased besides the free stocking of gold and supplies and new technology for their submarine. And that was the three people who were right now sitting on his deck, huddled together but back in one piece. Jun, Benny and Salvus were the only ones who were spared and not thrown overboard after the fight. However, perhaps 'spared' wouldn't be the right word since their fate was much worse. Law put them back together in one piece but took any weapons they had and Salvus and Benny both had sea stone cuffs on their wrists. All three of them were tied together with tight rope, beaten and barely conscious. Salvus especially, since Law didn't bother taking care of the captain's wound. He didn't need him for that long and he wouldn't waste his medical supplies on prisoners.

"Why did you keep us?" Salvus asked, looking up at Law.

"Yeah, what do you want with us?!" Benny, the Shadowman, was loud and arrogant as usual.

However, they both fell silent instantly when they saw the look Law gave them. That look was enough to answer their question, or rather, enough for them to not want to know the answer. A purely psychopathic smile that would make even Akainu have a bad feeling about what was to come. The three prisoners couldn't help but shiver and it wasn't because of the cold rain.

Miyako walked over to Law and the prisoners as she heard some of the conversation. "Really, what do you want us to do with them? Why are we taking them with us?"

Law turned to Miyako as she spoke and looked at her lazily, like he didn't want to really bother with explanations. "You should know that better than anyone…Didn't I already tell you today, when we were in the infirmary what I need?"

Miyako blinked and looked at him with a puzzled expression. She had no idea what he meant. "In the infirmary…" Miyako muttered as her mind played back the conversation she had with Law when she went to the infirmary and saw him experimenting on those animals. Suddenly she remembered his words; _it would be more useful to try it on humans instead of animals. _Miyako stiffened uncomfortably and a drop of sweat trickled down her temple, though it just mixed with the rain drops that were falling on her face. "Don't tell me…You'll use them as subjects for experimenting…?" Miyako wasn't sure she wanted to know the details anymore.

Law smirked when he saw the girl's face. It was amusing to say the least. And even more amusing were the faces of the three unfortunates who also heard Miyako's words. "Are you sure you want to know. I wouldn't want to be responsible for your lack of sleep." He said it as a joke but something in his eyes told her that it wasn't far from the truth.

"On second thought…I don't want to know." Miyako said as she turned around and went to help with carrying supplies from the enemy's submarine to their own.

Law looked back at the three prisoners tied and sitting on the floor. Their faces were completely pale and their eyes as wide as they could possibly be.

"W-what…You're not serious, right? I mean, you're not gonna seriously use us for experimenting, right? O-Oy…Say something…" Benny was slowly losing it.

"H-hey, you wouldn't do such a thing to a girl would you?! I mean, I like you, look we can make a deal. I'll join your crew. I'll do whatever, just name it, so let me go already!" Jun already lost it.

"You traitor!" Benny shouted at Jun and they started arguing and screaming at each other.

Only Salvus kept his dignity and stayed quiet, with his head down. But his didn't have his silver mask anymore and his face was clearly reviled and showed his emotions. He gritted his teeth as he cursed under his breath. How could this happen?! How could he lose?! He couldn't understand it; what was it that the Heart pirates had and they didn't?! What was it that Trafalgar Law had and he didn't?! It seems none of the Silver pirates could answer that question but to Heart pirates it's as if it was obvious from the start.

~…..~

Law was sitting at the desk in his room when he heard the slight knock on the doors. The pirate captain raised his head, removing his gaze from the papers he was reading at the moment. "Come in."

It didn't surprise him when he saw Miyako, who was balancing the tray in one hand while trying to open and then close his doors with the other. Munk was sending him food again since Law once again completely forgot about it. He was too busy having fun while experimenting on Salvus, though he was a bit disappointed when the man died sooner than Law expected. He wasn't surprised since the man had a serious wound but he thought Salvus was a bit sturdier than that so he would last longer. After his fun time in the infirmary, Law went to his quarters to write down the progresses of his research and a few other things that needed to be done. So before he knew it, it was already late morning and once again Law found himself in his quarters working all night without any sleep. It was already after dawn when they defeated the Silver pirates and finally sailed away from that island and it's been a few hours since then. Law let his crew rest since they all stayed awake all night but for him it was nothing unusual so he just went on with his daily duties without any sleep. He was actually thinking of taking another prisoner to the examining table but the crew would probably complain that they couldn't sleep well because of the screams, and the Heart pirates needed their rest after the fight.

Miyako put the try down on some free space on Law's desk and sighed. "You should really take better care of yourself."

Law smirked. "Oh?"

Miyako knew what he was thinking even without him saying anything else as a small blushed appeared on her face. "D-Don't get me wrong, it's just that Munk's always angry when you don't eat. And Penguin and Shachi are always worrying about you."

Law knew she would say something like that so he didn't even feel disappointed. "Ah, well I wouldn't want to worry Penguin and Shachi…" His tone was a bit sarcastic and his smirk a bit mocking. He knew Miyako would notice it and that was exactly his intention.

The girl narrowed her eyes a little and stuck her tongue at him. "Shut up."

Law snickered at her childish actions. "Very mature." He was in a good mood today. The day was a long and hard one with a lot of it happening but in the end they profited greatly from it.

Miyako sat at her usual place, across the table and propped herself on her elbows on the table as she rested her chin on her hands. "I'm mature when I have to be." She smirked back at Law. There was a moment of silence and Miyako, as usual, took the little plate with the dessert from Law's tray. It was ice-cream this time. It was already a silent agreement the two had between them since Law rarely ate anything sweet. She'd bring him his tray of food and take the dessert for herself. Law didn't mind though and somehow it already became normal for Miyako to stay and keep him company as he ate before she took the empty tray back to the kitchen. "Today was a pretty eventful day." Miyako muttered as she took some ice-cream on the spoon and ate it.

"Hnn, yes. But nothing we couldn't handle." Law said but it seemed his mind was once again trapped among the stats and facts on the papers around him. The food was getting cold in front of him but he probably forgot it was even there. Miyako frowned at the always-busy-captain. He didn't seem to be listening much either. Miyako wanted to test how much he was actually hearing of what she was saying. "Yeah…So I was abducted by pink pirate aliens who wanted to take my socks but after I started playing the violin they let me go cause they couldn't listen to the horrible noises anymore." Miyako had no idea where that came from, she just spouted the first thing that came to her mind, but now she was a bit worried for her sanity if _that's_ the first thing that came to mind.

"Mm-hmm…." Law just hummed an answer as he was totally occupied by his work once again.

Miyako rolled her eyes. She was bored so she was actually kinda looking forward to spending some time with Law. Usually they're conversations were either interesting or infuriating but lately it was the first one. Her frown deepened as she thought about what to do. He didn't even touch his food either. She played with the spoon in her hand when she got a funny idea. A smile appeared on her lips as she scooped some of the ice-cream in the spoon, then turned it towards Law like a small catapult that was ready to fire as soon as she released the spoon's head.

Before she could, Law's voice surprised her. "Try it and you'll be the next on the list for my experiments." His voice was completely monotone and lazy as he didn't even lift his head to look at her. He was still reading the paper in his hand, his gaze glued to his work. Miyako was a bit surprised he even noticed but obviously he was more aware of his surroundings than he seemed. Well she shouldn't be so surprised, this was Law after all. He probably heard everything she said too and just pretended not to listen.

Suddenly Law lifted his head and looked at her with a big smirk on his face. "So pink pirate aliens, you say…?"

Miyako couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah." There was a grin on her face but for some reason, unknown even to her, she felt happy. Feeling so giddy just because she was alone with Law and talking to him, or because he was actually listening to her, made her want to hit herself over the head_. *I'm acting like a school girl in love again.* _The samurai mentally sighed and tried to return to her usual, calm self. But somehow she couldn't help but feel glad for this small moment of peace between them. She had a feeling it won't last long. She didn't know why she felt that way or why she had a bad feeling ever since they started sailing towards Abney Cove, but that bad feeling just got stronger as they were getting closer to the marine base. So she wanted to enjoy this peaceful atmosphere while she still could and she had a feeling Law felt the same way.

Still, she left those thoughts for later as she moved back to the present and sighed. "Still I doubt you'll need me for experiments. You already have a woman for that…you made me drag her to that improvised prison Shachi and Penguin made and I had to listen to her screams and complaining all the way there. Not to mention all her promises that she'll give you her body if you spare her. Seriously, she didn't hold back at all." Miyako commented with a slight annoyed expression. She understood the woman was scared but Jun didn't leave herself any dignity whatsoever. As a samurai and a woman herself, Miyako found it revolting.

Law tilted his head a little as if trying to decipher something from Miyako's expression. "Miss Miyako, are you jealous perhaps?" He called her 'miss' on purpose just to tease her more.

The girl lifted her head and looked at Law with wide eyes. "W-what!? Why do you think that?!"

"Oh, just a wild guess…But you've been complaining about that woman a lot, haven't you? Perhaps you didn't like what she said when we were fighting on the deck?" Of course Law was referring to Jun's lewd behavior as if she was trying to sleep with Law instead of fighting him. He really didn't care that Jun wanted of him. She was an intruder on his submarine and his enemy so he didn't view her any differently than any other enemy, be it man or a woman. To him, Jun was simply someone he needed to get out of his way so he didn't even care about her teasing words nor her body.

"I-it's not like that. I just…can't believe a woman would use such dirty tactics to fight. Yeah, that's right; I just think that you should fight with your strength and skills, not use your body like that. It dirties your dignity." Now Miyako was sounding like she was not only trying to convince Law of this but herself as well. She was mumbling and looking at the melting ice-cream, not meeting Law's teasing gaze.

She was so into her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that Law stood up and went up to her. Only when he leaned down next to her ear did she notice him and almost jumped as he spoke right into her ear. *_When did he-?*_

"Spoken like a true samurai." He whispered with an amused voice. "But I'm glad that even Miss Suzune Miyako feels jealousy sometimes; especially concerning me." Miyako turned her head towards him suddenly and opened her mouth to object but that proved impossible since Law used that moment to kiss her.

The girl didn't struggle or complain this time, but of course she had a small pout when he released her lips. "Geez, you always do these things so suddenly."

Law's eyebrow rose as he feigned surprise but it was obviously mocking. "Oh, is that the problem? Then if I do it slowly, you won't complain anymore." He didn't even ask; it was said as a statement, not a question, meaning he didn't leave any room for Miyako's objections. He kissed her again, this time slowly but the kiss didn't stay slow and gentle for long and he only let go when he was sure he left the girl flustered and completely breathless. Trafalgar Law smirked again, staring right at Miyako's big golden eyes. Those eyes that always looked like fire itself, burning even him as they stared back. "Good to know." He murmured. For a moment he felt lost in those eyes, a feeling very rare for him. But this girl was the only one who could make him feel that way; who could get him out of his secure, comfort zone.

Miyako smiled as a response to his smirk, which brought Law back to reality. She didn't seem mad and her pout from before vanished. "You really do whatever you want, don't you…" It wasn't even a question.

Law smirked. "Of course. That's one of the perks of being a pirate captain."

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><p><strong>(1) Ittouryu technique: Heavenly strike<strong> – A technique were one jumps in the air and uses both their body weight and gravity to strike down at their opponent with full force.

**(2) Ittouryu Technique; Kiritateru**– One slash, coming from the battojutsu stance, precise and strong enough to cut even through steel or stone.

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><p>Wow, ok this was a long one… Not much LawMiyako romance in this one since it was mostly about the action but I hope it was still interesting. As I said, this is just a little something before the whole Abney Cove Arc though I don't plan on making that Arc too long either. (We need to move to the New World people!) :P Anyway, as always let's go to some of your comments and reviews now.

**Zoro et Robin: **Yeah, the Heart pirates won't have it easy from now on. Oh well, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right? ;) hahah Don't worry, if your mother disowns you, I'll take you in. *pats head* XD And I think you nailed Josh's thoughts perfectly. XD

**Amanda Beauvoir: **Thank you for the review, I appreciate it. ^^ About the Punk Hazard, there are still some chapters before I get to that in my story (and by that time you'll probably watch that arc in the anime) so you don't have to worry about that. However, as the manga progresses there might be some info there that I might put in my chapters if I can connect something but there's still very little known about the whole Law/Joker thing so there's nothing to mention in my story yet, either. For now, it'll be safe to read it. :) In the future, I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapter if there will be any spoilers in it so you'll know. :)

**Girl-luvs-manga: **Yep, little by little Miyako is accepting it. :) I don't know what to think of Joker yet, he didn't seem so bad when he was saying good-bye to Monet and Vergo in the manga but then again, he seems totally ruthless too.

**robin3zoro: **Unfortunately I don't have a set day when I update so I just upload as soon as I can and as soon as I write a new chapter.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **lol Yeah, even when I was writing it I thought to myself; sorry Josh. Somebody had to be the casualty. XD Well perhaps it was a little foreshadowing but mostly I think Law worries for the whole crew that Joker might do something to them since he is planning to betray him. And Doflamingo seems like a ruthless guy.

**Izzie (Guest): **It says guest but I kinda guessed it was you. XP I think Law's crew is somewhere nearby and hopefully they'll soon appear (since Oda put them on the cover I guess they're still active). I can't wait to see them in the manga. :D Thanks for the review as always! Hm, I think I should put a bit more of Law/Miyako moments since everyone seems to like them so much. ^^

**Rumu: **Thanks! :) About the Shichibukai; soon. There is one small Arc that I'm planning to do, and after that comes the New World and Shichibukai title. :) Thank you or the review! ^^

**VenVen: **Thanks for all the reviews! :D I'm going to put more romance but I also want to keep both Miyako and Law in character. Sorry if some of the romance scenes were a bit ooc, it's hard to write Law in romance situations and keep him totally in character. ^^'


	41. Chapter 41

Yep, I'm back. Sorry to all of you guys who were waiting for such a long time not knowing what happened to me. At first I had to finish my exams, then had trouble with my computer…and at the end of it all I just kinda lost the inspiration to write. I still had so many ideas for the story but somehow I just couldn't make myself even start writing again. I wasn't sure should I even continue writing or leave the fanfic be. However your comments and messages kept coming, still expecting more and I felt really bad for disappointing you and somehow I got my motivation to write again. :)

There's still some problems with my time schedule though. The reason I wanted to upload this soon was because I'm going on a trip in a few days and won't be back for a moth. After that I still have one more exam to take care of so I'll probably have time to finish the next chapter in late September. :/ Therefore at least I wanted to do chapter 41 before all that.

I didn't put any info about all this on my profile because I needed to first decide whether I'm continuing with the story or not, but I've decided to take it up again and start uploading more frequently and regularly again as soon as I can. (As I said, late September).

Well then, I hope you guys will enjoy the newest chapter and once again I apologize for the long wait.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer; I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood and language.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 41<strong>

Law held his nodachi close as he sat in the captain's seat, observing the vast ocean in front of them; or rather what was beneath it as they were currently 300ft underwater. His face looked serious and calm as always but there was a certain tension in the control room as it was obvious the captain was tenser than usual. He wasn't the only reason there was tension in the room; the other crewmembers were the same and the reason for it was very simple; they were close. They were getting dangerously close to their destination; Abney Cove; a secret marine base where one of Vegapunk's laboratories was situated. The crew still didn't know why exactly they were here since Law didn't quite explain his goal. Why risk your life to this extent? But the crew didn't need any explanations and neither did they ask for any. They trusted their captain and if Law said to go right into the gates of Hell, they would go without a question. That's what it means to be a part of a pirate's crew. You trusted your captain more than anything and they all new Law to be a smart and calculating guy. He wouldn't do anything without a good reason.

However, Miyako didn't yet have the same mindset as the rest of the crew even if she was a part of the Heart pirates for more than a year already. But going right into the Devil's Den seemed foolish and dangerous to her no matter how you looked at it, no matter how smart and cautious Law was. She just couldn't help but wonder why Law was after Vegapunk's lab so much all of a sudden and numerous questions rose inside her mind.

The girl sighed deep in her own thoughts as she stood near the main window, looking outside. She glances at the captain who was sitting in his usual captain's seat and staring out into the dark of the watery depths. She couldn't even guess what he was thinking. Was whatever he was after in Abney Cove really that important to risk the lives of his crew? And she still didn't have any clue what that whole conversation she overheard in Law's quarters was about. Who was speaking with Trafalgar? She could connect the dots and see the person on the other side of the den den mushi had something to do with the reason they were currently traveling to Abney Cove, or rather why they were here. But no matter how much Miyako thought about it, she couldn't understand why Law would do something against his own will. Wasn't he always saying how he hated to be ordered around? Yet he was doing such a dangerous mission for someone else's goals. It didn't fit no matter how much Miyako thought about it. *_That just can't be it…can it? Law is here because he wants something from Vegupunk's lab. But why is he so secretive about it anyway? Why didn't he want to tell me what we are looking for here?*_

Miyako's thoughts were interrupted by Bart's deep voice. "We're here. Abney Cove is 500 meters to the North."

"Turn on the cloaking device." Law ordered as he kept staring in front of him and out into the deep sea. The cloaking device was the practical little machinery they got, or rather took as war spoils, from the Silver pirates. Turning it on, it jammed detectors and hid the signals that would go off if the sub would approach too close to the enemy's radars. With this, even the marine base at Abney Cove couldn't detect them, which was a much needed advantage. At least they had the element of surprise. Of course that was only a part of the plan that Law thought of and already went through with the crew a couple of times. They were as ready as they could be to raid a heavily guarded marine base.

Miyako unconsciously put a hand on her katana and gripped the hilt. "Whatever is in that lab…I hope its worth it Law." The girl muttered though nobody seemed to hear her.

Trafalgar suddenly stood up from his seat and walked closer to the main window. "Bring us higher to the surface Mister Bart."

Meanwhile Sai counted the meters as they came closer to Abney Cove. They could already see the rocks and underwater caves of the island. The blueprints of the marine base and the map of the island were on the control panel near Law, with a circled spot where they decided to surface and hide the submarine. They'll approach the base from the North. There was a forest near the rocky beach where they could hide and sneak towards the marine base. It was in the middle of the night, about midnight, the set time they decided to sneak in and they had till' dawn to get what they needed and come out unnoticed and without trouble. However Miyako didn't think it would be so easy. If they get spotted by the marines their escape will be almost impossible from there.

~…..~

The cold wind was blowing right into Law's tanned face as the rain prickled his skin and went into his eyes. The weather reminded Law of the last island they docked to a few weeks ago when they met the Silver pirates. This weather wasn't as harsh as then but it still annoyed Law and he had to shield his eyes from the raindrops. The pirate captain lifted the collar of his long black coat that had a yellow symbol of the Heat Pirates on it and raised his hand as a signal for his men to move out.

The yellow submarine of the Heart Pirates was currently docked on the other side of the island where there wasn't anything but rocks and trees, well hidden and out of sight. However that meant that they had to cross to the other side of the island, through the forest, without being seen and sneak into the marine base. It was a lay-low mission, which meant he couldn't take many people with him or they would risk being seen. Law ordered more than half of his men to stay and guard the submarine and to inform him over the baby den den mushi if something goes wrong. The captain took Sai, whose marksmen skills could come in handy, Cody and Josh both for their fighting but also medical skills, Bepo as his right hand, the two loyal mechanics Shachi and Penguin, and Miyako as the second swordsmen of the group including him. Unfortunately he couldn't take Jean Bart with him even though the navigator's strength and calm head would be a big plus, but he couldn't risk Bart being seen which was very probable due to the man's huge body. When Law signaled them, the crew went after him, hiding behind the trees of the forest as much as they could.

~…..~

It took more than an hour to cross the island with their pace and the lousy weather conditions slowed them down even more, but they finally arrived at their destination. Law gave another signal and the group spread out, hiding behind trees and boulders as they stared at the great metal wall in front of them; the wall that surrounded the marine base. The entrance was lit with two lights that came from the top of the two guard towers near the entrance. But the lights weren't static; instead they moved over the ground and forest in a semi-circle motion, lighting the area. There were at least six marine guards on the wall as far as Law could see.

"So how are we going to go in without being noticed?" Miyako whispered to her captain in a skeptical voice.

Law looked at his surroundings. The Marine base was a few meters away from the forest, on top of a big cliff so they couldn't circle around it and see if there was a back way in that was less guarded. Underneath the tall cliff was only the restless black sea, promising death to anyone who accidentally falls over. However there were enormous rocks and cliffs around the base, some even higher than the wall surrounding the base, protecting it somewhat from the harsh wind. Law noticed one of the rocks. It was bent over the base's wall and just perfect for his plan.

The captain smirked and Miyako blinked a bit in confusion seeing that face. Shachi and Penguin who also saw it only looked at each other knowingly. They already knew what that face meant; Law had a plan.

"On my mark, everybody run towards the wall." Law whispered but loud enough for the whole group to hear. Then he waited for the perfect position of both lights that were lighting up the grounds bellow. When the tall rock was in the darkness he created his Room. Luckily it was the dark of the night so nobody could see it. With a few slash motions of his nodachi, the captain cut up the boulder and released his room, making the rocks fall down onto the wall and the marines bellow. The rock was on the other side of the base than the pirate group which gave them the perfect distraction they needed to sneak near the marine base. As the rocks fell, both lights focused on that area and people's shouts of surprise and panic could be heard in the base. The marines ran to help their wounded comrades and to see what was going on, losing their focus on the surrounding area.

With one quick motion of his hand, Law signaled the rest of the group to follow his lead as they quickly ran through the small clearing and right beneath the stone base wall. However they only had less than a minute to find a way inside.

"How are we going to get inside? The marines will spot us soon if we stay here." Josh was nervously looking around in case there were some marine guards nearby.

"Leave that to me." Law made another room around the group, but this one was much smaller. Some of it was going inside the wall though and everyone looked at the captain with puzzled eyes, holding their breath to see what Law will do next.

"I've studied the blue prints of this base carefully and remembered every room. Behind this wall here is the storage room for weapons and such. There will probably be a guard on the outside of the door so when you come in, be sure to stay quiet and keep your eyes open." Law warned.

"But you still haven't told us the plan of actually going in." Miyako reminded him with a raised eyebrow. She doubted he would forget about such a thing, which only made her wonder more what the captain was up to.

Law ignored her comment and instead turned to Josh and Cody. "I can only teleport two people at the time for now so it will take a while. Cody-ya and Joshua-ya, you two will go first."

"Ok, teleport….Wait what?!" Josh's voice grew higher when his brain actually processed what his captain told them just now. The rest of the group looked equally surprised. Only Law stayed calm and not wide-eyed as he ignored the group's shock.

"It seems we will be disintegrated into millions of tiny particles and then put together in another spot by Captain's Ope Ope powers." Cody explained matter-of-factly as he quickly took a grasp of the situation as always.

However, Josh didn't look any less worried by Cody's explanation. If anything, the other medic looked even more unsettled. "What?! I don't want to be disintegrated or whatever! What if my body doesn't come back together properly? What if I'll have to live with my hand on top of my head for the rest of my life?!"

"If you're worried that you'll look ridiculous, don't worry, you've already got that covered." Miyako commented, earning a harsh glare from Josh which she simply shrugged off.

"oooh we're gonna die…Even if we don't get caught, before that we'll be disinter-something, and die." Bepo whined in his usual manner.

"Shut up Bepo!" Everyone shouted and earned a warning look from their captain for being to loud.

"I'm sorry." The bear answered.

There was a second of silence before Sai decided to continue their conversation on a more serious note.

"More importantly captain, you can't see where you're teleporting. What if you teleport someone inside of the wall. That would be instant death." Until now Sai was watching carefully on guard for any marines that could come this way, together with Shachi and Penguin, but after hearing about Law's teleportation plan he joined the conversation. After all, after hearing _teleportation_ from Law everyone's heads whipped to look at their captain to see if he was really serious. But as always, he was.

Law's face was completely calm even with the situation they were currently in and even with the rest of the group freaking out. "We only have a few seconds before the commotion dies out in the base and those lights start shining all around again with marines patrolling everywhere." Trafalgar pointed at the two high towers where the lights were still pointing at the commotion bellow to help light the area for the marines to help the wounded. "You can either argue here and get caught or be a pirate and listen to your captain." Even without asking, the choice was obvious.

"T-That's right. We trust you Captain!" Penguin said, a bit too loud, so Shachi elbowed him into the ribs and warned him to be quieter.

Josh and Cody looked at each other, then nodded and looked back at Law. "We're ready captain."

With a nod, Law who still had his Room up, lifted his hand and a few seconds later Cody and Josh disappeared.

"Did they make it?" Sai asked looking at the stone wall, though he couldn't see or hear anything on the other side.

"We'll know when we come there ourselves." Law simply said, looking at Penguin and Shachi who were next. Another movement of his hand and the two mechanics disappeared just like their friends before them. "Miss Miyako, Mister Sai, you two will go next."

Miyako shifted her weight on the other foot nervously as she looked at Law skeptically. It's not like she didn't trust him or thought he would do something bad to them but the whole concept of 'teleportation' as Cody described it, frightened her. Of course her pride would never let her admit it so she just kept quiet as Sai moved over to her so they could be teleported together.

"See you on the other side." Sai said while smiling slightly and adjusting the rifle strapped to the back of his shoulder.

Miyako could only smile nervously back to him but her expression showed obvious anxiety even without saying it. She didn't have time to change her mind though, because before she knew it she found herself in a dark room with old, stone walls. The walls seemed isolated with some kind of fabric, preventing humidity and dampness to come and ruin all the gunpowder and guns that were stored here. Miyako looked around the armory and it didn't take long for her to find the rest of the group hiding in the darkness. Only a few seconds later Law and Bepo appeared together next to her.

"Oh, we're alive. I thought we would die for sure." Bepo said, his black eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"Scardy cat." Penguin muttered to the first mate. Miyako however couldn't judge the polar bear since she also let out a sigh when she safely transferred to the other side. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until she relaxed after seeing everyone together again.

In the meantime, Law gave a questioning look to Josh who had one ear on the doors, trying to hear the guards outside. The redhead turned around and showed two fingers, indicating the number of guards he could hear talking outside in front of the doors. Their captain nodded and walked over to the doors, the rest of the crew following him.

Miyako gave him a questioning look, silently asking 'what now?' but instead of an answer Law just looked at Penguin and nodded. The mechanic grinned and came to the doors, then simply knocked on them. Muttered voiced and movement could be heard on the other side and when Penguin deemed it right, he suddenly opened the doors with as much force as possible. A sudden bang was heard as the doors hit one of the marine guards in the head while he was about to open them, knocking him out instantly. The other marine only had time to stare in shock at his fallen friend, mouth gaping open, before Cody hit him in the back of the neck, sending him into unconsciousness.

"Nicely done." Shachi grinned before helping the two medics to drag the two unconscious marines inside the armory room. A few minutes later, Cody and Josh came out dressed in marine uniforms while the real guards were tied and gaged, hidden behind some crates in the room.

"This actually isn't a bad look for me." Cody smirked as he adjusted the marine hat on his head so it would cover his face better. Josh didn't look as happy though since he had to wear a marine cap instead of his usual one. That fact only served to irritate the bad tempered redhead even more.

"Just let's get this plan done so I can get out of this uniform as soon as possible." Joshua growled as he too adjusted the hat over his eyes.

"You know the plan." Was all Law said before turning around and heading out with the rest of the group, proceeding carefully so they aren't noticed by the marines. But they needed to find their own disguises soon or they'll be seen for sure. This place was big but also full of marines running around.

"Good luck Captain." Cody said as the group was leaving.

"Yeah, and you better not do anything reckless, Crazy Girl." Josh added and smirked when he sat Miyako's back stiffen and her ears going red, though unsure whether it was from anger or embarrassment. However she didn't turn around and just ignored him as the group walked away.

~…~

"He just _had_ to say it, didn't he." Miyako growled through her teeth in a soft voice, trying to keep her voice low.

"Well it's Josh after all, so yeah, he _had_ to." Shachi shrugged as he answered in an equally quiet voice.

Right now the two of them were peeking around the corner, looking at the marine guards in the hallway. After the group left Cody and Josh near the armory to do their part of the plan, they sneaked down the hallways to get to another room where the marines kept additional uniforms for their recruits. Miyako had to admit she was a bit impressed with Law's memory capacity because he managed to remember the blueprints perfectly. He knew exactly where to go and what to do next. After the group each put on their marine disguises, the split up. Just like the two medics, every pair had their own job to do and Miyako's and Shachi's was to get to the control room and cut the den den mushi lines that monitored Vegupunk's lab, the most important room in the whole marine base , which also meant it was the most heavily guarded. Since Bepo and Law were too noticeable with Bepo being a bear and Law being a famous rookie pirate, not to mention the long nodachi he was carrying, instead of disguising, the two pirates hid and waited for Miyako's and Shachi's confirmation on the small den den mushi that each member was carrying.

"You know he can really get on my nerves sometimes. I mean, would it kill him to sometimes be nice to me…or at least keep his big mouth shut. What did I ever do to him anyway?" Miyako whispered as she totally ignored the serious situation they were in and continued to complain about Joshua's behavior. She and Shachi were still hiding, waiting for a group of some marines to finally stop talking to the guards of the control room and move away, so that the two of them could handle the guards and get in. Still it seems the group was talking about something for the last 10 minutes and just wouldn't move away.

"You mean besides hiding a frog inside his room, making him almost go crazy for two days?" Shachi mumbled though he was only half-listening to the girl and instead waiting for the right chance to strike at the marines.

Miyako chuckled a bit; "Yeah, that was funny…" She made an expression as if remembering some nostalgic good times.

Shachi bit his lip in mild frustration as he watched the marines. _*Move already! With every minute we wait here, the bigger chance it is Bepo and Captain will be discovered...or the rest of us and then the whole plan fails. If this continues we'll have to deal with all 6 of them…but can we move fast enough to beat them before they call for help? And there's a den den mushi monitoring the entrance of the doors….How do we get in without alarming the control room?*_

Miyako looked at Shachi's frustrated face. "You're not listening to me are you…?" She mumbled seeing he was totally focused on the group of marines.

"Sorry Miya-chan, if you want we can tape that redhead to the ceiling again, but right now we really have to focus on our task here." Shachi explained looking at the girl with a distressed expression.

Miyako sighed. "Yeah I suppose you're right." She slowly started to unsheathe her katana so it isn't heard by the marines.

"What are you doing?" Shachi's voice sounded strained and surprised, though he was still whispering.

"We can't waste our time here anymore, we need to move fast or the plan will be in danger." Miyako explained as she pulled her katana out, still in a crouching position and moved closer to the marines. Thankfully they were hiding behind the group's backs which made the task a bit easier. But there was still the whole den den mushi problem they needed to solve. "Besides, it's a wonder nobody came from the hallways and saw us yet but we won't stay that lucky forever. Now, can you do something about the den den mushi on the wall?"

Shachi thought about it for a second but decided Miyako was right. The time to move was now. He looked at the den den mushi. He didn't carry any weapons since he fought kung fu style just like Penguin and Bepo, so it made it harder for him to attack from a distance. _*I need something I can throw.*_He rummaged through his tool belt that he had around his waist and took out a thin screwdriver. *_That will have to do_.* He prepared himself and looked at Miyako. "On my signal, we move."

The samurai girl nodded and prepared her katana, still in a crouch, but ready to rush out at the marines.

"Now!" Shachi whispered and as soon as he did, he threw the screwdriver right at the den den mushi. The screwdriver hit it and the den den mushi closed its eyes and sagged, dead. At the same time as Shachi moved, so did Miyako. She leaped from her position and it only took her half a second to get to the marines. They didn't even realize it when the first three were struck. Just as the fourth one was about to open his mouth to say something, the hilt of the katana hit him in the throat, then she moved swiftly to the last two; one got the blunt side of the katana in his stomach, then Miyako quickly moved her hand and hit the marine next to her with the hilt of the katana in the ribs. Both marines fell down before her. The whole thing only lasted three seconds.

"I didn't kill anyone, I didn't want anyone to notice the blood later and suspect something." Miyako explained to Shachi who looked pleased at the way things ended.

"The marines inside are probably wondering why the den den mushi stopped working. You stay here and watch if anyone comes, I'll take care of things inside." Shachi said and heard the click as the doors of the control room started opening. Shachi waited leaning against the wall, then kicked the marine right into the face and into unconsciousness as the man peeked his head outside. Before the doors closed, Shachi barged in. All Miyako could hear were punches and kicks being thrown and a few grunts from the other marine before he fell onto the floor. The mechanic soon came out again and nodded to the girl. Miyako smirked and the two carried the rest of the unconscious marines inside.

Shachi looked the doors of the control room as they came in, but there was still the matter of eight marines to take care of. "Use their belts, shoelaces…anything you can find to tie them up and gag them."

The girl nodded as she did what she was told, while Shachi sat on the chair and looked at the monitors. On one monitor he saw Penguin and Sai moving towards the lower level of the base. The base was built on the cliff, but there were levels even inside the rock all the way down to the sea where there was a big artificial cave the marines made as a harbor. The cave had large metal doors that were currently closed to protect their ships from the big waves and bad weather. Penguin and Sai had their own part of the plan to execute as they headed down towards that lowest part of the big cave. But Shachi couldn't waste his time with monitoring them right now. Instead he talked into his small den den mushi that was strapped to his wrist. "Captain, we're in. I can see the laboratory on the monitor. You don't have to worry about the den den mushis anymore, but there are a number of marine guards on your way there. I will guide you through the safest route."

"Then I will be counting on you." Law's voice could be heard through the little den den mushi.

~…..~

Law and Bepo moved according to Shachi's instructions and luckily they managed to avoid the marine guards. The pirates would hide and wait till the guards patrolling would leave the area, then continue when Shachi said it was clear. However, as they got to the big metal corridor that led to large steel doors at the end, Law and Bepo stopped to work out their plan again. At the end of the corridor they saw two marine guards with rifles on their backs and swords tied to their waists as they guarded the locked doors that had LB-6 written in big black letters on them. By the information Law got from a certain grinning Shichibukai, this were the doors that separated them from Vegapunk's lab. It had one manual lock that needed to be opened by inserting a special card in a slot. Law even got the card from the said Shichibukai though he had no idea how Doflamingo got his hands on something so valuable. It seemed that being a Pirate Warlord really had its benefits. After that one lock, Law had to dial a certain code for the second lock to activate and then finally the hatch that needs to be opened so the doors would move.

"But Captain, how will we get close to the guards without alarming them. They have den den mushis too." Bepo was already showing a nervous expression, washing his paws against each other and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. If he were human there would be beads of cold sweat running down his face and back.

"Don't worry about that Bepo, just be ready to knock them out." The captain on the other hand didn't look worried at all. He had his usual calm, calculating face. However beneath that calm exterior even he couldn't deny he was feeling a little anxious about the whole situation. But who wouldn't be, in his place? He had his crew's lives in his hands and they were definitively not in a flattering position. And for what? Law remembered the sole reason why he was here; Doflamingo. Even if he was also very interested in the things Vegapunk is working on and what he will find behind these steel doors, even his own curiosity wouldn't have brought him here, risking the lives of his men. But Doflamingo's one word was more than enough. Law couldn't disobey him because he still needed the man to believe Law was on his side, working for him. He couldn't bring any suspicions on himself.

*_But what is Doflamingo working on? He must have a new project if he needs something like this…what could it be for?*_ Even though Law knew exactly what he needed to take from Vegapunk's lab, he wasn't given any details why such a thing was needed. *_Doflamingo must be very careful when he's not revealing his plans even to his subordinates…*_ Law thought about that and bit his lip. That was the other reason he was feeling anxious about. What was Doflamingo planning? It couldn't be anything good, coming from that sneering Shichibukai.

Putting his thoughts and suspicions aside for the time being, Law focused back on the marine guards in front of the doors. He moved his hand and gave Bepo a sideways glance, silently warning him to get ready. Bepo's nervous exterior was gone in an instant and instead replaced by a serious look. Law looked at the two guards and quietly said "Room". The thin blue film quickly enveloped both the two pirates and the marines.

"Wha-?" One of the marines blinked and looked at the strange blue space but he didn't have time to react. Before they could do anything, the two marines suddenly appeared in another place, right before two strange men….no, one was actually a bear. _Was that a real bear?_ It was the only thing they had time to think before a numbing pain spread through their bodies. One of the marines looked downwards, just to realize his head was floating away from his body. He opened his mouth to scream in shock but only a muffled sound came out as his lower jaw separated from the rest of the head. The marine was completely in pieces yet still alive and it didn't take him long to process that this was the work of a Devil Fruit's power. And there was only one person who could do such a thing…only one pirate. _*Trafalgar Law! He's here!*_ The man's eyes widened as that thought crossed his mind but unfortunately he couldn't do more than that as he was completely unable to move or make a noise.

Meanwhile the other marine guard didn't end up in a better position. As soon as Law teleported them, he appeared in front of a big white bear who gave him a hard enough punch in the stomach to make him spit saliva and all the air out of him. Before he could get back to his senses, the bear gave him another punch in the face, knocking him out instantly. "Ha-ya!" Bepo yelled as he finished his work in a kung-fu stance, a ferocious expression on his face.

"Bepo, don't be so loud." Law reprimanded his first mate, making the bear instantly move out of his fighting stance and into a bowing position with both hands by his sides.

"I'm sorry captain." The bear quickly responded with his ears down as if he was feeling depressed. But then again Bepo got easily depressed and had low self-esteem so Law wasn't surprised by the sudden change in his friend's demeanor. But as quickly as Bepo went into his depression, he got out of it as he looked back at Law; "Captain, what should we do with them?" He pointed at the two unconscious marines.

Law still had his room on so he just walked towards the doors, making the two bodies float after him. "We'll just lock them in the lab when we're done." He simply explained and instead focused on the big steel doors in front of him. Behind him he heard a low noise of awe coming from Bepo's mouth. Indeed it was awe-worthy; the doors seemed impenetrable. Luckily for Law he didn't have to use force to open them though he wondered briefly would his level of haki be enough to cut this doors down. He pulled out the hand-sizes card he got from Doflamingo in the package and ran it through the small machine near the doors. One of the lights on the doors that was red till now started glowing green suddenly. Next he typed in the code and another light changed color. Before he moved the hatch on the doors Law poke into his den den mushi. "Shachi, what's the situation? Are there any marines nearby?"

"No captain, it's safe to proceed." Shachi answered after a while, probably checking all the monitors connected to the numerous den den mushi around the base.

Law put all his strength to use to turn the hatch, which was usually done by two people, but after a while the hatch started moving and the big doors made a loud clicking sound as if the lock was turning. Bepo helped out and the two pulled the large doors open. Cold air and something akin to mist came out as the doors opened and Law realized the interior was much colder than the usual room temperature in the base.

"I guess they need to keep the temperature low to preserve the experiments inside. I'm glad I have my fur." Bepo said as he stepped inside. To him this temperature was perfect as it reminded him of home.

Law didn't seem to mind the cold either and the black long coat he was wearing helped to protect him as well. He stepped after Bepo and looked at the room. The room was dim, with only a few lights working and some of them blinking which only created an even gloomier atmosphere. Even though the laboratory was still in use it seemed that Vegapunk didn't visit it for a long time. *_What a waste.*_ Law thought as he looked around the large room. There were a lot of items and experiments in glass jars and machines but as much as Law wanted to analyze and look at all of them, he didn't have the time. He needed to find what he was looking for and get out.

"Bepo, try to find where Vegapunk keeps his research papers." Law ordered as he stared into one of the big glass jars that was connected to a machine with big cables. The cables had some blue liquid which they constantly led into the jar. There was something meaty and unidentifiable inside that pulsated like a heart. Was it something alive? Law couldn't tell. He examined a jar but there was only a metal plate that said Ex-55 on it. _*No, I can't waste my time on this.*_

Just as Law turned and was about to look for the reason he was here, Bepo called behind him. "Captain, look." Law turned to see the first mate standing beside a metal cabinet with a folder in his paws. "The research papers." Bepo explained though it was already pretty obvious.

"Good work Bepo." Law said as he rushed to the cabinet, his sharp eyes already focusing on the numerous folders as he searched the right one. After a few minutes of searching since Vegapunk had full cabinets of folders, the scientist was really working on a lot of things here, Law finally found the one.

"Devil fruits! It's here!" He exclaimed triumphally before opening the folder. It was thick but Law knew how to read fast and extract only the important facts and words out to get the whole picture. The pirate skimmed through the papers. His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he understood what this research was about. "This is…." Law muttered though he was too into it to even finish the sentence.

Seeing such an uncharacteristic look on his Captain's face, Bepo got worried and came closer to Law. "Captain? What's wrong?"

At first Law didn't even seem to hear Bepo's voice, then suddenly the man looked at Bepo with a strange expression as if he was deep in thought. "Captain?" once again the bear called, somewhat unsure, as he tipped his head to the side in wonder. You could almost see the question mark above his head as Bepo looked at Law with a puzzled expression.

Suddenly the alarm went off and red lights started blinking everywhere. Law came out of his trance as he pulled out his small den den mushi. "Shachi! What's going on?!"

"I'm sorry captain, we've been found out!" Shachi yelled on the other side and Law could hear some strange thumping noises on the other side.

"They're trying to get into the control room!" It was Miyako's voice who was only a few steps away, trying to hold and barricade the doors of the control room.

"We don't have control here anymore, they switched to manual control. They're trying to close us in the base by shutting all the doors! Get out of the lab captain!" Shachi yelled before grunting as he tried to hold out the doors.

Law switched to a shared line of the den den mushi so the rest of the group could hear him too. "We've been found out. Everyone proceed as planned! We're leaving, now!" After he heard confirmation voice on his den den mushi, Law turned towards a loud sound. The doors of the lab were closing. "Tch" He made an irritated expression and looked at the folder one last time then looked up to examine the lab's insides.

"Captain, we need to go!" Bepo was already jumping from one leg to the other in nervousness.

"There's still one thing I need to take." Law said with his usual calm look and he walked to the other side of the lab. He knew there was no good in panicking; and Bepo was doing that enough for both of them. He saw a machine with some vials in it and took one of them. It had Ex –Dv – 5 written on it; but there didn't seem to be anything inside. However Law knew better; it was the vial that was related to the Vegapunk's research Doflamingo wanted and inside it was gas. Law quickly took two vials along with the folder and put everything in the inside of his coat.

"Captain!" Bepo yelled. He was already at the lab's doors, trying to hold the doors from shutting. But they were too big for him to completely stop.

Law walked towards the doors taking his nodachi on the way, which was resting against one of the research tables, then rushed out along with Bepo before the doors closed completely. The polar bear sighed in relief as they came out of the lab in time.

"Don't celebrate yet Bepo." Law warned and the said bear looked up to see a dozen of marine soldiers running up to them and surrounding them. They all prepared their rifles aiming at the two pirates.

"Pirate Trafalgar Law, bounty; 360 000 000 Beli! Surrender yourself this instant!" One of the marine who looked like he had a slightly higher rank then the rest of the soldiers of the group used a stern voice as best as he could to yell at Law. However his voice was shaky and his face became even sweatier when Law looked straight at him. The man was obviously afraid of the pirate captain and who wouldn't be after all the stories and rumors going around about the Heart Pirates and their merciless captain.

"Oh captain, your bounty went up again! Congratulations!" Bepo totally ignored the tense atmosphere of the situation as he praised his captain with an impressed voice.

"So it seems. Well we have been destroying a lot of marine ships as of late." Law answered, ignoring the marines and their orders. What were they even thinking, ordering him to surrender? Who in their right mind would actually do that just because their enemies said so_? *These guys are always so naive…* _

At first the men seemed confused by the lack of response coming from the two pirates but as they realized they were completely ignored, that confusion turned into anger. The one in charge gritted his teeth as he glared at Law. "You bastards…" Then suddenly he raised his hand in the air as a signal. "Shoot them!"

However before they could actually shoot, the marines realized they didn't have anything to shoot with. "huh?" The marine officer blinked as there was only silence and then the sound of murmuring and finally panicking from his men. Only then did they realize they were in some kind of blue field.

"T-The guns! They're gone!" one of the marines shouted.

"And not just our guns! Our den den mushi too!" the other added.

"Look!" someone shouted and pointed at a pile of guns and communication devices right behind Law and Bepo, away from the marines' reach.

Law gave the men that infamous smirk of his and there was a taunting look in his dark eyes. "If you want them, come and get them." He teased and showed at the pile with one hand while clutching his nodachi and pulling it out of its sheath with the other.

"D-don't let him distract you! We still have our swords!" The officer yelled and pulled out his saber, the rest of the group mimicking him. "Let's go men!" With a shout that was even stronger than the alarm sirens of the base, the men charged at the two pirates as if going to battle already prepared for death.

Law only sighed as he slashed the air a couple of times. In a disappointingly quick amount of time, the battle was already over without the marines even being able to come close to the pirate captain. Their swords fell on the ground with clinking noises when the men realized they were missing their lower bodies and other parts as well.

"Shambles." With that one word, the whole world started spinning for the marines and they soon found themselves attached to different body parts, which weren't their own, and definitively in the wrong places. Finally, when Law removed his Room, the suffering marines fell to the floor unable to move. All their could do was shout and curse in fear but it all fell on deaf ears as Law and Bepo calmly proceeded through them and down the hall.

* * *

><p>Ok, I'm stopping here. I wanted to write some more but then I have a feeling I'd just keep writing and never finish and I really wanted this to be done and uploaded today. .<p>

As always, you can leave your reviews and comments/questions and I will respond to them at the end of my next chapter. Or you can just message me for an immediate response. Bye bye guys, and have a great summer! :D

Now for some answers to reviews (I'll try to keep it short);

**JustChan: **Sorry I made you wait so long. To me those three months went by in a rush, I didn't even realize it was that long since I last posted. About the theory; well even though Miyako was a protégée of one of the Wano samurai she isn't a politically important person (nor politically involved) so Wano wouldn't have a reason to negotiate with Akainu over her. But I won't say anything more so to not spoil the upcoming story. :) About Miyako's feeling for Law and the rest of the crew; they keep evolving and increasing but she's not quite _there _yet. ;)

**reddevil47: **Wow, that's tall! o.o

**TheHeart'sCompass: **Thank you very much for your support. ^^ I will try writing even more in the future.

**Chococatx33:** Thank you. I really like writing fighting scenes so I get into them (maybe sometimes too much :P) Since this story is rated T so I can't put a lemon, the best I can do is write an implication of their first time but nothing I can actually describe. ^/^

**Lagadema: **Haha Sounds like I got you hooked on Miya-chan. XD Unfortunatelly there's not much of her in this chapter, but instead we have Law acting all cool, which isn't bad either. :P

**Hiragizawa: **Yay :D Once again thanks for the awesome Miyako drawing~

**Christmasloot: **haha Yes! I got the idea from Slenderman for Abaddon. I wanted him to be as creepy as possible. :D

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yeah, a part of me reeeeally itched to make this into a ghost story but everything 'weird' in One Piece is always explained with Devil Fruit powers so I didn't want to stray too much from that. I guess I'll just have to do a Halloween Special with more freedom and more monsters then. :D Yep, Benny solidified only a part of himself that accessed right into the brain and applied pressure on that spot so they would lose consciousness.

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it and it's you, the readers, that keep me going, wanting to constantly evolve into a an even better writer and do my best. :)

Well I'll have to stop here even though I would very much like to answer to all of your comments. However I _can_ tell you all how grateful I am to each and every one of you and you're reviews that you post (be it suggestions, criticism or simply support) because you also give me the will and inspiration to continue writing (like you did now even when I was thinking of quitting). I hope I will be able to meet everyone's expectations in the future and make this story even better for all of you. Thank you~


	42. Chapter 42

"**I don't like you!" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

It's done! So happy I was finally able to finish it; I've been writing it little by little every day. Slowly but diligently I guess. ^^' Life is hectic right now so I'm really sorry for the wait but I'm trying my best to continue writing this fanfic even if it will have to proceed slow. As you know this is the final part of the final Arc before departing for the New World. :D I'm really excited to start writing about the New World and hopefully Oda sensei will show us more about Law's past and Doflamingo so I'll have more material for my fanfic too. :P

Since I was quite in the hurry to post this (it's 3am here right now) I haven't finished proofreading all the parts so I apologize if there are still some grammatical mistakes left. I'll get to proofreading it as soon as possible.

Enjoy and have fun reading it! :D

**Disclaimer: **This is a LawxOC story, rates T for blood and language. I do not own One Piece or any OP characters, but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 42<strong>

Miyako was desperately trying to hold the only doors that were separating Shachi and her from the group of marines outside. The control room was small and the only way out were the metal doors that were currently barricaded with a few chairs, with Miyako and Shachi holding them.

"What do we do?" Miyako looked at the mechanic and one of the most trusted Law's men in the crew. The older mechanic always seemed to know what to do in desperate situations, probably due to his long experience working with Law and being at sea.

Shachi thought for a while then nodded as if confirming an idea in his head. "For now we proceed working on plan B for the escape." As he said that, Shachi went back to the control panel.

"What are you going to do? They already cut us off and switched to manual. What can you do?" Miyako looked puzzled at Shachi but didn't have time for confusion as she noticed there were dents forming in the metal door. It won't hold for much longer. The marines must've given up using brute force of their bodies and started using brains instead; the must've taken something to help them break down the door more easily. "We don't have much time, whatever you want to do, do it fast! If we get surrounded here and cut off from the group we'll lose are chance of escaping."

"Believe me, I already know." Shachi murmured as he worked on the control panel. "They put the system for locking and opening all the gates to manual but they don't have the power to do that for everything." As he explained, he typed a few more times on the control panel. "This is something Sai showed me for this mission." He pushed the final button and suddenly all the lights and the monitors went down. In a second everything was engulfed in complete darkness and both pirates had to wait a moment for their eyes to get used to the dark. It didn't help much though.

"You cut off the power." It was said more as a statement than a question. It was pitch black and Shachi could only notice Miyako's outlines and a gleam of her bright eyes, reminding him of the nickname she was given by the marines.

Shachi nodded. "It is only a matter of time before the marines pull themselves together and run the back-up generators for power but at least we'll give everyone some time to move out. It'll be easier to hide for us in the darkness.

"Well that's nice for the others, but that won't help our current situation." Miyako said but then stiffened. Something was wrong. She didn't notice it before because she was focused on Shachi's ministrations but now that she thought about it_…*Isn't it too quiet? The marines stopped trying to break in…why? Did the loss of power confuse them?* _She looked back at Shachi as if searching for some conformation in his expression that her suspicions were real. She couldn't see him clearly and his face was covered in his usual sunglasses and hat anyway but his body looked stiff just like hers. As if he was trying to hear what was going on out there, the mechanic moved carefully to the door and leaned on the metal surface with his face.

"There's something…like a hissing sound?"

Just as the words left his mouth, both Miyako and Shachi understood immediately and looked at each other with wide eyes before leaping away from the door. "Under the table!" Shachi yelled as both of them crawled there just in time.

The loud explosion pierced their ears and was followed by the big metal doors slamming in the opposite wall of the control room. Debris and dust was everywhere. Miyako tried her best to curl under the table and cover her ear and eyes but she could still feel pieces of what she could only guess was the wall hitting her as they flew from the blast.

As the situation finally quieted down, the samurai girl coughed from all the dust in the air and slowly opened her eyes to check her surroundings. By now the marines were already hurrying inside the room with their guns and swords out. Luckily it as still dark so her and Shachi weren't really visible as they were hiding under the table of the control panel.

"Are you alright?" She heard the mechanic's voice not far from her.

"Still alive at least." Miyako whispered back, checking for any injuries but she felt neither pain nor could see any blood on her.

Two flashes of light appeared as the marines used their flashlights to look around and find the pirates in hiding. One of the marines stepped forward with his sabre out and yelled into the darkness. "Heart Pirates, we know you are in here! Surrender at once, you have nowhere to run! You're trapped like rats here!" There was obvious sneer in his voice even if it could hardly be seen due to darkness.

There was no response. But suddenly a shadow moved through the darkness. One of the marines quickly turned the flashlight in that direction but there was nothing there. The figure had already disappeared. The marine swallowed loudly in the quiet room and moved onwards though very cautiously. Suddenly another shadow passed, this time right through the light and the marines fired at it instantly. But as soon as it was seen, the figure was gone and swallowed into the darkness again.

"They're too fast!" One of the marines holding the flashlight said.

"Tch. Give me that!" The man who yelled before and who was obviously in chair grabbed the flashlight from one of the young marines and stepped forward fearlessly. He scanned the room carefully but a scream of pain from behind interrupted his actions.

The marines quickly turned around but only saw an unmoving body on the floor. It was one of the marines. His colleague knelt down to examine him. "Sir, his dead…he's throat has been cut."

The leader gritted his teeth in anger. "Those bastards…"  
>Just then, another sound was heard. This time it sounded like a blunt sound as something hit the floor. Everybody turned to see another body on the floor, it's neck bent in an unnatural way.<p>

"Hiiie! They're picking us one by one in the dark! They're gonna kill us!" One of the younger marines started panicking but was grabbed by his collar by the commander. The tall middle aged man with a neatly-combed big beard and piercing eyes stared fiercely at the young marine.

"What are you panicking for you little shit?! Who loses his cool dies; it's as simple as that! If you don't wanna die, get your shit together, stop pissing your pants and do something useful! You understand that marine!?"

"Y-Yes sir!" It seems the youngster soon replaced his fear of pirates with the fear of his commander. He sighed in relief as the bigger man released him not-so-gently and turned to use his flashlight again.

"Everybody, form a circle! No more surprises behind our backs." As the commander ordered, the marines went into a circle formation to protect each other's backs and were carefully scanning their surroundings. They were aiming at the darkness with their rifles but there was nothing out of the ordinary around them…or at least it seemed that way. Everything was eerily quiet, not a shadow in sight.

"Where are they!?"

"Did they already escape through the entrance?"

"No, there are guards outside. They would have sighted them and alarmed us."

"This suspense is killing me! Where are you bastards?! Show yourselves already!"

But they got no response. Everything was still quiet. It was as if the pirates were purposely prolonging this, letting the marines stew in their own fears and doubts. Together with the growing impatience, it was making the marines more nervous by the second.

Suddenly there was a cracking sound of glass on the right and all the marines quickly turned in that direction. The commander of the group lit the space with his flashlight and all the men fired at once. But they made a mistake. Their thin nerves and impatience produced by being picked off by the enemy in the dark made them jumpy and too rash. Their guarded formation broke as all of them turn to fire into the darkness even though there seemed to be nothing there anymore but it was enough to leave their backs open and unprotected once again.

The commander soon noticed the folly of his men and tried to get them back in line. "Get back in formation you fools!" But it was already too late.

A gleam of steel flashed through the darkness, followed by two piercing, golden orbs. That was the last thing the two marine saw before they felt the pain of a sword cutting into their flesh and soon an endless darkness engulfed them. Before anyone had time to react, an equally quick flash of white came at them from the side and in a second tripped one of the marines by kicking him in the shin, taking his gun in the process and striking him with the stock of a rifle hard enough to break the jaw. The marine next to the now unconscious one quickly turned around as he heard the blunt sound but as he turned, he got shot right in the chest. The shot echoed throughout the dark room, sending chills to marines' spines. The two pirates didn't waste time as they once again pulled back and disappeared as quickly as they attacked just moments before. Once again they retreated into the darkness.

"H-How can they even be so organized when they can't even communicate with each other here?" One for the marines asked in shock. True enough, any whisper would be heard in room where everything was so silent and echoed.

"And it's like they can see us in the dark even though we can't see them." Another said, looking around nervously. "What are they?!"

The commander watched his men as they were slowly losing to their fears. He needed to get them to focus again and fast. *_It's not so shocking as you guys might think…If my Intel is right then the ones we're fighting with are Shachi, one of the first crewmembers of the Heart Pirates and Burning-Eyed Miyako, the samurai from Wano. We don't have much information about her yet but it seems she can at least use Kenbunshoku Haki, which explains how she can move so well in the dark and pinpoint my men. They are both strong members of the Heart Pirates even though it pains me to admit it. It's obvious how they work…It's just plain teamwork. They judge the situation and decide on the best course of action but they also know what the other one will do even without communicating with them. So they know what to do and just act on it…they work separately each from their position but they're so well synchronized they still end up working together when attacking. They just have to trust the their partner and believe in what the other will do.* _

"At this rate we'll-" One of the marines started, cutting off the commander's thoughts.

"That's enough." The said commander didn't even let his subordinate finish that ominous sentence. His voice was surprisingly calm. "We're not dealing with amateurs, we're dealing with the Heart Pirates after all. I didn't think we would have to do this but…We have to call for backup. We have to call _them_." The commander didn't look nor sound pleased about what he said at all. You would expect some kind of relaxation when the word back up was involved but it only seemed to make the tension around the men grow more. The men looked at each other with uncertain expressions. Then one of them took out his den den mushi and said something in it.

"Listen carefully men! Our objective now is to slow these bastards down as much as possible. We need to keep them here! Nobody leaves this control room until _they_ arrive, you hear!" The commander stared fiercely at his six remaining men.

"Aye, sir!" The marines seemed to strengthen their resolve.

"In the end, it's just like he said it will be…" The commander mumbled to himself before taking out his custom made sword in one hand and holding a holster in the other.

And just then as the group finally pulled itself together a little, a voice was heard for the first time. It was a woman's voice, cold and sharp as the sword she wielded. "Have you decided to get more serious? In that case, it is time for us to get serious too. We can't waste any more time on you here."

The marines opened their eyes wide as they searched for the direction of the voice. The commander gulped as he thought of something. *_It's impossible_* Even so he looked up and moved his flashlight to follow. Just as he did, for only a second he saw the woman on the ceiling, holding onto the lamp with one hand and clutching a sword ready to swung at them in the other. He only had time to yell out of word as the woman leaped down at them with her katana in front of her. "FIRE!" The guns of the still shocked and confused marines filled the room with noise and gun powder while the metal of the incoming sword reflected in their eyes, coming closer and closer down on them.

~…..~

"Huh? Did you just hear something? It sounded like screams."

Two marine guards were standing in front of the armory.

"Hm..the lights went down. It seems it's time for Plan B." The other, much taller marine said in a thoughtful voice.

The shorter one grinned as his eyes seemed to have a mischievous sparkle in them. "I guess we better get ready then too."

On better inspection the two marines looked very similar to certain two head medics of the Heart Pirates crew. The one known as Joshua scratched his head over the marine cap, some of his messy red hair falling down on his face out of the confinements of the hat.

"Let's go then." The taller one, with strangely colored, light blue, hair grinned as well and took out what looked like a lock pick. He crouched down at the lock of the armory door and started working.

"Will you be able to do this in the dark?" Josh questioned rather skeptically.

"Don't doubt my abilities. Go stand guard instead." Cody answered still smirking confidently.

~…..~

"Captain, captain, the power is out!" The polar bear walked quickly after his captain, nervously looking all around him. Due to his animal vision, he could see much better than the humans and even Law, but that didn't seem to lighten up his nervous emotions.

"Yes, I see that Bepo." Law simply answered and continued walking as if the darkness wasn't bothering him one bit. "Since we've already been discovered, Shachi must've moved to Plan B."

"Will we really be alright?" Bepo sounded even more depressed than usual. He was worried for his nakama, of course. He didn't like this place one bit. There was an eerie sensation coming from this research laboratory. He didn't know what Vegapunk was researching here but a part of him didn't want to know.

His captain was silent for a while. It only made Bepo more nervous, but then he suddenly spoke. "Bepo, have trust in your nakama. They've all become much stronger now."

For a while, the first mate seemed surprised, but then a feeling of slight shame crept inside him. How could he even doubt that his friends wouldn't be alright. Of course they would! "Of course captain! I believe in them!" There was no uncertainty in his strong voice now.

_*tap tap tap* _

A sound of someone approaching echoed through the dark, seemingly empty hall. Both Law and Bepo turned their heads towards the sound. There was a hallway on their right, connecting to theirs and just as dark. But at the end there was a shape, an outline standing in the dark.

Bepo was the first to recognize the shape as his eyes worked better in the dark than Law's. "It's a person!" He exclaimed.

"Indeed I am." By the voice the two pirates could decipher he was a man. His voice sounded light and relaxed; you could almost hear the clear amusement in it. The shape in the dark started moving and the man walked towards them. His pace didn't seem cautious at all; he just strolled towards them as if he saw old friends he wanted to greet.

On the other hand, Bepo was already stiff and ready for anything. Law looked more relaxed but his sharp eyes were cautiously following every movement the man made, ready to dodge or attack if need be.

When the man got close enough for Law and Bepo to see him, they noticed he was wearing a marine uniform. But it wasn't the usual kind; he's uniform was black instead of pure white and the marine logo was a bloody color of red. He had a red and black jacket over his shirt and a same colored cap on his head. The cap hid his eyes from view until he looked up at the two pirates, showing two amused brown orbs and a grin on his face. He looked like the whole situation was amusing to him, as if he was aware of something that Law and Bepo didn't know about.

Law certainly didn't like the look on that man's face. He's whole persona was showing that he was different than the rest of the plain marines in this place. "Who are you?" Law knew they didn't have time for chit-chat but he also knew this guy won't just leave them be without a fight.

"Me? You could say I'm….reinforcements." As he said the last sentence, the young man's grin got even wider.

~…~

Miyako cleaned the blood of her katana with a piece of the marine's shirt before putting the sword back into its sheath. She was standing outside of the control room, two marine guards at her feet. They were supposed to let no one and nothing in or out of the room, but the two pirates proved too much of a challenge for them after all. After taking care of a surprisingly stubborn group of marines in the control room, Shachi and Miyako went to deal with the ones outside, finally free to proceed with their plan of escape.

The mechanic soon joined Miyako by her side as he made sure all the marines were taken care of. "We should go. I still remember what that big marine commander said into his den den mushi and I don't like it; I think they were expecting someone to come help them."

Miyako nodded, agreeing with the man "Yes, good thing we were fast enough before that happens. We don't need anything else slowing us down." As she said that Miyako felt the familiar feeling with her observational Haki, as if something was approaching. She only had a second to turn her head in that direction as they saw a bright light coming towards them through the darkness.

"Get away!" Shachi yelled and jumped, together with Miyako, as the explosion suddenly destroyed the ground under their feet.

Miyako coughed as the dust and smoke engulfed her lungs for a while and clouded her vision. Her eyes that were already so used to the darkness hurt from the bright flash that blinded her for a second. The blast had knocked her down on the ground and she needed some time to pull herself together, but then she was surprised to suddenly see the damage that explosion made. Next to her was a big hole and the corridor was missing for a good 10 meters. Underneath, in the hole were the floors ruins and Miyako looked down to see something white trapped inside them. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. "Shachi!" She yelled but got no response. Then after a few seconds that seemed like hours, a visible hand finally moved indicating he was alive. Miyako let out the breath she was unconsciously holding. "Shachi are you ok?!"

The mechanic coughed much like she did previously and then moved again. With a little bit of grunting he managed to shove a piece of a big rock from his and get himself out of the ruins. "I'm alright!" He yelled back after hearing the worry in Miyako's voice. But soon after he said that he realized that his leg was stuck under a particularly big boulder. For now it was just stuck between some rocks but Shachi knew if he tried to shove that heavy boulder away, it would crush he's leg right away. The only option was for someone to lift it but it was too heavy and he couldn't even try it in his current sitting position. "Uhh….scratch that. I'm stuck!"

"Stuck….?" Miyako gasped out, looking at her friend down below.

"Miyako, get the captain! With his ope ope powers he'll have no problem taking care of this boulder. It's too heavy for you to lift it by yourself anyway." Shachi looked up at Miyako and then down at his own den den mushi, which was completely destroyed by the fall. "I would do it myself but…"

Miyako knew the mechanic was right and that they had to hurry. They had already lost too much of precious time here and the more they stay in this base the more harder it will be for them to escape it. She knew all that but…For quite some time she was noticing someone coming towards her and by the killing intent she could feel around them, she knew she could neither leave or do anything. She stood up slowly as a big silhouette appeared through the smoke, once again unsheathing her katana. Her expression instantly became colder and harder, her eyes piercing towards the unknown man. _*I'm sorry Shachi, just wait here for a while…I'll get help soon.*_

The heavy footsteps rang throughout the hall and soon as the smoke cleared out a man stepped in front of Miyako. He was on the edge of the hole dividing the hallway, while Miyako was on the other side. He was big and muscular, a big marine coat draped on his bare shoulders like a cape. Instead of snow white, it was black with a red marine symbol on it. His eyes were covered by sunglasses even though it was dark here and there was a big scar on his face, beginning from the top of his forehead all the way down to across one side of his mouth. His face looked gruff and unshaved, with silver hair that showed his middle-age. But even if he was around 40tish, he was far from weak or elderly. His toned body showed it clearly since he wasn't wearing a shirt, probably because it was hard to find one big enough for his torso. But what caught Miyako's eye the most was a large weapon that he held in one hand and against his shoulder. It looked like a large cannon made from metal and wood. There was smoke coming out if it, indicating it was used recently. *_Must be what made this explosion…it's powerful.* _Miyako narrowed her eyes but the cold, piercing look still remained as she stared at the man silently.

„Ooh, what do we have here? Little missy, you're not one of the marines." The man finally talked in a deep, rumbling voice. A small smirk formed on his lips.

„To be honest, you don't look like the rest of the marines yourself." Miyako answered shortly in a rather cold tone, not wanting to waste time on idle chit-chat.

The man grinned at her words, which made the vains on his thick neck pop out. „I guess we are not your ordinary marines, you can say we're...special forces." The man's smirk never left his face.

„We?" That part interested Miyako but also gave her a bad feeling. *_Are there more of these guys around? I can't let them get close to Shachi...but we can't waste anymore time here either.*_ Miyako's eyes narrowed. _*It doesn't matter…I'll have to take them all down no matter how many of them are there.*_

"Hehe yeah…_We_. But don't worry yourself Little missy. For a girly like you, I am more than enough."

Miyako narrowed her eyes again, this time because of the man's patronizing tone and words. "Do not underestimate a samurai from Wano, even if they are female. Or you will regret your words dearly." The warning was accompanied by a suddenly heavy tension in the air, as Miyako released her warrior's spirit towards her opponent, filled with killing intent.

"Ooh, you're pretty serious. Did I offend you? But I wonder if you can really do it…after all it seems you're too distracted to fight me openly. Could it be because of your friend down there?" The man's smirk turned into a wide grin and even though Miyako couldn't see his eyes due to the sunglasses, she was sure he had a sadistic expression on his face. It was clear as she felt the sudden killing intent coming from him like earlier. "Then…should I help you focus…by getting rid of that distraction first?"

Miyako instantly realized what he meant as he aimed his portable cannon down the hole and towards the mechanic. "Shachi!" The light flashed again, blinding and painful as the first time.

The explosion echoed through the halls along with the bright light. Then no sooner as it begun, the light disappeared and everything went quiet. The man was still standing at the edge of the hole, looking down. He whistled as if impressed, but coming from him it only sounded mocking. "I'm impressed you managed to do that…"

Miyako was now standing down below, in front of Shachi who was staring at the scene with a surprised expression, propping himself up on his elbows as far as his trapped leg would let him. The girl was standing protectively in front of him, shielding him from any more upcoming attacks from above. She had her trusty katana out and holding it in front of herself with both hands.

The man just looked down at both of them as if looking at two bugs in need for squashing. "Who would've thought you'd be strong enough to cut through it. Little missy isn't as weak and helpless with that sword as I previously thought, hm? But if you managed to do that then you already know right…? The extent of my power."

Shachi looked up the samurai girl and noticed her hands were gripping tightly at her katana and shaking pretty fiercely. "Miya-chan…?" There was obvious worry in his voice as he softly called out for her.

Miyako never turned her eyes away from her enemy as she continued to glare upwards even as she spoke back to Shachi. "I'm fine Shachi-san. That guy uses his own haki as his weapon. The cannon is only a conduct, which makes his haki accumulate and then adds pressure before firing it out."

"Wha-? You mean he has been firing his haki at us?!" Shachi's eyes widened under his sunglasses. "But to create such massive explosions…what kind of crazy amount of haki does he have?! How can he use so much of it. Even captain would be out cold if he used _that_ much!"

Miyako swallowed hard at Shachi's words, knowing he was right. She nodded in agreement. "When he tried to attack you, I managed to cut at his haki with my own, using my sword. You could say the principle is the same. However, that blast of haki was so strong I thought my hands would break just from cutting it. They're still shaking…" Miyako looked down at her hands for a moment, trying hard to make her hands stop shaking and calm her breath down. But that impact was so strong she could still feel the aftermath in her arms. Even her shoulders felt slightly numb. "If I do that one more time…I'm not sure I would be strong enough to cut through it next time." Miyako pictured herself disappearing inside that big explosion, her body tearing to shreds. She quickly chased away those thoughts before fear started to consume her…Samurai were never to let their emotions get the best of them in a match, or else they would become completely useless. That's one of the first things her master taught her.

"Shachi-san, how is your leg, is it broken? Can you walk?" The girl turned to other topics, making her forget for a while the ominous feeling in her gut.

"I don't think it's broken, but it does hut a lot…my ankle might be sprained but I am no doctor. But that doesn't matter as long as this piece of rock is here." The mechanic gritted his teeth with a frustrated expression as he stared at the boulder keeping his leg in place.

"I'm going to try and cut that boulder. It'll be risky and I have to be careful not to cut your leg but...it's a better chance than staying trapped her with this guy trying to kill us."

"You're going to cut rock? B-but...can you do that?" There was uncertainty in Shachi's voice, perhaps due to the fact he never saw Miyako cut something so hard before, or perhaps if she fails his leg will be cut clean off. And they didn't have time to stop the bleeding...the weird marine guy would kill them before that. So if Miyako fails, he's options were; either die by a cannon loaded with some insanely strong haki or by blood loss. Shachi gulped at the thought. Neither sounded attractive to him.

Miyako looked at him with a small, reassuring smile. "It's not '_can I?' _I have to. I won't let you die, Shachi-san."

For a while Shachi was silent, as if looking at the girl in slight surprise. Then suddenly he turned his head away, blushing like an idiot and with a foolish wide grin on his face. "Miya-chan, when you say it like that…and with that face..hehe…" He couldn't stop the grin on his face getting wider as he looked away embarrassingly.

That made Miyako lose her focus for just a second as she too felt the stung of embarrassment due to the mechanic's odd behavior all of a sudden. "S-Shachi-san, this isn't the time for that! Be serious!" The girl scolded the grinning man loudly, reminding him of the situation they were in.

"Oy, oy, do you really think you have time to look away and mess around?" The gruff voice of the large marine echoed through the dark room and Miyako noticed movement up in the shadows where the men stood. He was preparing to fire again.

She remembered the beginning of her training, when her master gave her a wooden pole to practice on. "_When you are able to make a clean cut through it, come to me again."_ With those words he left her in the backyard of his dojo. And she did stay…practicing all through the night. Practicing for days and still unable to cut it. She remembered that the frustration had brought her to the brink of tears; the first time she really felt like crying in her life of 8 years. After a while her muscles were so sore and her bloody hands so wounded from broken blisters she could barely hold the heavy katana, which was made for adults in the first place. When she thought she couldn't handle it anymore she heard a laugh behind her and quickly turned around.

"_Hahaha, giving up already, runt?"_ Her master walked to her, amused at the sight, which she found completely cruel.

"_Master, I can't do it! It's impossible!" _

"_Hn, so you're going to give up, runt? Well I suppose that's alright. This just shows the extent of your seriousness and ability. If this is all you can do, it just means this is all the work you are willing to give into this." _As he said that, her master didn't show any anger or disappointment in his voice or expression. And yet, it was still enough to sting at her heart deeply. Suddenly she felt the urge to fight once again.

"_I-I'm not giving up! There's no way this stupid piece of wood will beat me!" _A new fire was born inside of the 8 year-old girl's heart.

Suddenly her master grinned as if pleased. "_Is that so, that's good then."_ He came closer and took the katana from Miyako's hands. "_Listen, kid. All you need is will! Even before you become a swordsman…no, even before you become a decent human, it all starts with will!"_

"_Will_?" Miyako blinked at him puzzled as she looked up at her master, suddenly intrigued.

The man nodded and grinned again. "_That's right! If you have the will, the will to move on, the will to cut, nothing can stand in your way! It is the will you need, to become strong. Until one day when there will be nothing you can't cut down on your path!"_

As her master spoke, Miyako's eyes widened and gleamed in excitement as if she was a child listening to the most magical bedtime story. But for her, this man's words were even more than that. It was something she would remember and cherish forever….something that helped her pave her way of the samurai. "_Like the will to be strong…I'll definitively do it, master! I will become strong! Strong enough to make my own destiny! I will become a samurai you can be proud of and nobody will say that I am just a girl anymore!_" Little Miyako's eyes were full of determination now, all pain from before long forgotten.

Her master looked a bit surprised by the sudden outburst but didn't let it show. Instead he roughly ruffled the girl's hair. _"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid! You need to eat much more rice before you can even utter such words!"_ He turned around and walked away, leaving Miyako with the pole she had yet to cut in half. The girl watched her master as he disappeared but never saw the well hidden smile that was lingering on his face.

Miyako cursed under her breath as she saw the big marine preparing to fire again and then looked back at the boulder. _*That's right, I have the will…I have the will to protect my friend! And with that, there is nothing that can stand in my way! This little rock is nothing!* _Miyako swung down at the rock, with force but still careful to stop the katana at the right moment, before it goes into Shachi's leg. It needed a lot of self-restraint and good judgment being able to stop at the right time but Miyako had no doubt in her heart now.

Only seconds later, the marine shot his cannon again, the bright light enveloping everything for the third time. But by the time the haki hit, Miyako had already cut the boulder and jumped with Shachi to the side.

"Wah, you did it!" The mechanic looked surprised and happy, but that expression soon faded and he flinched in pain as he tried to put more weight on that leg.

Miyako helped him lean on her shoulder. As the bright light faded she looked at her surroundings for the first time. It seemed they were in a lower level, in another hallway. There wasn't much room to move, which put them at an even bigger disadvantage. A loud thud got her attention and Miyako looked in front her to see that the marine has effortlessly jumped down below to their level.

"Tch, you just won't stay still will you? Just like little bugs, jumping around….but now it's time to squash you, little bugs-" The man grinned sadistically.

Miyako noticed a door to her left and jumped towards them, hoping they were unlocked, just as the man fired again. The blast went thought the hallway and destroyed the wall at the end, leaving only rubble behind. Thankfully, just before Miyako and Shachi were destroyed along with it, the girl pushed her friend towards the doors, opening them in the process and they both fell inside a dark room before the blast could hit them.

"This looks like an old storage, it's pretty big." Shachi commented, still holding onto Miyako for support.

The girl nodded and quickly looked around. Everything was full of shelves and crates, making a whole labyrinth in the room. They continued walking until Miyako found some crates and put Shachi down so he could rest. She was already panting a bit, not used to his weight that she had to support for so long. "This will be a good place to hide. You're in no position to fight, Shachi-san. I'll lure him away, and you sneak out and meet up with the others as soon as you find a chance to. I'll keep this guy busy."

Shachi didn't look like he liked her plan one bit. "No way! You can't expect me to just leave you here, Miya-chan! I have to protect you as your senior! And besides, if something happens to you the captain would kill me!"

Miyako was a bit surprised but felt glad that she had such a nakama on her side, trying to help her. But the mention of Law only strengthen Miyako's resolve. Shachi was one of Law's closest crewmembers and friends. She couldn't even imagine how Law would feel if something would happen to Shachi. That seemingly stoic man probably wouldn't let it show but inside he would be thorn for sure. "Shachi-san!" Her voice was more reprimanding now and she gave him a harsh look. "Right now, if you stay and fight in your condition you would be more of a burden to me than of help! We would just both end up dead. " Harsh words but it needed to be said. Her voice became a bit softer. "Our best bet is for you to bring the others here. That's the best way you can help right now." It seemed Shachi wanted to protest again but Miyako cut him off, giving a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I won't die so easily."

It seemed there was nothing more the mechanic could say after that. He just nodded with a sigh. "I understand. Be careful, Miya-chan. I'll meet with captain and Bepo and bring them here as quickly as I can."

Both pirates quickly quieted down and turned their heads as they heard footsteps coming towards the storage house.

„He's here..." Shachi's voice became darker and even more serious.

Miyako's expression hardened as she looked in the direction where the heavy footsteps were coming from. They echoed against the stone floor, getting closer and closer.

The big marine slammed the door of the storeroom open with his steel boot, sending the metal doors flying from their hinges and into the quiet room. He looked around for any signs of movement when suddenly a quick shadow passing caught his eye. He quickly fired in the direction where it disappeared behind high metal shelves. The pieces of metal and wood flew in every direction. The man saw something floating in the air lightly, falling to the ground, something different than the other materials. It was cloth. The marine grinned in satisfaction; it was a piece of clothing the girl was wearing. The man gripped the piece of cloth before it fell on the ground and gripped it tightly in his hand, grinning. „Heh, of course, that must've been a direct hit after all." Sure he at least hurt the woman, the marine strolled away from the entrance and towards the ruble he just created, still careful of any sudden attacks. However, he's grinning face fell a bit when he looked at the ruble but didn't see anyone there. There was a sound behind him and something caught his eye so the man quickly turned to see Shachi exiting the room as quickly as he could on his injured leg. The marine cursed and turned to follow him but saw a flash of metal with the corner of his eye. Quickly he turned to block the slashing katana with his large cannon.

„You're not going anywhere." Miyako said coldly.

„Heh...letting him escape by sacrificing yourself? How noble of you." The man grinned but it looked different than before...more impatient.

„Not really...since I have no intention of dying here." The woman answered and quickly spun around, attacking the large man at his side. The marine quickly used the cannon again to block Miyako's attack once more. For a large man with a heavy weapon, he was pretty fast even in close combat.

Miyako smirked. „What's wrong? Isn't this the perfect time to fire your haki at me?"

The man gritted his teeth a bit annoyed but said nothing. She didn't know with what kind of eyes he was looking at her under those sunglasses but she could guess it wasn't pretty. He looked more pissed than before.

„I knew it...You have to wait a while for your haki to accumulate again. That's why there was always so long a wait after every shot. If not, you would've shot us while Shachi was still stuck down there." Miyako watched the man's face for any sign of acknowledgement as she still put pressure and strength with the katana which was blocked by his cannon.

The man didn't say anything on the subject though, instead he growled menacingly. „I can't believe I let that little bug escape me...but don't think you outsmarted me little pirates, luring me closer into the room like that. I'll take care of you real quick, little missy, and then hunt down your little friend." The man grinned sadistically again. „He won't go far with that leg anyway."

The man couldn't really see well Miyako's expression in the dark, but he could feel the sudden intense pressure appearing around her as her killing intent grew even bigger. The air around them seemed colder and thicker, almost suffocating. Her head was lowered, her expression hidden behind her long bangs. "I will…make you regret those words." Her voice was sharp and sliced the air just like her katana would.

The man just stared at the girl expressionlessly, impossible to guess what he was thinking, and his overly toned body tensed as if preparing for something. "Bring it on."

~…..~

"Reinforcements?" Law repeated after the strange man who was still smiling mischievously.

"Yes, we are here especially for you. Don't you feel honored?" The man gave a slight bow in a greeting.

Law's eyes narrowed suspiciously. *_Especially for us..? They knew we were coming?! But how? Don't tell me….Joker betrayed us?!* _His expression didn't show any of the concerned thoughts he was experiencing though, and instead stared at the young marine coldly. "How did you know we would come here?"

The man chuckled. "I little birdie told us. But before that, let me introduce myself properly; after all we aren't barbarians." The man smiled as politely as possible and put his hat lower to cover his eyes. Even though there was a big smile on his face, it wasn't reflected in his eyes at all. Hi brown irises remained somewhat numb-looking, like in a dead fish. My name is Will and I'm currently #4 in Annox7 . But don't let my number fool you, I am quite strong."

"Annox7, never heard of it." This time it was Bepo who spoke. Until now just quietly examined the stranger with suspicion, trying to figure him out. He couldn't really tell much though. He thought since the man was a marine, he would surely feel the hostile intent coming from him but strangely he didn't. However, that didn't calm Bepo, only made him more nervous. Because one thing Bepo could tell immediately on the man; the strong smell of blood around him.

"Well I'm not surprised, after all we are an organization working for the marines that only comes out in special situations. Though you could say we are more like mercenaries than marine soldiers…do you understand?" As he asked that, the young marine pierced Law with his eye, and his smile suddenly reminded the pirate captain of a snake coiling around its prey. "We do the marines' dirty work…" The man explained, still smiling ominously.

Law's eyes narrowed. "In other words, when they need to take out the trash, they call you." There was clear despising in Law's tone.

The man laughed amused. "Don't be so hard on yourself." The man stepped closer to the pair and tightened his ponytail. "Well then, I'm starting to get bored with this conversation…I think I'm gonna kill you now." The smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a cold, expressionless stare towards the two pirates.

Bepo instinctively tensed and growled, prepared to start combat.

Law also took out his nodachi. Suddenly his calm expression changed, as he smirked ominously. "I don't know what this Annox7 is but you are a fool if you think you alone can beat the two of us." He raised his arm and in an instant created the blue sphere, encircling everyone and everything. The sphere even went through the walls, as it was bigger than the narrow hallway in which they were currently standing.

But then a tense feeling appeared deep in Law's gut and a chill went down Bepo's spine. The suspicious man called Will gave them such a look that both pirates instantly knew something was up. In a low voice and a devilish grin, Will spoke to them; "Who said I was alone."

That feeling became stronger and both Bepo and Law suddenly jumped aside, right in time, as white spikes appeared from the floor, destroying the ground and piercing the air where the pirates stood only seconds before. They both watched as the spikes disappeared and turned into slivers that almost looked like white dough as they returned back to their master.

"Ah…I missed."

Law's eyes widened and Bepo gasped.

"Captain!" The polar bear called as if he wanted to test if Trafalgar was really seeing the same thing as he was. "It's him!"

"What is he doing here…?" Law mumbled almost to himself, still not believing their bad luck. They have no time to waste yet the worst opponent just appeared before them. "Mr. Abaddon if I remember correctly."

The tall and eerily quiet man was bent down, his hand inside the stone floor. He obviously tried to use his dangerous limbs as weapons by traveling underground, trying to pull a surprise attack on them. When it failed, Abaddon retracted back his arms as stood up, in all his height which was more than 2 meters. The pasty white man looked as hollow as ever, as if it was only a doll, as he moved towards them.

Suddenly a voice was heard behind them. "Don't forget about me." In their momentary surprise, the two pirates completely forgot of the threat still behind them. Will used the opportunity to attack without giving them time to even think. With a flick of his wrists, two kunai came out of his sleeves and right into his hand. He threw them at Law while he was still focusing on Abaddon.

"Captain, look out!" Bepo realized Will's intentions and yelled to warn his captain but it was already too late. The only thing he could do is to jump in front of Law as protection. "Hiii-ya! Ya!" With two battle cries he used the sides of his pawed hands to deflect the kunai one after the other, but on his dismay he didn't notice that there was a shadow kunai hiding right next to the other one. The third kunai lodged itself deep inside Bepo's right shoulder and the polar bear cried out in surprise and pain.

Law, who's focus returned to Will and Bepo, widened his eyes as he saw his first mate's blood splatter on the orange jumpsuit. "Bepo!" The captain called out for the polar bear in fear of the worst.

"Ghn!" The said polar bear gritted his teeth and pulled out the kunai from his shoulder. The metal weapon made a loud noise as it dropped on the floor. "I'm fine captain, something like this isn't enough to stop me." Bepo glared at Will who was smirking in front of him. "Captain, you take care of that creepy Abaddon guy, I'll take care of this one. It'll be piece of cake!" Bepo's confidence in a fight and in usual life was completely different. Usually he was enveloped in low self-esteem and negative thoughts, but when it came to keeping his crewmates and captain safe, he was entirely different.

Law was still a bit indecisive on the matter but when the bear gave him a firm nod, all Law could do was nod back and have faith in his first mate.

"You took something from Vegapunk's lab didn't you? That's the reason you came here…So what did you take?" Will stopped attacking further for the moment as he looked at Law.

The pirate captain didn't say anything. Him and Bepo stood back to back with each other, both focusing on their own opponent. He didn't have time for small chit-chat any longer. Not with Abaddon here, a thorn in his side ever since Jade Island where they first met him.

Will was relentless though. "How about giving it back, hmm?" The polite smile from before appeared on his face again.

"Tch. Are you a fool?" Law spared an annoyed glance towards Will who just wouldn't shut up. "Should I give it back just because you tell me to?" His annoyed look soon turned into a glare. "I will warn you, however, I don't like people ordering me around." He had enough of that with Joker, he didn't need it from some snotty brat in a marine uniform as well.

"Ooh…should I test if your bite is as good as your bark then?" Two more throwing knives appeared in Will's hands and he threw them towards Law's head. But once again, they were blocked by the first mate.

"Haya! The one you are fighting is me!" The bear had no intention of letting Will through and for the first time, the marine's expression turned into an annoyed one.

"So it seems…" He muttered under his breath. Then his face turned distorted into a sadistic, sick grin and once again those eyes looked like a predator's, eyeing his prey. "In that case I have no choice…I'll just kill you first!"

The marine charged at Bepo and he was extremely fast. Even Bepo got a surprise as it seemed the man closed on him in a flash. A right fist came towards Bepo's snout, but the bear stepped back and managed to block it with his paw. However, a stinging feeling enveloped Bepo's palm and son pain followed as cuts appeared on his hand.

"Wha?" With a confused, painful gasp, Bepo jumped backwards and looked at his hand. The palm had several cuts that were bleeding. His black eyes darted back to Will and his fist, but there was nothing there – no weapon that he could've used. Nor did Bepo feel any. Only the usual feeling of a bare fist bumping into his big paw.

Will gave the bear a satisfied smirk but didn't give him any answer to Bepo's unasked question. He didn't even give him time to ask. Instead, the marine charged at the bear again. This time he used his other hand to form a fist and try for Bepo's head but once again the bear dodged. The fist only missed his snout for a centimeter and Bepo could feel the wind on his fur created by Will's swift attack. But suddenly, blood started coming out of Bepo's nose and he stumbled backwards in confusion. *_W-what's going on?! I'm sure I dodged that attack!* _The bear wiped the blood from his snout but the red blood still stained his snow white fur. He tried to get some time to think, keeping a fair distance from the young marine. But Will was faster than expected and didn't give the pirate time to pull himself together. _*I can't block but I also can't dodge?! What is this? Is he a fruit user?*_ But Bepo doubted it was that…there was something very familiar about the power Will had shown him, almost as if he felt it before.

"Bepo!" Law called out when he saw his first mate stumbling down the hall. They were pulling away from Law and Abaddon. Was this Will's plan all along? To separate them and then lead one of them into a trap? Trafalgar wanted to follow after them but if he turned his back to his own enemy, he was doomed. Abaddon wouldn't let him go. He stared at the said man who had turned the end of one of his limbs into a white scythe and swung it at Law when the pirate seemed distracted. Thankfully Law wasn't like before...he got stronger now. He used his nodachi to block, transferring his haki into the sword just like Miyako had taught him. There was a clashing noise as two hard, sharp substances met.

The masked-covered head tilted to the side as Abaddon quietly stared at him. "Haki?" The scythe retreated towards its master. "You're…stronger…How?" His voice sounded weak as always, but now also confused.

Law didn't see the point in asking such a question. Neither did he understand why was there confusion in Abaddon's voice. "Isn't it simple human nature…for every human to want to improve and become stronger?"

"Human…nature..? What is that? I…don't…understand? Is it…inside humans, this…human nature?" Abaddon's head was still tilted to the side as if a child trying to understand something but unable to. Law couldn't see inside the two black voids on Abaddon's mask but he was sure, Abaddon's eyes staring into him intently, following his every move. Somehow, that thought gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Inside..? I guess you could say that..?" Law didn't know what to exactly answer to this person…if he could even be called a person. He certainly didn't act like one. He didn't have time for philosophical or biological debates of human nature and such; this whole scene started seeming ridiculous to him.

"I…see." Abaddon didn't stop however. And this time his voice, even though still slow and quiet, sounded different. It sounded more cheerful. "It is…inside. So if I open you up…I can see it, this...human nature. I can take...it, and then...I will have a human nature too." His voice sounded more excited than before. Just like a child's who was about to obtain a treat. But combined with the content of his statements, it just sounded disturbing. It reminded Law of something he saw in Vegapunk's laboratory. While he was looking for the research notes for the experiment he needed to steal for Joker, he opened one of the folders and found something familiar inside. He knew Vegapunk was here working on a lot of experiments but it still surprised him to read about that one. It was about Abaddon; he was one of Vegapunk's experiments created in this laboratory.

Vegapunk found Abaddon as a child, abandoned and starved, half-dead. He didn't have any memories, not even any recollection of his own name. Vegapunk's notes said, it seemed he was abused as a child and probably abandoned by his family. So Vegapunk took him in. By that time, Vegapunk has just started working on artificial, man-made devil fruits. Abaddon was a code name of his first experiment…but the child took that name and used it as its own. Abaddon was Vegapunk's first experiment on artificial devil fruits. By the notes, it seemed Vegapunk was against that idea but the Government ordered him to make that child first human to test that experiment on. When Law thought about it, it made sense. They probably thought the child was a good opportunity; no family or anyone to search for him. For the rest of the world, that child didn't even exist. Even if the experiment would fail, nobody would know; nobody would be able to find out about one dead no-name child. It was cruel, but practical. Vegapunk had no choice but to obey the World Government. However the experiment went wrong and the child was stuck in its devil fruit form, unable to become a human again. The Government isolated him here and Vegapunk continued to do experiments and research on him. Slowly, they had trained him into a perfect weapon for the marines; that's all he became to them. The child soon grew into a man, but he had no contact with the human world, and so his mentality stayed that of a child. The closest he had to a parent was Vegapunk. Gradually, he was allowed to go on missions, outside the lab, only to be used as a weapon for the marines to use.

_*It is a pretty pathetic existence you live, Abaddon. No wonder you have become like this. However, I am not one to feel sympathy for my enemy. If you stand in my way, I will cut you down, no matter who you are.* _Law tightened the grip on his nodachi as he held it in both hands. "You want to cut me open?" A devilish grin appeared on his face. "That should be my line." He cut the air a few times using haki to enhance his attacks but Abaddon blocked the attacks with his scythe. This time he didn't just let it slice him up and then regenerated…he knew fighting a haki user is much different. But the strange man didn't show much regard and concern for his safety as Law thought he would. Abaddon's hands started branching out like three branches of a white willow, until there were a lot of sharp parts that looked like numerous long claws. The finger-like claws stretched towards Law, surrounding him from both sides. But in one swift, circular motion of his sword, Law cut all the claws about to slice him. Abaddon's strange limbs continued to extend and come at him, but the captain just continued slicing them up. *_Does he not care what happens to him? He really is just a weapon, his only goal is beating me, no matter what happens to him. Those kind of opponents are dangerous…they're too unpredictable.*_ Law tried to get closer but every time he would be stopped by Abaddon's attacks, and had to pull back to safety.

"Open…Cut you open…Become human…Father won't look sad anymore…When he looks at me…always, looks sad. Father…not be said…I'll be human…Father!" Abaddon's voice became more loud and frantic as the tentacles just proceeded to come at the pirate captain, enveloping Law. He tried his best to cut all of them, but there were so many. It was becoming hard. He was gradually slowing down, the usage of haki and the sheer amount of claws around him wearing him down. Every now and then he felt a prick on his skin when one of the claws managed to cut him.

One of the parts managed to coil around Law's leg. The captain cut himself free but only to find his other arm restrained. The hall here was pretty big but still there was not enough space to dodge so many of these things. Law looked around to see if there was anything he could use, but the hall was bare. Only metal walls restraining their movements. Then Law got an idea and his eyes narrowed. He made a few cuts, but not at Abbadon. Instead he cut the wall next to the tall man. With a quick movement of Law's finger, a large chunk of the wall came off and went straight into Abaddon. The metal crashed into Abaddon with both force and speed, sending him into the other wall and squashing him.

Anyone else would think that would've surly killed him, but Law still had his doubts. He knew Abaddon wouldn't die so easily. He slowly walked towards the crashed metal wall but stopped when white spikes pierced through the wall and tried to go after Law. He cut them down but soon the whole metal chunk came flying towards the pirate. Once again, Law cut the air with his nodachi, splitting the metal in two. The two sides missed him by an inch as they flew past and crashed onto the floor behind him.

Law could see Abaddon's slender, tall frame rising up slowly. His black suit was cut and destroyed in some places and so was the part of the tragicomic mask he was wearing. Now only the tragic part remind, where the mouth frowned back at Law. Instead of the other part, Trafalgar could see parts of Abaddon's real face. It looked uneven and distorted, with numerous little scars on it. It was pale and pasty just like the rest of his skin. The eye was small and completely black; no irises, no sclera…nothing but a void of black darkness, almost as if pulling you in when staring at you. It seems Abaddon had some trouble getting on his feet, but finally managed to, as some inapprehensible sounds started coming from his mouth.

Law couldn't understand what the tall man was trying to say but at this point it didn't matter. The pirate captain was panting a little from exhaustingly using so much haki to cut at Abaddon's appendages. He needed to finish this, check on Bepo and then meet up with the others. There was still a long way to go to their meeting point.

Suddenly, all those branches of claws combined into an unbelievable, big mass that barely fit into the big hallway. Abaddon was still screeching and making hacking sounds now and then. The mass flew through the hall towards Law in a surprising speed. "Ghaaa…Kill….KILL!"

Law, on the other hand, stayed composed and cold as always. He gripped his nodachi with both hands while trying to steady his breathing. He could feel his power surging through his body, all the way to his hands and into his sword. The mass was just about to him when he swung his sword and charged in front, right into the enemy's attack. As he hit the strange slivery substance, there was a bit of resistance at first, but his muscles tensed, pooling all his strength into that slice, and soon the sword cut through it. Law continued to charge forward, cutting right into the massive white worm, slashing it in two and coming closer to its source. Soon, Abaddon himself came to view at the end of the white mass.

"Haaaa!" With a loud cry, Law finished cutting the mass and ended up close enough for his finishing attack. He couldn't see anything in Abaddon's one eye; no fear, or surprise, not even his reflection. As if the tall man had no idea what was about to happen, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation. Law put the palm of his hand on Abaddon's chest, right where his heart is. "Mes." With one simple word, a strange feeling mixed with pain came over Abaddon and then a cubical void appeared right where his heart should be.

The man looked at his empty chest and then at the person in front of him. They had a strange cube-like object in their hand…like a translucent box with something inside it. A heart? Why a heart? Once again he looked down his opened chest. "Oh…" Realization hit him and he stared silently at his own still beating heart in the pirate's hand. "Sorry…father…I…failed." His voice was back to its usual quiet tone and broken speech. It seemed he finally calmed down. Abaddon watched as the heart left the pirate's hand and floated above and then the captain swung his sword once and sliced the beating heart in half. Abaddon's body fell to the floor with a blunt thud and his eyes slowly begun to close, still focused on his bleeding heart; before darkness finally enveloped him forever.

Law watched expressionlessly as his old enemy died, before sheathing back the nodachi and resting it on his shoulder. Around him was a mess of pieces of the wall, large cuts and dents in the walls and the floor was pierced in numerous places. It looked like a hurricane of blades went through this place. Law didn't really pay attention to any of that, he just turned around and started walking silently. After a few steps the pirate captain stopped and looked behind him at the tall body on the floor, its heart bleeding in front of it. His eyes stared calm and expressionless as before, even as he said; "Don't worry…you were more of a human than some people out there." With that, the captain of the Heart Pirates turned away again and continued walking down the dark hall.

~….~

Will hit Bepo with a palm of his hand right into the stomach and the bear fell to his knees coughing blood. His big body swayed unsurely and the bear almost hit the ground completely, but with the last of his strength he managed to stand up again. The marine didn't have any mercy for the injured bear however, and kept coming with new, quick attacks.

*_I get it now…It's haki. I knew the power seemed familiar to me; it's the same that Law and Miya-chan use.*_ Bepo continued to somehow dodge Will's attack, trying to put as much distance from himself and the marine as possible. However, he took a few serious hits already and his strength was slowly giving away, as was his body. *_Even when he doesn't hit me directly, the blow and the force of his haki transmits almost as if it's surrounding his body and every attack. Even if I block, the haki surrounding the attack damages me. In this situation…what can I do? How can I win against an opponent like this?...Captain…Will I…lose?* _

Will briefly stopped his fierce attacks and stood relaxed, out of his fighting pose. He turned his hat so that the rim was in the back and fixed his ponytail. Once again there was a slight smile on his face. "You look like you're ready to give up...why don't you just close your eyes and let me finish it. Don't worry, I'll make it quick." He stopped to look behind him at the dark labyrinth of corridors. "We've gone pretty far from Abaddon and your captain. Abaddon must be finishing too by now…Your captain is already either dead or captured to be taken to the Headquarters, interrogated and executed…just like that pirate kid…aaah…what was it again?...I'm bad with names…Asu? Ace? Whatever." Will continued to ramble in an almost bored tone, as if he wasn't interested in this fight at all. "Aww…And I really wanted to be the one to take down the infamous Surgeon of Death…But that freak Abaddon took the spot." He looked back at Bepo and sighed. "How disappointing…Well you did well surviving this long. But there's only so much you can do by just dodging. Well, let's end this now." The marine started walking towards Bepo, crackling his knuckles and ready for another round.

Bepo stood back up and gritted his sharp teeth, glaring at Will with his small, black eyes. "Don't…*pant*…underestimate…*pant*…captain Law!" He took a fighting pose again even though every part of his body ached and screamed for a rest, but Bepo just couldn't give in yet. He was the first mate of the Heart Pirates. How could he possibly lose here and bring shame to his crewmates. _*There has to be a way! I just need to think! He is a haki user and he can enhance his attacks. It's no good blocking him or dodging either. I can't dodge forever anyway and he's too fast while my body is already tired. The only way is to attack him and break through his defenses but I already tried that. He's just too quick; every time he manages to block or dodge me. But I can only face him head on, it's my only option! Fight fire with fire, or so they say...Who said that anyway? Now that I think about it, it makes no sense- Ah! Don't get distracted with stupid things, Bepo! Ah...I'm so stupid, getting distracted like that during a fight…Ah! Don't get depressed either!*_

Will stopped for a second and a drop of sweat appeared on his forehead as he looked at the strange bear, whose expressions changed erratically as if having numerous mood swings. "Eehh…This might be a foolish thing to ask now but…Are you ok?" *_Is this some kind of preparation for a special attack or something…or a strategy to confuse your opponent…?* _Then suddenly he snapped out of it and blinked a few times. *_Gah, I got pulled into his pace!_* "Whatever, let's finish it!" The marine finally had enough of stalling and charged at the pirate bear.

The sudden change in the young man and the intense killing aura made Bepo become alert once again. *_The only way is to use this same power. But can I really do it!? No, I have no choice. I have to do it!* _

Will charged and jumped into the air, bringing down his right foot for a kick attack. Bepo dodged to the side and was met with Will's incoming fist. *_It's now or never!*_ Bepo accumulated all his power, making a fist of his own and putting all his strength and skill into his counter punch. *_I just have to trust my body to do the rest!* _With that thought, the two fists collided in such punches that created a little swirl of air around them. For a moment it seemed like time stood still. Then suddenly Bepo's eyes widened. He felt excruciating pain starting from his knuckles, then wrist, then elbow and going up through his bones and muscles all the way to his shoulder. Cuts formed all over his arm with blood spraying from them, staining his orange jumpsuit. "Gaah!" With a pained scream, Bepo stumbled back, holding his hurt arm with the other one, then fell on the floor from both surprise and force of Will's powerful attack. He could feel his left arm pulsating in pain and he was sure it was broken in some places. The surprised bear just panted on the floor, with wide beady eyes looking up at the marine. "I…I failed!?" There was confusion and despair clear in the bear's voice.

Will tilted his head as an amused grin formed on his face…an amused, sadistic grin. "You actually wanted to straight-on counter my attack with your strength? You may walk and talk like a human, but it seems inside you still have a brain of a simple animal." There was scorn in Will's tone. He was looking down at the fallen pirate with an obvious victorious expression. The marine slowly walked towards the bear and Bepo soon realized there was nowhere to escape. "Now stand still and let me finish this." With a sadistic, preying eyes, the marine stalked towards Bepo; a snake ready to pounce on a wounded bear.

*_No…This can't be...I can't die like this. I can't let everyone down! I can't let captain down!*_ The bear gritted his teeth, but not just in physical pain. What pained him more right now was his heart. Will he really never see his crewmates again…his friends? He knew the moment he pledged allegiance to Trafalgar Law that one day he would face death as a pirate…and he didn't mind dying for Law. But somehow this looked too pathetic of a way to die…they haven't even traveled to the New World yet. The faces of his smiling nakama appeared in his mind; Shachi, Penguin, Miyako, Cody, Josh…so many others…and finally the smirking face of his captain. _Law_. He could still hear the words his friend said to him such a long time ago.

"_Come with me and see for yourself. I'm going to change this world!"_

This Trafalgar Law didn't lose any of the confidence his younger version showed that day. He still remembered the young man, resting the same big nodachi on his shoulder and lazily smirking at Bepo, like the man had not one care in this world. But at that moment Bepo was sure that man would one day be able to obtain the legendary One Piece and truly change this world.

"Now, just give up and die…and after that, all your friends will join you anyway." There was a murderous glee in Will's tone as he loomed over Bepo who was pathetically sitting on the floor, still cradling his wounded arm. His head was down, his bear ears lowered in defeat. Will's grin got bigger as he could already taste his victory along with Bepo's blood. He raised his fist into the air, bringing forth enough power to crack Bepo's skull and silence him for good. His fist flew down at the polar bear, ready to make contact.

And then it stopped….no, to say more precisely it was made to stop; by Bepo's own remaining fist that was still healthy. But this time Bepo's hand didn't break, or get injured or anything. The bear didn't even flinch. The bear's head was still lowered down, with a shadow over his dark eyes. He was silent and unmoving. Time seemed to stop for both of them once again.

"Not like this…" A small murmur escaped the bear's mouth.

"Huh?" Will seemed confused more than ever so for once he didn't have any smart remark as an answer.

„I said; there is no way I'll let myself die the likes of you! Not when there's still so much I want to do! I can't die yet!" Bepo was surprisingly loud for a change, quite different than his usual depressed, shy self. But he didn't even notice it himself. Neither did he notice what he had actually done. It seemed the strong will to live really did make Bepo's body act on his own, awaking the dormant power hidden and stewing inside of him. Bepo didn't know how to do it by himself and so he failed the first time but in extreme circumstances as his life was hanging by a thread, his body worked on its own accord, ensuring its survival. Later, Bepo won't really remember what happened and won't know how to explain or repeat the process of calling out the power of haki. But right now, his head seemed completely clear; all other thoughts unnecessary except one; _I want to live!_

A nervous half-smirk appeared on Will's twitching face. He seemed like he was trying to hide his surprise but was failing. „N-No way..." He tried to make his voice amused like before, but it sounded tense and uncertain now. „You couldn't have possibly...I mean, just some third rate pirate like you-„

„I may be third rate...and awkward, and slow in understanding stuff sometimes, and a weird bear..." Bepo seemed to have lost the point of his words as he continued to number all the bad qualities he thought he had.

*_Oy, oy, you're getting carried away...If he talks like that, it almost makes me feel bad for insulting him further...* _Will sweat-dropped once again as Bepo pulled him in his own depressed pace again.

„-But even so, Captain entrusted me with an important role of being the Heart Pirates first mate. I can't disappoint him!" The polar bear continued, standing up. *_To be honest I have no idea how I did it but this feeling...I'm certain; this is haki! I managed to put exactly the same amount of power into my fist as this guy, nullifying his own attack. I'm not even sure but…my body just reacted on its own.* _The bear found new courage and strength, giving Will a defying glare that said he won't be taken down that easily. "I won't give up! I was a fool for even thinking that!"

Will's face distorted into an angry expression, as his glare looked maddening now. "Don't fuck with me you piece of pirate shit! Don't think so highly of yourself, you piss me off! Enough of this; I'll kill you!" The marine attacked swiftly with numerous punches and kicks aiming for Bepo's vital points. He knew he still at least had the advantage in speed over Bepo.

The bear managed to dodge a few of the attacks but then suddenly stopped and shifted into offense, disregarding the fact that Will's deadly attacks were still coming. Will threw a punch with his fist but Bepo blocked it with the forearm of his injured arm, as Will's arm slid of the pirate's forearm to the side. Luckily it seemed the damaged of the arm wasn't as bad as he thought and he could still move it in the shoulder and elbow, even though it hurt like hell. Without wasting time both of them continued their attack. Will didn't give Bepo advantage even as his attack failed and Bepo's forearm block pushed him to one side. He still had his other hand and quickly he used it to punch right at Bepo's side and into his ribs. The fist with the heavy haki power behind it collided with Bepo's ribs. However, Bepo wasn't through either. He ignored the tight feeling in his ribs and painful throbbing that came soon afterwards. Instead, at the same time as Will's attack, the bear swirled around, his one forearm still blocking Will, while using the other, free hand, to aim an elbow attack right at Will. He moved surprisingly quickly for a large bear. Bepo coughed blood from Will's attack but still kept going as everything seemed to go into slow-motion now. As he swirled, he used his foot for his grounding and stepped right into Will's space, breaking his defense. Bepo could feel that strange power surging through him again and it must've stopped and released in his elbow, as he hit a surprised Will right into the face.

*_H-He…let me…hit?! He sacrificed himself…?*_ Will didn't have time to finish his thought as he only saw bright orange from Bepo's jumpsuit in front of him. Soon the elbow attack hit him right into the face and the force of the attack pushed Will's head backwards. The motion was swift and forceful and a loud snap clearly came from the marine's neck. Soon after, the young man's body fell limp and lifeless on the cold floor, his neck broken and bent backwards in a strange angle.

Bepo couldn't stand anymore and with a thud he fell to his knees, coughing blood once again. His vision was becoming blurry again. He held his injured side with his healthy hand, while the other now fell limp beside him. It had reached its limit with the last attack. Or rather, the bear himself had reached his limit. His eyes begun to close on his own and painfully he fell face-first on the floor. He thought he heard a voice calling him but everything was fuzzy and no matter what he couldn't keep his eyes open. They closed on their own accord and Bepo fell unconscious.

~….~

Bepo opened his eyes with a grunt and felt the pain when the bright light hit him. *_Light? But wasn't the base out of power?* _It took him time to get used to his surrounding and the bear looked around, realizing he wasn't lying in the hallway anymore. Instead he was in a room that looked like a small infirmary. Perhaps it was a backup infirmary, in case the main one was too full, in case of emergency with a lot of casualties.

"Bepo?" A familiar deep voice brought him out of his thoughts and the said bear quickly looked in the direction the voice came from, earning himself a headache in the process.

"Calm down, you need to rest for now." The voice continued.

The polar bear could feel his eyes sting and prickle with tears of joy. "Captain!" He would've jumped at the tall man if the pain in his side and arm didn't stop him and instead the bear started rolling around in pain. "Ow ow ow!"

"Idiot! what part of _rest_ did you not understand…?" Law scolded his first mate in his usual doctor, matter-of-fact, calm tone. But there was shades of irritation and worry in his voice as well; the pirate captain hid it well but not completely.

Bepo finally calmed down and saw for the first time he was covered in bandages, the upper part of his jumpsuit lowered down so Law could work on his injuries. There was an IV needle stuck deeply in his healthy hand while the other was immobilized with a medical cloth. Looking around Bepo realized he was on the bed which felt quite comfortable. That's when he heard pained moans somewhere from the corner. He saw two clumps that used to be marine bodies but were now some abominable creation that Law made with his devil fruit power. His limbs were all jumbled up and in wrong places, and both marines were joined at their sides, stuck by an invisible force, that made it even harder for them to coordinate their movements and try to escape. A small shiver ran through Bepo's spine. It always did when he saw such sites the captain created with his power. It reminded him exactly what this man was capable of doing. But to Bepo that just made Trafalgar Law all the more amazing.

"What happened?" Bepo looked at his captain in wonder, still quite confused about the whole situation.

"I found you passed out on the floor, next to that marine. You were in a pretty beat up condition so I brought you here to treat you. The power seemed to return in the meantime." At the last statement, Law made a slightly irritated expression. "That will make our escape even harder…we weren't able to leave before the power returned after all…"

"Wah, captain, what will we do now?! How are we going to get out of this?" The beginning of Bepo's panic begun to creep out again. But soon it turned into a depressed look with his head bowed down and his ear lowered. "I'm sorry captain, it's because my fight took so long…"

Law sighed, already used to Bepo's depressed fazes and mood swings. "It's not your fault, I just didn't expect this Annox7 group to show up. I miscalculated…."

"Who were those guys anyway?"

Law shook his head as an answer, indicating he didn't know either. He worked on taking Bepo's IV out and handing the bear some painkillers, still in thought about the whole situation. "In any case, we can't stay here any longer. We need to move on with the plan."

Just then, Law's mini den den mushi crackled and rang signaling an incoming call. "Yes?" Law answered and one of his mechanic's voices rang from the other side.

"Oh finally! Captain, where are you now?" Shachi voiced the question from the other side of the line. He panted as he talked, like he was straining because of something. Law's sharp sense didn't fail to catch on that fact. Something was wrong with Shachi.

"In section C's right wing of the first floor. In the secondary infirmary."

"Infirmary? How fitting…" Shachi mumbled. "Ok, I remember seeing that place on the base's blueprints. Can you stay there and wait until I come?" Shachi asked, still panting as if he was hurrying while talking on the den den mushi.

Law looked towards Bepo who was still resting on the bed. "Hurry, we can't stay in one place for long. We need to keep moving so they won't find us." He could still see the loud alarm going off inside the base and now and then shouts and heavy footsteps of marine boots as they ran passed the infirmary. Luckily, no one checked inside yet. The whole place was in chaos and stand by, looking for the irate invaders and anything suspicious. Luckily, his crewmembers were all still wearing marine disguises but that will only help them for so long. Then one more thing crossed Law's mind. "Shachi, what happened? Wasn't miss Miyako supposed to be with you?"

"Yeah…there were some problems. MY den den mushi went dead after…well no matter now. After some handling I was able to make it work somehow…perks of being a mechanic. Miyako's fighting right now. I'll tell you everything once I get there, captain." There was strain in Shachi's voice again, as if something was bothering him. Law didn't ask anything more and hung up, deciding to wait patiently for his subordinate.

It didn't take long for Shachi to arrive and when he did, just the site of him answered some of Law's unasked questions.

"Shachi, you ankle." The pirate captain gave the mechanic a questioning look.

"Wha, Shachi, you're injured too?!" Bepo, again way too loudly, exclaimed after seeing the mechanic limp into the room. He tried to sit up but Law gave him a hard look that told him to lay still and rest. He was given a dose of painkillers so the pain become bearable which made Bepo move more, but that didn't mean his body was in any condition to move yet. However, both the bear and Law knew they'll have to soon.

"oh? Bepo, man, what happened to you?! You look awful!" Shachi widened his eyes under his shades, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

Law sighed. They were wasting time again. "Never mind that now, Shachi-ya. What happened?"

"Ah, right." The mechanic remembered his initial goal and started his story, trying to make it as quick and simple as possible. Finally he ended with a disappointed sigh; "Actually I was hoping to warn you that something was up since that guy said there were more of them…but I guess I was too late. We won't be much of a reinforcements for Miya-chan, either." With a sigh, Shachi looked at an injured Bepo.

"Reinforcements? Miss Miyako asked you to get help?" There was slight surprise in Law's voice. "That doesn't sound like her at all…" Truthfully enough, Miyako was always trying to bear all the burden on her own. She always wanted to handle the problem on her own, which sometimes gave her captain quite the trouble. Perhaps that's why he was always worrying about her more than he liked to admit. Over the past few months, Miyako decided to trust and depend more on her comrades and was finally acting like one of them but even so she never asked for help in a battle, especially not one-on-one. No matter how tough or deadly the match got, she always pulled through on her own. She had too much pride to say she can't beat someone on her own, and Law was sure she would rather die in battle then to let others involve in her fight. He didn't know if all Wano samurai were like that but if so, it was a country full of stubborn fools.

"Hmm…I guess you're right, now that I think about it. Well she said the fight could get very dangerous but she didn't seem to despair about it…" Shachi thought back on how Miyako handled the whole situation. She was even able to save him from that boulder while protecting them from the weird haki cannon.

"Miyako isn't that weak. She wouldn't just give up." Bepo said behind Law, firmly believing in his nakama.

Law was silent but still thinking about the situation. He bit his thumb and looked down, then noticed the hurt ankle Shachi was trying to save by not putting any weight on it as the mechanic half limped-half hoped towards a nearby chair. An idea came into Law's had. A theory that soon explained the whole situation with Miyako. _*Oh, so that's what you were thinking…Miyako. Of course; you must've knew from the beginning, by the time Shachi came to get us with his bed leg, your fight would already be over.* _He looked at Shachi thinking if he should explain to the others Miyako's behavior but as he saw Shachi's worried face, he decided against it. That would just make Shachi feel worse. Instead, Law walked to the medical cabinet and took some needed supplies. "Come Shachi, I'll treat your leg before we go."

~…..~

**~ A little earlier ~**

The room was dark and silent, except for the clashing of steel and grunts of two fighters. Though one looked quite more beat up then the other. Miyako was kneeling a few meters away from the big marine. She stabbed her katana in the ground to help prop herself up and back to her feet. She was panting hard and parts of her clothes were charred and tattered. Most of her long hair was out of her ribbon and fell down on her face, hiding her eyes. But as the samurai looked up, it was clear she didn't lose any of her sharp edge from before Her eyes were still piercing in focused on her mark – the marine. "Annox7? Never heard of it." She answered after the man mentioned his origins in the marine forces.

The big guy just grinned. He didn't look as beat up as Miyako though his shades were broken on one part. "That's fine…This is going to be the first and last time you hear about us anyway. Since I'll kill you soon."

Even through her tired expression Miyako smirked. "You've been telling me that this whole time, but it didn't happen yet."

The man didn't look annoyed by her provocation, though. "It's only a matter of time before they bring back the power in the base. You only survived till now because you've been using the crates and shelves to shield yourself and hide from my haki blasts. But once the light is back, that won't be so easy anymore. You might be quick but you can't run forever, your stamina is already wavering."

Miyako bit her lip in annoyance. But she knew he was right. _*It's not a question of how much longer I can keep this up. Because it won't make me win. But…* _There was another problem why Miyako wasn't able to beat this man yet. If it was only his cannon power, it wouldn't be such a problem. He's fast, but not as fast as she was and even though his physically stronger than her, that didn't matter as long as she was quick enough to dodge so he wouldn't hit her. However there was one more thing. Miyako remembered what happened soon after Shachi managed to escape from the storage room.

The man had shot from his cannon again, the blast destroying everything in sight. Miyako barely managed to dodge it and then swung her own sword, cutting through the air and blasting her own slashes of haki towards the marine. Before even checking if it would hit or not, she charged towards him. The marine dodged one and blocked others with his cannon but by then Miyako was already at his side. She swung her sword with both hands, ready to slice his side and true enough, she was too fast for the marine to dodge. *_Go, Yawarakai-Te!*_ The katana made contact, but a strange sound followed. Instead of steel cutting into the flesh, there was a sound of clashing as if it hit something extremely hard. Her hand stopped together with her sword, unable to continue and Miyako's eyes widened as she saw why. Her katana hit the man's side but didn't go in at all. There seemed to be a black-looking, hard substance on his torso, which wasn't there before. Miyako would have surly noticed. *_Wha-?* _Her second of surprise took her off guard and that was enough for the marine to counterattack. She felt a heavy blow in her stomach as the man hit her with his big knee. The force of the hit made her yelp in surprise and gasp due to lack of air at the same time. In the next second she was already flying away from him and onto the floor, rolling on it when she landed hard. The girl clutched her stomach with one hand and her whole body twitched, trying to quickly recover from the pain and shock. She didn't have time to look away or rest. He was already preparing for his next shot.

All that incident, no matter how many times or places Miyako tried, that armor just reappeared like armor whenever the man was attacked. He wasn't even trying to dodge anymore.

"It seems my Busoshoku Koka is giving you some trouble." The man grinned once again. "Don't tell me you don't know of it even though it's a part of Armament Haki. Little Missy, I'm disappointed." The marine made a theatrical sigh and the mocking expression on his face was clear even with the shades still hiding his eyes.

_*A part of Armament haki?*_ Miyako was surprised. Of course she knew about armament haki but she could only use it as a force to protect her to some point. It was like a force shield that she could use only a few times, usually to deflect attacks coming at her. It was like a blast of power that came out of her body and then disappeared. But she was never able to use it to actually make an armor that would shield her from direct contact. This was a totally different level of Busoshoku Haki she was seeing here. *_It's even harder than steel. How do I cut through that…But it always appears no matter how quick I try to attack. I can never get around it.* _While thinking and still breathing pretty hard, Miyako used her katana to stand up on wobbly legs.

"_Miyako, you just have to cut everything in your path! If you're facing a wall that's standing on your way to becoming a samurai, then just cut it down!"_

Once again, Miyako's master's words echoed in her mind. *That's right…until now, every time I faced a difficulty, I was able to overcome it with hard work and strength. I never gave up before, so I'm not giving up now! There has to be a way…* Miyako looked at the katana she was clutching in her hand. _*Yawarakai-Te_…* even though this katana had been through a lot already, it didn't even have a scratch on it. It still gleamed brightly and with pride in the darkness around it. True, it was partly due to Miyako taken really good care of it every day, but there was no doubt that this was a remarkable sword. _*If any sword can withhold and concern that man's power, then it's this one. But if the wielder isn't strong enough then the katana won't be able to be used to its true potential either. But right now, Yawarakai-Te, please lend me your power!*_ Miyako gritted her teeth as she looked at the large marine before her. The man locked on her with his cannon and she could feel the tension in the air grow as he was about to fire his haki again. She could see the stirrings in the air around the weapon as large mass of haki slowly accumulated. The samurai looked down at both her hands, gripping the katana firmly. There was one technique she was working on for a long time now but never had a chance to use it in battle She only practiced it while sparring and training with Law. Now was the perfect opportunity to try it out. If it doesn't work…Well she was doomed either way. She couldn't just keep dodging and running until she falls down exhausted at this man's mercy. In that case, she'd rather face him head on. *_That's right...I don't need to think anymore. I just need to cut what stands in my way.* _The girl looked up at the grinning marine with a piercing stare. Her golden eyes weren't cold right now, they were burning. Burning from adrenaline, from excitement, and most of all, from determination.

The large man grabbed the marine coat from his back and tossed it to the ground so he could have more freedom of movement without worrying about it. "I am Cirus Bonty, one of the members of Annox7! I thought you should at least know the name of the man who will kill you. Now show me what you've got!"

The man fired his cannon, the bright shining light was blinding as ever as it engulfed the room. The blast went right towards Miyako and he could see her black silhouette disappearing into the light. The man's eyes widened a little in wonder. *_She didn't try to dodge_?* He looked around but couldn't see any movement around him. Meanwhile the explosion hit its peak, destroying everything in its path and finally creating a large hole in the wall with parts of wood and storage items flying everywhere.*_Don't tell me…She tried to cut it again and failed?*_ The man's surprised expression slowly turned into a big grin. "Ha..haha…hahahaha HAHAHAHA!" He laughed like crazy at the thought. "What a fool! She really believed she can defeat me head on? Hahahaha!"

"_Ittouryu secret technique: Vanishing Sword_….was a success!" A voice came behind him and the marine's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" He turned around quickly, to see the samurai girl in a battojutsu stance behind him, her katana back in its sheath and ready for use. Her eyes were serious and burning as before, glowing a bright golden color in the darkness.

"To find out what is strength and find my own way of the samurai…I will definitively not lose before I reach those goals! And I will cut everything in my way that tries to stop me." *_My strength, all of my haki, my pride, and even my life….I will stake everything, every bit of my power to reach my goal…and to cut you down!*_ The woman gripped the hilt of her sword with one hand.

"Haha, fool, you already know about my Koka technique. I don't know how you were able to dodge my attack and come behind me but it doesn't matter! It will be all the same no matter how many times you try!"

The woman ignored his gloating statements and focused only on the target in front of her. "_Ittouryu: Kiritateru_!"(2) With one hard leap she charged forward, at the same time unsheathing her katana and slashing at the marine. The man's torso turned black with haki armor just like always. Her attack was so quick, he didn't even have time to dodge or block but he didn't look concerned by that fact. She wasn't able to cut through his armor anyway.

Miyako felt hard resistance coming from the material under her sword, but that only made her push on more. "hyaaaaa!" With a loud cry she gave it her all and a small cracking sound was heard.

"huh?" The marine looked down. *_Impossible…was it my imagination?!*_

But then another crack was heard and even appeared in his amour as her katana went a bit deeper.

_*Why? She wasn't even able to scratch me before!* _The marine's eyes widened underneath his sunglasses and he looked down in full puzzlement and shock.

Miyako pushed through and felt her katana finally reaching its true target, the flesh underneath. The sword finally went in and formed a line from the man's right hip and up towards the left side of his chest. Miyako's charge ended behind the marine as she passed and her cut ended. Even though it felt like a lifetime for her, the whole attack actually lasted only a few seconds. She was panting and her hands were shaking considerably. She could barely stand and have a grip on her sword; she was completely spent. But she didn't even dare to turn around until she heard a lard thump of something big hitting the floor. She looked at the man on the floor, bleeding from his torso and unmoving. She stared at his body for a while. "So it didn't cut completely through his body, huh?….I was hoping to slice him in half." A barely visible smirk appeared on her face. A smirk that someone might say looked very similar to a certain pirate surgeon just before he was about to experiment on his latest specimen. "Next time I'll definitively be strong enough to slice all the way through." With that last promise made to herself, a dark room and a dead body, Miyako sheathed back her katana and slowly walked towards the exit. She wanted to just lay here and sleep for a week but knew she didn't have the time. The marines will be coming any second surely. *_I hope Shachi made it to the others safely…Sorry for deceiving you Shachi, but I had to get you out of here. And the only way I could think of was for me to ask you to go get help…even though I knew something like that was useless. You would never get here in time with Law and the others but...*_ She was leaning against the wall to help her walk but her legs gave out and she slid down the wall and onto the floor. The woman panted slightly as she rested her back against the cold wall; it felt good. *_Damn...My legs won't listen to me anymore. At this rate all I can do is just sit and wait for the marines to find me and pick me up.*_ A small, amused chuckle escaped her limps.*_Honestly, the only way those worthless guys can arrest someone is if the person is half dead like this anway.*_

Miyako's eyes closed for a while as she was unable to keep the tiredness away any longer. When she opened them, a bright light hit her eyes and made her head hurt. She quickly closed her eyes again. *_Light? Did the power come back already? Dammit, how long was I out!?*_ She dared to open her eyes again but slowly so she would get used to the bright light. She blinked a few times before her eyes felt comfortable in the light again. The storage room was still destroyed as before and the big marine's body was still unmoving on the floor. *_No sign of marines either.*_ Then suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards the room and her body tensed. _*Me and my long tongue… I just had to say it.* _She took her katana, ready to unsheath it and at least give the marines some hell before they take her away. She tried standing up but her leg muscles just twitched painfully and she slid back down. She was right beside the exist, so maybe she'll at least cut off the legs of the first unfortunate who tries to get inside. The footsteps kept getting closer and louder until they stopped right in front of the entrance that was now missing a door since they got broken at the beginning of the fight. Miyako focused at the sound of the person's footsteps to decide on the right moment to strike and right when they were about to step inside, close enough for her to use her katana, she swung at the entrance. But on her surprise what met with her katana was another sword and it didn't take long to realize the situation. What blocked her was a sheathed long nodachi. Miyako's surprise grew even more when she heard a familiar voice.

"You're lucky I poses Kenbunshoku Haki so I saw that coming. If you had sliced my leg, what would you have done, hmm? A lifetime of being my surgical experiment wouldn't suffice as repayment." A deep amused voice pierced her ears and the first thing Miyako saw was the familiar white, spotted hat only _he_ would wear.

"Law?!" It sounded like something between an exclaim and a question, since Miyako still seemed a bit confused. She still couldn't believe she was saved before the marines came. The pirate captain walked inside the room and looked around with his gaze, until it felt on the big body lying on the floor.

"Are we too late, is she alive?!" A worried voice exclaimed and soon Shachi rushed in, searching frantically with his eyes. Miyako could guess what he was looking for.

"I'm down here, Shachi." A small chuckle escaped her lips for the second time.

"Miyako, thank god, you're alive!" The mechanic proclaimed with a big relieved smile on his face and knelt down beside the girl.

"I don't think God has much to do with it though…" A bit bitterly Miyako mumbled.

Soon after Shachi, Bepo came in. "Captain, we gotta go! They're coming again!" The bear was slightly panicking, jumping from one foot onto the other in anxiousness.

Law looked back at the girl on the floor. "Can you walk?"

Miyako tried to stand up again. She used the wall to prop herself up and leaned on it for support. Somehow she managed to stand on her feet but as soon as she made a step forward, she stumbled. Luckily, the captain was quick enough to catch her. It seemed so easy to him, even with one hand, while he still held his nodachi in the other. "I'll take that as a no." Law turned to his first mate. "Bepo." Without any need for explanation Law handed Bepo his nodachi and the bear took it carefully as always. With his now free hands, Law took the girl in his arms and made sure she was secure so she wouldn't fall. However, she wasn't helping him as she started to protest and struggle as soon as Law lifted her up.

"Eh? Wai-Wait, what are you doing?! Put me down!" Miyako struggled against his chest and Law sighed annoyed.

"And how do you expect to follow us if you can't even walk on your own. We don't have time to wait for you to feel better." The captain obviously wasn't listening to her and was already walking out of the room and into the hallway.

Miyako thought for a while about his question and then instantly said full of determination; "With a warrior's spirit!"

"I'll hit you." was all Law answered to her foolishness and continued to ignore her protests.

"Honestly! You even threaten to hit an injured person. What kind of a doc-" Her complaint was cut short when she looked around at the situation in the hallway. Everything was full of marines; some were cut up in parts while others moaned in pain or laid unconscious, beaten up. Now she understood why the marines never came for her. Miyako looked back at her crewmates. They were all injured from before, probably by the same Annox7 organization Miyako had to fight as well, and yet they all took down so many marines. Her thoughts of awe were cut off when Law spoke again.

"Let's hurry, we still need to go down to the lower level." The captain carried Miyako without a problem even though he had some bruises and cuts on him. That made Miyako feel even worse about needing help from an already injured person, but also as respect for him, she stopped her protests and quieted down.

They walked through the hallways, hiding behind corners and inside rooms now and then when marines were passing by. But as they came to the staircases leading to the lower level, they were stopped by a dozen marines, waiting for them with guns and sabers. In the front was a marine officer, leading them. The alarm was ringing in Miyako's eyes and brightly red lights were still flashing throughout the base, showing a state of emergency. It was hard to hear what the man was saying but the girl guessed it was the same old threats and talk about surrender.

"Did you really think you can escape just like that from a marine base?! Don't joke with me you conceited brat!" The middle-aged man glared at Law, who just kept his usual calm face. It seems the man was even more irritated when he didn't even get an answer from the pirate captain. The flare in his eyes got bigger and there was a crunching sound as he gritted his teeth. "Prepare to be taken away you scoundrel!" The man took out his sabre. "Gunmen, shoot!"

There was unusual silence after the man gave his signal and even more unsettling were the sudden change in expressions on the pirates' faces. Law gave him an amused smirk, while the others were grinning rather darkly. The weird silence was worrying him as only the loud alarm ringing throughout the base was heard. Nervously, the man looked behind him, ready to ask irritably why the marines aren't shooting yet. But his eyes widened in surprise at the scene behind him. All of his men were on the floor, either dead or unconscious. Well, not all of them exactly. There were two marines left, one taller and the other shorter than average.

"W-what…? Corporals, what is the meaning of this!? What happened to everybody!?" The man could barely keep his voice from cracking, both from surprise and the loud yelling he was doing. His voice was even stronger than the alarm.

The taller one scratched his head, moving the marine hat a bit up so his dark eyes were visible. "Well you see…you were about to attack our friends so...it was a bit of a problem for us."

The short one grinned menacingly. "It's your own fault for not realizing that we infiltrated your group on the way. You guys are such idiots…"

"huh?" That's all the marine was able to answer, blinking stupidly at the two. Then he noticed the bloodied fists and scalpels they held in their hands, and suddenly it became clearer to him. They were the ones who killed off his men behind his back. And it happened so fast he didn't even realize it. The loud sound of the alarm must've helped them to cover up the noise too. Before he could ask who exactly were those guys, he heard the deep voice of Trafalgar Law behind him and remembered he now had enemies on both sides.

"You're right on time." Law said casually.

"Heh, it was Cody's idea to use our disguises and slip in the group when we heard they are going to guard the entrance to the lower staircase." Joshua grinned again, almost as if he was the one who thought of the plan. He threw the marine cap on the ground, releasing the messy red hair underneath, and pulled out his own hat from inside his uniform.

Cody also took off his hat, showing the usual bandana covering his forehead and keeping his spiky hair up. "I suggest we move on, though the marines will be very busy soon so we'll get some time."

The others didn't have to ask what he was talking about, they already knew. Just then, as if affirming his words, a large explosion was heard, followed by shocked screams and then loud panicking voices. The explosion was big enough for the pirates to feel little tremors underneath their feet.

"I see the armory had a lot of gunpowder…" Miyako mumbled.

"Gunpowder, explosives…everything. Unfortunately for them, the marines were in the process of taking guns out and preparing themselves so a lot of them must've been blown away." Josh answered Miyako while snickering with pride for a job well done. But then his eyes went wide in surprise and he pointed at the samurai girl, or rather at the scene before him. "Ah! What the hell are you doing with the captain, Bakaonna! (1)"

Miyako went red in the face in an instant as her whole body stiffened. "I-It's not my fault. I can't walk!"

"Eeeh…I bet you just wanted to be all smoochy with the captain." Josh started making some teasing and mocking faces, as if kissing the air.

That childish teasing only made Miyako more embarrassed, which soon turned into anger. "S-Shut up! Idiot! You're disgusting! Go die! Just go die already!"

*_Are you guys kids?*_ were the thoughts of all of the others around the two, but the pair didn't even notice the sweatdrops and disbelieved faces their friends were making. Indeed the two bickering sounded just like little children, too immature to give any real insults but still trying to.

"Miss Miyako, Joshua-ya. If you are done, can we proceed now?" A cold air of tension appeared in the air, giving both Miyako and Josh chills down their spines when they heard the icy tone of an irritated Law. Even the others, who weren't the target of Law's annoyance right now, felt the chill in his tone.

Both Miyako and Josh stiffened immediately, not daring to look at their captain. "Y-yes captain!" They said in unison and immediately shut up.

After a while, Miyako dared to speak again, though still in a bit more unsure, embarrassed tone than before. "A-anyway, my legs have rested now. I think I can walk on my own so put me down." She didn't dare to look at his face because every time she did, she would realize how close their faces are, and immediately look away. She realized she was completely enveloped by Law; his scent, his arms around her, his skin so close to hers, his heat…

There was silence on Law's part and Miyako looked at the man with the corner of her eye. She could clearly see his stormy grey eyes, looking down at her legs in thought as if he could diagnose her condition just from looking. His eyes were piercing and clear as always. Miyako remembered the shivers she would feel when those eyes were looking straight at her, as if he was able to see right through her, right into her soul. The thought alone made her to look away from his eyes, down at his perfectly straight nose arch and even lower at the soft lips. They moved to form a word that Miyako couldn't understand. Wait….they moved? A bit confused, Miyako looked up to find those grey eyes staring at her, a bit questioningly, with one eyebrow slightly raised. Miyako didn't know how it felt to be petrified but it was probably something like the sensation she was feeling now.

_*H-He saw…He saw…He saw me staring at him….* _She still couldn't hear anything but for a different reason now. Because her thoughts were screaming at her in her mind; _Fool! Fool! Why did you stare!? What the hell is wrong with you!? Idiot! _

"Miss Miyako? Are you alright?" Law called out again seeing Miyako completely frozen and out of this world.

"Is she going into shock…?" Cody looked at the girl, eyeing her reactions carefully. "Her face is all red, is it a fever?"

Even Josh looked a little worried now. "A-anyway, she said she was feeling better, didn't she? Let's try to put her on her feet for now."

The pirate captain did just that and let Miyako down, carefully in case she would start falling again. He had a strange look on his face, as if he was thinking of something but keeping it to himself. As soon as Miyako's feet touched the ground and her face moved a bit away from Law's, the girl managed to get a reality check and overcome her embarrassed feelings.

_*T-that's right, maybe he didn't notice after all…He didn't comment on it yet, did he?*_ Her mind was frantically trying to rationalize the situation to calm her down, and thankfully it succeeded. The pain from her muscles being forced back to work brought her back to reality even more. However, the pain was quite lesser than before, thanks to resting her legs for a while, and Miyako could finally stand on her own two feet again. She felt a bit unsure at first and her feet were wobbly as if trying to walk for the first time, but soon enough she got used to it, ignoring the remaining pain in her body. As soon as she was able to stand on her own, Miyako turned away from Law, towards their path. "A-Alright! Let's go everyone!" Her face was completely nervous and she made a most forced grin she could muster but ignored everyone's questioning gazes.

"What's with the newfound enthusiasm?" Josh muttered but followed after her, along with everyone else.

~…~

"Hey, we just got a report that the pirates are heading for the lower level!"

"What? They're coming here to the port?! Why?"

"Are they planning to steal one of our ships and escape? Those idiots, they'll never get out of here!"

The group of marines ran to their post in the state of emergency, while talking among themselves about the newest information their received from the upper floors.

They didn't even notice they passed a young marine, who looked down and put his hat even lower as if to hide his face. Penguin looked behind him at the group of marines who just passed him. *_Damn, so we were discovered after all.*_

He looked around him at the port of the marine base. It was built inside the cliff that the whole base was built on, and the port was actually a manmade cave. It had one big exit for the ships to go out to sea. Right now the exit was closing with big steel doors lowering down into the sea, unable to be penetrated by force. The marines decided to close the doors after they heard the pirates were coming down here. They were certain the Heart Pirates would try to take over one of the ships and sail out of here…after all, what other way was there to escape this place? It seemed everyone was still confused by the fact they still couldn't find any sign of a pirate ship near the island.

Penguin ignored the officers shouting orders at group of marines and instead tried his best to stay unnoticed and sneak in the room he was looking for. The control room of the port. He grinned when he finally found the right metal doors with the sign on them. Just what he was looking for. It took a lot of time for Penguin to sneak all the way down here and find the right place without being noticed, even if he was wearing a marine uniform. In the meantime, the power was out for a while so the marines couldn't lower the port doors sooner, then the power came back on and the alarm started ringing accompanied with flashing red lights. Penguin, however, ignored all that and stayed on plan that Law told them about the day before. Of course he was worried about the rest of his crewmembers, especially when he heard there was a whole ruckus going on, but he knew his friends; they were strong so surely they'll all get here as planned.

The mechanic slowly opened the doors and peeked inside. There was a young man in a sloppy marine uniform sitting in the chair and snoring quietly, unaware of the chaotic world currently around him. _*Must be nice to be him.*_ Penguin thought with a sigh and sneaked up behind the man. The mechanic looked at the control panel with many buttons and levers. In front of him was a big glass window overlooking the port since the Control room was high above ground on the second floor of a small, two story tower inside the port. Penguin took a look around, trying to find the right lever or at least a guide book for this place, but without any luck. He was trying to find a way to open the large metal gates, currently sealing off the port from the sea, and he had to do it before Law and the rest come down here. _*Hmm, should I just start trying all of them? But that's gonna bring too much attention…Aaah, what should I do?* _Penguin scratched his head in slight annoyance. He looked at the sleeping marine beside him. _*I could just make this guy talk…yeah, that's not a bad idea.*_

"Hey!" The mechanic was just about to hit the marine awake when a high pitched voice echoed behind him. The pirate jumped in surprise and turned around quickly, to see a woman standing before him with an angry face. The woman was wearing a marine uniform as well, but her hat was turned with the rim on the side. Underneath was a face of a young woman in her mid-twenties with a long pink braid of hair on her back. She took a few steps towards him, her eyes never stopping her staring glare. "You're not supposed to be here, what are you doing?"

_*Aw, shit shit shit. What do I do? What do I do?! If push comes to shove, I don't really want to hit a woman...* _Penguin hid his face as usual, looking at the ground nervously. "Well…I…They told me to guard the control room in case the pirates try to open the port gates from here. They're strengthening security in here." Penguin was lying through his teeth and silently prayed to all superbeings that might exist that it works.

"Hee? I haven't heard about it at all." The girl looked at the marine in front of her suspiciously. Then she took a deep breath, her hands still on her hips. There was an obvious unsatisfactory expression on her face. "That's just like them…As usual, they don't tell us anything. We're just here to push the buttons…Well if it weren't for us, this whole port would be in chaos in the first place! We're the ones controlling everything here!" Somewhere along the way of her rant, the girl turned towards Penguin again as if he was to blame for all her troubles.

The mechanic kept his head down, nervously. He was trying not to stutter. "W-Well I don't know…I'm just doing my job…ma'am."

"Ugh, you foot-soldiers are all the same…" She stared at Penguin intensely and took a few more steps forward. Still holding her hand on her hips, the woman bowed down to try and take a better look at Penguin's face from below, who was still intently looking at the floor. "And what's with you? What are you so nervous about that you keep looking at the floor? At least look at me when I'm talking to you!"

The mechanic looked up slowly, but his marine hat was lowered so much that his eyes still weren't visible. The woman sighed and continued to rant on as before. "Can you even see anything under that hat like that? And you…" Suddenly she lifted her leg, did a round kick and kicked the poor sleeping marine beside them. The man fell on the floor along with his chair, yelping in pain and surprise. "How long do you intend to sleep!?"

"Ow, ow…What was that for…" The young man was holding his back where he hit the floor hard and looked up with sleepy eyes. "Lilly! Why are you always so violent?"

"Tch, shut up! It's your fault for always sleeping on the job." The marine girl, now known as Lily, puffed away the bangs from her face and turned around from the guy with her nose held high.

The young marine looked up, his eyes still hazy from sleep, and stared at Penguin questioningly. "Who's this guy?"

Before the mechanic could explain, Lilly interrupted him. "He's supposed to watch guard here because of those pirates that infiltrated the base." Surprisingly, she offered a hand to her fallen marine comrade and helped him up.

The marine put back the chair in its rightful place and then held out his hand towards Penguin. "Ah, I'm Mark. Thanks for your hard work, I guess." His movements seemed slow and lazy as if he only wanted to sit back and doze off again.

Penguin shook the man's hand a bit uncertainly. "H-Hello."

"He looks nervous. Must be because of the infiltration." Lilly said, pointing at Penguin as she talked with Mark, then turned back towards the mechanic. "Don't worry, there's no way they can even get this far in the base. This port is the lowest level, they'll stop them before that. And even if they did get here, there's no way to escape. The only way is through those large steel doors and there's no way they can open that, even with a cannon. At least not fast enough." Lilly sounded full of pride while she talked about that.

"And the only way to open them is from this control room." Mark ended the story, looking through the big glass window at the large doors of the port.

"I-I see. But there's so much levers and buttons here, it must be hard for you guys to know all of them." Penguin muttered while staring at the control panel. *_Maybe I can make them say which one is for the doors. Just stay cool Penguin.* _

"Ha! Don't underestimate us. We know exactly what we're doing here. Every button, every level, just ask and we'll know what it's for." Lilly put her hands back on her hips again, with her head held up proudly and a self-confident smile on her face.

A light bulb blinked inside Penguin's head and he had to suppress the urge to grin widely. "Oh…I see. Liiiike…this one?" He randomly pointed at one of the buttons.

"Hah, piece of cake. It's for dock #3, to steady the ship when it's coming to the dock." Lilly said without even having to think about it.

"You're really getting into this…" Mark said, yawning. He casually laid back in his chair and tried to put his feet up on the control panel, but decided against it when he saw Lilly's warning glare.

"Oh. Theeen, what about this one?" Penguin pointed at one of the levers.

"Hah, please! It's for creating a small current to pull in ships inside the cave more easily." Once again Lilly answered.

"Wow, you even have that. Do you have one to create a contra effect too?" Penguin feigned surprise as he looked at Lilly.

"Sheesh, don't you know anything? Of course we do! Marine seamen these days…" The girl pointed at another lever.

Penguin scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly as if embarrassed. "Well I'm just a simple guard after all…"

Lilly smirked, obviously feeling superior by the knowledge, this marine guard obviously didn't possess. Penguin let her feel as superior as she wanted...as long as it was to his benefit. *_I already found out something useful. Now just a bit more.* _

"Then, what about the one for those big doors over there?" Penguin asked as casually as he could, pointing at the front gate of the port.

"Piece of cake, it's a lever over-" Lilly was just about to show it to Penguin, and Penguin gulped nervously in anticipation, but Mark's voice interrupted their little game.

"Oy, you're really a curious one, aren't you? I didn't know guards are so into these things…" Mark's voice was as casual and lazy as before, and his eyes still seemed hazy from sleep as they watched Penguin. But to the pirate mechanic that gaze seemed more than Mark let on. Like it was suspiciously piercing Penguin and watching his every move.

_*Could this guy be sharper than he originally let on? He might be a problem…If I do a wrong move now…* _Penguin tried to seemed as laid back and casual as he could, like he didn't think much about what Mark said. "Ah, sorry, I guess I just got carried away." He smiled sheepishly again.

Mark smirked. "That's fine, that's fine." He put his hands under his head like a pillow. "So…from which unit are you?" The question seemed casual enough but Mark's eyes never stopped watching Penguin and the pirate was sure Mark was examining all his reactions.

Penguin's body stiffened a little. *_He's on to me. He's testing me…Shit, did I go overboard with the questions before? Should I just lie and try my luck? I don't' see any other options…No. Better to take them by surprise while I still can.*_

Penguin was quiet for a while and then suddenly moved to act. As soon as Mark saw that he jumped out of his chair, ready to attack as well. However, Penguin was faster and took a hold of Lilly before she even had time to blink. The marine girl didn't have time to say anything this time as Penguin appeared behind her and put an arm around her neck tightly. His other grabbed one of her arms and bent it behind her back to prevent any movements from her if she tried to free herself. The girl struggled but to no avail. Penguin just tightened his grip and the girl was slowly losing strength.

"Let her go." Mark's eyes suddenly went sharper but he still stopped his attack when he saw Penguin holding Lilly hostage.

"Wh-what are you doing?! Let go of me!" The girl struggled again but without success.

"Now, now. Just do as I say and nobody will get hurt." Penguin sounded calmer now but somehow more deadly. He was glad the charade was over. But now the real problems starts.

"I suppose you want us to tell you how to open those doors, huh?" Mark's voice was strangely calm but very careful. Penguin could see the guy didn't want anything happening to his coworker. And that was Penguin's advantage.

The pirate grinned. "Would you?"

"Y-You! You're one of those pirates! I don't know how you got our uniform and got this far but you won't get away with this!" Lilly gritted her teeth and turned her head as much as she could to glare at Penguin.

Penguin ignored her and stared at Mark. "Which lever is it?"

"Don't tell him Mark!" Lilly shouted.

"I don't think you understand the situation miss. He has no choice, really." Penguin answered with a sigh.

Mark sighed as well and scratched the back of his head. "I'm afraid he's right Lilly. He'll kill you if I don't comply." He turned towards the control panel. "Alright."

"Mark! You can't negotiate with pirates!" Lily shouted in disbelief.

"LILLY!" The marine shouted back, stopping all her protests. The girl gasped in surprise with wide eyes but instantly went quiet. It seemed she wasn't used to hearing Mark, a laid back and slow-paced man, shout like that. The man sighed again. "I won't let you die for a reason like this…" Mark looked at Lilly with the corner of his eye before turning back to the control panel.

"Ah, just one more thing. If you try to sound of the alarm or any other trick, I will break her neck. It only takes a split of second, one quick movement, so don't even think you can act faster than me. I don't really like hurting women so don't make me do it, ok?" Penguin said that in an awfully calm tone, as if informing someone of tomorrow's weather. Indeed, he was a pirate to the core.

"I know already. I'm not an idiot…" Mark muttered and pointed to one of the levers. He put a hand on it but Penguin stopped him.

"Not yet. I'll tell you." With that they waited for a while. Luckily, nobody could see them high up here and Penguin could see most of the port through the big glass window. Then suddenly they heard voices down there and commotion. At the entry, a strange group appeared. A colorful bunch consisting of a large polar bear in an orange jumpsuit, four people dressed in marine uniforms but three men were wearing strange caps and a woman was holding a katana, and lastly a tall man with a fuzzy spotted hat and a long sword. Around them were several marine bodies, lying on the floor. But soon dozens of marines surrounded them and more were coming from the staircase entry. Penguin grinned in satisfaction. The group looked beat up but they were alive and on time. At that moment, the mechanic knew everything is going to be alright.

"Your friends I presume…" Mark said in a low tone.

"Filthy pirates…There's no way to run now, they're surrounded. There's no way you will have time to take over one of our ships and prepare them for sailing." Lilly grinned triumphal at Penguin.

~…~

"Room." Law made a blue sphere that surrounded all of the port and then made a few cuts in the air, sending the marine's bodies flying everywhere in pieces. He saw some were about to shoot, so he let the cut up bodies fly in front of his group as protection from the bullets.

"Heh, how cruel captain." Josh said while smirking.

"We don't have time to play nice." Shachi answered instead of Law as he punched another marine in the face who dared to get too close.

Instead of an answer, Law pulled out his den den mushi. "Sai, are you there."

"Here and ready, captain." A cheerful voice came from the den den mushi.

"Alright, do it." It was all Law said.

"aye aye captain!" Sai's and Bart's voices echoed through the den den mushi.

He turned to his group. "Prepare to run."

"But all this will be useless if Penguin failed." The usual pessimistic side of Bepo came out as he looked around for his friend nervously.

"Penguin won't fail, don't worry." Shachi grinned, having faith in his crewmate.

Meanwhile, Law took another big swing with his sword and then pulled out his hand. "Tact" One of the marine battle ships was lifted in the air, the water, marines and pieces of wood and metal falling from it. There were screams and panicking voices all around.

"Shoot! Shoot at Trafalgar! Don't let him use his power!" One of the marine officers yelled orders and the marines aimed at Law.

_Ittoryu no Haki. _Miyako cut through the air consecutive times, slicing the air itself with her haki and sending it directly towards the gunmen. All the guns turned to sliced pieces of wood and metal before the marines'eyes as they only stared in wonder.

"_Flying tornado kick!"_ In the next second, Shachi jumped towards the panicking marines and what seemed like just one attack, sent them all flying. The marines fell down unconscious and in too much pain to move. However Shachi also stumbled a little. "Shit, using a kick attack when my ankle is twisted…am I an idiot?"

"Shachi, save your strength, you're about to run." Miyako warned as she prepared herself as well. None of them except Law were really in any condition to run but it was now or never. They'll have to work on fumes and pull out all their leftover strength.

Meanwhile, a large shadow appeared over another big group of marines and they looked up with tears in their eyes knowing what was to follow. The large battle ship started falling down on them. "RUN!" The marines yelled and started running away from the falling ship as fast as they could, but for many of them it was already too late. The ship crashed down on the ground, followed by screams and loud noises of breaking wood.

"Now, let's go!" Law yelled and started running towards the water and the ships there. Everyone followed his lead.

~…~

Penguin nodded to Mark and the man pulled the lever. Another sound went off but it was a sound that signaled the big gates were opening. True enough, the steel metal gates started slowly rising, out of the water and higher towards the ceiling of the cave. The pirate grinned, please with the work.

"Now the final thing. You see this." He nodded towards Lilly's belt with a pistol strapped to it. "Take it off." He said to Mark.

"Eh?!" Suddenly Lilly's face went all red. "You pervert! Weirdo! Sicko! No way!" The girl started struggling again.

Penguin sweat-dropped. "Oy, oy now…"

Mark sighed. "Don't get ahead of yourself Lilly. He's just after your gun…" He went to her and unbuckled the belt from her waist.

The girl's face was still full of embarrassment. "E-Even so…It's horrible, so embarrassing…"

"Just endure it. Are you a marine or not!" Mark tried to make the girl feel better, retuning her fighting spirit.

"Y-your right! Like I'll lose to this!" Lilly yelled and stopped hard on Penguin's foot.

The pirate yelped but didn't loosen his hold on the girl. He only tightened it around her neck and bent her arm more, almost breaking it. Penguin glared at Mark. "Would you not make this even harder for me."

Mark smirked in a response. "I don't really have any reason to make it easier either." The marine unbuckled the belt and tossed it on the floor.

Penguin smirked. He didn't hate this guy even if they were enemies. "I guess you're right. But I suggest you leave now." Penguin smirked and looked at the chaos outside.

The pirate group was running towards the ships and the water but something was different. They didn't seem to be running towards any of the marine ships. Instead they just ran towards the clear part where there was only water and then jumped as hard as they could.

All the marines stared in surprise as if the pirates have completely lost their minds. Then suddenly, that water started raising more and more and something metal and yellow started coming out. The group jumped on the water and for a second it looked like they were standing on water itself but then the whole thing emerged out of the water and the group seemed to have been standing on a deck of a ship.

"A ship!?" Lilly yelled in surprise and all Mark could do was to stare in wonder.

The said ship turned a little and something opened up on the front side of the yellow metal monster. "A submarine…?" Mark said, still confused what that thing was doing here. He could clearly see the grinning smiley of the Heart pirates painted on the side. Meanwhile, something came out of the opening and the submarine fired. An explosion shook the whole cave, sending tremors as the submarine destroyed the doors leading to the upper level where the group came from. It prevented any more marines coming in the port as the doors completely collapsed with rocks and boulders in front.

Both Lilly and Mark jumped in surprise as penguin took Lilly's gun and fired at the glass window. He pressed down the lever to create a current for ships going out of the port that Lilly showed him before and then jumped on the edge looking down, with Lilly's belt in his hands. He saw wires and cables leading from one part of the port to the other.

"He's gonna escape, we gotta stop him!" Lilly shouted and jumped to catch Penguin before he went out.

The pirate ignored the girl and looked directly at Mark. "As I said, you better run away from here. Their next target is this room." They both knew what Penguin meant; they didn't have time to go after him and try to fight him. They'd all be blown away before that. With that warning, Penguin held both sides of the belt, which was now strapped to the cable, and the pirate jumped fearlessly from the window.

"No, he's escaping!" Lilly shouted but then felt a tight grip on her wrist. She turned around to see a very serious looking colleague. "Mark?" Without a word, the man pulled her away and ran out of the room not turning back. A few seconds later, another explosion blasted the whole control room away and the tower started to collapse onto the marines bellow. At one point, Penguin seriously thought the torpedo would hit him as they passed each other by, but luckily that didn't happen. Still, he'll give Sai a piece of his mind when he gets back. Penguin let go of the belt when he was right above the yellow submarine and he fell down, rolling on the wooden deck before he was able to stop himself. The slippery water on the deck made him slide all the way to the front doors of the deck where the hard metal wall stopped him.

"Ouch…" Penguin moaned and threw away his marine hat, putting his own instead. He saw a grinning face of Shachi above him who offering him a hand. Penguin gladly took it and stood up.

"You did it." Shachi said happily.

"Well of course." Penguin answered.

However their happy moment didn't last long as it was interrupted by Law. "Let's go, hurry inside. I don't want to waste any more torpedoes and I'm sure mister Sai would agree." Law was already walking towards the doors of his submarine.

"Captain, the doors!" Bepo yelled and pointed at the half opened port doors. Since they broke the control room, the whole system seemed to break down and the doors were stuck. They stayed quite low and there was hardly room for a ship to go through. The marine battle ship would probably get its mast broken.

Trafalgar smirked with obvious glee in his expression. "Perfect." He opened the doors of the submarine and the group went inside.

Cody chuckled next to him. "The perks of having a submarine, huh?"

The marines used their cannons now to shoot at the submarine while preparing their ships for pursuit but soon the submarine went under again and they could only shoot blindly at the water.

Law entered the control room of the submarine in haste, giving orders to his navigators. "Mister Sai, Bart-ya, dive down and get us out of there."

"Aye aye, captain!" Sai was happy to oblige and soon the lights flashing a warning that the submarine was diving in the water appeared on the walls. Without a hitch, Jean Bart navigated near the rocky floor of the cave, through the water and out of the port, led by the artificial current Penguin turned on. For them it was enough even if the gates weren't fully lifted, since they could just dive into the water and pass down below. A perk, the marines didn't have on their side.

"Are they following us?" Law asked, though he doubted they could. The marines were too busy preparing the ships for the pursuit and still they had to fix the gates so they could even get out of the port.

"It doesn't seem so, I'm not reading anything suspicious on the radar." Sai answered, smirking. "This time those detector jammers to make us invisible to the radars we stole from Silver Pirates sure came in handy."

"Hn" Law answered and sat in his chair in the control room, looking at the large window with hardened glass in front of him. "Keep this depth and keep us in the water just in case." He looked at the log pose, reading the moving needle. "Change our course to North-North -East."

"Aye, captain" Jean Bart answered and moved the helm while Sai typed in new coordinates for their travels.

~….~

"Ya-hoooo! We did it, we really did it!" Penguin jumped high in the air, rising his fist even higher.

It was late morning of the next day when they finally emerged from the sea and were now floating on the light waves of the ocean. The whole crew decided to celebrate their success of a deadly mission, which passed without any casualties, though with quite a few injuries. The Heart pirates were enjoying the sun, alcohol and food on the deck, looking at the vast, open sea around them. It was quite a merry sight.

"Munk, get us more booze and food! We're celebrating!" Sam yelled while stuffing his face with meet and almost choking to death.

Josh hit the assistant mechanic over the head. "What the hell are you celebrating for, you were staying in the submarine the whole time!"

The crew laughed as Sam pouted. "Eeeh? But it was still really stressful ya' know. We didn't know what will happen…And we had to wait in the middle of the marine base at their port for so long."

Munk laughed a hearty and loud laugh. "Aye, aye, ye all did well I say. Even me ole ticker stopped a few times from tha rush. Now come 'er 'n replenish yer energy with Munk's delicious grub!"

Miyako was sitting properly in a seiza(3) and smiling while eating politely with the chopsticks. However it was hard to concentrate when food was practically flying around her. Every now and then she had to dodge a flying piece of meat or move for the Heart Pirates who were currently fighting for the remaining bottle of rum.

"Come on guys, let's have a toast! A toast for a job well done!" Shachi lifted his beer mug high in the air.

"Yeah, I can't believe we escaped right under the marine noses…From a marine base! What incompetent idiots! Hahaha!" Kai yelled and started rolling around in laughter.

Someone handed a glass of sake to Miyako. "You too Miya-chan, let's have a toast."

Miyako looked at the glass, thinking if she really should. At the same time, Cody, Bepo, Josh, Penguin and Shachi whipped their heads in her direction. They still remembered what happened last time when Miyako drank sake. She was a poor drinker who got easily drunk and even worse; she was a total devil when she was drunk.

"Well…I guess just one-" She started.

"NO!" The group yelled, trying to quickly take the alcohol away from her.

The girl blinked in surprise and wonder. She didn't remember what happened last time so she didn't know what kind of horrible ordeal her friends had to experience with her.

"Ah, Miya-chan, why don't you take some juice instead?" Cody offered and gave her a glass of juice while skillfully taking away the alcohol from her hands before the girl could even protest. He had a nervous smile on his face as he tried to avoid any suspicion coming from her.

Meanwhile, Law watched all of this from the side while sitting on the railing and drinking a bottle of liquor. He was glad they made it, due to his detailed planning of course, but he still felt uneasy about the whole thing. He couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he had with Joker over the den den mushi in the dead of the night while the sub was still sailing underwater, trying to put as much distance from the marine base as possible. As always the conversation was unnerving and uncomfortable, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"_Do you have it?" Joker asked as soon as Law made contact with the shichibukai. _

"_Yes. But my men went through a lot to get it. We almost got killed! Can you explain to me how they knew we were coming?!" _

"_Ah, so it was a trap huh…?" The broker of the underworld didn't seem fazed by it at all. "I only found out now myself. It seems a little rat found himself a way inside our organization." A loud scream somewhere in the background came to Law's ears and it was enough to give Law a chill. He could picture what the 'little rat' was currently experiencing. _

"_I see you caught him though." Trafaglar said, without much emotion. "There was some marine organization called Annox7 there…"_

"_Oh, those guys? Hmm...yes, they are quite a problem sometimes. But…" An obvious amused tone appeared in Doflamingo's voice and Law could completely imagine Joker's usual grin on the older man's face. That disgusting grin that Law always wanted to wipe right off the broker's face. "…I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, Law." Somehow the way Doflamingo said it, left Law feeling even more irritated. As if there was no way anyone would be foolish enough to betray or disobey Joker's orders. It was always like that with him and his subordinates; Do or die. Nothing more. Law's fist unconsciously tightened by his side. _

"_Joker…what are you planning? This thing you want...I read Vegapunk's files. It's an ingredient for creating Devil Fruits, isn't it?" _

_A small chuckle was heard from the other side of the line. "Law…Didn't anyone tell you; curiosity killed the cat?" There was a deadly, but amused tone in Doflamingo's voice._

_Law stiffened but kept quiet and soon the shichibukai continued. "But you did good kid, so as a reward I'll tell you." Law hated when Joker called him that but ignored it and listened on. "You're right, it's to create Devil fruits…or rather an army of devil fruit users."_

_Law's eyes widened a little. "What would you need an army for?" _

_Doflamingo chuckled again as if he was amused that he had all the answers Law apparently wanted. "Not for me…" And then Joker said a name that almost made Law drop the receiver of his den den mushi. "Kaido."_

_Law's eyes widened as he thought. *One of the Four pirate Emperors?! Joker is in some kind of agreement with Kaido, and I didn't even know. And Kaido is creating an army?* Law thought about it for a while and soon pieces of the puzzle started coming together in his mind. *Of course, after the War of the Best, the scale was tipped. The marines got an upper hand since Whitebeard was killed but that old man went and said that One Piece was real. Now more pirates than ever are roaming the seas looking for Roger's treasure. And that means more competition for the Four Emperors too. And there's also Blackbeard. Marshall D. Teach…He showed an amazing ability and announced war to the world. The other Emperors must be weary of him as the new rising power, even more than of the World Government. Kaido must be doing everything to strengthen his power too, he doesn't want to lose his position in the pirate world. So he made this deal with Doflamingo.* Then Law thought of something else. A crucial point. _

"_But what do you get from that?" Law asked. He knew Doflamingo was still acting in the underworld even though he promised to give up all that when he joined as a shichibukai. But Doflamingo never had any intention in doing so. He was still a pirate through and through…he just did things a bit differently than before. He let others do his dirty work for him. Just like Law had to yesterday…The thought of being used made Law's fist tighten its grip even more, his blunt nails digging into the palm. _

_Once again, Law could almost hear Doflamingo grinning on the other end. "Law…You really are a curious one, aren't you? But don't get ahead of yourself…you don't want to get me mad." The tone seemed light but the threat was clear. Joker didn't want to revel too much and he was starting to get tired of Law's questions. "Don't forget Law…who you work for." Law kept quiet, a dark tension around him accumulating. A killing aura he didn't feel in a long time. *Not for long Joker, not for long…* _

"_Yeah." The only thing the captain of the Heart Pirates managed to squeeze out through his gritted teeth. _

"_I'll send another messenger bird to your ship to take the package from you. That's all." Doflamingo ended their conversation and didn't even wait for Law's answer before he turned off the den den mushi._

_The line went dead and Law was left standing there with the receiver still near his lips. His body stood calmly, but Law was seething inside. There was such a clear sharpness in his piercing eyes that nobody could mistake the dark meaning behind them; Death. _

Law closed his eyes to calm himself and momentarily forget about the nasty conversation. He took a sip from the bottle and felt the strong alcohol burn his throat all the way to his stomach. It was a soothing feeling though. A feeling that made him forget, even if for a while. Forget everything from thirteen years ago. But he'll definitively have to find out more about this whole Kaido ordeal. He needed to if he wanted an edge over Doflamingo. He needed to for his future plans. But before that, he had one more thing to discuss with his whole crew. He looked across the deck, at all of his crewmates. They all got stronger…much stronger than when they started their journey. And a lot stronger since the day Law decided to wait and stay in the Grand Line before going to the New World. Especially since he knew one day his opponent would be Doflamingo himself and everyone who stood behind that man. They all had to be prepared for that. Law wanted to start something…and the beginning of the New Age was also his signal to start preparing. Now that all the forces were shifted, when it wasn't certain anymore who will stand at the top, now was the time to act. This world right now was completely unstable and it only needed a little push to tip the scale and change everything. And Law was the one who intended to make that push. An impatient smirk appeared on his face with his grey eyes alive and shining with anticipation, as if he could see something the others couldn't yet.

"Alright. It's time." As he said that, Law hopped down from the railing and looked at his crewmembers.

The Heart Pirates stopped at hearing their captain's voice and turned around towards him in wonder and anticipation. They all looked at him with questioning eyes.

"It's time you lot. To go to the New World! We're ready!" Law said it in such a simple tone, like it was the most natural thing in the world, but everyone's mouths fell open.

"C-captain, are you serious!? It isn't a joke right!?" Bepo exclaimed in hope. His pain was instantly forgotten after Law's words.

"I'm not one to joke around with these things, you should know that Bepo." The captain said calmly as an answer to the bear's question.

"We're going….ALRIGHT YOU GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO THE NEW WORLD!" Penguin and Shachi yelled in unison, hooking their arms around the other's neck as they started doing something that looked like a Can-Can dance. They proceeded to sing "we're going to the New World! Going to the New World!" at the top of their lungs. Nobody tried to stopped them though, instead most of the crew joined them. Some even had tears of happiness in their eyes.

There was one expression that didn't look happy though…it looked serious, almost troubled. As if the person just got new problems to think about. Miyako sat there silently, looking at the plate in her lap. _*New World…And Wanokuni. That means I'll…I'll be heading home. This time for real. Shouldn't I be happy? What's wrong with me?*_ Indeed, right now Miyako felt more confused than happy. *_I'm a fool…This is what I wanted from the start. Yes, it's not like I ever wanted to be a pirate in the first place. I was made to by Law…* _At the thought of her captain, Miyako's heart skipped a beat painfully as if she was remembering a painful memory. *_Wasn't I planning to use them to get to Wano or close and then ditch them anyway?*_ To be honest, she didn't think about that plan in a long time. She had forgotten about it, though it was always somewhere in the back of her mind like a trouble that needed to be dealt with, but now it seemed closer than ever. Her dilemma never really disappeared. She looked at the dancing and celebrating crew around her; everyone was smiling, telling jokes and talking about their upcoming adventures. She could hear talk about legendary, beautiful mermaids that were waiting for them with open arms. Yeah right…they're waiting just for you. Miyako sighed. *_But…they're my friends. Shachi, Penguin, Cody, Bepo…even that shorty Josh. Everyone. Can I really do that to them; betray them and just disappear?* _Miyako sneaked a gaze at Law who was leaning against the railing and sipping from his bottle casually. _*Can I do that to him? How would Law react if…? I bet he would be furious…* _The girl bit her lip at the thought. *_He'd probably kill me for betraying them…I know he has no mercy for his enemies.* _She closed her eyes tightly as if trying to discard all those unpleasant thoughts. But she knew that sooner or later, she'll have to face them. This isn't a decision she can run away from. But...she _was_ scared. She was scared of her new self that came out after spending time with the Heart Pirates. Her new self that was whispering in her mind to stay with her new friends, that living like this isn't bad at all, the one who longed for…what? Miyako unconsciously looked back at Law at that question. The realization made her turn her head away quickly, trying to disguise the faint blush appearing on her pale cheeks. _*No…but Wanokuni is my home. I can't leave it all….for a man. Argh, I can't even say it! I don't want to say that, it sounds ridiculous! What happened to your pride Suzune Miyako!?*_

That's right…She was Suzune Miyako the samurai of Wanokuni. A rounin. Not _Burning-eyed Miyako _how the marines called her. Her pirate self. Those two can't coexist...it's either one or the other. *_I can't be both, can I?*_ She knew the answer to that question even before she asked it in her mind. She unconsciously bit her lip even harder.

"What's wrong, Miya-chan?" A worried voice brought her out of her thoughts and startled her a little. She looked at her side to see Bepo, tiling his furry head to the side and watching her with worried eyes. He looked pretty beat up and injured, but he still insisted on celebrating with his nakama than resting in sickbay.

The girl smiled at the big bear and scratched him behind one of his fuzzy ears. He made a content sound as his ear twitched a little. "It's nothing, don't worry. You should just focus on healing."

"You too Miya-chan, you got hurt too." Bepo countered. True, Miyako had some bandages of her own and her whole body was still pretty sore. Luckily, she was under a dose of some painkillers that helped the situation.

Miyako smiled to the polar bear and scratched his fuzzy big head. Somehow the bear always made her want to cuddle him and play with his soft white fur. She felt like a child, finding an awesome plushy toy. Luckily, she always managed to restrain herself. Instead she got up, her legs painful from sitting in the same position for too long. "I think I'm going to go rest for a while." Bepo nodded understandingly and the girl turned to leave for her quarters. She felt exhausted, but mostly she just wanted some alone time to think about everything that will soon follow. The decision she had to make was not an easy one…not anymore...not like when she started this journey. And she knew exactly who to blame for that. Her gaze unconsciously sought him out but Miyako realized Law was gone from the deck. Nobody even seemed to notice him leave.

While thinking about everything, Miyako's body moved on her own and she didn't even realize it until she was standing right outside Law's quarters. Why did she even come here? She didn't know but somehow she needed…something….Was it reassurance? As if Law could take those troubles away. But she knew he couldn't, because Miyako could never tell him what she was thinking about. She couldn't tell her current captain that she was deciding whether to leave him and the crew as soon as the chance appears. But even so, she was already lightly knocking on the metal doors and then waited a few seconds before coming in. The doors opened effortlessly and at first Miyako was surprised when the cabin looked empty. She was sure she would find the doctor sitting behind his big wooden desk as always, hunched over a bunch of papers he was working on. But instead, she was met with complete silence and that confused her for a second. Her eyes looked across the room, seeking out the man, and then found his lying form on the bed.

Miyako didn't know why she closed the doors and went inside instead of quietly leaving, which would be more logical. But it seemed her mind wasn't thinking very logical at the moment. Something just got her curious, something about that still form on the bed. Right now Law looked so….different. She had never seen his sleeping form before. It was calm…peaceful. Completely different from the usual picture she had of him; of a smirking, self-confident young man, piercing her with those grey eyes as if challenging her…as if silently saying – _Defy me if you dare_. Perhaps that's what peeked Miyako's curiosity and called her forward, closer to the bed.

Law was still wearing his yellow hoody and spotted trousers, lying on the covers. His hand was still holding a book on his stomach that he must've been reading before he accidentally fell asleep. His head was resting on the covers, turned to the side as he slowly breathed. He seemed to be in a pretty deep sleep since he didn't wake up even when Miyako sat on the bed beside him. It wasn't surprising since he stayed awake the whole night and they all had such a hectic day yesterday.

The girl sighed and flopped back on the bed beside him, then turned her head to look at the man's peaceful face. "Why did I come here…? Actually I know…But why did I think talking to you would suddenly resolve all my troubles? But even if it was just a meaningless chat like the ones we often have…I wouldn't mind right now." She told him softly even though she knew he couldn't hear any of it. The girl turned to her side, putting her hands underneath her head like a makeshift pillow, and stared at the face before her. Her golden eyes seemed dimmer now…and somehow sad. "If I disappeared what would you do? If I betrayed you one day…what would you do?" But all she got was the same silent breathing as before. Somehow Miyako didn't mind though. Law's expression and whole form right now made her more relaxed. It somehow made her feel better. She looked at the man's face. It seemed to her that it was ages ago since she properly looked him in the face. Nowadays, she would always avert her gaze. She always avoided they're eyes from meeting because it made her embarrassed. She would just remember all the things that happened between them. Now, she remembered the beginnings of their journey. Those days she would always stare right at him, challengingly. Defy him constantly, fight him and irritate him any chance she got. And she would never back down or look away either. Her pride wouldn't let her. Where was _that_ Miyako now? But the girl missed that old self a bit. She still considered herself to be stubborn and prideful but it would be a lie if she said that she wasn't subdued by this man at least a little bit. That word sounded wrong to her and left a bad taste in her mouth. And yet she couldn't hate him for it. But at least now she could look at him properly. She could feel his comfortable body heat even from here, without touching, and his scent was all around her. So close. His messy dark hair that was quite longer now than when they met. His tanned smooth skin. Perfect facial lines that made him quite a handsome man. And just barely parted lips. Miyako could feel the slight tickle of his breath on her skin and only then did it hit her how close they were right now. The realization made her cheeks hot and a small blush appeared on her face. But somehow his whole sleeping appearance seemed to calm her down, making her eyes heavy. Miyako realized how exhausted she really was.

~…~

"Ngh…" Law moaned a little as he started waking up. He didn't even know when he fell asleep. But as soon as he started thinking more clearly, before even opening his eyes, his mind warned him that he wasn't alone here. He quickly opened his eyes, ready to jump out of bed and defend himself but his body froze when he realized who the intruder was. He was lying on his side, face to face with probably the most infuriating girl he ever met. The one who could even break his calm mask and make his blood boil at times. Law's still sleepy and now very confused mind couldn't really process what happened and what this really meant. All he knew was that Miyako lay there sleeping quietly on her side, turned towards him and only inches away. He realized the girl never really got this defenseless and close to him on her own. The thought made him think of some ally cat, weary of everyone, that he was trying to tame. He suppressed a chuckle on that thought but a smirk still appeared. Though it wasn't that trademark, devilish smirk of his this time. It looked different…it looked more gentle. Law noticed a strand of hair falling on the girl's fair face and unconsciously he reached out to move it away, but stopped just before touching her. His hand hovered above her face. Law didn't want to risk waking her up. Or at least that's what he said to himself was the reason. But he knew there was another one. He didn't want to do something he might regret later. He didn't want to attack her and for a moment there he was dangerously close. And then the little cat would run away from him and never come back. Instead, with a sigh Law rolled onto his back and pinched the arch of his nose with that hand while staring at the metal ceiling of the room. "Idiot, don't be so defenseless around me…" With that he closed his eyes and rested the back of his hand against them.

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><p><em>Bakaonna <em>– Foolish woman, Idiot woman

_Ittouryu: Kiritateru _– literally means "to slay all." One slash, coming from the battoujutsu stance, precise and strong enough to cut even through steel or stone.

_Seiza _– (literally means "Proper sitting") A traditional formal Japanese way of sitting.

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><p>Alright! That's it for this chapter. :D I think I did this one pretty long; 57 pages in Word. Once again sorry for the delay but right now college is hectic. I'm trying to write as much as I can though, whenever I have the time. So little by little, this chapter came to an end as well. :) As always, all constructive criticism, reviews or messages are welcomed so do tell me your opinion. So this time I didn't put answers to any reviews since there weren't really any questions and I really wanted to post this as soon as possible. XD But I read all of them and want to thank you all so much for the wonderful comments and support. You guys really make me want to do my best! Ganbarimasu!<p> 


	43. Chapter 43

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

So at first I wanted to make this Sabaody story a one chapter, but decided it would be too long so I broke it into two. I feel that chapters shouldn't be too long either because the people will feel it's just too much and get bored with reading. But I believe I'll write and post the next part soon since I have some time now. :D Thanks everyone for your patience and I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **This is a LawxOc story, rated T for blood, violence and language. I do not own One piece or any of its characters (sadly). But I own my OC Suzune Miyako. Also, this story may contain some One Piece spoiler so you have been warned!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 43<strong>

Josh and Miyako were leaning on the railing of the submarine as the ship sailed slowly through the still waters. For the first time in weeks the weather was nice; calm blue sky, the warm sun shining brightly and a light breeze ruffling through their hair. The kind of day that would calm even the worst enemies and make them relax next to each other and perhaps that was the sole reason why this couple was quiet and not fighting for a change. But there was probably one more reason. The drastic change in weather meant they were in a climate of an island nearby and the crew already knew, which one; Sabaody Archipelago. Everyone was excited over the fact that they will be departing for the New World soon. Unlike most ships, the submarine, being a unique vessel as it is, didn't need to be coated, hence they only needed to restock their supplies and they could be on their way quickly. To Fishmen island. Or how most of the crew called it; The Mermaid island. Miyako didn't even need to ask why. Everyone in the Heart Pirate crew was excited for one sole reason; finally seeing the legendary fair maids of the sea every sailor dreams of meeting. Miyako didn't really find interest in that but even her interest was effected when thinking about a mysterious island thousands of meters under the sea and a completely different race living there. The first time Miyako saw a fishman was actually on Sabaody but at those times she didn't really have time to sightsee or look around much since she had problems of her own, being a slave and all. But now her heart was beating fast at the thought of such a grand adventure, going so deep under the sea and seeing a different civilization. However her heart had another reason to beat fast. Every time she thought about her awaiting decision of whether to return to Wano or stay with the crew, which will surely catch up to her one day. It never stopped haunting her ever since Law exclaimed they were going to the New World. Miyako knew she couldn't run forever.

"Saobody Archipelago huh? Now that I think about it, that's where we first found you." Josh remembered the events from over a year ago as he lazily stared into the sea, not even bothering to look at the girl beside him as he talked. "You almost got sold off as a slave, Bakaonna." He grinned and gave her a mocking look from the corner of his eye.

The girl ignored his smirk but made an annoyed face of her own at the memories. "Tch. Yeah, my choices were becoming a slave or a pirate..."

"Heh, don't tell me you regret your decision. You could've been doing who knows what for those perverts at the auction house as a slave by now. Isn't this much better; the open sea, adventures, fights! What more could you want from life!" The medic got excited and smiled one of his rare truly happy and open smiles as he spoke.

"Heh, no way. I was planning on escaping from the start. As soon as I was bought, I would've taken my buyer by surprise, overpowered him, stole the keys for my collar and escaped." Miyako's smirking face became a frown soon. "But then Law came and ruined all my plans."

Josh turned to look at her suddenly, with a genuinely surprised expression, his emerald eyes wide and staring. "Ha? Don't tell me you actually regret coming on board and everything that you've been through all these months?"

Miyako stared back at him and thought deeply. She's been through so much…they all have. She smiled at her friend. "No. I don't regret it." And she found that it was the truth. She really didn't regret that she came on this journey with them; she's seen so much, experienced even more and gotten stronger and wiser from all of it. However, if Josh had asked her if she wanted to come home to Wano, that wouldn't be such an easy answer. Nor if he asked whether she wanted to continue being a pirate like this, forever. She wasn't a pirate in the core like the rest of them. It was never her dream to become one. She had dreams of her own.

Josh nodded at the answer, pleased by it. He turned back to look at the vast blue ocean. "Of course you don't regret it. I mean, think about it; soon we will be deeper in the ocean than ever before and then we'll see the Fishmen island for the first time in our lives! Not every pirate gets to see that." Josh's grin never left his face.

"Hn, you're just excited that you'll see the mermaids like all the other guys." Miyako looked at the redhead with the corner of her eye, totally seeing through his excitement.

The young man blushed and made a slightly pouting face as he averted his eyes. He lowered his hat so the rim would hide his blushing face. "S-So what's wrong with that…It's not something you see often right..?" Uncharacteristically, Josh's voice was low and uncertain; the guy was obviously embarrassed.

It wasn't often Miyako saw this side of Josh. Usually the medic was confident, loud, arrogant and hard to deal with, in her opinion. Not to mention stubborn and a hot-head. But when it came to girls, the man was completely lost. He couldn't deal with them and would always get easily embarrassed in front of them. It seemed that went even for imaginary ones. Miyako couldn't miss this golden opportunity to tease the medic.

"What's that, what's that? Your face is almost as red as your hair." The girl got closer, staring intently at his face while grinning.

"S-shut up! It's none of your business!" The man yelled back, returning to his usual quarreling self, even though he was still embarrassed if his red face was any indicator.

"What's this, you two fighting again?" A new voice startled them a little and the couple turned to see Penguin walking onto the deck. Behind him were Bepo and Shachi, enjoying the bright, sunny day.

"Oh nothing, Josh was just embarrassed about all the mermaids he'll soon be drooling over." Miyako made a theatrically bored face, obviously continuing her good fun in teasing the medic while ignoring the fuming redhead.

"Oh riiiight….Mermaids~" Both Penguin and Shachi sighed in bliss, just thinking about it.

"You think there will be any bears on Fishmen island too?" Bepo asked hopefully.

Suddenly a picture entered everyone's minds even if they didn't want it; A picture of a half bear half fish; a female bear with a mermaid tail swimming around through the glittering water, a coconut bra covering its wide furry chest. Everyone's face went completely dark and disgusted, as they watched the picture in their head with horrified shock. The mermaid bear kept swimming around, laughing and smiling, winking at them. They soon regretted ever thinking about it and willed the scene away.

"NO WAAAAY! Don't destroy my beautiful mermaid fantasy like that! There's no way there are bears in Fishmen island!" Penguin was first to react, raging at the polar bear.

"S-sorry…" Bepo's head bowed down in apology.

"Oy, oy…Don't get depressed so easily…" Shachi said with a sweatdrop as he felt sorry for the bear. Then he walked over to the railing where Miyako and Josh were and leaned on it as well, staring at the bright sky. Miyako noticed he wasn't limping anymore; his ankle has finally healed completely. "But it sure is nice today…we must be close to the Archipelago if we're already in its climate. It's sure a nice change from the hot and dark machinery room where we were earlier.

"Oh, doing maintenance?" Josh asked.

Penguin and Shachi both nodded. Penguin finally gave up on explaining to Bepo why there weren't any bears in Fishmen island and joined the others. He was the one to answer this time. "Yeah, and not just that. We had to go over some blueprints of the submarine and have a talk with captain since we'll have a lot of work to do once we get to Sabaody.

Miyako looked at the mechanic in puzzlement. "Why? Aren't we just stopping to restock?"

"We need to do some work on our yellow beauty. She never sailed so deep before so we have to make sure she can take it." Shachi grinned but then proceeded to explain when he saw Miyako's still questioning look. "We're going to reinforce her, especially the glass windows. If something breaks under such water pressure, we'll be crushed by water in minutes."

The thought made Miyako rethink her excitement about going to deep underwater and she gulped. She heard the crewmates talking about numerous ships, which coating broke and they got crushed by water together with their ships. However, since they were in a submarine, she thought they were safe from such things and only had to worry about sea monsters. But obviously they had much more to worry about then just giant fish.

Seeing Miyako's uncertain face, Shachi laughed and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Haha Don't worry, nothing like that will happen to us. After all, you're looking at the two best mechanics of at least North Blue!"

Miyako chuckled a little. "Well that is reassuring then."

"I hope that's true for your sake as well, Shachi-ya. Because drowning while your body is being crushed by gallons of water is definitively not a pleasant death." The group jumped in surprise when a familiar voice behind them startled everyone.

"Captain! Don't scare us like that. You always appear so suddenly; you're seriously gonna give me a heart attack one day!" Josh was the first one to complain, seriously worried about his heart by now. Law always seemed to appear out of nowhere, when they least expected it.

Miyako looked behind her and saw the pirate captain leaning on the doorframe of the metal entrance with his arms folded on his chest. The rim of his hat was casting shadows over his eyes, but she could see an amused smirk appearing on Law's face at Josh's words. The captain didn't answer the redhead but instead stepped onto the deck. A spiky blue hair appeared behind him and Cody walked in after Law.

The medic sighed. "Captain, could you not make such a mess in the infirmary after your experiments. I always have to spend so much time cleaning all the blood afterwards." He said that with closed eyes and a perfectly natural tone with an even calmer expression as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He was obviously unfazed by now by all of captain's doings.

"It's a relevant part of my research." Law answered, obviously not caring about his medic's complains. Instead he walked over to the railing and looked in the distance, thoughtfully.

"You say that but it's obvious you're just having fun…" Cody muttered, averting his eyes to the ground in slight disapproval but thankfully Law was too far away to hear him.

It seemed a pleasant and relaxed feeling overcame the group, as they all enjoyed the nice weather in silence for a while. However, one person's mood considerably dropped as a feeling around her suddenly became colder. Miyako had a serious expression that didn't show any emotion on her face as she hid her eyes behind her long bangs. Soon after Law and Cody appeared on the deck, the girl walked from the railing and towards the entrance into the submarine.

"Huh, Miyako, where are you going?" Josh looked at her back in surprise.

"Kitchen duty." The girl answered without even turning around or stopping. Moments later she disappeared inside the submarine.

That wasn't a total lie…She did have kitchen duty…but only about 30 minutes from now. She could've stayed there some more, she wasn't in any hurry, but she didn't want to be so close to _him_ right now. Truth be told, Miyako and Law weren't on good terms right now, or more precisely she was mad at him. But since she wasn't allowed to disobey him on the ship, avoiding him was her next best thing to show her displeasure and anger. It all started not long ago after their adventure to Vegapunk's lab in Abney Cove. At that time she trusted Law and blindly followed him into the jaws of danger, sure that once everything was over he would properly explain why they had to risk their lives like that. The rest of the crew was interested in it as well and the topic soon came up. But all Law said was that it was an experiment Vegapunk was working on, with Devil Fruit, and that it was not yet complete. When Cody asked why Law wanted such a thing, the captain only answered that it was all a part of their future plans in the New World. He said it was a necessary step to take but Miyako didn't understand what that meant. "_Just trust me, a time will come when you will understand. But for no, you don't have to think about it much. It's not time yet." _That were his exact words. As always, the crew trusted him and didn't ask further. They had faith in their Captain that he knew what he was doing. However, Miyako wasn't satisfied with such a vague answer. She trusted Law and risked her life for him; that's what she decided to do before docking to Abney Cove. And she didn't even get a reason why. She wasn't some mindless puppet on a string that he could use and control when it suited him, without even telling her what she was fighting for. That's just not how she did things. So Miyako pressed on, trying to get a real answer from him. However, their discussion soon became too heated.

"_Why won't you just tell me the reason?! What are you hiding?!" The girl all but yelled as she slammed her hands on his wooden desk. _

_The pirate captain was calm and collected until now, sitting on his chair and barely looking at the complaining girl. That's what got her so agitated in the first place; that uncaring attitude of his. But now, Law looked at her with dangerous eyes, slowly rising from his chair. "Have you forgotten your place Miss Miyako? What gives you the right to question me like this?" _

_That response only made her angrier. "Because I have a mind and will of my own and I do not appreciate being used like some pawn in your plan who doesn't even have the right to know what she's risking her life for." She wasn't backing down. She stared right back at Law with challenging eyes. His eyes were still dark and piercing, looking right at her, but she returned the stare with her own burning ones. _

_But Law wasn't backing down. Of course he wouldn't, he couldn't lose his authority as her captain. "I am your captain on this ship. I am not obligated to tell you anything and you are here to follow orders. Anything else would be nothing less than disrespect and treason. And do you know what happens to traitors on pirate ships Miss Miyako?" Every word he said was slicing the air like sharp steel, emphasizing it._

_A truly angry Miyako was quite different from an embarrassed or displeased Miyako he was used to seeing over the past months. This was a threatened, angry Miyako Law hadn't seen in a very long time, at least not directed towards him. But now once again, the girl had shown him that expression. Her golden eyes darkened considerably along with the rest of her expression. There was a deadly glint in them now. Her voice was as cold as Law's. "Are you threatening me Trafalgar?"_

_The captain was a bit surprised by this sudden change, especially since he hadn't seen it in such a long time. It reminded him of the early days while Miyako still considered him her enemy. But Law was too far down to back out now. It was a matter of pride and principle as an authority on this ship, as a captain. His expression was as dark as Miyako's. "I am simply warning you, Miss Miyako. And I will do that only once. Don't test my patience." _

_Miyako lowered her head a bit so that her bangs were covering most of her face. He couldn't read the expression on her face but he could still see the serious tight line her lips formed. "So you will kill me if I ever disobey you, huh?" She didn't let him even answer that as she looked up at him again. Her eyes were different now. Was that hurt in her eyes? Or disappointment? Law couldn't tell anymore…maybe both. "So that's the man you truly are…" With that the woman turned around and left his quarters, slamming the doors behind her. She stopped in front of the closed doors for a while, tightly squeezing her fist so that her nails sunk deep into the soft skin of her palm. She felt used and betrayed and she even surprised herself at how much that thought hurt her. _

Miyako sighed as she stared at the ceiling of her room. She was lying on her bed in her shorts and a tank top that were usually her PJs. She put her legs up on the wall, leaning them there and crossing her ankles. For a change, her hair wasn't tied by her red ribbon, which was now tied to the hilt of her katana. Instead, her long dark blue hair flowed everywhere on the bed. Her big golden eyes kept staring at the ceiling as if it will give her the answers to all her troubles. She knew it was quite childish to just walk away from the deck like she did just now, and she was sure Law knew she left because of him. But she just didn't want to be close to him right now. *_Perhaps keeping my distance from his isn't such a bad thing….When I think about it, the fact that I couldn't make a clear decision about Wano was probably because his presence was clouding my mind…always effecting me. Now I can think about it in peace, away from his influence. Yeah…this distance will make me realize what I truly want.* _

~…~

"Was there something wrong with Miya-chan?" Shachi asked, scratching his head as he stared at the opened entrance of the sub even though Miyako was already long gone.

Cody, who felt that there was a change in the atmosphere every times Law and Miyako were in the same room these past few weeks, sighed. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. *_What happened between those two now…? Honestly, they're both so troublesome…* _The medic sighed again and stole a glance towards his captain who was still leaning on the railing and looking far ahead at the open sea. He knew he couldn't ask Law himself, the man would never tell him and probably even got irritated by Cody asking. He tried to find any sign of emotion on Law's face when Shachi asked about Miyako, but the captain's face remained indifferent as always. Honestly, the man's mask was unbreakable...he was harder to crack than a diamond. But Cody didn't spend all this time with Law without learning to read under the surface. He knew his captain must be quite troubled even without the man himself showing it. Law had his own pride to preserve, but Cody knew it was far from him not caring.

Yes, Law was troubled. He had been troubled for weeks now, ever since that fight with Miyako. He was troubled, and irritable and moody…and that only made him more annoyed both at himself and everyone else…and Miyako. Especially Miyako. She would avoid him, ignore him, give him the silent treatment, and only answer in short, cold answers when he would ask her something or order her to do something. He didn't say anything because he thought she just needed time and that after a while she would just get over the whole thing and start acting normally again. But now as weeks passed and still no change, Law realized it won't be so easy. He should've known…ever since she showed him that look before storming out of his cabin. At this point he would rather have the nagging, arrogant Miyako from the beginning of their journey. The one who was displeased and openly showing it, annoying him in the process. But this Miyako was different; just cold and distant. In more than a year they traveled together, Law couldn't remember she was ever like that before. Law sighed and closed his eyes. _Women_. He knew how cliché that thought was as soon as his mind produced it but he just couldn't think of a better explanation right now. He remembered how one of his more superstitious crewmembers warned him about bringing a woman onboard, saying it was an ill omen, and now Law started thinking if that was perhaps partially true. Because he felt like he had nothing but trouble ever since she came on his ship. He felt like his thoughts have been messed up and in disarray for a year now, ever since she came.

The truth is, he knew what she wanted from him; answers. But he couldn't give them to her. Not right now. Because if he did, he would have to tell her about _him_. He would have to tell her about thirteen years ago, about everything….And he just couldn't do that. But a part of him, somewhere in the back of his mind, whispered to him that he was afraid…afraid of how she would look at him once she knew. She only knew him as a pirate who didn't take orders from anyone, only doing what he wanted, roaming the seas free and chasing his ambitions. But what if he told her the truth? That he was actually forced to answer to _that_ man. That he was a lackey of the Shichibukai, Doflamingo and that they all had to risk their lives at Abney Cove just to please that man. Just to follow _his_ orders. What would she think of him then? Law remembered Miyako's disappointed expression when she looked at him. Wouldn't she look just like that? _How could you? You disgrace. You embarrassment of a captain. _He could picture Miyako's voice in his head, saying these things while looking down on him; an expression of utter disgust on her face. But more than that, the scene that kept returning to Law's mind was Miyako's expression full of hurt and disappointment. That's the one that stung the most. And he knew why…because he behaved just like _him_. Law said things _he_ would often say, because _he_ never allowed insubordination. Trafalgar knew that well from experience. Law always felt disgusted by Doflamingo's mindset, listening to the cruel man when he said things like that, yet now he did the same thing to one of his crewmembers. Law didn't regret many things in life, but this one he did. Being anything like Doflamingo was something he wouldn't allow himself. That man had enough influence over Law already, but Trafalgar promised himself that Joker would never have an influence on his mindset and thoughts. That one thing, that one freedom, Joker could never take away from Law. So what the hell was he doing, acting just like that bastard?!

"-ptn! Captain!?" Bepo's voice startled Law a little, pulling him deep from his thoughts and bringing him back to reality.

The pirate captain looked at his first mate in question and noticed the bear was pointing at something. "We're here! It's Sabaody."

Law followed the group's gaze and saw the enormous mangrove in the distance. The trees were rising high in the air while their roots twisted and turned around each other. He could see the bubbles dancing in the air, going higher and higher until they would pop and disappear. "Here we are again…." The young captain muttered in thought. Law wasn't one to feel nostalgia at such times as these but he couldn't help but remember the slave auction and the whole situation at Sabaody that actually led him to feel troubled here today, thinking about the samurai girl they picked up. His troubles started here…and now, once again, an even harder journey towards and into the New World will start from here as well. Law sighed. *_I'm thinking too much about all this…it's starting to be ridiculous.* _He turned to go inside the sub, Bepo following him close behind with his long nodachi in paws, as Law went to the control room to get everything ready for docking. *_No matter what, I'm a captain first so I need to act like one. I can't forget my duties because of my own personal troubles and I sure as hell won't let that affect me. It's enough wallowing in self-pity or whatever this is. It stops now.*_

~…..~

The submarine docked to the Archipelago and Law stepped outside on the grassy ground, along with Bepo. Most of the crew stayed in the sub this time since they still had preparing to do for setting sail into the sea depths but he took a few of his man with him and sent them off to take care of restocking the supplies. This time, Shachi and Penguin had to stay in as well since they had a lot of work with reinforcing the sub. They had a group of their own who took care of getting materials for the sub while Shachi and Penguin discussed how the procedure will go on. Assigning everyone their duties, Law was free to roam the bookshops for some good new medical books. He also wanted to see if he could get some new information about the marines, New World, Fishmen island...anything that would help them be even a little bit prepared on their journey ahead. He also wanted to see if anyone had some new info or rumors about the infamous underworld broker, Joker. Law wanted to find out as much as he could about Doflamingo's new business deal with Kaido and Sabaody, being full of pirates, was a good place to start. However, he also had to be careful because he knew Doflamingo had eyes and ears everywhere and there were probably a lot of spies and people working for him undercover on Sabaody. He didn't want Doflamingo to find out Law was asking about him and get suspicious. However, he wanted to take one more person except Bepo with him in case they get into some trouble. These days pirate crews were everywhere due to everyone trying to get to New World and look for One Piece. However, he could see everyone was already busy and running around the sub with their jobs. He asked Cody, but the medic cut him off instantly, saying he had to prepare the infirmary just in case for when they set sail. The only person who seemed to be free and actually loitering around on the deck right in front of their captain's eyes, was the one he really didn't want to ask at the moment. The girl sat on the railing, swinging her long legs like a child and humming a tune, unaware that a pair of dark grey eyes were staring her way, seemingly troubled. A glint appeared in them for a second when the captain finally made his choice. Perhaps some heavy lifting on Miyako's part wouldn't be so bad for her. Law smirked a bit evilly. He didn't want to admit it but he really wanted to get her for how she was acting towards him these past few weeks.

"Miss Miyako." The man called out, giving Bepo his nodachi in the process. "You're coming with us."

The girl jumped a little, startled, when he called out to her suddenly but didn't object as she walked over to Law and Bepo. "Yes, captain." However as she said that, completely indifferently, she gave Law a look that could be interpreted as 'I-hope-you-die-in-a-fire.'

Law bit back a replay or any nasty comment not wanting to lower himself to her level. *_She's acting like an immature child. I can't believe she's actually pouting over that argument.* _But the truth was, he could believe it. Because somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he wasn't guiltless in this situation either, even if he didn't want to admit it. He looked at her back as the girl walked off the deck and down below to the wet ground. What troubled him the most in this whole situation was not even hurting Miyako so much as the thought that he acted just like _him_. He actually threatened one of his crewmembers with death because of lack of obedience. That was something typical of Joker and Law played the same card as that bastard. The thought of resembling Joker was what really stung both Law's pride and soul. No matter how he sometimes threatened his nakama that he'll use his devil fruit powers on them, he never really meant it and the crew knew that too. He didn't think of himself as a good or awfully moral man, but even he drew the line somewhere and hurting his nakama was definitively it. Law closed his eyes momentarily as he felt frustration creeping over him. He didn't really mean it…But it was just bad timing. He was already awfully frustrated at the whole situation with Doflamingo…hearing the man's voice was enough to set Law's darkest emotions off that he kept deep inside, waiting for the right time to finally let them out. And then Miyako came and continued to pester him about the situation that was partly the reason of his current frustration. It was meant to end badly no matter what. But Trafalgar Law wasn't one to apologize lightly. Besides, he had the feeling that if he did, all the authority he had over Miyako who he finally tamed a little after a year, would crumble. He had too much pride for that to happen. He already had a feeling that he was being soft on her lately. *_Maybe this will help to put some distance and reestablish the captain-crewmember relationship again. I need to set some boundaries anyway; she was still out of line that day. She needs to learn her place as a part of this crew.*_ As he thought that, Law had a strange sense of déjà vu.

Law, Bepo and Miyako walked through the familiar streets of Sabaody, much more crowded and rowdy than the pirate captain remembered. At one point they had to come to a sudden stop when a pirate fell to the ground in front of them. He soon came back up and continued his fight with the other pirate, both completely drunk and riled up.

"Is it just me or are there a lot more pirates than last year?" Miyako looked around suspiciously in case they got attacked by one of the pirate groups passing by.

"It's true. Ever since the War of the Best, there had been a lot more pirates sailing these seas." Law confirmed Miyako's suspicions but noticed she didn't answer or try to continue the conversation after that. Law didn't comment on that and let it be but he was glad at least Bepo was with them, otherwise there'd be a really awkward silence along the way.

"Are they all looking for One Piece?" Bepo asked.

Law looked at the pirates around them; they all looked third-rate and even if their intention was to search for One Piece at the beginning, it was obvious they were more interested in just plundering and drinking than anything else. "I doubt that…" None of them actually looked ready to risk their life for an elusive mystery such as the One Piece, even if Whitebeard confirmed its existence. They rather enjoyed things they could see and get now, things that didn't take such great effort obtaining. Law smirked at the rowdy bunch, an expression as if he was looking down on them.

"Hn, the new Era of pirates that Whitebeard announced was just an excuse for these people to become pirates and do what they want, unbound by law. They don't have any higher purpose or goals in it…" There was clear contempt in Miyako's eyes. Unlike Law she didn't look amused at all. As if saying; _those disgraceful pirates. _Or was she hating pirates in general now? No, he concluded, she still got along with the Heart Pirates, Law being the only exception. But as Law stared at her from the corner of his eyes, he noticed she looked more like the Miyako from over a year ago. Was all his work these 16 months gone to waste because of one fight? Law sighed irritably and scratched the back of his head, while his other hand was tucked away in the pocket of his jeans as he walked through the streets. _*Dammit, this is all because I never established clear boundaries between us….No, it's her fault for getting under my skin. She's like a malignant tumor that spreads through your body and you don't even realize it until it's too late.* _Law could feel the frustration returning in the pit of his stomach, but his mind wouldn't stop now, as he listed a few more sudden death diseases and symptoms in his head comparing them to the samurai girl. _*And it's not like we ever defined this weird thing we have between us anyway, so it's hard to say what it is exactly that got ruined. We aren't a couple, but we sure as hell aren't just a captain and his subordinate either. I thought I was fine with just keeping the things as they were but now it's creating problems. Does she feel like she's entitled to more than the rest of the crew because of our….well whatever it is? Tch, no, I'm just fooling myself. I know that's not it and I already know what the problem is…and I already know the solution, I'm just avoiding it, because I would have to tell her everything then…explain it clearly. And I can't do that.*_

Someone bumped hard into Law's shoulder, bringing him back to reality. A large man, almost twice the size of Law turned around and glared down at the smaller man .He was gruff and toned with a dark tan, but he didn't look that smart.

"Huh? Oy, watch where you're going squirt." The man turned to look at Law, but the young pirate simply ignored the man and continued walking. This seemed to irritate the man and his eye twitched in annoyance. He put a hand on Law's shoulder and roughly turned the man around to face him.

On better inspection it seemed the large man was a captain of a group of his own. Law could see three more men behind the large one. One was just staring at the empty space, looking even dumber than the large man, the second was snickering at the opportunity to get some action with Law and his group and the third was lazily reading the newspapers. "I told you something! How dare you ignore the great captain of Ape pirates, George "Dog Rough" Friggens!" The man said his name with pride, thinking that Law and the others would shake in fear before him. One of his crewmembers started snickering even louder.

_*Ape pirates? Well now that I think about it, he does look like a gorilla a little…*_ Law thought as he looked up lazily at the large man towering menacingly over him. Still, he didn't even bother getting his hand from his pocket.

"Captain…" Bepo started but Law lifted his other hand and stopped the bear. Usually he would let Bepo take care of small fry like this but he was actually glad about this situation. He needed an outlet for his growing frustration and this was a perfect opportunity. A satisfied grin appeared on Law's face at the thought while he took his nodachi from Bepo.

"Ape pirates…? Never heard of you." Miyako cut the large man off, clearly unimpressed. There was no fear or anxiety in her expression or voice, only boredom.

The fact that the strange group, which even consisted of a talking bear, never heard of him took captain Friggens aback. What surprised him even more were their uninterested faces as if he wasn't even a threat to them.

"u-um…c-captain? One of the men in his group who was reading the papers a while ago started, stuttering and seemingly troubled. However, since he was behind Friggens' back, he didn't get noticed.

"Not now, Mirt!" He dismissed his crewmember. "Never heard of us?! Then, how about I teach you!" The captain of the Ape pirates took out the heavy axe he was wearing strapped to his back.

"C-Captain!" the man behind him tried again, this time even louder and more urgent.

"Oh, what is it already!" Captain Dog Rough stopped with his axe in the air, over his head and turned around to look at one of his men. The man was trembling and pointing at Law's group before them. But Dog Rough couldn't understand what the man was trying to say.

"Room." Suddenly a voice came behind the large man and he turned towards Law again just in time to see a blue sphere enveloping him.

"huh?" The large man stared at Law and his movement and didn't understand what was going on before Law took out his nodachi and did a slash.

~…..~

Miyako sighed as if troubled. "Weren't you the one who said to keep a low profile while on Sabaody?" She walked alongside Bepo, looking at Law's relaxed back while he strolled the streets with his nodachi resting on his shoulder. He looked a bit more content than before.

"Tch. Who's fault do you think this is…" Law muttered, more to himself, pretty sure Miyako couldn't hear him.

Three bodies lay on the ground in the middle of the street. They were moaning and groaning in pain as they tried to fruitlessly move and run but couldn't even do that. They're bodies were all mixed up among them and in wrong places, preventing them to do more than just roll around the ground in pain. Around them a crowd has gathered and everyone stared silently and in shock at the group already laving and the young man who showed his strange powers.

"W-what the hell? He cut us, didn't he? Why am I alive?! And where are my legs!?" The large man, captain Friggens, shouted but to no avail. Nobody could help him anymore. Nobody dared to.

"T-that's why I was trying to stop you captain! T-those guys, they're way beyond our league!" The man from before screeched in a teary voice.

"huh? What are you talking about, you fool!?" The captain couldn't process anything that was happening right now.

"Look!" The other man grabbed the newspapers that were beside him on the ground and showed them to his captain. Inside were the newest wanted posters and a familiar picture of a tanned man with a white spotted hat. Beneath the picture was the bounty number of 440,000,000 Beli. Right after it was another wanted poster with a woman, piercing golden eyes staring from the picture, with the bounty of 100,000,000 Beli. There were more wanted posters and it all said Heart Pirates. „T-those guys were the Heart Pirates, and that guy...that guy was the pirate rookie Surgeon of Death; Trafalgar Law!"

~…..~

Law gave a Beri to the kid selling newspapers and opened them. *_Hn, as I thought, the Navy covered up everything that happened at Abney Cove, there's nothing about it in the newspapers. Well I'm not surprised, they can't possibly say pirates broke in a well-guarded marine base, stole important data and then disappeared without anyone being able to stop them. It would bring shame to the marines. However, the old geezers running the World Government must be seething in anger because of it.*_ The thought made Law smirk, quite pleased with himself. The smirk only got wider when he saw their new wanted posters. That little expedition into the marine base got him quite a bounty rise. It must be because of what he stole from the lab; the marines must've decided he knew too much now since he had an insight in a lot of top secret experiments done by Vegapunk. They wanted him gone and soon, before he could spread that info or sell the test vials he got from the lab. They probably think he still has it…They have no idea…That thought made Law think of Doflamingo and that brought forth quite unpleasant thoughts once again. *_Those fools in the World Government can't see what's happening right under their noses. However our break into the marine base got a lot of unwanted attention from them…it'll be harder sailing these seas now.*_ That thought made Law think. He couldn't let marines stand in his way and ruin his plans.

~…~

"Piercy!? Piercy, where are you?!"

"Master Piercy? Young Master?!"

"Where did that boy go this time!?"

The whole palace in Mariejois was on its feet as the servants rushed around, looking for the young master of the palace, also known as Saint Piercy Q. Wingross, one of the Tenryuubito.

"He must've snuck out of the palace and went alone to Sabaody again…" Saint Roswald sighed, obviously troubled by the youngsters disobedience. It seems this was an often thing though, as most of the family didn't even look surprised anymore. On the other hand, the servants were out of their mind with worry, mostly because someone will have to take responsibility for not keeping their eye on the young master properly. And that also meant somebody is going to lose their head.

"Who was supposed to look after him!? You know that child disappears as soon as he gets the chance! Who was it!?" Saint Christiana, young Piercy's mother was losing her patience in anger as she grabbed the first servant girl near her by the hair. The young servant screamed in pain and surprise and fell on the floor after the woman threw her with force, releasing the girl's hair in the process. "I'm going to call the admirals to find him right now! And execute you all, incompetent fools!" The woman continued to scream at her slaves.

"Now, now, Christiana…You killed half of our servant last time this happened and then we had to buy new ones. Besides, you know we always find him. Let's just send some people to Sabaody and bring him back like usual." Saint Roswald tried to calm the woman with words but he didn't look shocked or worried by Christiana's outbursts, as if he was already used to them. He just kept lying on the soft couch in the palace, drinking some red wine lazily and reading the newspapers. It seems he wouldn't really care even if she did execute all the servants, he just looked troubled by the fact that he'd have to go to the slave auction to buy new ones, among all those common people and breathe their filthy air.

Suddenly the woman fell on the floor, putting a hand on her forehead and she looked like an actress in some kind of drama play. "Ohh…my little baby. Why does he always do this to mother….ooh, my heart.." The servants ran to take care of the woman, catering to her every need and being careful not to look Christiana in the eye. They just kept their heads down as they helped her to the snow-white couch. The woman kept moaning in a teary voice, demanding to execute someone.

~…..~

A young lad, about 14 years of age walked fearlessly through the forest of Sabaody Archipelago. However as he kept going through the groves, his step became less decisive and more unsure as a troubled expression crossed his face. It was hard to tell though, since he had a see-through bubble. But the bubble wasn't the only weird thing on the boy; his clothes seemed odd and unfitting for the scenery. He wore baggy, snow-white clothes and what looked like an oxygen tank on his back, attached to the said bubble.

The boy looked around him as he realized he was completely lost. There were no people or houses in this part of Sabaody. What the boy didn't know was that he had wondered off into the lawless part of Sabaody Archipelago where only slavers, pirates and robbers roamed. The other fact he wasn't aware of, is that the boy was being watched.

Not far from where the boy was standing, deciding where to go next, two thugs hid behind the big mangrove trees, observing the boy. They were both large and wore colorful robes, looking like typical ruffians.

"H-hey, those clothes...isn't that…?" One of them was too shocked to even speak properly as he stared at the boy.

"Yeah, there's no doubt, he must be one of the Tenryuubito." The other answered, more calm than his friend.

"But what is he doing here, all alone?! Aren't they usually accompanied with guards and slaves when they come here?"

"How the hell should I know?! But hey….don't you think this is a rare opportunity…?" A dangerous glint appeared in the thug's eye.

"huh? What are you talking about?"

"Tch." The man gave his partner an annoyed look since the other couldn't understand his plans. So he elaborated. "This is a golden opportunity; just think about how much ransom money we could get for one the World Nobles? We'd be set for life, I tell ya!"

The other man's eyes widened in utter shock and disbelief before he almost yelled. "You want to kidnap a world noble!? Are you crazy?! You know what would happen to us!? The marine admirals would execute us on the spot! The whole marine army- No, the whole World Government would be after us!"

But then before they could argue some more, a third person came from behind them and put an arm on each of the men's shoulders. "Not if we plan it right…If we plan it right, they will never even see our faces. Hehe. Now, haven't you two boys found something interesting and fun~"

"Boss!?" Both men turned to see the third one grinning at their surprised faces. They didn't even see him coming. He was much smaller in size and build then his two lackeys; he was tall and slender instead. He had messy black hair that hid most of his pale face. But there was a wide grin on his face and as he looked up at them, an eye uncovered from his hair, staring at them. A wide, black-pupil, eye that stared through them with a kind of madness you only see in certain kind of people.

"B-boss, are you serious?! You can't think that this is a good idea!" The one from before still tried to talk some sense into his boss, alas the younger man showed no sense at all.

"Good? What's a good idea…a fun idea is a good idea, no? And this will be such fun, I dare to say." The young boss grinned even wider if that was possible and nodded at an unsuspecting teenage boy. "You'll get all the money you want…and I'll get all the fun." The man giggled like a child about to open a present.

He's two lackeys looked divided in opinion. One still had a fearful and unsure face, totally against the plan, while the other grinned menacingly, thinking of all the gold and jewels he'll be getting. Besides, with this young boss; them kidnapping the kid and getting away with it might actually work. He just came one day to a group of lawless thugs and with his quick wit, smart plans and charisma made them all into an organized group. He was completely insane…but an insane genius.

~…..~

Bepo huffed as another thick medical book found its way on top of numerous others as they all ended up in the bears' paws. Bepo was stronger than an average human but even he had some problems with how much all these books weighted. And carrying them for so long has taken its toll on Bepo's arms. Law however, was totally into checking out all the new medical books and completely forgot about the fact that Bepo was the one carrying them, as he kept buying and piling one book on top of the other.

"C-captain." A slightly whiny voice came from the bear, bringing the said captain out of his thoughts. Law looked up from one of the new books while they stood in the bookstore and gave Bepo a questioning expression. "D-don't you think this is enough…I can't carry them all much longer. At least wait for Miyako to come back so she can help me…"

Law looked at all the large piled book in Bepo's paws and realized he indeed went too far. "Ah…sorry Bepo. You're right, it's enough. Take them back to the ship for me."

"Oh, are you going to get Miyako then?" Bepo's furry head tilted questioningly to the side. He wasn't aware that Law sent Miyako on a task of her own only to rest from the tense atmosphere between them. She was instructed to try and find any new info or rumors, especially on the Fishmen Island or the New World. Anything helpful for their awaiting journey. As always, the girl just silently walked away, doing her duty without any comments of complaints.

Law scratched the back of his head seemingly troubled as a thought. Even so, he still answered the bear. "Yeah…You just get the books back to the sub, I'll get Miss Miyako."

~…~

Miyako was sitting in a chair at a bar, drinking something that looked like orange juice but didn't taste like one at all. The whole place looked pretty old and run down, cracks in the wood everywhere with various bugs crawling from one crack to the other. The whole atmosphere in the bar was dark and gloomy. It was pretty silent, except from the murmurs of the pirates and thugs sitting around and drinking. The atmosphere was tense even though nobody started a fight, but everybody seemed to be prepared if one was to occur.

However, this kind of place was the perfect place to get some information, which was a sole reason why Miyako came here. There was no other way why she would step foot into this hole called a bar. Some of the men would look her way now and then but she just ignored them, and luckily nobody approached her yet. She turned to the big bartender in his late fifties. "There's a pretty gloomy atmosphere you have here. I thought pirate joints were cheerful and full of music." The girl just started unimportant chit-chat in order to get some real info through the conversation.

The man chuckled though his serious facial expression barely changed. "You've been reading too many pirate stories, missy. There's nothing bright and cheerful about pirates."

At that Miyako's mind wandered off to the Heart Pirates and all their numerous parties on the deck and cafeteria and she wasn't so sure if she could agree with the old bartender.

The man continued to clean a glass with a pretty dirty rag as he looked at the girl from above his pair of glasses. "I'd say the one who's strange is you. You seem pretty out of place here."

Miyako wasn't really offended by the man's direct words. After all she could say the same thing herself. Even so, she smirked at the man. "Hmm? Old man, you don't believe I can be a pirate."

The man huffed in a chuckle again, continuing to clean the glass. "I didn't say you couldn't be one or aren't. I just said you don't look like one." With that, his gaze fell on an open newspaper on the bar, where a few wanted posters laid. One of them, Miyako recognized immediately as she saw her own face with a 100 million Beri prize underneath. Suddenly, Miyako felt a dark aura of gloom around her as her head slumped down along with her whole form. She still couldn't get used to being a wanted criminal with a bounty on her head. The old man looked at her with slight wonder. "Whoa, that's some strong gloomy reaction." The whole scene looked like a certain pirate bear in his depressed mood.

Miyako was able to collect herself as she looked up again, but with a little less self-confidence. "T-then I can just ask directly…Did you hear anything about the New World these days? Or Fishmen island?"

"Hooo….You're going to the New World, huh? Quite daring…are you sure you're ready for something like that?"

Miyako thought for a second about his question, reminiscing about all the adventures and troubles they'd been through in the past 16 months. She smiled quite confidently at that. "yeah, we're ready."

The bartender smirked at her newfound confidence as well. She looked different than just a while ago…more certain. The old man looked down at the glass deeming it was clean enough and put it next to the others, taking another wet glass and repeating the process. "Well, New World seems more dangerous than before ever since the War of the Best. More pirates roaming and the Pirate Emperors seem to be fighting for Whitebeard's old territories. On the other hand, the marines seemed to be having their hands full and are tightening their hold in the New World to prevent from some new pirate rookies coming and throwing the world upside down…"

Miyako thought about that last statement of the man. "Like the Strawhat pirates…" She muttered but the man heard her and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. But I wasn't talking just about them….After all they disappeared and still haven't made any new havoc since Strawhat went to Marineford."

Miyako remembered the dark days of Luffy's unstable condition at their sub and how much he grieved when he finally woke up. However, after seeing the boy in the newspapers she knew he would be ok. Besides, he had both the ex -shichibukai Jinbei and ex-pirate Silvers Rayleigh to take care of him. With such people around Luffy, how could he become anything less than a great pirate? The thought made Miyako remember her own pirate captain and her face twisted into a slight frown. She better not start thinking about _him_. She tried not to these days. Luckily, the bartender continued his talk, pulling Miyako out of her thoughts.

"But I was talking about the pirate rookies and their crews roaming the New World seas. Especially that red-haired one, Eustass "Captain" Kid. He got himself quite a reputation in the New World."

Miyako remembered that man from her first time at Sabaody and afterwards she read about him in the papers. He was quite a fearsome one, not to mention cruel. He left the highest number of civilian casualties after his raids, a man Miyako knew would never get along with if they ever met. She thought the same thing about all the pirates and Law in the past…But then again, Law was pretty cruel to his enemies but not to the civilians. The scene in Law's questers a few weeks back passed Miyako's mind and she remembered his harsh and cold words along with his dark expression. It seemed like a different Law. The Law who was usually dealing with his enemies, not with her. The last time that expression was directed at her was during the whole thing with that insane puppet maker, when she went off on her own, and that time Miyako had to admit Law had a point. This time however, she felt he was totally in the wrong. And she won't forgive him that easily. For the nth time that day, Miyako sighed.

The old bartender didn't seem to realize Miyako's mood as he continued talking casually. "There's also Scratchmen Apoo, Basil Hawkins…all of the pirate rookies that were here during the Sabaody incident with the Tenryuubito. They've been creating quite a havoc in the New World. Well…everyone except Monkey D. Luffy and…" The man looked up from his glass at Miyako, with a meaningful eye. "….and Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death."

Miyako pretended not to notice the man's stare. "Oh? Well...I guess even pirates need vacations sometimes." The girl answered nonchalantly. If the man was expecting for her to spill something about the Heart Pirates and Law's plans, he'll be disappointed. Besides, even she didn't know what her captain's plans were. That thought just made her more irritated.

The bartender chuckled seeing the girl had no intention commenting on any of her pirate crew's moves. He could take a hint. He knew she was a part of the Heart Pirates, she's been quite the talk these days after all. The newest Heart Pirates member, under the Surgeon of Death, a samurai woman from Wano. Nobody knew much about her but she seemed to quickly rise in the pirate world with her bounty in only 16 months of being a pirate. This seems to have gone unbeknown to the woman herself however.

"So? Is there anything else?" Miyako decided to wrap up this conversation quickly before the man pried even more in her business. She was there to get info, not vice versa. Also, she noticed stares coming from some men in the bar with the corner of her eye. She wanted to get out of here before some drunken idiot decides to start anything.

The bartender thought for a while, as if trying to remember, a small smirk playing on his lips. Miyako rolled her eyes, taking the hint, and put some Beri coins in front of him. There were more than what she needed to pay for her drink. The man grinned satisfied and took the coins. "Well there was this one strange incident….As you probably already know, a lot of ships that go to the New World end up back here in pieces. Most of it is because of bad coating that breaks under water pressure, and some of them from being attacked by the creatures of the sea or smashed into the ocean floor by the strong currents. However, these days there had been a lot more ships stranded here, and some of them didn't really look that damaged either. The weirdest part was that the whole crews of those ships went missing. Usually, at least a few bodies come back floating along with the ships, but this time there were no bodies at all."

Miyako thought about this for a second. "Maybe the currents took them away further from Sabaody? Or the creatures down below ate them?"

"Maybe…but…not even one body found?" The man seemed unsatisfied with Miyako explanation. Miyako, herself, wasn't so sure about it.

"So…What do you think it's about?" The girl asked after a while, not thinking of any other option.

The man just shrugged, putting down the glass from his hand. "Who knows…I'm a bartender not an investigator. As long as there's business on Sabaody, I'm content."

That reminded Miyako of the rowdy and crowded street outside. "There seemed to be a lot more people than before, on Sabaody…." She looked around the dark bar, seeing it was quite full as well. As she examined it, she caught a man piercing her with his eyes. She pretended not to notice and looked back at the bartender.

The old man chuckled. "Yeah, everybody wants a piece of the prize nowadays…One Piece that is. Everyone suddenly decided to become a pirate." There was an obvious mocking tone in his voice, but Miyako understood that feeling perfectly. Half of these guys were just in it for the money or some short-lasting glory but nobody really wanted to work hard to obtain their goals or dreams, and going for One Piece was only an excuse to pillage and raid as pirates. They were completely different from the Heart Pirates.

Miyako was about to say something else but her expression soon dropped into a frown when she noticed a man coming to the bar next to them, ordering some whiskey. Two other men were standing behind him, grinning as they leered at Miyako. The man kept checking her out, from head to toe as she looked up at him irritably.

"Hey thar missy…I heard you were talkin' about t' New World. Are you seriously plannin' t' go thar?"

Miyako's cold expression didn't change as she stared up at him uninterested. "I am…" Her expression was clearly asking; _So what about it?_

The man's grin got wider and he licked his lips in an obnoxious way. "Well, we just happened t' be goin' thar ourselves, along with our crew." The man didn't point to the rest of his crew so Miyako deducted the rest were probably somewhere else on the Sabaody or preparing the ship for the voyage. "Why don't t' lil' missy join us. You be a pirate too, no?"

Miyako thought of the most tactful way of refusing the offer and getting the lads off her back. She doubted all they wanted was for her to sale with them, especially by their stares and glances across her body. The man talking, probably their captain, spent more time talking to her chest than actually looking her in the eyes. The girl tried to smile kindly, though it never reached her eyes. "Sorry, but I'm already a part of a crew." Deciding that her work here was done and that she got all the information she needed, Miyako stood up, about to leave. However, she had to halt when the man stood in her way.

"Now, now, lil' pirate missy. Where be t' rush, eh?" The pirate captain grinned, still leering with a disgusting expression of want on his face.

Miyako was silent for a while, seeing that most of the men in the bar were now staring at the scene, watching intently. She didn't want to cause too much commotion here and bring any attention to herself. But it was too late now. She smirked, not even looking at the three pirates surrounding her. "I'm in a really bad mood right now, boys. So I suggest you don't agitate me further."

The man narrowed his eyes at this. The girl didn't even act frightened or threatened, as if they were only bugs, annoying her on her path. The captain's voice turned a shade darker and more serious, and so did his expression. "Hey now lil' missy… That's quite rude o' you, no? Ye best be happier when such a fine pirate crew as ours gives ye such a kind invite." The man was still holding a bottle of rum in that hand as he pointed a finger at her, right in the center of her chest.

Miyako had just about enough of pirate crews and pirate captains for today. In a blink of an eye, she unsheathed her sword before the guys could even realize what happened. In the next instant, the man's bottle of rum split in half from a clean cut, the lower part falling and shattering on the floor, while the red liquid spilt everywhere. Miyako's katana was out and in her hand, a mischievous look on the girl's face. She was smiling slightly while a devilish glint appeared in her now burning eyes. "I already _kindly_ refused your offer. And I'm _kindly_ letting you keep your lives. Aren't you satisfied with that?" The girl intentionally emphasized that word as if mocking them.

"Aah…what a waste of good rum…" The old bartender muttered behind them, watching the scene with an uninterested expression as if he was already used to all of this.

Miyako's action, of course, made the three men pissed and they pulled out their weapons. Now all across the bar were curious looks, staring at the scene unfolding before them. However, as soon as the three pirates pulled out their weapons, Miyako moved again and in an instant she moved with a cutting motion, suddenly appearing behind them. She didn't stop as she casually walked towards the exit of the bar. "Thanks for the info old man~" She chimed in a lighthearted tone. Behind her, the pirates' weapons all got cut into pieces, unusable anymore. Not only that, but their clothes got cut too leaving the three men in nothing, naked as the day they were born. Miyako didn't turn around to see the sight and she ignored the snickering from the other men in the bar. She just walked out on the street of the Sabaody, sheathing back her katana and looking up at the clear sky with a sigh. She then noticed Law from the corner of her eye, stopping in front of her.

"Did you find out anything?" Law asked, walking alongside with Miyako.

"Yeah, this and that…." Her tone became more monotone and less cheerful than before. It was obvious to Law that she was purposely stalling with her answers, making them vague, just to irritate him. Once again he remembered the beginnings of their journey together.

They could still hear a strange ruckus and angry yelling coming from the bar. "What happened in there?" Law asked, rising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, nothing. I just showed them how kind I am~." There was once again a devilish glint in Miyako's alive-looking eyes as she smiled. She seemed more cheerful than before so Law concluded, whatever happened it had to be something good for her. However, he didn't understand much of the meaning behind the girl's explanation. Her mischievous expression didn't fit her words at all.

Law sighed as he looked at Miyako with the corner of his eye, a bit strictly and warningly. "Don't bring any unnecessary attention or trouble upon us."

Miyako looked away, her expression showing irritation at being scolded by him. "Tch. Whatever." She muttered, pouting a little.

Law didn't feel like going into a debate about it with Miyako, as long as she followed through her orders. So he just let the girl be as they walked back to the submarine.

~…~

Bepo was walking through the forest with the medical books securely towering in his hands. They were clouding his vision and he had to strain himself to see the numbers of the grooves. "Hmm…this is number 13 so…I'm pretty sure were are docked at 23. Just a bit further then." Muttering to himself, the bear continued to slowly walk back to the submarine.

Suddenly, the bear felt something coming and spun around, delivering a block with his pawed palm to whatever it was, dropping the medical books in the process. "Hiya!" With a yell, he deflected what looked to be the end of a Manriki chain. The thing flew back to its master who yanked the chain and spun the end next to him. The man wielding it was big and looked like a thug in cheap clothing. There was a skinny and shorter man beside him, who was crouching on the ground. He looked wild and stared at Bepo with wide eyes and a grinning face. His messy hair was contained underneath a head kerchief.

"Who are you people? What do you want from me!?" Bepo was already in his kung-fu stance, ready for the battle.

The man in the kerchief laughed maniacally. "Hahahaha It's true! It's a bear, a real walking, talking bear! Hahaaha!"

"And he's wearing clothes…" The other added, scratching the back of his head in confusion, with the hand that wasn't holding the thick, heavy chain weapon.

"S-sorry.." Bepo bowed his head down in shame.

"Whoa, he looks really depressed all of a sudden! Hahaha This is fun!" The man with the kerchief gave them one of his high-pitched laughs again. Suddenly, without warning the skinny man threw hidden knives at Bepo, but the bear swiftly dodged all of them. "Whoa, his fast too! Just think how much the slavers will pay for this one!"

"Yeah, a real talking bear must be a small fortune!" The big one exclaimed happily and jumped high in the air, attacking with his chain at the same time as the skinny one threw a new set of knives at Bepo.

Bepo jumped, as the end of the chain broke the ground where he stood only seconds ago. At the same time, the bear blocked some of the knives, then bent backwards to do a summersault and avoided the rest of the knife attacks. He landed on his feet and looked at his two attackers. *_Are they after me to sell me to the auction house?* _Bepo remembered the scenes from the auction house more than a year ago. His fur stuck out as goosebumps appeared beneath it. He saw those poor people and how some even preferred death then being sold as slaves. He definitively didn't want that happening to him. Once again, the chain came flying at him but Bepo dodged it, tilting to the side and then grabbed the chain, using his bear strength to pull at it until the thug lost his balance. He saw knives flying at him from the corner of his eyes and jerked the chain so it moved sideways, blocking all the incoming knives with it. Then, with a loud grunt, he swung the chain along with the big man on the other side, sending the said thug flying as he slammed into his smaller companion.

"There is no way you will defeat me." Bepo said with found self-confidence to the two moaning men on the floor. Suddenly he heard a shot and felt a prick in his neck. The bear's eyes widened in shock and he looked behind him where the sound had come from. He saw a grinning young man with messy black hair covering his eyes. One hand was deep in his pocket as he stood there lazily, while the other held a rifle resting on his shoulder. Bepo could still feel the pain in his neck and felt as if his whole body was going numb. He reached behind and pulled out a dart from his neck, looking at it with confusion. He dropped to his knees as his vision became blurry.

"Boss!" Both thugs yelled in unison, both surprised and happy to see the young man.

The man looked back at his two subordinates. "It seems you had quite a trouble with this one. Come on, take him and let's go back…Mick and the others found something pretty interesting too." He turned back to Bepo and strolled to the bear that was barely holding on to his consciousness. The boss crouched down, still resting the rifle on his shoulder. His grin got wider and his hair moved a little, showing one black eye. Bepo stared into that eye and it's as if he could see wild whirlpools of insanity inside that blackness. "Don't worry…We'll take good care of you Bongo." That's the last thing Bepo heard and saw before he fell down on the soft grass and lost consciousness completely.

~….~

"What do you mean, he's not back yet?" Law looked at Shachi while narrowing his eyes. The mechanic was busy with hammering some new metal plates on the submarine's hull at the moment but he stopped for a while to look back at his captain. Shachi shrugged. "I dunno. But he didn't come or we would notice him, right?" He looked questioningly at Carl who was handing him another metal plate.

Carl nodded in agreement. "Bepo didn't come through here, captain. I mean, he isn't exactly easy to miss."

"Tch." Law made an annoyed sound and went inside the sub to search for his first mate. He met Cody on his way out, with a sandwich in his hand.

"Hmpf?" Cody noticed something was wrong and wanted to ask, but had a mouthful of bread and meat, so all he managed was to make some puzzled, unrecognizable sound.

Meanwhile, Shachi and Carl looked at Miyako who came soon after Law and heard their conversation. "What was that about?"

Miyako didn't answer however, and just looked the way Law went inside, with a serious gaze. Why hasn't Bepo came back yet? He headed here before them so where is he? Did he get lost? Miyako had a bad feeling about this and she knew Law had it too. The captain was obviously worried even as his demeanor stayed calm and collected. Finally, she decided to go into the sub after Law.

"What's all this about?" Shachi looked at Carl and the assistant mechanic looked back at the brown-haired man. They both shrugged, still looking at each other with confusion.

~…~

Cody and Miyako walked through the grooves, looking for any signs that would indicate what happened to Bepo. The pirates split into pairs, looking for Bepo across Sabaody. The taverns and people on the streets didn't know anything and haven't seen him, even though a polar bear in an orange suit isn't easy to miss. Law even went to the auction house asking around but they said they didn't have him either. Law deemed them pretty honest after he gave the owner a presentation of his ope ope powers on the auction guard. However, after a while of searching, the Heart pirates finally got a clue.

"Captain, here!" Shachi called out for Law and a group gathered around the items on the ground. "Aren't these yours?" The Shachi looked at his captain questioningly and Law nodded in agreement.

"My medical books Bepo was carrying." They were currently scattered on the ground. Law gritted his teeth; not because it was a waste for perfectly good books but because he knew what this scene meant. Bepo wouldn't just throw away the books if something hadn't happen. The bear was obviously attacked and taken away.

"There are signs of a fight." Miyako was the one who spoke as she examined some cut marks in a tree. There were some crushed bushes as well. The girl saw something glistening in the grass and crouched down. "A throwing knife…" She muttered and turned to the rest of the group to show them the weapon.

Penguin looked back at Trafalgar. "What do you recon captain?"

Law thought for a while. "There are two options; either this was a work of bounty hunters – they could've recognized Bepo from a wanted poster. In that case he could already be on his way to the marine base. The other possibility is that someone attacked him to sell him at the auction house."

"But there was no sign of his in the auction houses we visited…" Cody countered.

"Not yet…but that doesn't mean there won't be…" Shachi said darkly, fearing the worst.

"But how do we know where they're keeping him? And do we wait for him to be taken to the auction house?" Josh took of his hat and scratched his head, before putting the hat back on.

"No." Law instantly answered the medic's question. "We can't risk Bepo being sold to a Tenryuubito or something. I don't want a repeat of what happened to Strawhat pirates last year."

"So what do we do?" Miyako put her hands on her hips. Everybody looked at Law for answers after her question. He was the captain after all, the final decision was his.

Law looked at the number of the grove on one of the trees. It said grove 13. "This is where they took him away. It's hard to not notice Bepo so if they went too far from here, someone would surely see them. Since that isn't the case, I believe they are still close by. Their hideout can't be far away." He then turned to Shachi and Penguin. "You two, go to the nearest auction houses and check them one more time just in case." Then he turned to Josh and Cody. "You two, try and ask around this area. Use any means necessary." He then turned and realized Miyako was the only one left. Momentarily he had forgotten about their current state. If he hadn't, he'd have told her to pair up with someone else. But it seemed only them two were left and now wasn't the time for childish quarrels anyway. Even Miyako didn't react sourly when Law looked her way as she usually did, but instead kept a serious expression on her face, awaiting Law's orders. Even she knew how serious this was. "Miss Miyako, come with me. We'll try and find some information about suspicious groups or gangs running this area. We will meet here in an hour."

"Yes captain!" Everyone said as once again they left, all in their own direction.

~…..~

Law and Miyako didn't walk far before they stumbled on a small but tall bar.

"Shakky's Rip-off Bar" Miyako read out loud.

"Let's ask inside." The captain suggested and before Miyako could answer, he walked to the entrance and opened the doors. The bell chimed, signaling there were customers entering.

The place was completely empty, except for a woman sitting behind the bar and reading newspapers. She lazily looked up with one eye, not moving from her position as she propped herself with her elbows on the bar, and rested her head on the palm of her hand. The air was slowly cloudy from her cigarette that was resting on the edge of an ashtray. The woman was quite beautiful even as she looked about in her mid-thirties. There was an aura of elegance around her and a person could see she was someone worth respecting by only one glance. "Ooh, customers. How lovely. We didn't have any for quite some time."

Miyako sweat dropped. "You might rethink the name…" Noting that was obviously why people rarely came in here.

The woman smiled at the girl but there was a glint in her eye, as if she was sizing her up. Finally, she stood upright, showing her tall and slender frame. "Welcome to Shakky's Rip-off Bar, I'm the owner Shakky. Now, how can I help you two….Trafalgar Law and Suzune Miyako?"

Miyako blinked in slight surprise when the woman said her name. The girl wasn't used to strangers knowing her, even though it happened more often with every new bounty she got. Her wanted posters were everywhere now. Law, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. And if he was, he gave no reaction to show it. Instead he went right to the chase, not wasting time.

"I'm looking for a talking polar bear in an orange jumpsuit. Did you see him?" He said it completely blunt and with a straight face.

Shakky was speechless for a while, staring at Law with wide, bilking eyes. Miyako saw the shocked face of the woman and was just about to explain, when the woman btrst into laughter. Law's eyes narrowed in irritation; one thing he disliked was being laughed at.

Shakky noticed Law's displeased expression and managed to contain herself, though a few giggles escaped her. "Sorry…sorry…It's just…you don't hear something like that every day...and you said it with such a straight face…so seriously." The woman wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"I'm not joking." Law said, in a complete serious manner. After all, one of his nakama being attacked and taken away wasn't a joke to him.

Shakky smiled, but got a bit more serious. Miyako was surprised how the woman didn't look intimidated by Law at all. She had to respect the woman for that but Miyako could feel the aura around Shakky and knew she wasn't just any other civilian. Miyako wondered what Shakky was in her past life, before becoming an owner of this bar. Meanwhile, the said Shakky took her half-burnt cigarette and sucked the smoke from it. She savored the taste for a while, before letting the smoke out. "I know…He is a part of your crew isn't he? I saw his wanted poster too." Once again she put down her cigarette and took out two glasses along with a bottle of some brown liquid. She poured the alcohol into the small glasses and put the bottle away. "Here, sit down."

"We don't have time for-" Law started, already about to leave, feeling he was wasting time here. But the woman cut him off.

"I think it will be worth your while." She gestured to the two empty seats in front of her.

Both Miyako and Law looked at each other cautiously but in the end, decided to go along with it and sat down. "Do you have any information about Bepo?" Miyako couldn't help but ask as soon as they sat down but Shakky just gave her one of those mischievous smiles. She sucked in another smoke of her cigarette and put her newspaper aside.

"There has been talk." Shakky finally started. "You see, this area is under the control of a certain group, a gang if you will. They have become more popular recently; they kidnap, steal, kill, nothing is off limits for them. They don't care if you're a noble or a pirate; if you're their target, they'll do it. They call themselves Men of Mayhem. I suppose it's because they pretty much cause Mayhem wherever they go."

"Then they aren't very smart. Do they not know how close the marine base is? Threatening nobles…" Miyako started, frowning at the thought of an obviously moral-free gang.

"You'd think that but…they haven't been caught yet." Shakky answered. She saw Miyako's confused face so she continued to explain. "This gang didn't even exist a few months ago. Their members were all just lowlives, working alone or in small groups, committing petty crimes. "But then they started working together and they became surprisingly organized. And it's all thanks to one man, who united them, the one who plans all of their work; Koji. They say he's plans always work, however he is as crazy as he is smart." She sucked in another breath of her cigarette before continuing. "He is actually very random and insane. Also, very cruel and unmerciful. He just walked in one day, deciding to start a gang, and it was born. It's still a mystery to me how he managed to actually make those wild guys work together and listen to him, making them their leader. He must have a silver tongue."

Miyako took a sip at her drink while listening to Shakky. As soon as the liquid touched her lips and tongue, Miyako's expression turned into a frown. It was bitter and the liquid burned down all the way to her stomach as she drunk it. It must've been some strong alcohol. "But what does this have to do with our crewmate?" She finally asked. With the corner of her eyes, she looked at Law and noticed he had a dark thoughtful expression on his face. Then she understood as well. This gang must've kidnapped Bepo.

"I've heard the Men of Mayhem caught a big fish in their web. However, I don't know if it's about your friend or not. But everyone seems tight lipped about it. Consequently, people have also said that the young master of Mariejois has disappeared. He does that sometimes and comes here…looking for adventure they say. But they haven't found him yet, which is unusual."

"So what you're saying is, Men of Mayhem definitively kidnapped someone but you don't know if it is Bepo or the Tenryuubito. But who in their right mind would kidnap a World Noble?" Law took a sip of his own drink, but unlike Miyako, his face stayed the same as if he was used to strong liquor.

"Koji would…he's crazy enough." Shakky answered, her face becoming more serious all of sudden. "He doesn't care as long as he has his fun."

Miyako understood what Shakky meant by that statement. It meant, if they had Bepo, the bear was in real danger from the obviously crazy gang leader. Who knows what he would do to her friend. She looked at Law from the corner of her eye, interested in how he was holding up due to that fact. But the pirate captain looked calm as always. His mask of collectiveness never left his expression. But Miyako knew Law was the most worried for his long-time friend and first mate. Knowing that, Miyako had trouble comparing this Law to the one she saw and had an argument a few weeks back in his quarters. Was she the only exception? Was she the only one he could kill if necessary and not bat an eye for it? A shiver went down her spine and a slight sting appeared in her heart.

"So? Where can we find him?" Law's voice brought Miyako back from her thoughts and she looked at her captain again. He looked different now. Determined. Serious. She could tell he already decided his next course of action and nobody was going to stop him. That was what made the Heart Pirates trust Law. That expression of his, so determined, as if he knew exactly what to do and his crewmembers knew they could trust him and truly believe that everything is going to be alright.

Shakky wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Law. He looked at the instructions. "I can't be sure but they should have their hideout somewhere around that area."

Law nodded. "Thank you." It was rare for words of apology or gratefulness escape Law's lips but this time he was indeed grateful on the information Shakky provided. He took his glass and gulped the remaining liquid in one go as he stood up. Miyako didn't really want to drink it but didn't want to be rude to their host either, so she did the same, regretting it instantly as the hot alcohol burned her body all the way down. He was glad there wasn't much to drink. She stood up as well and both pirates turned to leave but stopped when they heard a subtle clearing of the throat.

Miyako turned to look at the bar owner and only needed a second to remember that they needed to pay for the drinks.

"That would be 500 Beri each." Shakky said simply.

"That's way too expensive!" Miyako's jaw almost dropped open in shock. This wasn't some high class alcohol they drank and it wasn't a lot either. Shakky just shrugged innocently with a smile and that made Miyako remember the name of this bar. It was indeed true to its name.

Law, however, didn't complain and instead pulled out two 500 Beri coins paying for himself and Miyako. "It's fine. It was worth the information." He simply stated. He tipped the rim of his spotted white hat as he nodded towards Shakky to say both his goodbyes and thanks to the woman, before walking out the door. Miyako stayed one second more as she bowed down to Shakky, the way she was thought to do in Wano. "Thank you for your help. We are truly grateful." With that she quickly turned around and ran out the door, catching up to Law.

Shakky watched the two disappearing figures as the doors slowly closed, before they completely blocked her view. All the while, there was an amused smile on her face.

~….~

A group of pirates stood outside of what looked like a big storehouse. It looked like it was barely standing with its rotten wood and old age. It looked completely run down. The Heart Pirates didn't really care much about its appearance. They cared about its contents inside. Law, Miyako, Shachi, Penguin, Cody and Josh all stood together, almost glaring at the building.

"Are we ready?" Law asked. This time there wasn't some detailed plan to follow through. It was easy; attack hard, ask questions later.

"Let's do it." Shachi simply said.

"If they did anything to Bepo…" Penguin growled, uncharacteristically for him.

Miyako simply put a hand on her katana and pulled the hilt with her thumb, opening it a bit and getting ready for the attack.

Law lifted his hand and a well-known blue sphere circled around the area and the big building. "Room." He proceeded to take his nodachi, unsheathing the long sword and then swung it in one clean move. For a while everything was silent and unmoving, but then wood started crackling and metal creaking as the old building started moving. Or at least its upper part did. The building slit in two, diagonally, and the upper part slowly started sliding down, crashing into the ground. The pirates could hear the sounds and yells from the inside, surely by the Men of Mayhem, but ignored it as they walked closer to the building. Some of the gang members ran outside to see what happened, only to be met with attacks from the rest of the pirates. The first one lost his head as soon as he walked out, as it was cut clean off by Miyako's sword. The rest of the unknowing members got a similar fate, be it by the pirates' weapons or their fists and martial art moves.

Penguin kicked one of the thugs hard in the gut just as he was about to exit through the main entrance. The thug was sent flying back inside, across the room, and crashed right into a table."Wah?" The thugs all looked towards the entrance with shocked expressions. The dust and pieces of wood were still falling down as the upper part of the building crumbled down. The ceiling was replaced by a clear blue sky above Sabaody.

One of the men, who didn't look as toned and big as the rest, stood up from the couch he was lying in. He had a lean figure and messy black hair, covering his eyes. He tilted his head to the side like a curious child. "I know you…Surgeon of Death." His voice sounded quite cheerful. Then suddenly his mouth formed a wide grin, showing white gleaming teeth. "That a pretty rude way of entering someone's home." He sounded calm and relaxed, as if he wasn't surprised or angered by the pirates' sudden entrance.

"You captured a polar bear, didn't you? Where is Bepo?" Law ignored the man's comment. His voice sounded harsh and demanding unlike the other's.

The man tiled his head to the other side, now seriously looking like a curious puppy…except he wasn't cute at all. His appearance looked disturbing more than anything else. "You lost a bear? But how can you lose a bear, they're so big?" His voice contained nothing but curious and innocent surprise, but Law knew he was mocking him and he didn't like that one bit.

That must be Koji, the leader Shakky mentioned. A man not to be underestimated, she said. Law thought for a while and came to one conclusion. Screw that. He had no time or intention to play, so he'll just dissect them all. Without any further notice, Law lifted his sword and made a few more cuts, slicing up unsuspecting gang members. "Kill them. But leave the leader…we'll need him for questioning."

"Whoa, how rude. Trafalgar Law can't even talk civilly with people? I thought you were different from those wild pirates like Kid. Koji looked surprised, but he was obviously mocking them as he still didn't look worried by the situation at all. It made Law think what makes Koji have such confidence. Did he have some kind of plan they didn't know about? But before he could do anything else, Koji's men attacked them and the Heart Pirates counterattacked, running passed Law and straight into the group of thugs.

Miyako moved quickly through the group of gang members, cutting one on the side, then swirling around to avoid another's sabre, cutting his head in the process. A spear zoomed right passed her eye as the girl turned, dodging the metal sharp tip by an inch. Her attacker was holding a two meters long spear and was just about to attack her with a piercing thrust again. It was hard to get into his zone without getting pieced but fighting spear-wielders wasn't anything new for Miyako. Spear was a common weapon in Wanokuni and all samurai had to be prepared for fighting a spear-wielder. However, they say in that battle, spear triumphs over the katana in most cases. After all it has the advantage as the spear-wielder can get to the samurai while the samurai is unable to get close enough to kill his opponent. However, the key word was that spear wins in _most_ cases, which meant there was a change for the katana. And Miyako was taught how to seize that chance, by her master. She stepped forward, luring the man to attack as she charged at him. The man attacked her again with a thrusting move, sending the sharp point towards her. But in the last second, when the man thought his spear will pierce her stomach, the girl made a step to the side, still moving onwards. She dodged the metal point and continued to move forwards, now blocking the metal body of the spear with her katana, so that the man couldn't move it sideways and knock her off her feet. The friction of the sword traveling along the metal body of the spear made sparks fly while the samurai traveled closer to the man. The whole things only lasted a few seconds and soon Miyako was close enough to the man while he was still holding the spear wide-eyed, trying to realize what happened. When the samurai was able to come into the spear-wielder's zone, then it was game over…and the sword-wielder wins. Miyako moved her katana from the spear quickly and trusted right into the man's neck, ignoring the blood that started to spray from the wound. Her eyes were cold and merciless voids, as she showed the man her dark expression. She moved the katana to the side, sliding it easily from the man's neck as that only caused a bigger wound in his neck and more blood to spill out. The man fell on the ground with a loud clang of his spear falling beside him. Miyako didn't stop to ponder about the fight or the man she just killed. Instead, she just turned, a few blood drops on her face, and already found her next target in a thug who was about to attack Cody from behind.

"Hahahaha! Wonderful!" A loud voice of Koji traveled through the room where a little war broke out. His grin got even wider and his messy hair moved to show one wide black eye, while the other stayed hidden by his hair. It was staring at the chaos with an insane glee and he didn't care one bit that his men were dying. He just grinned and laughed harder as if the whole thing was amusing. And then suddenly he whistled. Whether it was to get the Heart Pirates attention or as a signal to his men, it was unclear, but as he did, a group of his men came with shoulder cannons. He was holding one too, already resting on his shoulder. There were at least a dozen and they were all aimed at Law. Koji's eye got even wider. "Alright. Die now." He didn't even care that the cannons might hit his own men. All of them fired and small cannon balls flew with great speed towards Law.

However, none of the Heart Pirates looked worried. More worried looked the gang members around Law who couldn't defend themselves from the incoming cannon balls. It seemed that neither Koji nor the other Men of Mayhem realized this whole building was inside a thin film of a blue sphere, made by Law himself. And they didn't know that Trafalgar Law possessed a very particular power of the devil fruit called the ope ope power. The captain saw some cut off heads and body parts floating around, due to his work. He smirked as the thought came to his mind and with a simple twitch of his fingers, the cannon balls disappeared. "Shambles" The body parts replaced the small cannonballs while the heavy metal items appeared near the groups of thugs, exploding in the process. Only more screams and yells from the gang members ripped through the air. This time, even Koji looked truly surprised, as his grin fell and he looked at Law with a confused expression, blinking. "huh?" Was the only thing he could say to the scene.

~….~

The ground of the gang's hideout was filled with bodies, blood and weapons. There was rubble of wood, stone and metal everywhere. The dust was still in the air, slowly settling down. Koji was standing in front of the Heart Pirates. Law, Cody, Shachi, Penguin and Josh were all glaring at him, preparing their weapons or fists. They all had dark, serious expressions. Those were the expressions of someone who just had their friend messed with. And the said bully was right in front of them.

Meanwhile, Miyako went to search for Bepo, checking every room that wasn't destroyed already. She opened the wooden doors of one and found Bepo inside. "Bepo!" She couldn't help but call out when she saw the polar bear, lying on the dirty ground, his snow-white fur defiled with sot and blood. He was chained and beaten up. They must've made sure he wouldn't use his bear strength and break free. Miyako went to him and knelt down, shaking him awake.

"Unh….hnn….Miya…chan?" Bepo slowly opened one button black eye and looked at the girl confused. "What are you….?"

Miyako smiled gently at him and put a hand on his big head, silencing him. She didn't want him to exert himself. "We came to help you, of course. Everyone is here."

"C-captain?" The bear asked hopefully and quite surprised. He felt bad for worrying Law and everyone, and bringing them trouble. If only he didn't get knocked down by that sleep dart. If only…" The bear sighed, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Miyako saw this and smiled again. "Of course." She knew what to say to the bear to settle him down, and even if she didn't hear it directly from the captain's mouth, she knew it was the truth. "Law will be glad you're ok." She stood up and took out her katana once again. "Don't move." Her expression became serious again as she concentrated. In a few swift moves, Miyako cut the chains pinning down Bepo's body and freed the bear. She had a bit of trouble helping the bear up as he was much bigger and heavier than her, but somehow managed to help him move. Luckily, the bear wasn't in as bad of a condition as she previously thought and he could walk and stand on his own.

~…..~

"N-No way….what are you people?!" Koji's face was quite different than before. He looked seriously shocked now, as if he couldn't believe he could be defeated.

The Heart pirates didn't say anything. Cody, Josh, Shachi, Penguin and Law all just walked closer to him while Koji continued to step backwards until he bumped into a wall behind him. There was no way to escape anymore. For the first time in his life, Koji's intelligence and all his planning couldn't do him any good. The Heart Pirates caught them all off guard and even though he thought he was prepared for such a case, in case the marine's or some other group in Sabaody surprise attack them, he wasn't prepared for the power of Law and his crew. He underestimated them. Koji always thought he could get out of every situation with his genius, but for the first time, his skill failed him and it couldn't help him anymore.

"Y-you…you can't just come in here and ruin everything! Don't you know what you did?! This is not how it works!" He was obviously losing it now. His eyes were wide but there was no grin on his face. Instead, his pale shock was slowly turning into anger. Like a spoilt child having a tantrum because they didn't get what they wanted. "You ruined all my plans! Don't you know what we were gonna do?! You don't even know! I'm much smarter than all of you! I'm a genius! This can't end like this! You can't just come and ruin everything like –"

"I-don't-care-about-your-problems kick!" Miyako seemed to fly out of nowhere, both legs in the air as she flew horizontally towards Koji. Both her feet connected with Koji's face, her boots leaving a red mark on the pale cheeks. The young man's eyes and face distorted into an ugly, and almost comical expression of shock as he made a noise that sounded like "Bluh," with his tongue out, before he was sent flying into a heap of rubble by Miyako. He wasn't the only one with a shocked expression. The faces of the rest of the Heart Pirates looked priceless, with eyes wide and mouth hanging open at the scene before them. It was totally unexpected and it took them off guard. Even Law's eyes were wider than usual. The pirates all stood next to each other, in a shock, looking at Koji who was sent flying. Their heads turned, following the flying villain with a sweatdrop appearing. The girl landed on her feet effortlessly and was still glaring at Koji, who was now lying unconscious, with his legs and arms sticking out while he was stuck in the heap. Miyako put one hand on her hip and the other pointed with its finger right at him, as she looked more annoyed than usual. "Who cares about your ruined plans! Don't try to give me some sappy story after you hurt one of our nakama. You dare complain after what you did!? I'll kick your ass you spoiled brat, just try and complain again!"

*_N-No…I don't think he can say anything anymore…*_ Everyone thought as they still stared at the pissed girl with slight surprise and a sweat-drop. Miyako wasn't one to mess with when she was mad. And seeing Bepo in that condition obviously made her fuming with anger. But then Penguin blinked with confusion as he noticed something. He elbowed Shachi and nodded in the direction behind Miyako. Soon everyone was looking behind her. "huh?"

Miyako noticed the strange expressions her friends were making and she quickly turned around, her hands still on her hips. She had to look a bit down at a short person in a strange white suit with a bubble around their head. It seems, deep inside of it all was a young teenage boy with curly orange hair and freckles on his nose and cheeks. His wide blue eyes were staring up at Miyako in a strange look of adoration and wonder. "huh? Who are _you_?" Without any tact or consideration, Miyako demanded while there was still some annoyance in her voice from before. Her hands were still holding her hips while she tilted her head to the side and raised one eyebrow questioningly.

The boy just kept staring up at her in wonder while the Heart Pirates stared at the strange boy in surprise and confusion. What was a kid doing here? Was he a part of Men of Mayhem too? Law was the first to recognize him, or rather he recognized the clothing the kid was wearing even if the face was unfamiliar to him. His eyes widened in shock and the tanned man paled slightly. This was bad. This was very bad.

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><p>Bakaonna – Foolish woman, stupid woman<p>

Manriki - The Maniriki Ninja weapon is a simple weapon that consists of a steel chain with heavy weights at each end.

Bongo - Bongo the Bear is the protagonist of a Disney, 1974. cartoon. (Let's say this cartoon exists in One piece :P)

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><p>*Fun fact: When I was deciding on the grove numbers of Bepo's attack (grove 13) I just picked a totally random number. Then afterwards, I wanted to involve Shakky in the whole story so I went to check the grove number where her bar was and whadda ya' know; it was grove 13! It must be destiny! :D<p>

So there we go and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If proof-read it but if you notice any grammatical mistakes, feel free to point them out and I'll correct it. Reviews, messages, constructive criticism and anything else you want to tell me are all welcome and you can either leave it in the review or pm me. (But please don't ask me about future plot development because I don't want to write any spoilers of the story XD) To everyone who reviewed, a big thank you and I read every last one of it. :D Thank you for your constant patience with me and support. *bows* Here are some answers to your comments~

**Velonica14: **Thank you and welcome to fanfiction then. I'm glad you enjoy the story. ^^

**ChanChan: **I'm sorry. *bowes head* (I feel like Bepo right now XD) But I love this story too much to stop writing it no matter what, so don't worry. :D

**Windheartyuki: **Wow, you were right. :D

**Zecrea: **I think that would be awesome too. :D I think Zoro and Miyako would actually get along (on the most part…maybe she would be irritated by him constantly getting lost XD). Maybe at one point, but for now he's always the polite Law who doesn't use nicknames :P

**JustChan: **Well knowing me…After all it seems I can't write about any island without something happening on it. XP At first I thought they'll just rush through Sabaody and start the journey for Fishmen island…heh, naive me. Haha yeah, it would be cool to see Miyako in Oda's One Piece one day. :P

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yeah, I like him too. I think he's one of the more likable marine characters I made. :)

**Animagirl: **I've been kinda neglecting the 'romantic' part of the story, but don't worry, I plan to make up for it. :) Also, the crew already knows, though they found out by accident. (Law didn't really care whether they knew or not). But I don't think Law would be someone to give Miyako privileges just because they're a couple.

**Cassius Valens 06: **I'm really flattered that my story inspired you, I'm glad. ^^ Good luck in your own story and do your best! :D

**VodkaThief: **Thank you, I really appreciate it. :) A beta reader is a good idea; I've been thinking about it myself actually. I try to proof-read it every time but I still miss some mistakes and sometimes it could just be lack of knowledge on my part due to the fact I'm not a native English speaker. And I seriously want to work on stepping up the quality of the story and the writing style in general. Hopefully, through experience, writing and just reading good books, I will attain it as well. It's a good idea and it is indeed something I want to work on. Thank you for reading and I always appreciate ideas and critique. :)


	44. Chapter 44

'**I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

The next part is finally out guys so I hope you enjoy! Also I finally got a Beta, so hopefully there will be a lot less mistakes now. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako. Story is rated T for blood and language.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 44<strong>

"Who are you?" Miyako was looking at the teenage boy in question, while the said kid stared at her with what she deemed was a pretty peculiar expression.

The one who answered her, however, wasn't the teenager, but her captain instead."That is a Tenryuubito," Law said simply, but for once his voice sounded stiff and careful. His whole body seemed on edge, which was a big contrast from the usually laid-back pirate. Miyako also noticed the change in Trafalgar's demeanor, but didn't have a chance to ask about it, as the rest of the group voiced their surprise.

"Whaaaat?!" Everyone yelled out in shock, looking with baffled expressions between Law and the kid.

Miyako seemed like she was the only one out of the loop. She didn't understand why everyone was freaking out. "Tenryuubito? I heard that name somewhere before…" Being from Wano, a country that didn't have a connection with the World Government and the marines, Miyako didn't know much about the Tenryuubito. She vaguely remembered there were some very influential nobles residing near here. She remembered hearing the name while being in the auction house waiting to be purchased as a slave. At that time all the others there were shaking in fear at just a mention of the name and they were all praying not to end up in the hands of a Tenryuubito. Somebody said escaping those nobles was impossible. However, she didn't understand what the big deal is about some kid that kept staring at her strangely. "So? What's the big deal?"

But for some reason her question brought more surprise by her crewmates, now directed at her. "Y-you don't know about World Nobles?! How can you not know about them?! They are the most powerful people in the world!" Penguin was the first to speak, while the others still looked at her with wide-eyes and hanging jaws.

"Heeeh?" Miyako looked suspicious of Penguin's words as she directed her attention to the kid in front of her. She leaned towards him a little, her hands still on her hips as she kept her unconvinced gaze upon him. "He's the most powerful human in the world? Are you sure?"

But to her surprise, the boy spoke, his words just rushing out of him. What surprised her even more was the meaning of those words. "You are so cool!"

The outburst made Miyako flinch and move backwards a little, surprised by the sudden loud voice. "Huh?" She couldn't really ask anything else and the boy just kept talking, the words flowing out of him like a broken dam.

"You totally kicked that bad man's ass, in one move! I mean, whoa, he just flew away! That was so awesome! You're amazing!"

Miyako felt some embarrassment creep over her as she blushed a little and looked to the side. She scratched her head with one hand while smiling sheepishly. "N-now I don't really know about that…I mean, it was nothing special…" Still, it was obvious she enjoyed his praising words. After a while though, she managed to collect herself and cleared her throat, trying to return back to her serious self. "Anyway…what are you doing here? This is no place for kids."

The teenager made a pouting face. "Hmph, I am no child, I am already 14 years old! Besides, I can be anywhere I want to be, didn't your friend tell you? I am the most powerful man in the world. But these brazen ruffians had the nerve to attack and kidnap my high self while I was taking my stroll," his voice got higher and more self-confident by the second.

Miyako couldn't help but sweat-drop at the kid's words. _*What's his problem all of a sudden, getting so high and mighty? Didn't he just admit he was kidnapped? So how can he be the most powerful in the world…surely even I would be able to make him fall on his bum in a second.* _She didn't have time to voice any of her opinions as the boy continued.

"That ruffian named Koji kept me here and pestered me constantly, and yet you were able to knock him out in just one move. You really are amazing," his eyes became wide and sparkly again as if he was looking at his hero. Then suddenly he blushed and looked away a bit, as if embarrassed. "I-I…I knew I'd find you one day…."

Miyako and the rest of the Heart pirates tilted their heads at the sudden change in the boy's attitude.

"….my love," the boy finished, eyes wide and mouth formed into a smile, as he looked up at Miyako expectantly.

The Heart Pirates weren't able to even form their surprise in a coherent sentence this time. Not even a sound came out of their mouths. Instead, everyone just stared at the boy in shock as if there were horns growing out of his head. No, that that would probably be less of a surprise than this development.

Suddenly, the awkward silence was broken by none other than Josh who started laughing. His laugh rang throughout the room loudly. "Hahahaha, Miyako? Your love?! Who in their right mind would be interested in-" But then he suddenly shut his mouth when he remembered the answer to that question. The person in question was standing just next to Joshua, and the medic's body stiffened as he felt a dark aura beside him, coming from his silent captain. Josh knew Law was silently daring him to finish that sentence but the redhead only stiffened and gulped, swallowing down the rest of his words as well.

Miyako was the first to recover from it, though not completely. She put her hands up defensively as she gave the boy a nervous smile. "W-wait…wait, wait a minute. You must be mistaken, I-"

The boy didn't let her finish as he continued on in a self-important, high and mighty voice. "My name is Saint Piercy Q. Wingross, and I am never mistaken. After all, a Tenryuubito doesn't make mistakes. You are indeed my first love that I have been searching for. I knew that one day we will be fated to meet and that day has finally come." He put a hand on his heart while the other took one of Miyako's hands. She was in too much of a shock to resist. "And you will become my wife! I proclaim it to be so!"

"W-whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm 20 you know! 20 years old! I can't become your wife!" Miyako was completely beyond shocked now. *_What is wrong with this kid? Did Koji hit him in the head when he kidnapped him or something?*_

The boy didn't look bothered by her words or the age difference for that matter. "It's fine, I don't mind. After all, you are quite a beauty. Aren't you completely flattered that a World Noble like myself wants your hand? Why do you protest? Are you still shocked from happiness and excitement?" Piercy was still holding one of Miyako's hands with both of his own now.

Miyako was getting sick and tired of this. This Piercy brat wasn't listening to her at all and just kept saying all these self-important words. Why did he look so proud of himself anyway, just because he was some noble? Her free hand clenched into a fist as Miyako narrowed her eyes, annoyance written all over her face. Alas the teenager didn't notice any of her changes as he just kept spouting his nonsense. However, the one who did notice was Cody, a medic with a sharp eye indeed. He could see Miyako's clenching fist and knew what she was about to do. Miyako didn't know what could happen when you anger World Nobles and she had no qualms about hitting this brat right over the head. But if she did, all hell would break lose. "Miya-chan, wait!" He called out, stopping the woman in her plan. "You can't anger him." The words sounded bitter and weary at the same time.

Miyako looked back at Cody, blinking with confusion. Was this kid really that special? There were nobles in Wano as well and Miyako knew most of them were spoilt rich babies completely unaware about the rest of the world that is suffering. The nobles in Wano weren't to be angered either as that could cost you your head easily. That's why she always avoided it whenever someone of higher status appeared in a city she was in as a rounin and she stayed clear of them. Still, she never had direct contact with any of the nobles in Wano, so she wasn't completely sure what she could or couldn't do. Her master didn't like them either and only mingled with them if it was work related and completely necessary. Usually he would send her to the dojo or her room at those times and he was never happy when they insisted on meeting his young protégé. Miyako was still too young then to understand her master was trying to protect her from this group of people.

Piercy lifted his nose even higher now, praising himself once more. He was proud of something Miyako didn't really understand. "Of course you don't want to anger me. You don't want me to call an admiral do you…? After all, you are pirates are you not?"

Those words made Miyako stare at the kid in complete surprise. "Admiral?" This kid could call out the strongest men in the marine army?

"Unfortunately, it's all true," this time it was Law who spoke, after a long time. Miyako already found it strange how Trafalgar kept strangely quiet throughout this whole conversation. She thought he would be the first person to react. "The Tenryuubito have the right to call the admirals, the marines, everyone to their aid and the World Government will destroy their target in a blink of an eye. They can order complete eradication of our whole crew." Law seemed calm and collected as usual, but his body was stiff. He was bothered and it was obvious no matter how well he tried to hide it. Miyako saw Law bothered before, but not like this. Not to the point that he was actually worried for their survival. The rest of the Heart Pirates looked even more worried…no, they looked scared, Miyako realized.

"Hehehe. That's right. So you have to listen to me and become my wife. But no worries, after all, who wouldn't want that. If not I'll destroy your crew…no, maybe I'll just destroy this whole Sabaody Archipelago!" The 14-year old certainly didn't sound his age as he said such ominous words. And for the first time Miyako believed them and realized what they got themselves into. She also realized that for the first time Law was worried about how to get them out of this. He was worried about his crew's safety, and for the first time he didn't have a plan. Miyako kept silent as young Piercy kept praising himself. Her head was bowed down a little, the long bangs covering her eyes.

"Alright," she finally answered, nonchalantly. When she looked up again, her expression was aberrant than that from before. She looked at the young boy with a calm expression of indifference. There was no worry in her voice. "I'll go back with you." The boy smiled, pleased with her answer.

"What? No, Miyako, you can't! I don't care if he is a Tenryuubito, we won't just give you one of our nakama-!" Josh started, glaring at Piercy suddenly. It was strange that out of everyone here, the redhead was the first one to start complaining about this.

"Joshua….shut up," Miyako looked sideways at her crewmate, her expression cold. Josh was so taken aback by her sharp answer that he instantly closed his mouth but kept staring at her in wonder. It was because of the look she was giving him, as if he was some kind of annoyance. The girl suddenly smiled, but it wasn't her usual smile, or her gentle expression. Instead, she showed them clear malice, a cruel smile on her face and a mocking expression to top it all. She looked like a completely different person than the Miyako they all knew as she looked at the pirate group. "I thought about it for a while and concluded this was actually a great opportunity. I never intended to play pirates with you forever anyway…my plan was always to just use you until we came to the New World or close to Wano and then I would ditch you in a heartbeat. Right now, an opportunity to actually leave you and go to the nobles has arisen, and I'd be a fool if I didn't take it."

Everyone was looking at Miyako with shock and wide eyes. They were silent for a while, unsure of how to answer. Cody was trying to see if she was lying, or joking… Anything! A telltale sign that this was some part of her plan. But he saw nothing of the sort in her mocking expression and clear eyes. She was staring right at them and saying she was betraying them.

Penguin was the first one to speak as he smiled nervously, unsurely. "M-Miya-chan…You can't be serious right? This is….a joke, right?" He was desperately trying to find reason within her words.

But Miyako just laughed right in his face. A far cry than the one she usually gave. There was only coldness and mockery in it. "You're so naïve, Penguin. You're all just fools. I was playing you from the start. I never felt anything even remotely near to comradeship towards any of you. I'd rather go and become a powerful noble's wife than continue being a filthy pirate," her gaze pierced through all of them until it stopped at Law. Her smirk got wider. "I was always like this; just a calculating, cold woman."

"Hahah! Good choice! I can see you're a smart one!" Piercy was the one to break the tense atmosphere. "I'm about to call the palace to pick us up, so you pirates better get lost. You're obviously unwanted here," the boy smirked, a gleeful expression in his condescending face. Now, come with me…Miyako, is it?"

"Yes…It's Suzune Miyako." Miyako didn't try to pull her hand back, which was still in Piercy's grip. He still had that smile of adoration and a light blush on his check while he looked at her.

"What a beautiful name. It fits you well. And you will indeed fit me well as my bride."

"Miyako….you can't…." Bepo was the one to speak this time, but his voice was neither angry nor determined. It was soft, and the bear sounded hurt, though not by his external wounds this time. He seemed to be indecisive whether to let the girl go or try and stop her.

However, before Bepo or anyone could protest further in their disbelief, Law spoke up. He was unusually quiet all this time so it just made his words more shocking. "That's enough. We're leaving." At first the group thought he was talking to Miyako, but then they realized he was referring only to them.

Everyone was surprised by Law's willingness to let this happen and just leave it at that. "C-captain, we can't-" This time it was Cody who protested, but Law cut him off.

"I said we're leaving. We can't stay here when the Marines come to pick them up. It's obvious what we need to do." Law wouldn't let his crew question him. He rested his sheathed nodachi back on his shoulder and started to leave the rubbles of the building, leaving the grove behind. The group of pirates had no choice but to follow him.

Only Josh kept standing still, staring at Miyako's leaving back, almost glaring now. "We trusted you! We all thought of you as one of us, you bitch! As nakama! Did all that time mean nothing to you? You just used us and then sold yourself to get a pardon from the World Nobles?! You traitor!" He yelled at her slowly disappearing form as both Miyako and Piercy kept walking away. His shouting was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, belonging to Cody. The tall medic just muttered something to his shorter friend, shaking his head as if to tell Josh to just give up. The redhead seemed to lose his strength and anger with Cody's action and just followed the other medic, defeated.

It was lively on the submarine's deck as the crew ran around, bringing crates of supplies inside or working on enforcing the hull and rest of the submarine, getting ready for sailing. However, once Law and his group came onboard, everyone stopped working, instantly noticing that something was amiss. It wasn't hard considering the gloomy and intense atmosphere around the group.

"What happened?" Sai dared to ask, although awkwardly. The group didn't look like they wanted to talk about it. That's when the navigator noticed one member was missing. 6 members went to retrieve Bepo and 6 members returned. But it should have been 7. Sai's heart instantly skipped a beat as he feared the worst. "Where's Miyako?" The other crew members became alarmed by this question, as everyone noticed their only female member was missing.

"She's fine. Rest assured," Law answered, in hopes of quieting down his crew. Now everyone was coming closer with interest and puzzlement, huddling around Law. He didn't really like the lack of space and air as they closed in on him, but he could understand their worry. It seemed as if the crew all sighed in relief at his words. The captain turned to Jean Bart. "How long before everything is ready?"

Bart thought for a while. "Tomorrow at sunrise. If we hurry."

Law nodded at this, pleased that they would soon be away from the archipelago. "Then get everything ready as soon as possible. We sail out as soon as the submarine is ready."

A noise came behind him as Josh angrily threw his hat to the ground. He cursed loudly out of pure rage. "Shit!" This time Cody wasn't trying to calm him down. It was no use. The rest of the crew looked at Joshua with interest and confusion. They all knew how hot headed and temperamental the medic could be, but nobody understood what it was about this time. And how was it connected to the missing Miyako?

"So…Where be th' lassie?" Munk was the one who asked this time, his large hands crossed on his chest, as he stared at Law almost sternly. The old chef was quite fond of his little kitchen protégée as they got close working together in the galley all this time. He considered her a daughter he never had. If something had happened to her…

Law didn't answer him though. It was the first time Law ignored the old chef. Munk was known to be the only one to talk to Law bluntly and sometimes even sternly, usually advising him about his diet and meals that Law kept skipping. But this was the first time Law completely ignored Munk as he pushed passed him and walked casually into the submarine. The crew stood there, completely baffled by the whole situation. Sai was already getting annoyed by the fact that nobody was telling them anything. "Dammit, what's going on here?!" He called out, staring at Penguin, Shachi and the rest of the group who looked like they were barely containing themselves to…do what?

~…~

It was the dark of night already, the glistening silver stars shining on the clear night sky over Sabaody. The moon was brightening up the night, shining down its rays of pale moonlight into the windows of the Tenryuubito palace, situated in Mariejois. The moonlight rays were falling in a particular room through the large window, exposing the silhouette sitting on the bed with her arms hugging her knees.

Miyako was staring in the darkness outside the palace, as her window looked down on the vast garden surrounding the whole building. She was exhausted, mostly mentally and emotionally, but still unable to close her eyes and fall into soothing, deep slumber. Why? She only needed to remember the events of earlier today to know the reason. Today, Miyako had done something she never thought she would do; she hurt her friends. Deeply. She knew she would not be forgiven….not this time.

She realized what she needed to do while she was still standing in that ruined hideout of Men of Mayhem. Miyako might have not known who the Tenryuubito were but listening to her shocked crewmates, she quickly understood. No, it was enough to just look at their paled expressions to see how grave the consequences would be for all of them if they were to anger this kid.

Saint Piercy Q. Wingross…

Miyako's teeth gritted in anger from just remembering that name. If only that kid wasn't there, if only they didn't meet. She would already be somewhere on the way to Fishmen island with the Heart Pirates, sailing happily. Instead, she needed to do something that made her heart break into pieces. It literally pained her to show such a cold, cruel mask to her friends. To just deny everything they went through together and play a traitor. But it was necessary. Piercy wanted _her_ and if any of them objected, if she refused, the teenager would call a Marine Admiral after them. However, she knew that even if Law would understand what needed to be done, the rest of the Heart Pirates wouldn't. They would never listen to reason and let Miyako go with the Tenryuubito, disregarding the danger of consequences, they would protect her until the end. But that would only lead to everyone's death. The Heart Pirates all worked hard to get to this point, trained, fought, all of them had dreams…Miyako couldn't be the one to risk all that. She _wouldn't._ Sacrificing everything for her sake was out of the question. And so there was only one option she could do; play the villain. She knew she had to hurt them enough for the Heart Pirates to give up on her, to leave her alone and leave for the New World, and the best way to do that was betraying their trust. She was thinking about ditching them in the New World for so long anyway, didn't she? Wasn't that her plan all along? _*But when did that plan change..? It did, didn't it?*_ Miyako knew it wasn't how she felt anymore…it wasn't what she really wanted to do. The girl chuckled darkly as she thought about the irony. She was torn between her choices and this is what finally opened her eyes. Now that it was already too late, she realized what she really wanted. Even if most of what she said to the Heart Pirates was a lie in that building, the little truth about planning to ditch them, even if the fact was outdated, was enough to bring a little bit of sincerity in her words, making the whole thing seem much more believable. She saw Cody was trying to see into her eyes to see if she was lying, so she avoided his gaze and made sure to put on her best ruthless mask. And it worked. It worked all too well, as she remembered Joshua's hurt and angry face. A part of her was glad it worked, but the more selfish part was sad and disappointed at her crew members for not realizing she was lying. For not believing in her to the end. But they tried didn't they? They tried to think it was all lies, or even passing it as a joke. The fact that they didn't want to believe that scene was written all over their face. But she made them believe…until the end. Only Law kept quiet. Only Law agreed to let her stay behind without any kind of complaint, without a fight. Did he trust her that little? Or did he simply not care? *_No….It makes perfect sense. He already made it clear that day in his quarters…I guess I was just a nuisance to him until the very end. I'm such a fool.*_ Miyako hugged her knees to her chest tighter as she lowered her forehead on top of her knees. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering.

How did things become like this? How did it become like this with Law? She didn't understand anything anymore. After all, weren't they already over the hate-hate relationship? Weren't they getting along just fine not so long ago? She remembered the journey they had so far. She remembered the beginning of her journey on the yellow submarine, when they were both at each other's throats. She, with the snarky remarks and he, with his poised coldness. He would pretend that her comments aimed at him didn't bother him, but then make her do chores all day or just give her some excruciating work. Unfortunately he had that right as her captain. But at that she didn't consider him her captain yet, nor did she accept the rest of the crew as her crewmates. Yet that slowly began to change. They fought together, laughed together, bickered, made up, celebrated their victories and mourned together in their defeats. She still remembered everything clearly as if these 16 months all happened only a few weeks ago.

Shachi and Penguin thought her how to play poker though they always beat her at it and made her play penalty games…usually that would just lead to everyone getting in trouble with Law later. She bickered with Josh but already considered him the sibling she never had. As much as they insulted and teased each other, she knew he was still there for her if need be. He had proven it to her countless of times while fighting side by side. Bepo always made her inner child feel happiness as she would hug the bear or play with his twitching ears. He had big self-confidence issues but he was always kind and thoughtful towards her. Cody was like an older brother to her, serious and understanding, always giving her good advice when need be. He would push and direct her in the right direction even without her knowing it, but still other than Law, he was a person she never wanted to see mad. He could be as scary as the Surgeon of Death himself when angered and much like Law you never even saw it coming as their expressions stayed collected even while seething in anger. Still, she enjoyed spending time with all of them. The Heart Pirates would often come hang out in her room together and she would sometimes act bothered as they gave her no privacy at all, but mostly she was glad and the times spent with them were happy. She never felt lonely on that submarine. And then there was Trafalgar Law…She didn't know what to think about this man anymore. At first her only day's peak was to irritate the hell out of him as she couldn't stand the pirate captain, then slowly she started to respect this stoic man as she got to know him better. And after a while that respect turned into something else…something more. The feeling of want. The feeling of wanting to own this man. She never felt like that for anyone, nor for any of the other crew members. But as much as she tried to fight it, she couldn't deny this feeling; it was too real. And after a while she decided not to fight it any longer. She decided it was alright to just go along with it and trust Trafalgar. Law confronting her that time in the infirmary made it clear that he wasn't letting her deny it anyway. But somehow she was at peace with it…she was finally fine with it. She mostly felt confusion and embarrassment around him, as he seemed to never stop teasing her, seeing that the girl was bothered by it, but Miyako had to admit she also felt happiness near the pirate captain. They fought sometimes, but they also had peaceful moments where Miyako really enjoyed spending time with Law.

She remembered the time at the festival in Kyonin Village where Law showed her how to scoop goldfish and even though she felt a bit uncomfortable and annoyed at being bested by him at first, later she was really glad he thought her how to do it. At that time, she showed him her work of skill proudly as a child showing their catch to their parents. The captain just smirked, not saying anything but he didn't discourage her either. That night she remembered they walked back to the submarine together, while Miyako still held on to her bag with goldfish inside. The voices rang in Miyako's mind as she remembered that time.

_"I'm going to call this one Gin, and this one will be Kin," she exclaimed, looking at her goldfish with a wide smile. She still had this proud expression of being able to catch these fish...well Law did help with one though._

_"You look excited…" Law didn't really know what the big deal was about a few goldfish but it was amusing to him how much Miyako looked happy about such a simple thing. "What do they mean?" He was referring to the name meaning of the two fishes._

_"Kin means golden, while Gin means silver," Miyako explained. Law almost chuckled by the simplicity of the names as if a child was giving them._

_He was able to control himself and instead asked. "And where do you plan on keeping them?" At that, he raised one eyebrow questioningly._

_Miyako thought for a while. "In my room of course… Ah, that's right! I need to buy a fish tank for them, don't I?! I wonder if they have any to sell in the village…" She trailed off in thought, already in her little world. She really seemed excited about this for some reason._

_It almost made Law feel bad for bursting her bubble. But he needed to point out a very important thing that she obviously forgot and might regret that later. "You know how often we need to use maneuvers and sail in high speed when sailing through the waters. The fish tank would just fall down and break, leaving the fishes dead." It was blunt and honest, but true enough._

_Miyako frowned and seemed to question her decision after all. "You're right….I didn't think of that…" With her free hand she bit the nail of her thumb as she often did while in thought or troubled. Her golden eyes brightened up as she thought of something new. "Then I'll just nail it too the cabinet!"_

_Law sighed a bit tired with this conversation. "You can't do that, the glass aquarium would simply break."_

_"Then a metal one-"_

_"You can't keep fish in a metal tank." Even before Miyako could express her idea completely, Law cut her off already guessing what she was about to say._

_Law stopped and turned around as he noticed Miyako had stopped walking. They were slowly strolling towards the submarine till' now and Law didn't really pay attention to the girl next to him as he talked to her while still just lazily walking ahead. But when he noticed Miyako had stopped, he turned around questioningly to see the girl standing there and silently staring at the bag filled with water and two fishes in her hand. She was looking at them sadly, disappointedly. "I guess it's really impossible then, huh?" She was obviously referring to her idea of keeping the fish in an aquarium in the submarine._

_Law couldn't help but notice the half-lidded, disappointed look Miyako was showing him. She seemed like a child whose parents just declined her idea of having a pet even though she was so looking forward to it. The pirate captain sighed and turned around again. "Follow me." He didn't say anything more nor checked if Miyako was indeed following him as he continued to walk ahead. He walked on this path when coming from the submarine to the village so he was quite sure it was this way…_

_After a while of walking, Law led them to a small pond surrounded by some rocks and flowers. The water was clear and see-through, glistening on the moonlight of the night sky. There were already a few smaller fish inside it. The pond reminded Law of those Koi Fish Ponds made by human hands that he sometimes saw in the gardens of more wealthy houses. But this pond was bigger, letting the fish have more freedom while roaming around in the water._

_He heard a slight gasp beside him as Miyako got closer. "It's beautiful. People make something similar in their gardens in Wano, but this is even more amazing… and it's natural." Law looked sideways at the girl's surprised face but kept quiet. He didn't have to say anything for Miyako to understand why he brought her here. Miyako once again looked at the small goldfish in her bag, a bit sadly, but then smiled even if the smile still seemed a bit lonely. "They'll be much happier here than in my aquarium, don't you think?"_

_Law didn't answer, since he deemed the answer pretty clear. Even without him answering, Miyako nodded determined and crouched down, moving her kimono out of the way so she didn't step on it. She opened the bag and let the contents pour out into the pond. The girl watched as the fish swam around, diving deeper near the pond's bottom and picking something from there as if eating. The girl looked back up at Law and smiled, this time giving him a more honest and content smile. "Yeah, I think they're happy here."_

_That was the second time that evening that Law got taken aback by this girl's smile as he watched her honest expression. Miyako didn't show him this kind of expression… ever. The smile looked shining, somehow too bright for him to look at it directly, even in this warm evening, and Law had to look away. But not before he carved Miyako's features of this moment deep into his memory. He opened his mouth to say something to her statement, but was cut off when a loud bang rang though the sky. Not long after, a bright colorful light followed it as beautiful fire flowers painted the night sky. Both Miyako and Law looked up in surprise before understanding hit them._

_"Fireworks!" Miyako exclaimed in surprise and stood up, still staring at the sky. She watched the bright colors in awe as they kept exploding through the sky. "It's beautiful…" She said in a soft voice, still amazed at the performance before her. The whole thing reminded her so much of those late summer festivals in Wano that she loved and the nostalgia hit her head on, bringing out emotions of both happiness and melancholy inside of her._

_Law, who was standing next to Miyako, let his gaze fall upon the girl when he heard a slightly uncharacteristic tone in her voice. Still, his grey eyes stayed glued to the sight as even he felt surprise appear in him. The young woman standing next to him looking in awe at the fireworks looked completely different than the usual bickering woman that often infuriated him. The girl had a gentle smile on her pale face that was now lit up with the brightness of the fireworks just like the rest of her standing form. She clasped her hands in front of her, her bright eyes gleaming in the darkness as they seem to reflect the colors in the sky; from golden to bright red and green. She was wearing her pink, flower-printed kimono neatly, just like the first time he saw her at Sabaody Archipelago, nine months ago. Her long hair was falling down freely for a change, as she only tied a few side strands with her ribbon, making a red bow on the back of her head. The whole figure appeared more of a lady from Wano, than a feisty warrior she usually showed him. Law didn't know what to think right now, or whether he liked the usual Miyako or this one better. But even so his mind kept asking one question; Was this really the same Miyako he knew? That made him think… There were more sides to this woman than what he saw, then what she let him see. In the end, the pirate captain decided he didn't hate this side of her either._

Miyako's golden eyes narrowed slightly in sadness as she thought of those better and happier times. She looked sideways, outside the large window, staring into the darkness bathed in moonlight. Her form was still curled up, sitting on the bed, as if that will protect her from feeling the heaviness of today's events. She still remembered how frustrating it was for her when she came in the palace here in Mariejois. First, all she could hear were relieved shouts of Piercy's family as they came back along with some family guards of the Tenryuubito. They all watched her suspiciously but Piercy kept repeating that there was nothing to happen to her as she was his future wife. That just made Miyako cringe with disgust and the men to only watch her even more suspiciously.

Finally, she met Piercy's mother as the red-haired woman stared at Miyako with a combination of disgust and surprise. That look turned into a condescending one soon enough as her only dear son told her about his plan to marry this girl.

_"You want to marry… this girl? But Piercy dear, there are so many noble young girls just dying to merry you. Why… this thing… this peasant girl?" The woman didn't even try to disguise her disgust towards Miyako._

_Miyako kept quiet, but needed to restrain herself from talking back to the woman. She satisfied herself with glaring at the floor while staring down, instead._

_"No! I want Miyako! She even saved me from those horrible thugs! You should've seen her mother, she was amazing!" Piercy looked between his mother and Miyako excitedly, as his tone got higher._

_"Keep your tone down young Piercy, you are still a nobleman and I expect you to act like one," the mother warned, making her son instantly quiet down. "Ah, that's right. What did you do with those gang members anyway? What horrible people they must be… daring to lay a hand on a Tenryuubito."_

_"They were all sent to execution, Madam Wingross." One of the guards answered quickly._

_The woman smiled, pleased. "Good. Make sure they all lose their heads."_

_Miyako couldn't help but gulp as she imagined the Heart Pirates' fate could've been the same. Christiana Wingross might have been declaring the execution of Miyako's friends right now if things went differently. The samurai didn't even want to imagine it._

_"But dear…she's a pirate," Christiana said, still suspicious and unsure about her boy's wants. However, Christiana already knew she would succumb to her son's wishes if he persisted, seeing as she could never say 'no' to her dear boy._

_"Who cares! She'll be educated to know better from now on! Besides, she's also strong and daring…Aren't you my love? Why are you being so quiet?" Piercy looked up at Miyako, smiling questioningly._

_"Well…I…." Miyako started not sure what to say but was cut off by another Tenryuubito._

_The woman known as Saint Shalulia grabbed some of Miyako's long hair and inspected it with a frown. "She's so unrefined…just look at those split ends…"_

_"Father, I want a pirate wife as well! I want one now!" Saint Charloss added, almost throwing a tantrum at how could Saint Piercy get one before him._

_"Don't worry, we'll go tomorrow morning after my meeting to Sabaody and find one for you. That place is full of pirates recently, anyway." Saint Roswald answered, quieting down his juvenile son._

_Miyako was completely shocked and taken aback by how little disregard these people showed towards others and their lives. As if to those nobles, lives of everyone else were completely at their disposal and amusement. It made Miyako disgusted as it was everything she stood against but all she could do was stay frustrated while keeping quiet not to bring down the wrath of these people upon herself or the Heart Pirates. She already decided, however, to flee from this wretched place in a few days, as soon as she was sure that the Heart Pirates were long gone from Sabaody Archipelago. She would rather die trying to escape than live like this as some concubine to this spoiled brat of 14 years old. What completely baffled the young warrior was the fact that nobody seemed to even mind the large age difference between her and Piercy, as if that wasn't even posing a problem. A shiver went don't her spine as she realized that 16 months ago, someone like these people could've bought her at that auction house. Who knows what her life would look like then, if she would still have one._

Miyako shivered, but not because of her bare shoulders or the slightly cold dark room she was sitting in. She shivered at the memories those people gave her earlier today and because of the fact that tomorrow, once again, she would have to go through it all again. When they started talking about the plans and dates for the wedding, Miyako used the excuse that she was feeling tired and quickly left for her room that the maids showed her. Every maid she passed by looked tired, weary and scared as if they were constantly fearing for their life. Most of them were simple slaves bought at the auction house, wearing those horrible bomb collars around their necks. At least Piercy trusted her since she decided to go with him willingly, so he didn't make her wear one of those. Miyako remembered wearing one at the auction house and decided that was enough for a lifetime.

Once again, Miyako though how did things become like this as she sat on her white bed, in a white vast and dark room completely void of any charm or character. It didn't sooth her worried heart at all. Her metal room in the quarters of the submarine might have been much smaller and simpler but it was still full with her things and scent and felt more like home than this one ever will. Unable to calm down or sleep, Miyako abruptly stood up from the bed and went to the large window. A silky white nightgown she got as her sleeping attire fluttered around her, as the slightly longer part in the back kept dragging behind her on the floor while she walked. As soon as her bare feet touched the cold stone ground of the room, an uncomfortable shiver went through her body but Miyako ignored it. She stood near the window, looking at the large garden surrounding the palace and wished she could just open the window and escape, alas that would bring down doom both to her and her pirate friends. She had to be patient until she was sure Heart Pirates were off the Sabaody, even though she was worried what will happen to her in that time. What if Piercy and his family get some stupid, crazy idea to wed them tomorrow morning? Could she really go through with it? She didn't even want to think about that possibility. Miyako hugged her bare shoulder, trying to warm herself up.

~…..~

Law jumped over the railing of the submarine, clutching his nodachi in one hand. The wet grass beneath his feet rustled as he landed on the ground and the pirate captain stood up from his crouch, resting the large sword on one shoulder. It was the dead of the night already, with the moon high in the open sky. The submarine was all ready to go and everything was set for the Heart Pirates to leave first thing at dawn. Still, Law had one more important task to do before leaving Sabaody Archipelago. However, after only a few steps a voice stopped him from behind.

"Going for a midnight walk?" Law didn't even have to turn around to recognize Cody's voice.

"Why are you still awake?" Law turned to look at Cody but there was no expression of surprises or awkwardness at being caught on the act. Instead, the captain gave the medic his usual indifferent look almost as if he was expecting Cody to be there.

"I could ask you the same thing Captain." The medic smirked but somehow didn't really look amused, as if something was still bothering him. He looked more serious than the usual laid-back and levelheaded Cody everybody was used to seeing. He took out a cigarette from a pack always residing in one of his pockets and lit it.

Law didn't really find Cody's behavior strange, just like Cody didn't find it surprising in the least to catch his captain sneaking off the submarine in the middle of the night. The reason was simple; both men were currently thinking the same thing, with the same person running around their minds.

"Hn." Was all Law said as he turned around once more, walking away from the submarine and Cody. He didn't feel like he needed to give the medic an explanation and neither did he feel obligated to do so. Law didn't like being questioned and truthfully he would rather not stand here and discuss his future plans with Cody. He, himself, wasn't sure how to explain what he was about to do and he sure as hell didn't feel like explaining it to anyone else either.

Seeing his captain walking away and figuring he wasn't about to get any answers, Cody called out. "I'm going with you." He was already ready to jump over the metal railing before Law's slightly sharper voice stopped him.

"No," the reply was short and simple, expecting absolute obedience from Cody on this one.

The medic actually blinked in surprise as Law once again turned towards him and pierced him with a more serious, warning look. "You're going to go after Miyako, aren't you? You can't go into Mariejois by yourself, that's suicide. That's one of the most dangerous places a wanted criminal can be in! Especially one with a 440 million bounty on his name." Cody had a point, but Law wasn't about to compromise on this one.

"Not this time, Cody-ya. Stay here and be prepared for departure. The plan stays the same, I will be back by sunrise…" Law didn't quite finish the sentence but Cody did it for him, as he asked.

"With Miyako?"

However, the blue haired medic didn't get an answer as his captain stayed silent, without a comment. Cody knew why Law wasn't commenting on anything, because captain himself wasn't sure what will happen. It will be a miracle if even Law came back from Mariejois. That's why the captain decided to go on his own without notifying anyone. He knew the crew would follow him and then risk getting them all killed.

Cody sighed. "Didn't Miyako betray us…?" There was something about the tone in which he stated this, as if he didn't really believe it himself.

Law looked back towards the center of Sabaody, as if looking in the direction of something. "Do _you_ think she did?"

Cody was silent as well, seemingly thinking about it. He shook his head but then decided to answer seeing that Law was still looking at the horizon away from him. "I don't know what to think but…I just can't accept it. I can't accept that Miyako we knew betrayed us."

Law didn't say anything at first, but then spoke up with one simple sentence. "I don't think she did." He sounded confident about it, completely sure, without a second thought or a doubt in his mind.

Cody couldn't help but blink in surprise at Law's straightforwardness. But he also felt a pang of frustration with it. "Then why didn't you say anything when we were in the hideout? Why didn't you stop her?" The young medic couldn't help the slightly accusing tone in his voice, even if he didn't want to blame Law. He just couldn't understand. If Miyako sacrificed herself for them, if she was suffering now…Cody knew he would never forgive himself. At the same time, he felt anger towards Miyako for putting everything on her shoulders once again, the same as she always did in the past. But weren't they passed that? Didn't she trust them now and decided to rely on her friends? The thought just made Cody more frustrated. But what hurt him the most was the fact he wasn't able to do anything in this situation. Also, the fact that he didn't believe in Miyako at that time. That even he doubted her, he who always thought he had the girl figured out.

Law didn't take offense at Cody's accusing words or the slightly higher tone the medic used on him. He knew the man couldn't help it because Law was having the similar frustrated feeling as Cody did…he was just better at hiding it. "If I did, wouldn't that overwrite everything Miss Miyako was trying to do? She went willingly with that World Noble for our sake…I don't want to waste her efforts," he looked back at Cody with a knowing eye. "And that's exactly why I don't want to risk your lives now. I'll be going alone."

Cody was silent, his head bowed down. The young man gripped the railing hard until his fingers went pale. He had to use his best self-control not to just disobey Law's orders and come with him to save Miyako anyway. But he also wanted to respect both Law's and Miyako's decision. His chest hurt at the thought of the girl and what she must have been feeling now. She must be thinking the Heart Pirates hate her now. She was all alone. Still, Cody managed to stay on board and instead nodded. "Captain…bring her back."

Law didn't answer anything, but Cody thought he saw a faint trace of a smirk appear on Law's face for a second. It was hard to tell in the darkness and soon Law turned away from the submarine once more and walked away. Cody wanted to ignore that heart-wrenching feeling in his gut that feared this was the last time he will see Trafalgar Law, as he watched his captain walk away.

~…..~

The girl sighed as she realized there was no way any sleep will come to her tonight. She just had too much worries on her mind. And there was one person that kept popping in her mind no matter how many times she chased the picture away. The last person she wanted to think about was _him_ right now, yet his well-known smirking expression just refused to disappear from her thoughts. It was just like that time, before they had that nasty fight over Abney Cove and Law's plans…before everything between them went to hell.

_Miyako had awoken with a start in Law's room and on his bed, remembering instantly what happened. She actually fell asleep next to him and now it was too late to try and hide that fact. Miyako's body stiffened with realization as she saw no sign of Law on the bed, which only meant that he was already awake and saw her there. He saw here sleeping on his bed! The heavy thought dawned on her like a ton of bricks that now weighted on her mind because of her folly._

_*How could I fall asleep?! I'm dead...He'll never let this one go…How am I ever going to explain this to him!?* Miyako's mind raced just as she did through the halls. Not only was she found out sleeping in Law's room by the captain himself but she overslept and was now late for kitchen duty. Now even Munk would give her a good piece of his mind. Still, Miyako was glad Law didn't wake her up at that time. If he did, she would found herself right before him on the spot, probably unable to form a coherent sentence of explanation. At least now she had some time to think about what to say to him or at least think of an excuse._

_However, her little peace was short-lasting as she was sent to Law's quarters by Munk to give Trafalgar his lunch as usual. Miyako cursed at everyone and everything silently as she walked down the halls, nearing Law's room and her unavoidable doom. Why didn't the captain eat at the galley like all the others? Then she wouldn't have to be here. Still, there was no time nor help in complaining as it didn't change the fact that she was already in front of his doors._

_As she knocked, only hesitating for a while, before entering the quarters. The room didn't look any different than before; bare metal walls only decorated with numerous bookcases leaning against them, that were filled with thick, heavy books and a couple of eternal log poses. Right in front of Miyako was the large wooden desk that filled the space of most of the room, filled with papers and books, though mostly charts this time. Even though it was the navigator's job, Law still always wanted to know exactly what their course of direction was while sailing. Behind the desk was the captain himself, though instead of his usual pose of standing or sitting hunched over a book, he was leaning back in the leather chair with his eyes closed and resting. It was a rare sight seeing Law resting and actually taking a break from his work, so Miyako was surprised as she saw it twice already. Absentmindedly, she wondered if Trafalgar was more tired than usual._

_She was already used to balancing the tray with one hand while closing the doors behind her and she set the food down on the mahogany desk. "You're food, captain. As always Munk says to keep your diet balanced and remember to eat regularly or he'll spice up your food next time." She muttered._

_"Hn." It was all the captain answered as he continued to lean back in his chair, keeping his eyes closed. His feet were on the desk, but careful not to dirty any papers on it while his arms rested on his yellow hoodie with intertwined fingers. He wasn't sleeping, which was obvious, but still he didn't even look at the tray of food nor Miyako._

_"Well his exact words were…" Miyako continued, trying to fill the awkward silence as she imitated Munk's deep, gruff voice. "He best be eatin' right o' I'll spice his grub 'nough t' send tears drippin' daw'n his face!"_

_She heard Law sigh before he answered in a slightly tired tone; though she was unsure was it because of his current state or was he just sick of listening to Munk's usual warnings. "Yes, that sounds quite like him."_

_After leaving the tray on the desk, Miyako thought this was a perfect opportunity to casually slip away without being asked any uncomfortable questions about this morning. She could see Law just wanted to rest for a while and she was hopeful seeing as how he didn't mention anything about the topic yet. Perhaps he had forgotten or simply didn't care. Miyako prayed that was the case as she already started turning around and leaving for the door. "Well… if that's all…" The girl started in a quiet voice trying to be invisible until she was safely out of the room._

_She almost did a dance of joy in her heart as the captain didn't stop her or call out. He didn't say anything, as he only tipped his hat further down his head to cover his eyes from the unnatural light in the room. Miyako was almost out the door now… Just a bit further and the doorknob will be in her hands. Just…a bit…more._

_"Miss Miyako…" The captain called out behind her just as she grabbed the doorknob almost desperately._

_The girl jumped at the deep and calm voice behind her. She cursed every deity she could think of while trying to put the best innocent expression she could. With a nervous, twitching smile she turned half-way around towards Trafalgar. "Yes captain?"_

_"I was just wondering; is there something wrong with your quarters?" The tone was still casual, as he was asking a simple question._

_"N-No…" By now Miyako couldn't even keep up her innocent act. She was getting more nervous by the second, pretty obviously so. A drop of sweat appeared on her forehead, further incriminating her._

_"Hm… Is that so? I thought it might be the case since I found you in mine this morning," Law's face was still hidden from view with his furry hat so Miyako was unable to see the slight smirk creeping on his face. Still, she could clearly hear the amusement in his voice._

_Miyako cringed and flinched at Law's words before her body stiffened. She was still unable to look at him directly in the face so she kept staring at some spot next to her. She couldn't even turn completely towards him. She didn't want to see that amused look staring back at her. The smug smirk she always wanted to wipe away from his face. Sometimes she could with a sarcastic or snarky comment back at her captain, but right now she knew she was busted and that she couldn't do anything to turn the situation in her favor. Well there was always one option; to lie. She tried to keep her voice from stuttering as her thoughts raced to find a good excuse. "W-well I was just…I wanted to wake you up but I was so tired myself that I just… fell sleep?" She cursed herself for being able to think only of that. Was that even an excuse?_

_"Oh? Is there something that you wanted?" Unlike hers, Law's voice was still perfectly calm and clearly showed his laid-back personality._

_"What I wanted?" Miyako blinked a bit confused, at first not realizing what Law was asking. But then she remembered her words and understood. There should have been a reason why Miyako entered Law's quarters, shouldn't there? But the truth was, Miyako didn't have one. She didn't know why she came to his room yesterday and she still wasn't sure. "Uh… um… that's… Josh wanted something…?"_

_"Then why didn't he just come to me himself?" Law's voice persisted, making Miyako more nervous by the second. And was it just her imagination or did his voice sound closer now? It could be because she indeed felt like a rabbit caught in a lion's trap, which was getting closer by the second, just like Law was cornering her with his questions. She knew he was doing this on purpose, just to tease her, just for his own amusement as he continued to pester her. And her stupid brain was just making it worse, as she fell deeper and deeper into Law's trap with every illogical excuse she made. Miyako was still staring at the metal doors in front of her, clutching that doorknob. Behind those doors was her sweet freedom, lovely escape, but it didn't matter anymore because it was too late. She might have been miles away from them now and it wouldn't make a difference, because Law wasn't letting her get away that easily. He wouldn't let it slide and he probably won't ever let her forget it. For a second she thought of just opening those doors and escaping but that would be even worse. She was absolutely certain Law would never let her hear the end of it then and she wasn't going to flee from him anyway. She would feel even worse about it afterwards as that would crush any pride she had left in this situation. All these thoughts made Miyako frustrated. She clutched the doorknob with her hand that was still itching to just open these damned doors. But instead, she realized the only way out of this situation was to turn around with her head held high and face the man head on. If she was about to fall, she'll do it with pride and dignity. She quickly turned around, ready to face the man sitting back in his chair with his smugness and all._

_Her eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help the little gasp that escaped her mouth. Her vision was clouded by a yellow and black hoodie right in front of her. Law was already standing close behind her, now right in front of her, towering over her. She looked up like a mouse looking up in fear of the cat, staring into a mischievous smirk and a pair of very amused grey eyes. Her mind raced as she realized the man was much too close for her liking right now. *I didn't even feel him coming? Was I so distracted by the whole thing that I let him sneak up on me? How could've I been so foolish and unguarded?!*_

_Law put a hand on the doorknob, preventing her from opening them and he stepped closer, which only made Miyako step back. But unfortunately for her, she had nowhere else to run as she hit the metal doors with her back. "Well? Answer my question Miss Miyako," Law's smirk seemed to widen as he demanded, piercing her with his eyes. But there was no anger or annoyance in them. Instead, they seemed to be alive with a different kind of emotion as they reminded Miyako of a storm that will soon swallow her._

_The girl opened her mouth to speak but no words came out as she realized she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to get out of this situation anymore as her usually witty mind failed her. Her thoughts were blocked by Law's piercing eyes and Miyako simply kept staring up at them as if enchanted. What was his question again? His stormy eyes swallowed her completely and she was surprised how different they looked now. There was none of the usual sharp coldness she saw in them that reminded her of the steel of her Yawarakai-Te. Instead there was something else in them. Something that made them more alive and on fire, almost like when her golden eyes burned with excitement. Somehow it seemed those eyes were now coming closer and closer as the man leaned forward still propped by his arm on the door. His other hand was casually put away in the back pocket of his spotted trousers, which only made Law look more easygoing in the whole situation. On the other hand, Miyako's heart was beating louder and faster from both excitement and uncertainty about what was to come._

_"Why did you come to my quarters, Miyako?" The usual formal addressing was dropped somewhere along the way as Law kept inching closer to the girl._

_"I… don't… know…" The girl still seemed to be in a kind of trance, not sure how to answer something that even she did not know. Absentmindedly, she noticed their voices were turning softer._

_When Law spoke again, it was barely above a whisper. "Could it be you wanted to see me?"_

_Even with her confused and slightly glazed mind, she couldn't admit such a thing. "T-There's… no way that would happen…" Her words didn't sound very believable as there was uncertainty in her whispered voice. She still couldn't turn away from Law's eyes, staring at her and piercing her with an all-knowing look. As if he knew something she didn't. But one this she did realize; there was no escaping him anymore. Whatever she said now, she was sure Law already knew the truth. That's what his now-serious gaze told her. When did he lose that smirk and replace it with a serious look anyway? She was so focused on his eyes, she didn't even notice. And neither did she notice exactly how close his lips were now._

_"Liar." Was all Law said, a quick smirk appearing on his lips again before they closed over Miyako's._

"Argh!" Miyako flopped back on the white bed with her hands holding her head. "What am I thinking about at this time?! Stop it you stupid brain. Baka Miyako!" She rolled around the bed, letting the silky sheets fall off it in the process but she was too busy cursing herself to even notice. What did it matter anyway? Nothing in this room was hers nor did she feel that way. It was a foreign room in a foreign palace within a foreign land where foreign people lived. She didn't feel like she had any connection with any of it. Unless counting the suffocating feeling of staying here like a prisoner even if it was partly of her own free will. She stared up at the ceiling veiled in the darkness of the room, remembering her home country of Wano. Everything was easier then and there. Everything made sense. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life; she wanted to embark on a journey, leave the expectations and norms of her old life behind, find her own way of the warrior, find out what true strength is that her deceased master often mentioned. He said her training was over before he went to war but he also warned her she still lacked something. Yet she never had time to ask him more about it since he died in that war. She wanted to find that something on her journey and show everyone that she, a mare woman, could become a great warrior of Wano, despite the condescending teachings of the rest of Wanokuni that stood in her way. Instead, she found herself in Mariejois with a 14 year-old who wanted to marry her and a bounty of 100 million Beli as a wanted pirate. But even if she asked how things became like this, she already knew. It was _him_. Trafalgar Law. Whenever anything troubled her, it was always him who was somehow involved with those troubles. That's how it's been for the past 16 months. Miyako narrowed her eyes in irritation even though she had no one to direct it to.

Her thoughts were broken as the girl heard some loud voices and crashing sounds coming from outside her room. It was on the other side of the doors, in the hallway, and by the noises it seemed to be getting closer to her room. Miyako slowly got up and started walking towards the doors with an uncertain step. Her gaze turned to the katana leaning against a wall, the only item Miyako refused to turn over to the Tenryuubito guards and after much arguing Piercy finally told the guards to let her be. At least he was easy to manipulate seeing as he was a teenager who thought he found his one true love. A bad taste appeared in Miyako's mouth as soon as the thought crossed her mind. By now the voices were almost at her door and the girl stiffened preparing herself for anything.

Yet she still stared in bewilderment as a blue sphere suddenly appearing through the doors, getting closer and coming towards her. There was only half of the circle though, while the other half was probably on the other side of the doors. Before she could react at all, a tall figure appeared seemingly out of thin air in her room. She needed some time to see it clearly since there was still only darkness in the room, but even without seeing their face, Miyako knew who it was. Only one person could use power of teleportation and create that blue circle in the process.

"Why…?" Miyako just couldn't get over her shock as one person she was certain never to see again just appeared before her. They were crouched and panting hard as if they were running till' now, with their long nodachi out in one hand and holding the sheath in the other.

However, Law gave her no time to adjust to the situation nor did he offer an explanation. Instead, something completely different but much more urgent came out of his mouth. "Quick! Get ready to leave, now." He sheathed his nodachi and used his now free hand to point two fingers at a large, oak wardrobe in the room. "Tact" With the order, the wardrobe moved with speed and slammed against the doors that just started to open. There were more loud voices outside while the men tried to open the barricaded doors. Trafalgar looked back at the baffled Miyako, seeing her in the same position like before looking like a stone statue that refused to budge. "Why are you still standing there?! We need to leave, now!" The captain was obviously losing his patience as he raised his voice in urgency. He didn't look like his usual calm self, but instead had a rushed expression of someone who didn't want to be here any second longer.

But Miyako just couldn't move, for her legs were not listening to her at all. Instead, she just kept staring at the man in front of her with wide golden eyes. "Wh-….How? What are you…?" She had trouble just finishing the sentence as there were so many questions racing through her mind at the moment, but none came out clearly. She just didn't know where to start.

Law sighed, seeing the girl had no intention of moving or running at the moment. He needed to make some things clear obviously, before they could move on and get out of here. They didn't really have that much time, judging by the loud noises of the guards trying to break in through the door. He came closer to Miyako, looking her directly in the eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm getting you out of here. Any complains?" He pierced here with a direct challenging stare.

Miyako blinked at the sight as her verily confused mind tried to connect the dots and process the situation. Little by little she understood what he was saying but as understanding dawned on her so did horror. *_No…Don't you understand!? If you take me away, the Tenryuubito will send all their forces after us! You should be able to see that Law, I counted on it. You of all people should know what would happen…Even better than me. I saw it clearly in your expression at that hideout, so why are you here now!? Why aren't you already halfway to the New World, you fool!?*_ The girl gritted her teeth and gave Law her best heartless look as she glared at him. "I already told you, I have no intention of sailing with you anymore! Didn't you understand that I betrayed you! I was just using you all this time!"

Trafalgar Law just kept looking at her with a completely serious but apathetic expression. He didn't get angry, he didn't turn away, he just stared at her right in the eyes. "Is that all?"

Miyako blinked and gave Law a completely dumbfounded look. "What?"

If they were in an any less dangerous situation, Law would chuckle at her expression right now but at the moment, he felt no amusement. He was still looking at her completely serious. "If that is true than it is my responsibility as your ex-captain to deal with a traitor on my ship. But if you are lying…Didn't I tell you not to do everything by yourself?"

Miyako was still staring at him with wide eyes before biting down on the inside of her cheek. *_No…I can't be swayed now. This is what I decided to do…to protect everyone! This time I can't rely on them to help me.*_ Miyako glared at Law again, giving him a harsh look. "Just leave…" Her voice was soft at first but her expression soon became distorted by anger and she all but yelled at the captain. "Just leave already! I told you I don't need you! I don't want you here! I'm fine without-"

Law gritted his teeth in frustration this time, as the girl just refused to budge from her stubborn position. Meanwhile, those bangs on the doors became louder as more people came to help. First cracks started appearing on the large, sturdy doors. That's when Law decided he had enough. "Just shut up and let me protect you!" His voice boomed over hers, even over the loud pounding noises outside. He was staring at her with an angry and impatient look now, as his eyebrows furrowed underneath the rim of his hat.

The statement cut Miyako off and instantly made her quiet as the girl stared at the man in front of her with a shocked expression. Of everything Trafalgar Law would say to her, she wasn't expecting that. She was expecting that he would try and force her to leave with him or simply decided he had enough and leave without her. But not this.

The girl bowed down her head as bangs covered her eyes and most of her face. "Why…?" A whisper came out. She looked up but her expression was different this time…it wasn't angry or hateful. It just looked hurt and confused. "Why are you suddenly like this!? Didn't you say yourself that you would kill me if I betrayed you!? Didn't you say from the start that you won't let me stand in the way of your goal!? Even so…why….why do you always do this!?" She was yelling now, even louder than before. But this time Law could see she wasn't trying to fool him or make him leave. This time he could see true feelings written all over her face.

Law was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst in front of him. Miyako wasn't even trying to keep her voice down anymore as she kept yelling. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, making her golden orbs glisten in the darkness.

"You made it clear you didn't care about what happens to me! You didn't even try to intervene when we were with the Tenryuubito so why are you here now!? You always do this…constantly playing with me! Is it fun to play with people's emotions like that?! Is it fun to keep me so confused?! You bastard! I had nothing but trouble ever since I met you! I don't know anything anymore because of you!" The tears that threatened to spill down from her eyes finally started flowing down her cheeks that were now red and hot. She was breathless and her voice kept breaking from the yelling, but she didn't care. She kept on anyway, not even caring what spilt from her mouth. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists by her sides, the fingernails breaking the skin on her palm but she could hardly feel the pain.

Law was still surprised by the intense emotions spilling out of Miyako, as if they came and crashed down out of nowhere. Was she always thinking like that? Did she think that he thought less of her than the rest of the Heart Pirates? Certainly, for him she wasn't the same as the rest no matter how many times he tried to persuade himself differently, but still he thought of her as one of his nakama. As a part of his crew. Not someone he could sacrifice just for his benefit. The fact that Miyako thought so of him, deemed him capable of something like that, made him both insulted and angry. He felt bits of frustration rising up inside him but then he saw the girl in front of him and that frustration disappeared instantly. What would he gain by getting angry at her now? He did enough of that lately and a part of him could understand why Miyako came to think the way she did because of it.

He reached a hand towards her but stopped midway, suddenly uncertain. He never saw Miyako like this before. He never saw her so emotional nor did she ever shed tears in front of him. For once Trafalgar Law wasn't sure what course of action was the best to take; should he try and comfort her or just leave her alone until she cools down? But by the sound of it they didn't have that much time; the doors were slowly cracking and will soon give along with the heavy wardrobe against them. The only reason they withstood this far was because everything in this damned place needed to be of best quality, including the oak doors. His tattooed hand was still in the air and realizing that, Trafalgar lowered it back down to his side. Instead, it balled into a fist. Law sighed. "Oy…I don't know how to deal with crying women…"

Miyako, whose head was still down, opened her eyes and the sound of Trafalgar's voice actually made her breath hitch. Or rather it was his words. Miyako actually cried in front of him, she let go of all her pride and showed her emotions openly for the first time, which was bad enough, but now she actually had to hear Law call her a nuisance for it. At this point she didn't know whether she should get angry or just laugh at the whole situation. She felt like she had really reached her limit this time. But before she could react, she felt two warm hands on each of her cheeks. The tattooed, tanned hands pulled her head up, making her look right into Law's eyes.

"….so don't blame me if this isn't what I'm supposed to do right now." He finished the statement as he pulled the girl upright, kissing her. He still held her head in between his hands, not letting go of her lips even when she kept struggling for breath. He didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but even when his lungs started to burn, he only deepened it. Once he felt that Miyako calmed down a little, he moved away, brushing his lips against her slightly parted ones. He was still holding her head, staring into her confused eyes that kept repeating one question _'Why_?'

The man sighed. "I don't know why either…It's just the way it is," he let her go and stepped backwards, noticing her katana near the wall. Creating his sphere again, he reached for the sword and it appeared in his hand. Law looked back at the still slightly confused, but much calmer Miyako. "But putting aside the differences between us…" he offered her the sword in his hand. "…you were always one of us. Both the crew and I always thought of you as one of the Heart Pirates. There is no uncertainty about that, so don't ever doubt it," his gaze was serious as he watched the girl, offering the sword to her.

Even if Miyako's mind was mostly scattered with millions of questions right now, she understood what Law was asking of her with this. She stared at the sword in his hand and reached for it. She could feel new tears in her eyes but she willed them away and instead took Yawarakai-Te, feeling the familiar, soothing, smooth surface of its scabbard beneath her fingers, while wiping her eyes with the other hand. She nodded at Law, silently showing him she made her decision.

"I-" she started to say something but was unable to finish when they both heard a loud crack in the direction of the doors. The royal guards finally broke through and were now cutting down the doors and the large wardrobe in front of it, with swords and axes. Law quickly walked over the large window in the room and looked outside as he opened it wide. Miyako wasn't really sure what he had planned but followed after him and didn't protest as he took her by the waist.

"We'll continue this on the submarine, when we are well away from here," he muttered to her before jumping down. There was only one problem; they were on the third floor of the large palace, and were now falling down sure to break a leg or two if they fall on the ground beneath them.

"Law!?" Miyako gasped as they kept falling but suddenly she blinked and they were down on the ground, away from the window. "Huh?" She didn't have time to ask or get an explanation as once again they appeared on yet another place, even further from the palace. They kept jumping, though it was more like teleporting from one place to the other and Miyako soon noticed Law was just using his ope ope power to exchange them with various objects further in front. She could see logs, benches, all kinds of things behind them where the pair used to be moments before.

After a while, Law stopped a bit breathless and panting as he looked how far away they were from the palace.

Miyako looked at the breathless Law as she finally moved away from his grip on her hip. "I'm not that heavy," she said with a slightly pouting face.

The man gave her a quick sideways glance as he was still trying to catch his breath from using so much of his Ope Ope powers, before looking straight ahead again scanning the area. "I see you haven't lost any of your bad sense of humor through all of this."

Miyako didn't answer anything but gave him a slight mischievous smile. Instead, she tied her katana at the waist and took her red ribbon to tie her long hair into a usual ponytail. "Come on, we'll need to find a boat to get out of here."

Law was a bit surprised at her sudden decisive manner to leave this place, after all the unwillingness she showed before. But he wasn't about to complain about it, as he was glad that the girl changed her mind. "I came here by infiltrating the boat that was transporting new slaves to the palace. We won't be able to use that on our way back. And they will soon realize we are out of the palace and send guards after us."

Miyako and Law both felt a presence and turned towards it with sudden seriousness. Law created his Room in an instant and cut some trees where the person was hiding. A surprised scream pierced their ears as a woman fell out from the bushes. Both pirates looked at each other in wonder before looking back at the woman who was sitting on the floor.

"W-wait, I'm not an enemy!" The young woman put her arms up defensively, obviously terrified and shaking in fear.

"Who are you?" Law demanded with narrowed eyes but was nudged by Miyako who pointed at something.

"Law, look. On her neck," There was a bomb collar that slaves wore, uncomfortably wrapped around the woman's neck. However, this one didn't have a chain attached to it.

"I-I am a slave at the palace here in Mariejois. I know most of this place like the back of my hand," the woman was still on her knees, afraid to do any sudden movements. She gazed wearily from Law to Miyako. "Y-you are those pirates, right? I saw your bounties…you are strong right?"

The pirates didn't answer, but the woman continued anyway. "I-if you help me…if you help me get out of here, I-I can help you too. To get back to Sabaody."

Law's eyes narrowed as he gazed at her suspiciously. "And why should we trust you? You could just be leading us into a trap to favor your masters."

"No!" The woman fiercely objected, both to Miyako's and Law's surprise. "You don't understand…We are treated like trash here. They kill us on a whim. I never know when a day will be my last…please…I can't live like this anymore!" Tears began to form in her pleading eyes. She looked desperate.

Law still didn't look convinced as he didn't want to risk falling into a trap, yet on the other hand this could be their ticket out of here. Maybe the only one.

Miyako gave him a slightly troubled look but then shrugged as she was willing to try it. They didn't have much choice anyway. She looked back at the woman again. "How do you plan to get us out of here?"

The slave girl seemed to beam with hope at Miyako's words. "There is a peddler ship that brings fresh supplies every day to Mariejois. We just need to sneak on it. The peddler often stays here for the night and then sails off to Sabaody again before dawn. We can still make it," there was hope in her words now that the pirates were willing to listen. "And we can use the way servants use to move around. We have special routes so we wouldn't cross paths with the nobles…they don't like to look at us…Please…I just want to go home," her chocolate-colored eyes were full of tears now, still wide and frightened. But obviously she was more frightened of the Tenryuubito than the pirates before her. There was a great sense of irony in that fact, if one thought about it.

Law and Miyako looked at each other before the man stepped closer to the slave. The woman instinctively shrunk back in fear. She was wearing torn rags with bruises and beating marks all over her body. Who knows how long she was made to stay here, enduring constant abuse every day. "Room." Law made his usual sphere, but only a small one, enveloping him and the girl, since he was cautious not to be seen by the guards who were still frantically searching for them. They couldn't stay here for much longer. "Don't move." He ordered her while unsheathing his nodachi. The woman stared wide-eyed at the sharp sword in his hand. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't move from fear.

"P-please, don't kill me!" The woman screamed, sure Law was going to do just that when he moved his sword and swung with it as if aiming for her neck but strangely enough he was still too far away to reach her.

~…..~

"Is it here?" Miyako whispered.

"Yes, it's that one over there." The woman pointed at one of the ships docked at the port. There were an unusual amount of guards for this time of night, but it was not unexpected. After all everyone was still searching for the escaped Miyako and the Surgeon of Death who somehow managed to infiltrate the palace of Mariejois.

The three of them were currently hiding among some cargo, planning their safest route to and inside the merchant's ship without being noticed by the guards.

"C-can't you use those powers like before…?" The slave girl asked quite timidly the pirate captain. She unconsciously put a hand on her neck which was now free from the collar. She will remember that scene for the rest of her life. The man somehow severed her head from the rest of the body yet kept her alive. In the next instant she was free from her collar and with her body in one piece without even a scar to prove what just happened.

Law shook his head. "They would see my Room instantly. We'll need to do this the old-fashioned way.

"Like a distraction method?" Miyako asked with a smirk.

The girl thought about it for a while, before nodding. "I..I think I can help with that. Be ready to move," before Law or Miyako could ask what she was planning to do, the woman got up and ran out in the open in front of the guards. By her rag-looking attire and beaten body, the guards soon concluded she was one of the slaves at the palace. Before they could notice she wasn't wearing a collar, in which cunning darkness of the night helped a lot, the girl pointed somewhere behind the group of men. "Quick! I saw those pirates down at the Murky Road! They're trying to hide in the forest!" The group of men all followed her finger, even if unconsciously, averting their gazes away.

In that instant Miyako and Law used all their skills of speed and silence to cross the path and jump into the small merchant ship.

"Murky Road! I should've known. Crom, go inform Company C of this. You men, come with me! We'll catch those pirates before they can find a way off Mariejois. The rest of you stay here just in case!" The one who seemed to be the commander ordered his men as they devised the plan. Meanwhile, nobody paid attention to the sole slave girl who took that opportunity and subtly slipped away onto the ship.

Luckily, there wasn't anyone on it since it was still dark though dangerously nearing dawn. The three stowaways hid in the cargo department deep within the ship, with the crates. There weren't many of them left since the peddler sold most of them to the people in the palace but there were still enough to help them hide.

Miyako sighed in both tiredness and relief. She had a feeling she wasn't going to sleep this night but for a completely different reason than this. "It's rare that we didn't have to break our way through with fighting this time." She smiled, feeling her body getting heavy now that they were suddenly able to relax. She was still wearing that long nightgown though it was partly torn and dirty now and her feet weren't any better seeing as she was barefoot.

"Speak for yourself…how do you think I got to you. It took me a long time and a lot of guards and problems to find the right room." Law answered with closed eyes as he leaned against the wooden wall. There was a troubled tone in his voice but he didn't sound like he regretted it.

_*That's right… Law went out of his way to get me back.*_ Miyako didn't have much time to think about everything that happened since they were constantly running, hiding and then running some more just for it to be followed by some hiding. This is the first time they relaxed ever since Law barged into that room right in front of her. She had so many questions for the young captain but knew this wasn't the place nor time to start asking them. She would just have to wait a little while longer. Instead, Miyako hugged her knees close to her chest feeling the slight draft that left goosebumps on her skin. "Thank you." She whispered, staring at the ground and her bare feet.

The soft voice made Law open one eye halfway and look sideways in Miyako's direction. He didn't say anything, just kept his eye on the girl for a moment, before looking back to the front and closing the eye again. He tipped his hat downwards, resting his chin on his chest, but knew there will be no actual rest for them until they are safely back on the submarine and on their way to Fishmen island. And even then they will be in constant danger from large sea monsters and unpredictable water currents.

~…..~

Law and Miyako walked through the now empty lawless district of Sabaody Archipelago. The Marines will be on the Archipelago soon…as soon as they realize that Miyako and Law were long gone from Mariejois land. It was already dawning, as the bright sunrise painted the world in orange and yellow colors. However, the pair had no time to stand and watch this new day coming as they hurried through the mangrove trees, towards the submarine.

And the closer they got, the more Miyako felt unsure about the whole situation. Yes, they got out of Mariejois alive though surely not without future consequences as they angered the Tenryuubito. However, what Miyako feared right now weren't those consequences; it was something much closer in time. Something unavoidable yet frightening to the girl. She needed to face the whole Heart Pirate crew. How will she explain her actions? And even if she managed, how can she expect them all to forgive her? She remembered the group's shocked face, Josh's anger and Bepo's hurt gaze still full of hope that she was just joking with them. They believed in her and she let them down. The girl gulped and unconsciously slowed down her step, making Law look behind at the uncertain girl.

Besides that, she wanted to say something to Law as well. Something she didn't have the chance to say then but felt it needed to be said. "Law…" She started, stopping for a moment.

The captain turned around to face her, giving her his usual stare void of emotions and she was unable to read anything from his expression. He didn't encourage her to continue but neither did he interrupt her. She understood he was patiently waiting for her to continue; at least as patient as a pirate on the run could be.

Miyako bit her lip and stared at her bare feet for a while, fiddling with the strap of her katana. But then she looked up, an expression on her face Law never saw before. He was seeing a lot of new sides of Miyako these days. This one, however, made her seem like she was desperately trying to convey something but couldn't. Finally she opened her mouth to speak. "I….I really want to continue sailing with all of you. I…I like being a Heart Pirate!" She looked at Law straight in the eye, showing she was completely serious and honest about it but she still held that desperate expression.

Law looked at her for a while. "Don't you want to return to Wano?"

Miyako was a bit surprised by the question, as she looked directly at Law with wide-eyes that soon looked away in a guilty expression. *_So he knew…*_ Miyako thought for a while, but then closed her eyes and quickly shook her head. She looked back at the ground again. "I do want to come back to Wano one day but…but for now I really want to continue sailing with everyone. I really like this crew." She looked back at Law as if expecting to get his permission. The one she might have lost because of her foolish actions yesterday.

The pirate captain suddenly smirked. "You're talking as if you aren't a part of this crew yet, Miss Miyako. You never stopped being a Heart Pirate, did you?"

At that moment Miyako felt her heart ache but for a completely different reason than yesterday. She felt tears welling up in her eyes again but managed to keep them in as she didn't want to show that shameful side of her to Law again. Instead, she bit her quivering lip and nodded harshly. "Un."

Law turned his back to her again, readjusting the large nodachi on his shoulder. "Now come on. You'll have enough time to rethink and repent on your actions once we get back...I still need to think of an appropriate punishment for such brazen behavior you've shown us," the man smirked once more, showing his expression by a sideways glance towards her, before turning completely around and continuing to walk towards the grove where the rest of the Heart Pirates were waiting for them. There was a certain sadistically excited glint in his eyes.

Miyako's body stiffened and she gulped, but for a different reason this time. Suddenly, her meeting with the Heart Pirates didn't seem so frightening anymore.

~..…~

"Um…you think they'll be very mad?" Miyako started, unsure once again when they already reached Grove 23.

"Yes," was Law's simple, but direct answer without any sugar-coating.

"H-How mad do you think they'll be…?"

Law sighed. "Why don't you ask them?"

Miyako looked up seeing they had reached the submarine and there was quite a scene before her. The deck was filled with all of the Heart Pirates, waiting for them to arrive. Cody must've woken everyone and explained the situation, as they must've waited the whole night. Miyako stopped when they were near the metal plank leading from the ground up to the submarine. She gulped for the nth time that day and then gave a deep bow. "I am extremely sorry for all the trouble that I've caused you! I just selfishly wanted to protect everyone on my own. I was a fool not to trust you more!" Her apology was formal but sincere and she stayed bowed like that with tightly closed eyes, awaiting all the harsh words and retorts.

Yet she got none. The girl slowly opened her eyes and dared to look slightly upwards, puzzled at what the pirates were doing. They just stood there with completely serious faces and Miyako gulped. *_I knew it…they hate me now. They'll never forgive me.*_ She saw Cody walking towards her with a serious look in his eyes and the girl bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

The tall medic stood right in front of the still bowing girl. He clenched his hand into a fist and raised his arm in the air, ready to strike. Miyako shut her eyes tightly but didn't try to protest or dodge, as she simply awaited a well-deserved hit. The hand flew down but stopped abruptly inches from her head. The medic tapped her lightly on the head and she hardly felt it. "Don't worry us like that ever again!" Miyako blinked at his serious and seemingly angry tone in confusion since it was completely in contrast with his light punishing hit. She looked up at him confused and that's when Cody gave her a gentle smile. "Welcome back, Miya-chan."

Miyako slowly stood upright again and looked at him with hopeful eyes, glistening and full of emotion. "I'm back," she almost leaped into the medic's arms as she hugged him tightly. Behind them, she could hear snickers and laughs from the rest of the crew as they all smirked and smiled.

"Don't do that shit ever again, Bakaonna!" Josh exclaimed with an angry yell but even he looked relieved.

"Hehe I knew it was all an act!" Penguin proclaimed proudly.

"You did not!" Shachi countered and the two started bickering over it.

Miyako just watched and laughed at the sight of the whole crew. She missed every one of these Heart Pirates. Her gaze trailed back to Law who was leaning against a mangrove tree and smirking to himself. Yep, every one of them.

~…..~

"Did you hear? They say the Tenryuubito are angry?"

"What? Why?"

"It seems someone broke in…I don't know exactly what happened but there is a possibility that an admiral will come down here to Sabaody again?"

"Oh crap! We better set sail soon then!"

"Yeah…didn't you notice, there are marines all over the place?"

"Who are they looking for?"

"I'm not sure….But they say it's a pirate…a big kahuna too."

"You mean someone with a big bounty? How big are we talking about…?"

"Who knows…Who cares! We better stay away from this one. If we get caught there goes our plan to go to the New World."

Talk like this was going on all around Sabaody Archipelago, especially through the lawless districts. The Marines were running around the Archipelago searching for someone specific and nobody really knew what was going on. But it was big. It was something that left the Tenryuubito fuming in anger. However, the targets were never found no matter how much Saint Piercy Q. Wingross protested and exclaimed that his honor and pride as a World Noble has been tarnished. Because the culprits were already in the deep seas, heading for Fishmen island.

~…..~

"Whoa...it's amazing." Miyako was practically glued to the hardened glass of the control room as the submarine sailed through the deep waters. It was descending even deeper down into the darkness, lighting its way with a pair of headlights. A stabile sound of the radar beeped throughout the dark corridors of the submarine as most of the unnecessary lights were shut to save power. Every now and then, the submarine would pass by a school of large fish and other sea creatures, just like it was doing now. Miyako watched with wide eyes of a child seeing the large world for the first time as she stared at the group of glowing sea-snakes, colorful but deadly poisonous, that were swimming and slithering along with the submarine.

The Samurai girl wasn't the only one staring through the window in amazement. Josh was glued right there beside her, pointing at the giant fish around them.

Meanwhile, Law was sitting in his captain's chair, pleased that they were finally heading for Fishmen island and the New World.

"I think it's more amazing that we are actually here and sailing for the Fishmen island," Shachi said with a smile. "Finally…Mermaid island, here we come!"

Penguin was right beside him with a same wide grin, nodding eagerly.

"I must say I was worried there for a second…when all that happened at Sabaody." Cody noted. The tall medic sighed as if remembering bad moments. "Captain, you're becoming as crazy and daring as Strawhat Luffy."

"Hm? Why would you say that, Cody-ya?" Law tilted his head to the side, looking questioningly at Cody and the medic couldn't help but notice how unaffected the Surgeon of Death looked by all this while Cody was out of his mind with worry. He was feeling irritated by that fact but knew that's just how his captain was.

Cody sighed again before explaining his thoughts. "I'm talking about your escape from Mariejois. They say that Luffy actually managed to break in and then escape from the most guarded prison, Impel Down. But you actually broke into Holy Land Mariejois, the capital of the World Government and right into the World Nobles' palace. You're as crazy as that straw hat wearing pirate, if not more." There was a bit of sternness in Cody's words as if reprimanding Law for his actions. But both men knew Cody wouldn't do anything different if it meant getting Miyako back.

"Well it might pose a problem for us afterwards; angering the Tenryuubito. But there's no point in thinking about that now." Law answered. He was in a good mood as for once everything was going according to plan for now. They will soon find the descending current that will lead them onto the path of a deep current and even further into the sea's abyss.

"H-hey wait a sec. But this is bad, we pissed off the Tenryuubito. They'll surly send an admiral after us." Penguin added to Cody's words and joined the conversation.

"4000 meters and still descending captain." Sai called from his navigators' seat before he, too, joined the conversation. "But are the admirals really going to bother with avenging some 14year-old because his future wife got away?" Sai rolled his eyes at the pure absurdity of that fact.

"I don't think they have a choice…the Tenryuubito words are absolute." Cody muttered bitterly.

"We've been attracting a lot of attention lately. First Abney Cove, now breaking into Mariejois…The Council of Kings won't stand for this much longer anyway. The World Government and Akainu surly have their eyes on us." This time it was Jean Bart who spoke from his position behind the helm, his deep voice resonating through the dark room.

"I'm sorry…" a new voice startled them a little as the group of Heart Pirates turned towards its source. There, Miyako was standing, looking down at the ground with a guilty expression. "This is all my fault…"

For a while, everything was silent as the pirates awkwardly looked at each other. The only thing heard was Bepo's slight snoring coming from the corner of the room where the bear was sleeping, leaned against the wall.

They didn't want to make Miyako feel like that, they didn't really blame her for anything. Cody cursed himself for opening his damned mouth about this delicate issue in front of her.

Josh opened his mouth to protest and set the girl straight but a different deep voice interrupted him. "Don't be ridiculous." It was Law, still sitting in his chair and staring at the dark sea in front. He didn't look bothered by this whole situation at all and somehow that relaxed attitude made Miyako and everyone else in the room feel better and less tense. "This was unavoidable, it would have happened sooner or later. Besides…giving my crewmember to someone just because they are a World Noble?" Law turned his head towards Miyako and gave her one of his wide smirks. "Did you forget I hate being ordered around? That doesn't exclude the Tenryuubito. And if I was afraid of the World Government I wouldn't have become a pirate in the first place."

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other and grinned. "That's right! We were prepared for all of this when we became the Heart Pirates!"

The others in the group smirked as well, nodding their heads in agreement.

"I'm really glad…" Miyako started and everyone looked at her questioningly. She gave them a wide bright smile, the one she reserved for special occasions and rarely showed anyone. "I'm really glad I became a Heart Pirate after all." The smile itself seemed to have brightened the dark control room.

The group of men was a bit taken aback by the sight of Miyako's pure smile, something they almost never saw.

"D-don't say such embarrassing things so easily, stupid Miyako…" Josh muttered, embarrassed from just hearing her words. Even though, he was secretly glad even while trying to hide it.

Miyako felt her checks get hotter and redder as Josh's retort made her realize what she just said.

The rest of the group just laughed and smiled, grinning happily.

Even Law gave the girl a smirk before looking back ahead, into the darkness and into the unknown. He stood up, resting his nodachi on one shoulder while his other hand found its way into the pocket of his trousers. The captain's smirk turned into a grin as he stared with excited eyes into the darkness of the sea. "Alright men. Let's be on our way to Fishmen Island!"

"Aye Captain!" Everyone shouted even more excited.

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey10<strong> for beta reading this chapter.

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><p>Okie, done! This chapter was a bit more angsty I guess, so I'm not really sure what to think about it (if I'm pleased with it or not : I'm not that good with angst/comfort). I just hope Law wasn't out of characters(or at least too ooc) :/ The next chapter should be out soon too since I'm almost finished with it. I hope you guys also enjoyed your winter breaks and holidays. :)

I just read through chapter 699 of the manga where they show Law's and Luffy's bounty posters in the newspapers, when I noticed they have one similarity; Just like Luffy had Usopp's back in the background, Law has Bepo's. (Yep, I only just noticed that :P) It made me remember how Usopp was excited by 'being in a bounty poster' and made me wonder if Bepo had the same reaction like that. XD

*Note: If anyone didn't see yet, the Christmas special is up in 'My stories' inventory. Thank you for helping me make a great one-shot, I couldn't have done it without you guys! :D

As always; reviews, comments and critique is welcome so go right ahead!

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **Haha, thank you very much. ^^ Well I have a general idea what I want a new plot for the Arc to be and then just go with the flow where my writing takes me with that idea. :) I think I made it too clear that the culprit was Azuma…I have to work on my crime story ideas, it seems. ^^' Hm..I don't want to answer much about other stuff you mentioned because of fear of spoiling further chapters of the story, so I'll just finish with another thank you for your kind review (and good luck with your OC story, I would like to read it once you post). :)

**Girl-luvs-manga: **I think they are both very similar, yet different from each other (hence so many problems between them).

**CallmeEevee: **Yes *sigh* Word spellcheck sometimes works against me…or autocorrect to be more precise. So often I don't even notice when it corrects my word but into a wrong one, hence wary and weary. ^^' I did get a Beta though, so hopefully it'll be better now. Also, to answer your question; Miyako never had the chance to fight Abaddon (Each time she had a different foe to worry about...or was incapable due to being tortured ^^'). Congratulations on becoming a Beta! :)

**Izzie: **Haha Thank you XD And thank you for your kind offer but I went on a hunt for a beta on the fanfiction list (there are a lot of them there anyway) so you shouldn't bother with it. :)

**Torch Phoenix: **Sretni (zakašnjeli) blagdani I tebi! ;) Thank _you_ for reviewing.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **hahaha I couldn't stop laughing after reading your review, seriously. XD Are you rolling your eyes yet? :P I'm sorry, I wasn't really thrilled with such a cliché either, but I needed it for further story/relationship development. It was inevitable. ^^'

**reddevil47: **I'm also interested in how I will develop that… -.-' I wish we had a little more info on Law and his crew right now but then again, I still have some time before writing about Punk Hazard so it's not that bad. And I kinda already have an idea in mind just in case. :)

**Wings-chan: **Yes, I think they are both stubborn and full of pride, which are two main problems. ^^' Yep, poor Bepo…Somehow every time I have to write a scene where Bepo gets hurt, I feel really bad.

**Zecrea**: With Heart Pirates, there's always trouble. ;) I also really look forward to connecting my story with the cannon story, tough I'll have to wait for more things to actually happen there. ^^'

**Kongo Isamu: **Thank you, I hope you enjoy this part too then. ^^

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I think I'll give the romance some smooth sailing after this, there was enough drama and arguments for a while. ;) I know, I also thought of Straw Hats at that scene but I didn't want it to be too similar, yet I still wanted the Heart Pirates to kick some serious butt. XD

**JustChan: **I also wanted to include that into the story but I wanted it to start off with their sour relationship already to keep it a bit shorter, and then I thought; flashbacks! They came and saved the day. ;) I think it's because they're both so similar in certain ways yet worlds apart in others. Hehe No spoilers, so I'm just going to say that I remember~ ;) To be honest, I totally forgot about those fishes :O So I added that part for you. It was a good idea. :D


	45. Chapter 45

'**I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its character but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rather T for violence and language.

Hey guys, how's it going?! The end of semester is coming so we're all pretty busy, no? Sorry for taking so long; my Beta reader is really busy so proofreading takes some time. And my chapters are pretty long so I bet it's not easy for her. ^^' As always though, I give you another pretty long chapter to compensate for the long wait, so enjoy!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 45<strong>

_A young girl of about 17 years of age sat in a seiza, completely calm and motionless. She had her hair tightly bound with a red ribbon and wore a snow-white kimono that seemed much more elegant than her usual attire. The tatami room was completely empty and quiet; the only thing besides the girl in the room was a futon with a person lying on it. Their face was covered with a white cloth as the older man laid there motionless and without a sound. The only noise in the room was the girl's breathing since she was the only one of the two who was breathing at all. Beside the girl was her katana and beside the futon was the man's katana. The two swords might look alike to an untrained eye but there was a world of experience and skill that distinguished the two weapons along with their wielders. But one of them will never wield their sword again._

_The girl kept her almost empty gaze on the unmoving body in front of her. She seemed to be in her own world as she kept staring at the spot in front of her. She was so compelled by her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the shadows behind her; silhouettes of people in the room next door, behind the thin paper wall dividing them. It was the people who had come for the funeral and stayed after the ceremony, talking among themselves. Noblemen, samurai, daimyo and other titles Miyako didn't care about; all who wanted to give their respects to one of the four powerful Samurai who led this country through both war and peace, who died for this country. The girl didn't even notice their whispers as they discussed the future among themselves. Talk of political plots and future steps as to who will replace the man now. Her Master wasn't even in his grave yet and there was already talk about who will replace him in his seat as one of the Wano rulers._

_"It is clear, the Council must decide. It has to be done tonight. We can't let anyone think we our weakened because of this loss. The World Government is always waiting for a moment to put a pressure on us," a man said in a stern voice and the other men agreed with decisive tones._

_"But I feel sorry for the girl…" One of the women mentioned._

_"Yes. She has no family. He was her only caretaker," another added._

_"I wonder what will they do with her now," a third questioned. Somehow all of them used concerned tones, yet still sounded as they were amused by it, as if it was an interesting hot topic and the women found something new to gossip about._

_"She can't take care of the household and lead the dojo alone…That would be outrageous for a woman to do."_

_"I suppose she will have to marry...she is at that age isn't she?"_

_"Hoho. Yes, but I hear Lord Kuroda was keeping her away from such things. Supposedly, she didn't wish to get married and he respected her wishes. She must be way too picky for her standings," the woman grinned as she continued._

_"Hihi. Perhaps he wanted her all to himself…" The other giggled at the thought._

_In the other room, the young girl gripped the kimono with her hands as they clenched the fabric in her lap._

_"I suppose she will have no choice but to marry someone who will then take over the estate and the dojo. If she's lucky, she will be given to the next Samurai who will help rule Wanokuni. It's an honor."_

_"Hmpf, one she won't even know to appreciate, I'm sure. My Tamao-chan would be much better, if only she was taken under his wing like Suzune," the woman noted rather bitterly, not even trying to put on a polite mask anymore. After all there was no reason to, now that Suzune Miyako wasn't even in the room. "That orphan girl was lucky…just because her dead parents were on good terms with Lord Kuroda." Then the woman leaned closer to the other gossipers and whispered. "I heard she even trained swordsmanship under him. Can you believe it? For a woman to hold a katana… unthinkable."_

_"What outrage," the other older women agreed._

_The young girl closed her eyes as she breathed deep breaths in and out, still squeezing her kimono tightly. She let her mind be pulled away from all of this; from this room, this house, this people… She blocked out all her senses, all the whispers and shadows. Everything._

Miyako opened her eyes and found herself staring at the familiar metal ceiling of the pirate submarine. She closed her eyes again and rubbed them with her hands before stretching like a cat that just woke up. With a final yawn, she sat up on her narrow bed and looked around the simple room of metal she was in. At first she hated this room as it reminded her of being trapped in a small metal box but she has gotten used to it over the months and even enjoyed spending her time here, often meditating in solitude. Her trusty katana was leaned on the wall right beside her bed, with the red ribbon tied around the scabbard like a sash. She turned to put her feet on the floor and hissed at the uncomfortable feeling of her skin touching the cold floor. There was nothing better to wake you up than some cold metal on your still warm feet. She waited for a while to get used to it before standing up and picking out an outfit to use.

Soon after they dived from Sabaody and headed for Fishmen island, Miyako decided to take a short nap and rest for a while seeing as she hadn't had a wink of sleep all night. She wanted to stay in the control room longer and stare at all the wonders the sea depths had to offer but after everything that happened on Sabaody, Miyako wanted nothing more than to take a shower and a nap. She wondered if Law also used this time to take a break since he didn't sleep last night either, but the girl doubted it. Knowing her captain, he won't rest until they are safe and sound on Fishmen Island. He always looked so laid-back but those dark circles underneath his eyes were the perfect indicator of how much the man actually worked and how rarely he relaxed.

Still in thought, the samurai girl picked her new outfit for the rest of the day, finally feeling clean and rested after a long time. She rummaged through her small closet finding a simple black turtleneck shirt and her usual check skirt. The girl added final touches to her attire as she pulled her long dark blue hair in a ponytail with her ribbon and took her katana before going out the door. There was only one thought in her mind now; something she still hadn't resolved. In the Tenryuubito palace Law said they would continue their conversation when they got back but they didn't have much time for it since everyone was on high alert as they traveled down below on various currents. By now, however, they should've already reached the main current to ride on that pulled them down, as Jean Bart explained it before she went to take a nap. They should soon reach the great Downward plume and after that was hopefully smooth sailing on the Deep Currents all the way to Fishmen island. But somehow with their luck, Miyako had a feeling it won't be that easy. There were always some complications ahead.

Before that, Miyako wanted to use this chance to talk openly with Law about everything. She didn't want to run away or turn her head from facts anymore. She wanted to discuss this head-on and face Law openly. They owed each other at least that; especially after everything that happened in the Tenryuubito palace. Miyako remembered her display of emotions that she still felt uncomfortable about. However, she showed her weakness to Law, her innermost feelings and thoughts, and Law accepted them. He didn't ignore it, try to push it away, or turn away from her. He saw her weak side and accepted it. Miyako's gaze became a little softer as those memories swirled through her mind while she walked the dark corridors of the submarine.

The first place she visited was the control room, thinking that Law was surely there in his captain's chair, staring at the black abyss of the sea. She peaked into the room, showing her head, but to her surprise she only found the two navigators there.

"Oh, hello Miyako," Sai nodded, regarding the girl's presence before his gaze returned back to the control panel with numerous little screens and pointers that Miyako will probably never know how to read correctly. Hell, she never even saw a submarine in her life before she met the Heart Pirates.

Jean Bart just nodded in her direction without a word and then his head also turned back to his business, which was steering the helm of the submarine.

"Where's Law?" She didn't really bother coming into the room and still stood at the doorway, peaking inside.

Sai and Jean Bart looked at each other in thought, before the larger navigator shrugged. Sai turned back to Miyako "Sorry, can't help you."

With a slightly troubled hum Miyako pushed away from the doorframe, continuing her search for the pirate captain. Her next target was his quarters though Miyako felt a bit uncomfortable entering there. Mostly because she remembered the embarrassing time she fell asleep there and their awful argument, both happening in that room. The girl rushed her step a little, a part of her impatient to confront Law while the other part hesitant to do so. Yet she was standing in front of his quarters in no time. With a deep breath and a lot of mental preparation, Miyako finally knocked on the door three times before waiting for a response. It never came. The girl tilted her head questioningly and furrowed her thin eyebrows, before trying again. This time she decided to open the doors before even hearing the reply. As expected, only an empty room awaited her inside. The desk was filled with books and papers as usual, but there was no one behind it. With an impatient sigh Miyako closed the doors and walked down the hallways once more. There was one more place she knew Law often resided in but Miyako wondered why he would be there at a time like this. Still, the samurai headed for the infirmary none the less.

The first thing Miyako noticed when she entered a slightly chilly, well-lit room was the nodachi securely placed against a chair. That was enough indication to know Law was in here and it didn't take long for Miyako to find him as she scanned the room until her gaze fell on one of the operating tables. There, Law was towering over something on the table, wearing his rubber doctor gloves. He was working in complete silence and precision, so focused he didn't even notice when Miyako quietly closed the doors behind her and stepped into the room.

The doctor adjusted the bright light as he needed to illuminate a certain part of something that Miyako couldn't see from his lean built. Without even looking up, he took another surgical tool and made one clean cut, before replacing the tool with another in his hand.

Miyako quietly sneaked across the room, careful not to alarm the captain and whatever he was working on. She already reached half of the path towards him before his voice finally stopped her in her tracks. "Do you need something, Miss Miyako?"

The girl let out a breath with a slight disappointed expression. Her lip moved into a small pout as she finally relaxed, abandoning her careful demeanor. "And here I thought I could sneak up on you."

She thought she heard a quiet muffled chuckle but it was hard to tell with the surgical mask over Law's mouth. "Not likely," he didn't even spare a look behind or stop what he was working on, as he continued operating on whatever poor creature he caught this time. Miyako knew they had a special little room with cages where Law kept certain animals and creatures he stumbled upon on their journeys. The less fortunate ones that would interest him would be caught and brought back on the sub so he could analyze them…and analyzing meant; cut them open and take a look inside. He didn't even bother to use his devil fruit powers to put them back together later unless he was strictly using them for practicing his ope ope abilities on the creatures.

The girl walked passed Law and sat on the opposite operating table. "So what are you working on this time? Or should I say; what poor thing are you butchering now?" She looked at the creature on the operating table. At first Miyako thought it was long dead but then noticed it was plugged into machines that measured its pulse and other signs of life like blood pressure. The samurai hoped the creature was under some powerful anesthesia since its chest was completely open, showing all the organs inside along with a still beating heart. An uncomfortable shiver went through Miyako at the sight.

"Practicing," Law simply answered as he made another incision before putting the scalpel down. He moved away the surgical item that looked like some kind of grapple that kept the body securely open and took some surgical thread and needle from the tray with all the equipment. Just then the machine started beeping and Law scowled but kept completely calm and on top of the situation as he reached inside the animal's body and massaged its stopped heart. He looked completely confident in himself as he worked, not alarmed by the warning machines around him. Miyako didn't even notice that she held her breath in suspense as she watched Law work his surgeon magic. She leaned forward from her seat a bit closer to have a better view, her disgust completely forgotten as she watched the operation almost mesmerized. After a while, Law murmured something and right from his hand an electric shock came out and passed through the animal's body. The electricity made the body twitch and rise up before it fell on the metal table, limp and unmoving. The beeping sound of the machine was still loud and clear as they indicating the pressure of the creature dropping rapidly. Law waited a few seconds, then tried again, using his countershock in place of the defibrillator. This time, as the body violently spasmed from the electrical shock again, the ECG machines stopped their alarming beeping and slowly returned to normal along with the animal's life signs.

The surgeon finished his work, closing up the animal's body before moving the creature on a specially made bed for it. He took of his bloodied rubber gloves and the surgical mask, washing his hands thoroughly like any doctor would after an operation. Expect that Law wasn't any ordinary doctor. He was a doctor who probably kills more people than he saves. A pirate. Yet strangely enough that fact stopped bothering Miyako a long time ago. Law was able to save a life just as well as he knew how to take it; somehow Miyako found that fact quite interesting.

She realized she forgot how to breathe through this whole ordeal while watching Law operate, so she quickly let out her held breath. "Wow…That was quite impressive. So that's the skill that saved Strawhat Luffy and Jinbe-san from certain death," she remembered the impressive operation Law carried out at that time and felt a bit sorry that she wasn't able to see Law work first hand at that time.

Trafalgar looked at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion as she mentioned something unexpected from such a long time ago, however he quickly recovered. "No…" He started, cleaning his surgical instruments now. "…that one was harder…and much more fun." With the last statement, Law looked up at Miyako with a grin as if remembering something delightfully amusing. Seeing as the girl didn't answer, the Dark Doctor continued. "So why have you come here? I believe you don't get cuts from working in the kitchen anymore," he smirked as he remembered the beginnings of her work in the kitchen. She would visit the infirmary almost on a daily basis, making the medics here busy with healing her burnt or cut hands.

Strangely, the girl didn't retort in her own sarcastic remark to his comment but stayed uncharacteristically serious. She looked straight at Law while speaking. "I think you know why I'm here."

Now it was Law's turn to stare at her seriously, his expression a usual mask of emotionless as he put down the surgical items. Still, his lips formed a thin line; Miyako soon learned it was something he often did when dissatisfied. He stepped closer to the girl. "Alright. No more games." Whether that was a promise or a suggestion Miyako didn't know but she nodded in agreement all the same. With a sigh, the doctor stalked to one of the beds and sat down, resting the elbows of his entwined hands on his thighs and hunching forward. The girl hesitated a little, unsure whether to follow him or stay still but in the end she stood up from the operating table and went to sit next to Law. She stayed silent, however, not pressuring him into talking. She knew he will explain in due time, she just had to wait patiently. The room was silent for what seemed like a long time to the girl, but finally Law broke that silence. "I can't tell you everything…not yet. But as a part of my crew, you have a right to know. I'll explain what I can for now," He turned to look at her, sitting there beside him, with a questioning look as if asking if she was willing to accept this condition.

Miyako looked at Law silently, mulling over his words. He won't tell her everything, but somehow she already knew that. She was prepared for that. Finally she decided to be satisfied with what he was willing to offer…at least for now. "Alright," she nodded. "If you at least explain why we had to go to Abney Cove, I won't ask for more. At least not yet. But someday I would like you to explain to me the whole truth about what you're hiding. And I _know_ you are hiding something." Her last sentence was accompanied by a knowing look, piercing him with her golden orbs, but not out of anger.

Trafalgar nodded, content with her answer. "And someday I will. But it's too early for you to know right now."

Miyako didn't ask what he meant by that; was it because he didn't trust her fully yet and couldn't reveal certain things or was it for some other reason? She wanted to ask but a part of her was hesitant to hear the answer. So instead she just kept silent, waiting for Law to begin.

~….~

Miyako stared ahead silently as Law finished his story. Her mind was hazy and muddled with millions of questions, but she was unable to voice any of them at the moment. Her mouth opened and her brows furrowed as she started to say something, but before any sound was heard she closed her lips again.

Law was watching her reactions all the while, from the time he started to explain until he finally ended. Even now, his sharp eye was closely observing Miyako, interested how she will react to all of this. Was she angry? Upset? Relieved at the truth? He couldn't tell as she just silently kept her gaze forward. She seemed nervous more than anything else, as if she was unsure what to say. Or perhaps there were so many questions in her mind, she simply couldn't decide which one to voice out first. Law tried telling himself that it didn't really matter how she reacted or how she felt about this. In the end, it was his choice and his life; he didn't care if someone judged him for his actions. He didn't care what other people thought about him and what he did in general, as long as he was content. That's how he lived life so far. Yet for the first time, deep in the pit of his stomach, away from his usually logical mind and calm emotions, Law was feeling nervous about what Miyako thought of it all. He didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to even think it, yet the fact still remained like a tense feeling in his chest. When the girl didn't speak after a few more minutes, he had to overcome the urge to ask her directly what she thought about it. Just to get a clear resolve and for that tension in his body to disappear one way or the other.

Miyako was still staring ahead at some unimportant spot on the metal infirmary wall. She knew Law was watching her, probably expecting her to say something but before that she wanted to be certain of everything she just heard. "So…You actually work and sail under the Joker…or Doflamingo, whatever his name is…" She started, feeling strange and unnatural while even saying it. Trafalgar Law? The Surgeon of Death who hates to be ordered around and made that fact clear more than once; he is working for someone. A Shichibukai who is secretly an underworld broker no less. Law is following someone else's orders. It sounded like a lie, indeed. Miyako couldn't even imagine it; not with the Trafalgar Law she knew.

"Well…yes and no, in a way," Law answered, feeling it was quite hard to precisely answer that. His eyebrows furrowed as a mixture of troubled and irritated expression appeared on his handsome features. "Doflamingo has more than one pirate crew under his command but he lets them sail freely throughout the seas. I haven't seen him in about 13 years. Still, now and then he contacts us when he…needs something done," he explained.

"And Abney Cove was one of these times." Miyako finished. "Because he wanted to steal the data of one of Vegapunk's new experiments; the creation of Zoan Devil Fruits," she added. She had trouble processing everything she heard from Law but slowly the pieces came together into one unbelievable story.

He nodded. "Doflamingo made a deal with one of the Pirate Emperors; Kaido. He will provide Kaido with Zoan devil fruits, which will allow Kaido to create an army of Devil Fruit users. I don't know what the Emperor is giving Doflamingo in return." The captain scowled darkly, not liking when he didn't have all the information about a subject he was interested in. "I also found out about this deal only after we got the vials and the data from Vegapunk's laboratory. Afterwards, I tried to get some information at Sabaody through my underworld connections but it wasn't much."

Miyako, who listened to Law, silently watching the pirate captain till now, bowed her head down and stared at her lap while fidgeting with the fabric of her skirt. "So we risked our lives for Doflamingo's deal…" Her hands clenched the cloth as she spat out bitterly.

Law's body stiffened at the change in her tone, thinking she was about to stand up and direct all her resentment towards him. He couldn't really blame her. Indeed, he used his crew and his authority over them as their captain to do Doflamingo's dirty work. There was no way to justify that. No way to make it sound anything other than what it was; a betrayal. So Law didn't even want to try telling excuses. He didn't have much choice; going against Doflamingo right now was still impossible since it was too early for that. But that still didn't excuse the fact he put his whole crew in danger. They were always loyal, prepared to even die for him and their cause for finding One Piece, and he used that fact. He wondered how the rest of his crew would react if they knew they were actually risking their lives for Doflamingo while fighting at Abney Cove. That made Law remember Miyako's injuries that day and the captain wondered what she thought about that fact. Surly, he will find out soon.

On Law's surprise Miyako didn't stand up and blow a fuse as he expected the prideful and often captious girl to do. Instead she turned towards him again, this time with an almost pleading perplexed expression as if she was desperately trying to understand. "But why? Why would you follow that man when you obviously don't want to?"

Law sighed. "That's….a long story," his expression darkened but then became cold and deadly, as if he was glaring at an enemy in front of him. His voice was sharp as steel while he spoke, a tone filled with bitterness and hate. However, the look wasn't directed at her but at an enemy far away. "But I assure you, not for long. I don't intend to work for Doflamingo for much longer. I just need to wait for the right time."

Miyako couldn't help but be taken aback by Law's dark demeanor. She never saw him like that; with such hate-filled eyes as determination radiated from every cell in his body. That usual collected and rational mask was gone, leaving only a clear emotion of venom behind. She gulped seeing what it looked like to really get on Trafalgar Law's bad side. Silently she hoped he never shows such spiteful expression while thinking of her. She wanted to ask what exactly was the connection between Law and the Shichibukai but she had a feeling Law wouldn't tell her. He didn't seem to be prepared to share that much information just yet, so she didn't push it either. Still, there were more things she needed to know. "You intend to go against Doflamingo." It was more of a statement than a question.

The man nodded. "Yes, but Joker is powerful. He won't go down that easy…not without preparation on my part. I need to find a weakness…something that I can use. Luckily, I think I finally did."

Miyako could tell from Law's expression what he was thinking even before he explained. "Doflamingo's relationship with Kaido."

"Once he reaches this agreement with Kaido, Joker will be dependent on this devil fruit production. I hear Kaido is quite a brutal man, they call him a beast. If the Joker fails, the Pirate Emperor will crush him. I saw the data for this Devil Fruit production; I know what they will need. If I can use this information to my benefit…" Law clenched his hand into a fist, the glare replaced by an excited gleam in his eyes, as if he could already taste Doflamingo's fall.

Miyako, on the other hand, had her own doubts. "I heard the Shichibukai are all very powerful. To go against them-" She didn't have time to finish as Law cut her off.

"I will need to get much stronger, I know," he looked up at her, straight in the eyes, determination still seeping out of him. "And I intend to do just that." But there was also something else in his eyes that made Miyako uncomfortable and filled with anxiety. A look of a man who will do anything to reach his goal…who had nothing left to lose. Law was prepared to die for this; it was clear in his eyes. Miyako unconsciously clenched her hands around the fabric of her skirt again.

"Does the crew know?" She suddenly asked, surprising even Law with that question.

A pang of guilt pierced through the captain's chest though he made sure it wasn't visible on his expression. Once again he put on his usual mask of emotionless calm, but his lips once again formed a thin line. "No," he looked ahead, somewhere to the other side of the infirmary. "Only Bepo." Then he looked back at Miyako, piercing her with those grey eyes as if warning her. "And I want it to stay that way. I don't want anyone else to know."

The subtle warning in his voice and expression was clear to Miyako. She understood what he was asking of her. She nodded. "I understand. I won't tell but I think they deserve to know," she looked at him knowingly. She won't be the one to tell them, she had no such right, but she wanted to clearly state her own opinion on the matter.

Law didn't answer anything and Miyako already knew he won't listen to her on that matter. Perhaps one day he'll tell them. One day he'll have to since he won't be able to hide all this from the crew forever. But she was afraid it would be too late by then and Law would already be far gone in his own darkness and thoughts of revenge. She wasn't really sure if it was vengeance that Law sought from Doflamingo or was it perhaps something else, but whatever it was, it was pulling the captain down with it.

"To be honest, you handled all this much better than I thought you would," Law admitted, changing the subject. He didn't want to talk about his crew since he would only remember how they believe in him, yet he continuously lies to them, hiding the truth. He didn't want to struggle with his own guilt at the moment, as he did enough of that on lonely dark nights when he finally has some time for himself to think about everything.

"You're wrong," her answer came simple but stern as she stared down at her lap with quite a harsh gaze. Law couldn't help but be surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor. She was still sitting there almost stoically, but her expression looked troubled. Without looking at him, she continued. "It's not like I'm happy about any of this and I can't say I approve of what you've done. You used us for Doflamingo's schemes and I feel like my pride has been tainted." She looked sternly at Law, right in the face, giving him a slight glare. The man only returned her stare with his usual silent emotionless one. Finally she sighed. "Still…I can't say I understand the situation completely so I don't want to judge you. You said that one day you will tell me everything…" Her frown turned into a slight smirk, barely visible, as she continued. "…so I will wait until then and form my own opinion once I have the whole truth."

A chip on Law's flawlessly emotionless mask appeared as his grey eyes widened just a little. She could be so childish one moment, yet so mature and understanding the next. Somehow he wasn't expecting those words to come out of her mouth; but just like always Miyako was able to surprise him when he least expected it. She often has such an effect on him. Just as he would think he figured her out, gotten to know all sides of her, she turns around and shows him something completely new and unexpected. Indeed, a woman as fascinating as she could be infuriating sometimes. That thought made him remember her breakdown at the Tenryuubito palace and Law's gaze softened a little. He didn't even realize how hurt she had been until that night. Her pride didn't let her show it to anybody, especially him, but even she had a breaking point. He was a fool to forget such a simple thing. She wasn't always as tough as she pretended to be, she was only human after all. Both of them were, which meant both of them made mistakes

"However, that doesn't mean I forgive you….yet." She warned with a frown but her expression soon lightened and she continued in a more lighthearted tone. "So? What is it you exactly intend to do Mister Trafalgar Law." She gave him a teasing expression between a smile and a smirk with a certain glint in her eye. A one only she could make fit her features so perfectly.

Law stood up and turned around to give her quite an evil wide smirk in return. The look in his eye promised nothing good as he answered. "Isn't that obvious? I still hate being ordered around and I intend to make anyone who forgets this pay. _Anyone_." He emphasized the last word with a knowing expression, the look in his eyes becoming even more dangerous. He was Doflamingo's peon for long enough, but that will soon change. It was time to start preparing for a counterattack. The Shichibukai and his men won't even realize what is happening around them before it's too late. Trafalgar knew how self-confident Doflamingo was; he was too sure of himself to believe that someone could betray him without his knowledge and take him down…and that will be Joker's downfall.

"D. will create chaos in this world…We just need to destroy the right wheel." The captain muttered to himself, to silent for Miyako to even hear. In his mind he could already see the whole contraption fall down and set off an unstoppable surge of change.

Miyako was still quite worried for Law; she couldn't stop thinking about that determined look he gave her, the one that said he was ready to die for his goal. Anxiety gripped her heart once more as she remembered. She realized already that she didn't want to let her friends die and that included Law. She knew there was no point in trying to change his mind or talk him out of his plan. There was nothing she could do on that note. Still, she didn't feel helpless. _*If I can't stop you, then I'll just have to go along with you.*_ Miyako promised then and there that she would not let her captain die. She will stay by his side and protect him as a fellow nakama. Her eyes burned with determination now as she looked up at her captain. *_I will not let you die Trafalgar Law…not if I can help it.*_ She already realized her feelings when she was trapped in that Tenryuubito palace, when she saw her crewmates accept her even after what she did, when she heard Law say she was one of them; she decided to protect them all.

Miyako remembered the War of the Best and Monkey D. Luffy who almost died there. At that time she remembered telling Law how fascinated she was by Luffy's determination to save Ace and protect his friends. It seemed the pirate captain often went to extremes just for his nakama. At that time she was both confused and impressed how Luffy had someone to fight for while she had no one but herself. At that time she only wielded her sword for herself and for her own protection. She felt a bit envious of Straw Hat, who seemed to have a certain kind of determination and strength that she didn't have. But that was a different time. Now, she could finally understand how Luffy felt, the power he gained from wanting to protect his brother. Finally, she knew exactly what that want was like; because that's how she felt when fighting side by side with the Heart Pirates. She wasn't alone anymore and she wasn't fighting only for herself. She was fighting to protect her nakama. Miyako couldn't even imagine how Luffy had felt when Ace died in his arms, even after everything everyone went through to save him, and she didn't want to imagine it. She never wanted to find out that feeling on her own skin. That's why she decided; she will protect Law and her friends no matter what.

_"One day you will swing your sword for the sake of someone else. Then you will find what you are lacking…the purpose for using this sword. The true strength you can achieve only by having someone to protect."_ The words of her late master echoed through her mind and for the first time she felt like she honestly understood what he meant that day. She finally understood what she was lacking until now. She understood what strength really is and how to obtain it. It wasn't the numerous hours of trains or constant honing of her skills like she thought when she was younger. No, it was having a clear goal, a sense of determination that drives you. And Miyako finally found hers.

The thoughtful gaze in the girl's expression didn't go unnoticed as the pirate captain looked down at her. "Is there still something troubling you?" He tilted his head as he stood in front of her, looking down at the wondering girl.

"No, it's nothing." Miyako looked up at him but then gazed to the side a bit guiltily. She couldn't really tell him what she was thinking right now. She couldn't tell him about the silent promise she made to both him and herself.

"Hmm…" The doctor didn't really look persuaded by her answer and still felt quite dissatisfied by it. It seemed she was trying to keep something from him and they couldn't have that, now could they? The man tilted his head on the other side as if an idea occurred to him, before lightly touching her chin and lifting up her head so she had no choice but to look at him. Her questioning gaze instantly turned to the captain's face as their eyes locked for a moment; gold meeting grey. He was observing her with interest but there was no way to tell what was lurking inside that often sadistic mind of his. He looked at her the way he often looked those specimens he sometimes had on his operating table, when he was in front of a mystery he was about to uncover. His nonchalant gaze didn't even waver as he spoke up. "Now that I think about it, there was one more thing we needed to discuss…from that time."

At first Miyako didn't know what he was talking about as her mind raced to connect his words into a sensible idea. Her body stiffened as realization hit her. He wasn't talking about that, was he? Miyako swallowed hard as she remembered back to the night in Mariejois and the conversation, or rather her yelling at Law, they had there. She remembered how she spilled all her emotions right in front of him, towards him. She even cried in front of him, for goodness sake! The only person Miyako cried in front of before was her Master Kuroda and that was when she was still a child. She could barely hide the shame forming inside of her as she remembered that outburst in front of Law. At that time he kissed her and said it was just the way it is but now that she thought back on it; what the hell did that even mean!? Miyako realized she was totally pulled into his own pace that night, even if he did manage to calm her down by it. The girl swallowed hard as she looked up at Law who now had a smug smirking face with amusement-filled eyes. He was enjoying the sight of her slowly cooking in her anticipation of the unknown. She felt slight irritation seeing that smug look on his face as he literally looked down on her from his position.

"What do you mean?" She tried her best to keep a collected and nonchalant expression as if she wasn't bothered by any of it. She kept a steady voice as she stared up at him almost defiantly, determined not to look away. However her perfect mask shattered instantly when Miyako felt Law push her down on the bed. She hit the soft mattress behind her with a gasp and looked up at the captain above her with wide eyes.

Law was still holding her chin in one hand, while he used the other for support to lean over her. He still had that smug expression on his face as he came closer down and spoke in a husky, seductive voice. "I'm talking about your punishment for what you did on Sabaody of course." His smirk appeared even wider now.

Miyako's jaw dropped in surprise as she kept staring up with a rather shocked expression. _*Is that what he meant by that!?*_ After all the anticipation and fear that Law will mention something about her unusual, emotion-filled behavior from that night, that's what he decided to focus on instead?! Somehow that was actually very much like him but Miyako still felt like she just got hit over the head. "That's what you wanted to talk about?!" She couldn't help but yelp, still in surprise and disbelief, with a rather high-pitched voice.

Law blinked a few times as if puzzled by her sudden reaction. "What did you think I wanted to talk about?"

That question made Miyako stiffen a little as a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead. She shut her mouth up instantly as if in fear her own lips would betray her and say something she would later regret. "N-Nothing in particular..." She mumbled out, looking at the side nervously, sweat still forming on her brow. She was a terrible liar when under stress, that much was obvious.

The man kept looking at her questioningly for a while, mulling over her suspicious expression and thinking of all kinds of possibilities for it, before a thought occurred to him. He grinned devilishly as he looked down at the girl knowingly again. "Oh…Could it be you wanted to talk about your little outburst at the Mariejois' palace?" The girl didn't really have to answer since her expression was more than enough of an indicator.

Still, she denied it all the same. "No way! It would be better if we never mention that again…ever! Actually, it would be best if you just forget about it all together!" She knew there was a one in a million chance for that to actually happen; Law wouldn't let go that easily after all.

On her surprise, Law reacted differently than she would expect. He didn't give her a smug smirk or a teasing comment, but instead looked down at her, right in the eyes, with a serious expression. "No. I won't forget." His deep voice held no mocking tone and his eyes showed none of his usual amused glint in them. As he said that, Miyako didn't feel any taunting from him but instead something else. She couldn't put a finger on it exactly, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It made her go serious as well and she stared back into Law's stormy eyes in silence and wonder, examining this more unusual side of her captain. Before she could ask what he meant by it, Law kissed her slowly. It wasn't the usual rushed kiss or a teasing one that he would often do just to make her completely embarrassed and out of it. This time it was gentler and slow as he propped himself on one elbow and cupped her cheek with the other hand, using his thumb to caress her cheekbone. He licked her lower lip, asking for entrance and hummed pleased when she gave it to him, parting her soft lips. He didn't hesitate for even a second as he used the chance to sneak his tongue inside. This time he decided to do it painfully slow. He continued to slowly explore her mouth, moving over her teeth and gums, before finding her tongue to entangle with. The unusually slow and different than normal pace made Miyako feel it all the more as the sensations of warmth came over her. She felt a feeling of impatience coming over her when Law simply continued his slow pace, exploring every inch of her mouth. The girl unconsciously made an impatient whine still muffled by Law's mouth and stiffened in shock when she realized what kind of sound escaped her. The captain just smirked pleased with the sounds he was wringing out of the girl. He disconnected from her mouth and moved away a little, to look at the woman underneath him. The girl's eyes were hazy and glazed over as she looked up at him. Her usually pale face had a tint of pink on the cheeks now and her parted lips were wet and swollen from the kiss as the girl panted for breath. The captain smirked, pleased with his work. "I feel like I haven't done that in ages."

The girl was still trying to catch her breath, obviously embarrassed but calmer than normally in these kinds of situations. She looked away with a slight frown at his comment. "What do you mean; you did that yesterday didn't you?" She was referring to the kiss Law gave her to calm her down at the Tenryuubito palace but she had to admit it felt quite differently than this one. They were both intense but for completely different reasons.

"Hn…" Law looked at Miyako as if thinking over what she just said, as if considering her words, but he never voiced out what he concluded. Instead he dipped his head down again, not even slightly hindered by the fact that Miyako was still looking way. That only gave him more access to her soft neck. He pulled down the obstructing high collar of her turtleneck and heard the girl gasp at the sudden contact of his lips on her neck as he nipped and sucked, searching for that sensitive spot. He knew he had found it when a slight moan escaped Miyako's lips and the girl quickly put a hand over her mouth to silence herself, stunned by the embarrassing noises she was making. Law didn't seem to like that fact as he took that hand by the wrist and pinned it to a bed, biting the girl's sensitive spot almost as a punishment for trying to deny him the pleasure of hearing the delicious sounds he was drawing out of her.

"Nnn….Law…wait…" Miyako breathed out, trying to push at the man weakly with her one hand. He was lying on top of her now, blocking any attempt to escape from him.

The captain sighed, knowing where this was going. She would try and escape, weasel herself out of it and away from his grasp, but he didn't feel like stopping…not this time. "I'm not stopping this time." He murmured against her neck.

"I-I'm not telling you to stop…just…somebody could come in…." The girl had trouble expressing her voice as Law kept kissing and biting her skin, moving onto her jaw now.

On her surprise he actually did stop this time, rather abruptly. The pirate captain looked up to meet her eyes with his slightly widened ones. "You're not telling me to stop?" Law looked at Miyako with a rather suspicious expression, uncertain of how to proceed. He was sure it must be a trap somehow. This must be some kind of new game the girl was playing to mess with him, no? Either that or she was sick and delirious. There was no other explanation for her unusual behavior.

Now it was Miyako's turn to blink in puzzlement. Did she say something wrong? She really couldn't understand this man anymore; when she complains and tells him to stop he refuses to, yet when she tells him it's ok, he stops. She felt even more embarrassed as Law continued to watch her closely with a strange expression. She looked away, completely red in the face now. "W-well…it's…ok if…it's you. I mean, if it's someone you're...in a relationship with…then it's ok I guess…Right?" She barely turned her head towards him again, looking at him with an uncertain expression. _*I can't believe he made me say it! Law, you jerk!*_ She gulped and bit her lip, not wanting to look the captain in the face. She just felt too vulnerable right now; laying there underneath him, being pinned to the bed and at his mercy. She wasn't used to being in such compromising positions that made her weak but she told herself it was ok if it was Law…at least once in a while and as long as he didn't cross the line! If it was any other man she would have already sliced them up in seconds but Law wasn't any other man, was he? Besides, her katana was well out of reach, still on that operating table from before…

On her utter surprise she heard Law huff as if he was trying not to laugh. Her eyes widened as she looked back at him, anger rising. "You jerk, you're laughing?! I actually yielded to you and you mock me!" She glared at him with shocked anger written across her face. "I am never-"

She was cut off and taken off guard as Law plunged down and kissed her again, this time with more force and speed. She wasn't sure if it was to shut her up or calm her down, or simply because he felt like it, but she felt her anger slowly diminishing as the kiss got deeper. She didn't struggle or try to break free, instead gripping the front of his hoodie with her free hand. Law still kept her other hand pinned down but he used his other to start wandering and exploring her body. His hand traveled down her sides, from her ribs down to her hip and even lower to her thigh. He heard the girl's muffled mewl as he sucked on her tongue, biting lightly and teasingly. He felt her squirm underneath him but knew it wasn't from being uncomfortable. Little muffled sounds escaped her as his hand moved across her body with more pressure now.

Miyako felt heat raising more and more in the pit of her stomach. Law focused on her neck now, growling in slight annoyance and frustration with her turtleneck that hid away most of her skin. Still, even with minimum skin accessible the doctor was able to make her feel like never before. Her face was heated with embarrassment but her body felt heat for a different reason. The girl was panting hard now, unable to think and too weak to protest anyway. She was completely out of it. His quick hand moved to her hip again, moving the hem of her shirt upwards and gripping her hip, caressing the hip bone with his thumb teasingly. He pinned her down even more with his body, putting pressure on her lower body as he moved his own hips. Miyako gasped at the contact, which only made Law growl and trust again with more force. "Law…" The girl made a sound somewhere between a surprising yelp and a moan, as she pleaded. But for what? She didn't even know herself; was it for him to stop or continue?

The captain moved to her ear now, licking her earlobe before nibbling at it. "Yes?" He whispered teasingly with a deep husky voice full of lust. He was amused by the sight of the girl underneath him; she was a mess. Panting, squirming, moaning and whimpering at his each touch. Her eyes were hazy and glazed with pleasure as she lost herself in it forgetting even her sanity. He moved the hem of her shirt even higher as he touched her sides teasingly. He brushed her ribs lightly with the tips of his fingers, only a feathery touch, bringing out a shiver from her body.

When Miyako felt Law's tattooed hand move upwards on her bare skin, a part of her brain sent off an alarm bringing the girl back to reality. Realization hit her as she finally noticed what was going on and how far she let this take her. Her golden eyes became focused again as she was able to pull herself together a little. Law wasn't really helping her in that as he moved his skillful hands and mouth across her body. But she couldn't let this go on; if they continue down this road…"Law.." She tried to push him away lightly but the man didn't even budge as if he didn't even hear her. "Law!" She tried a bit more sternly and louder now, using more force to push him away.

Finally the captain seemed to hear her as he moved a bit backwards to look at her. His grey eyes were gleaming, almost as if they were alive with an emotion Miyako couldn't accurately decipher. He had his usual expressionless look on his face, but the questioning gaze filled with lust and his quickly rising and falling chest as he breathed, gave him away.

"U-um…I think we should stop…" Miyako felt a bit awkward as she fidgeted under Law, unable to look her captain in the eyes.

Law furrowed his eyebrows but he didn't move an inch. "Why?"

"Because we went too far...I can't do this." The girl felt a bit annoyed by his question, especially since he looked like he had no intention of moving what-so-ever. But she couldn't let this continue. Maybe she didn't agree with all the norms in Wanokuni, but she was still born and raised there, and she respected some traditional aspects of it. Giving herself to a man she wasn't even married to was out of the question, she couldn't dishonor herself in such a way. Besides, she was still a bit mad with Law for lying and using her and the crew at Abney Cove, not to mention this whole ordeal with Doflamingo. What happened between them at the Tenryuubito palace wasn't helping either. Miyako decided to finally accept Law and the Heart Pirates, even accept the relationship she had with the captain but this was still going a bit too fast for her. She was still confused and had a lot to sort out in her mind after everything that happened.

Law narrowed his eyes, observing Miyako with full attention as if he was trying to see inside her mind and decipher what she was thinking. "Weren't you the one who said that it's ok to do these things with the one you are in a relationship with?" He raised one eyebrow not understanding the girl's sudden change of mind.

"Yes, but it's just too fast!" Miyako was still looking away from him as she spoke. "Besides, it would be dishonorable to do such a thing before you are properly married. That is how we are taught in Wano." The girl spoke with more confidence now, using a tone as if she was proclaiming an important fact.

The man's eyes only narrowed at that, the rest of his face without any changes, still showing that plain expression of his as he stared down at Miyako. He almost seemed bored by this conversation. At least his body calmed down by this, which only disappointed him more, making him a bit more bitter than usual. "Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you?" He couldn't help but poke at the girl with his words so he continued when she blinked quizzically at him. "You always say how you don't agree with how Wano people treat women and that you refuse to live under those norms. Yet now you're using those customs as an excuse."

"Of course." The girl answered bluntly, staring him right in the face as if her answer was the most normal thing in the world. Law had to bite back on his surprise at how simply Miyako admitted such a thing. Was this girl messing with him again?! Before he could ask what the hell did she mean by that, Miyako continued. "It's my own choice which ideas I will agree with and which I don't want to follow. It's a freedom of choice. I don't have much of that in Wano, but at least here I do…besides I'm a pirate remember." She smirked at the last statement; turning Law's frequently used words against him. "Pirates are free to choose for themselves, aren't they?"

Law was silent for a while before finally sighing and shaking his head as he sat up, giving Miyako more space. He had to admit; this time he was truly beaten in his own game. He didn't know what he wanted more; to strangle the girl or be amused by her attitude.

"Besides, it's not an excuse. I feel strongly about it." Miyako finished, giving Law a disfavored frown in response to his earlier statement while sitting up on the infirmary bed.

Law looked away a bit annoyed. He felt like someone had poured cold water onto him but at least that made his body cool down. Though, perhaps a cold shower right now wasn't such a bad idea anyway. He wasn't in the mood for any of this anymore. The captain stood up with a sigh, opening his mouth to say more but the doors of the infirmary quickly opened, startling Miyako and making Law whip his head in the direction of the doorway. There stood a polar bear out of breath. "Captain, come quick! We've reached the Downward plume!" Bepo was, as always, alarmed as he stared at the captain. That's when he noticed Miyako and blinked with his black beady eyes. "Oh, Miyako, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

The girl felt the heat instantly rose to her cheeks. _*That's why I said it wasn't a good idea to do that here. If Bepo had entered a little earlier…*_ She gave Law an _'I told you so' _look but the captain just brushed it aside and looked away. Instead, he walked towards his nodachi, picking the heavy sword up and resting it on his shoulder as usual. That only made Miyako frown deeper as he looked like he didn't care one bit whether someone saw them or not. She really didn't understand that laid-back side of her captain; didn't he ever feel embarrassed? Miyako huffed at the thought, looking sideways. _*No…probably not.*_

"Miss Miyako was just having…a checkup." Law said and looked at Miyako with the corner of his eye, giving her a smug smirk as if he was purposely teasing her. Wait, that's Law we're talking about; of course he was purposely teasing her!

The girl felt her face heat up even more as she heard Law's explanation. She kept her head down staring at the ground, not wanting any eye contact with the two pirates, as she suddenly stood up. If she looked at them now, she would just feel even more embarrassed and awkward. "Don't worry Bepo, we just finished." She muttered, quickly passing Law by and trying to escape the infirmary, taking her katana in the process.

Law still wore an amused smirk as he watched her fidget with the sash of her katana, feeling slightly victorious that he at least got her back for before. His thoughts were interrupted by Bepo's panicky voice. "Captain, we gotta hurry! We're almost there!" Before getting a response, the bear turned around and headed back to the control room.

Law didn't seem in a hurry or alarmed at all as he strolled towards the exit. His free hand was now safely in the pocket of his trousers and he leaned on the doorframe to watch the still fidgeting girl. She seemed to have a problem with tying the sash as she fumbled with it while her fingers shook barely visible. Still, Law's trained eye caught on that fact instantly and he wondered was she distressed by her embarrassment just now or was it from the aftermath of what they were doing before? His smirk widened into a devilish grin as he watched her with both glee and enjoyment. He couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself for what he had done to her. "Do you need some help with that?" He couldn't help but prolong the teasing and her jumpy reaction rather pleased him.

"I'm quite fine." Miyako spat back with annoyance. She was finally able to tie her katana properly and walked hastily passed Law not even bothering to look at him. She didn't want to give him the gratification of seeing her displeased and still slightly embarrassed look. However she was soon taken by surprise as she felt a hand on her wrist pulling her backwards and spinning her around until she bumped into something hard. She soon realized that 'something hard' was Trafalgar Law's chest and he looked down at her with a smirk. His free hand let go of her hand just to capture her chin instead, pulling her head up to face him. He looked deep in her golden orbs, entertained how she barely remembered to breathe as she stared right back at him. However, she held her ground not wanting to look away and seem weak. Law actually liked that prideful stubbornness even though it could get on his nerves sometimes. Still, he was in a pretty good mood today.

The captain moved his head lower, brushing his lips against her but never taking his grey eyes off of her. They still pierced each other with open eyes, standing there silently for a while. The captain kept that mischievous smile as he narrowed his eyes a little, looking at Miyako with a rather seductive yet teasing expression. He held his lips on hers but only as a feather's touch, not giving her the pleasure of a full kiss. He could see she felt both confused and impatient by it, making him even more pleased. "You might have escaped me today Suzune Miyako…but don't think you'll have that chance again." He warned in his husky, low voice, still wearing that dangerous smirk on his expression. He saw the girl gulp, staring at him seemingly enchanted and unmoving. "I've already decided to take all your firsts whether you like it or not." That seductive deep tone he used went perfectly with the self-confident expression he gave her and he enjoyed the shocked wide-eyed look he got in return. He stepped away from her, releasing her chin, never giving her that last kiss. "Don't forget you still belong to me." His devilish smirk changed into a full grin, his eyes piercing her with a dangerous glint of excitement as if he was looking forward to playing this new game with her. He finally turned around and walked away towards the control room, putting his free hand back to his pocket.

It took some time for Miyako to return back from her daze and process everything she was just told. She looked at her captain's back and felt her shock was now being replaced by anger and annoyance. She glared at Law's back and yelled out, just before he disappeared up the stairs. "I only belong to myself!" On her further irritation, the man didn't even turn around or react to her outburst as his form disappeared from Miyako's sight.

~…~

The Downward plume was a massive down current that was better described as a powerful underwater waterfall. At least that's how it looked to the group as they stared at the heavy falling water with expressions mixed with surprise and amazement.

"It's huge!" Penguin finally exclaimed not being able to take his eyes off the sight.

"So that's the great Downward Plume…" Sai mumbled, amazed himself but keeping it under control much better than the two mechanics.

"Bart-san, are we really going to ride that?" Miyako couldn't help but feel anxiety at the massive waterfall. It looked like the water flung everything downwards and crushed it under its heavy weight. How will they ever sail on something like this and not get pulled down by the crushing gallons of water?

Jean Bart was currently inspecting the log pose lodged into the control panel that the two navigators used to get around. The other log pose was always with Law as the captain liked knowing their pathway at all times even as he trusted his excellent navigators. Safe is safe. The large navigator nodded in response to Miyako's question. "Indeed. This will take us down to the Deep currents that will lead us to Fishmen Island eventually."

"Oh right, Jean Bart explained it already before. It was selincity levels or something." Josh repeated, remembering hazily some of Jean Bart's boring lecture on surface and deep sea currents. He was too engrossed into watching the sea and the creatures in it at that time and didn't really pay attention.

"It's called the saline density and yes, we will use the cold currents of the Red Line's winter island to take us to Fishmen island." Cody explained, correcting the other medic.

The redhead only rolled his eyes with a 'whatever' look at Cody's attitude of knowing everything. "Know-it-all…" Josh muttered.

The taller medic's face stayed calm but he hit Josh over the head with a karate-chop none the less.

"Ouch! Don't just go hitting people all of a sudden!" the redhead yelled. Josh rubbed his hurt head, momentarily taking of his hat. He kept a glaring stare on the other medic, but Cody just ignored him and looked away with an innocent expression.

The others just sweat-dropped, already used to such scenes. Josh would run his big mouth, Cody would whack him on the head making the redhead rage even louder, but the taller medic wouldn't seem to care or even listen as he would just ignore the redhead and kept on with his own work. They wondered if Cody actually had some switch to mute Josh in his head seeing as the blue haired medic could perfectly ignore the other no matter what threats and complains Josh would spout.

"A-anyway…Is our sub really going to hold out and survive this waterfall, captain?" Shachi turned away from the medics to look questioningly at his captain who was silently sitting in his chair. Unlike all of them, Law didn't look worried at all.

The captain turned his head to Shachi and grinned. "You tell me Shachi-ya. You worked on it on Sabaody, didn't you?"

Shachi looked at his captain in wonder but then grinned. "That's right! There's no way our submarine would lose to some waterfall!"

"10 meters and closing in on it captain. We're right in front of it." Sai announced looking at the stats on his control panel.

Law looked ahead through the main window and grinned at the sight. This is it; after this they will be one step closer to the New World! An excited gleam shone in his eyes as he looked just like at the beginning of some almost-impossible-to-do operation in the operating room. "Get ready men!" He warned before adding in a low but eager voice. "And I suggest you hold on tight."

Everyone held onto the railing or anything else they could find, while Bepo still ran around screaming that they'll all going to die before a warning call from Law reminded him to calm down and take precaution. The polar bear gulped and grabbed onto a chair that was screwed into the metal floor, just as the submarine started falling, or rather sailing, vertically.

Everyone yelped or screamed in surprise as the submarine tipped more and more before it was fully upright and the great current pulled it down to the sea depth with it. The great force was truly as if they were falling from the sky, the gravity pulling them further down. The vessel trashed and turned, but then slowly started to level back into a horizontal form again. It seems the Downward Plume's path was slowly turning from a waterfall into an underwater river as it aligned its flow horizontally. The yellow submarine slowly came back to its normal position and lazily started sailing with the new down current.

Sai sighed in relief when the hectic ride was finally over, slumping in his chair. "We made it…"

"Wha! We're still alive!" Bepo exclaimed happily but his joy didn't last long. He noticed movement in the shadows all around the submarine as it sailed through the dark sea. Every now and then, the submarine's headlights would catch a glimpse of something big quickly swimming from one dark corner to the other.

The group all stood up and went towards the main window in the control room, looking at the scene ahead illuminated by the lights. There were creatures of all sorts in front of them, swimming slowly and avoiding each other even though some didn't even appear to have any eyes. Some of them were quite large with hideous sharp teeth, while others were much smaller but still deadly with their poisons skin and blood.

"Haha look at this one, it has a face!" Josh laughed and pointed at one of the larger fish that looked like it had a face of a sad old man.

"Whoa, this one looks dangerous!" Penguin pointed to another one that was a hefty snake-looking fish with dark gleaming skin and a mouthful of large, sharp teeth.

"This one is beautiful." Miyako commented on a giant fish with bright golden, orange and red scales while it swam next to the submarine before diving deeper down into the murky sea depths.

"And probably poisons." Shachi gulped.

But soon the gigantic fish around them started noticing the submarine as it shone light upon them, making its presence known. The animals slowly swam around it, coming closer and getting interested in the vessel. "Uh…Captain…" Jean Bart started to say, noticing this change in the fish reaction, taking it as a bad sign.

Law didn't have to be warned as he noticed it himself. He nodded, still keeping a wary eye on the animals surrounding them. "Mister Sai, turn off the headlights, they're too strong and attracting attention to us. Turn on the side light instead. It will give us some light but it won't be too bright. Still, from now on we'll have to rely on our radars mostly." He then turned to look at his large helmsman. "Mister Bart, proceed ahead with caution." A warning look from Law was enough to indicate they weren't safe here, even without a sensitive bubble coating to worry about. The captain sat back in his chair, a serious look still on his face.

"Aye aye captain!" Both Sai and Jean Bart exclaimed sternly, doing what they were told. The control room also went dark just like the rest of the sub, to conserve energy, as the numerous radars and screens now provided the only light in the room.

They continued sailing through the water slowly, trying to avoid any dangers on their way and for some time they were actually able to relax a bit. Even though they seemed safe now, Law warned the navigators to keep a close eye on the waters around them since everything was in their hands now. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for a while, until they heard a blunt noise coming from below. The radar started beeping as it indicating something huge coming their way from down below. The sand rose upwards in the water, engulfing the submarine in a cloud of sand and dust as a dark shape started appearing right beneath the ground. It went up, opening its orifice and showing them razor sharp teeth inside.

"Whaaa! A monster! It's going to eat us!" Penguin screamed in panic as he looked at the incoming large animal.

"It must've been hiding in the sand when it heard us!" Sai exclaimed, surprised at how large it was and how quickly it moved, staring at the numbers on the beeping radar.

"Nooo! I don't want to be eaten by a fish!" Bepo yelled out in a panicky voice.

"Haha. That would be quite ironic. Maybe Bepo will become a vegetarian after this." Cody laughed, amused by the bear's statement.

"And why the hell are you so calm!?" Josh yelled, slapping the medic on the back with an angry face.

_*Dammit! I feel so useless in here; I can't do anything!*_ Miyako bit her lip in frustration as she stared out the window, watching as the large menace kept closing in on them. She felt unproductive here, unable to use her sword or skills, only able to wait to see what happens next. She felt completely useless while they were underwater.

"Hard to port!" Their captain yelled, ignoring the hysterical crew around him, rising up from his chair from the adrenalin coursing through his veins. He had to steady himself and grip the railing as the submarine made a hard turn to the left, barely avoiding the closing jaws of the fish.

Still, the animal had no intention of giving up as it continued to rise higher in the water, showing its full large body, before making a quick turn to come at them from the side and swallow the submarine in one gulp. It opened its mouth once more but before being able to sink its teeth into the vessel, another, even larger monster came from the nearby underwater reefs and grabbed the fish with its jaws. Its teeth sunk into the other's body and tackled it to the side with its force and huge frame. The two monsters crashed into the stone reefs, making sand and rocks burst everywhere. The submarine started to shake and the navigators had to use special maneuvers to avoid the flying rocks from hitting the vessel.

"There's always a bigger fish." Trafalgar muttered as he watched the giant animal sink the sharp teeth deeper into its struggling prey.

The bear sighed in relief from the avoided disaster that could've occurred. "We're saved…"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." Sai retorted while looking at the still beeping radar. "Something is coming our way and it's fast." The navigator looked up at the captain with a knowing look as both men knew what it was; another certain death threat.

Jean Bart tried to see what the incoming object was as he peered through the submarine's periscope, turning it towards the tail of the sub, but he could hardly make out anything from the darkness beyond their faint submarine light.

The captain wasted no time, still not panicking like the rest of the group did and instead looked around the area to see what could be done. He noticed a cave in one of the underwater reefs. "Quick, shut down all the lights and take us down below and inside that cave."

Jean Bart quickly dived deeper into the waters, going for the small cavern and hoping it was safe to land inside without any further surprises. The worst case scenario he could think of was for them to get stuck in these rocks while there were large, hungry creatures all around them. Meanwhile, Sai switched off the lights of the submarine by his control panel. Luckily for everyone the cavern was large enough for the whole vessel to fit in and they momentarily turned off all engines as complete silence and darkness enveloped them.

"Shit shit shit…" Josh gritted his teeth in anxiety as he had no idea what was out there. If it notices them they were trapped in here, unable to escape. The darkness before them seemed endless and he couldn't even tell if there was a wall of the cave in front of them or if the cavern reached ahead for miles more.

"We are going to die in here." Bepo exclaimed bluntly with a completely serious expression, surprising everyone around.

"What's with that depressing statement!? Just shut up!" Penguin yelled back, feeling shivers run down his spine.

"Quiet." Law ordered and instantly everyone shut their mouths. He had a hand in the air as if warning everyone to wait and be still.

The crew didn't even dare to breathe as they heard an incoming sound coming towards their cave through the water. The sound grew louder as the creature swam closer, the water shifting around as it moved. The sound of its body swimming by lasted a few minutes, indicating that whatever it was, it was absolutely huge or at least hundreds of meters long. At one point the animal seemed to stop and the Heart Pirates held their breath, not daring to make a sound or even move an inch that could echo through the submarine and towards the monster's ears. Luckily, it continued on and after a while, everyone let out their held breaths in relief. They were finally safe.

Miyako felt her body weaken as all that tension and anticipation left her suddenly and the girl fell down to her knees. Her head was bowed down and she supported herself with both hands. "I hate this sea." There was a dark and somber atmosphere around her as she felt like she had enough of all this sea and the monsters in it, but still knowing this was only the beginning of their underwater adventure. That fact only depressed her more.

Next to her, Bepo was kneeling in the same position as the samurai, having his own gloomy atmosphere around him while he mumbled "The sea is scary." repeatedly.

The rest of the Heart Pirates only watched the scene with a sweat-drop thinking when did Miyako become as gloomy as Bepo.

"Alright, fire up the engines, mister Sai. I think it's safe to move now." Trafalgar ordered, completely ignoring Bepo's and Miyako's performance of the most forlorn pirate pair.

The submarine came back to life, lighting up its side light that gave a dim illumination of their surroundings. However, as it did it also gave them a better view of the cavern around them and the pirates found themselves eye to eye with a creature in front of them. The light from the submarine flashed into its eyes that were completely white as blank canvas, which must've awoken the animal from its slumber. The creature opened its teeth-filled jaw and the whole cavern shook, probably from the fish trying to move its large body and attack them.

"Hyaaa!" Miyako and Bepo screamed with tearful eyes, holding onto each other for dear life.

"Go back! Go back!" Shachi yelled as he and Penguin held each other as well.

Even without anyone telling him to, Sai had already pushed a lever down, and the engine of the submarine roared as it switched to reverse. Jean Bart carefully but with haste navigated the submarine backwards and out of the cavern, just as the creature headed towards them. The submarine successfully got out of the cave but the monster's head soon followed as it came after them. The vessel continued to sail backwards at full speed and then stopped and turned a sharp right, just as the creature tried to bite down on them. Luckily, the submarine was faster and the monster only managed to swallow air and water as the pirates sailed on ahead at full speed, escaping from the monstrous fish.

Once again the whole group relaxed, hopefully for a longer while this time. "How much more of this will we need to go through?" Cody looked wearily at his captain as if Law would be able to provide the answer.

The said captain stood up from his chair once again. "According to the maps, it shouldn't be far now. It should be here somewhere." He pulled out his log pose, check to see if they were still on the right path.

Everyone looked around but saw nothing but darkness and monsters around them. "Where? It's only pitch black around, I don't see anything worth mentioning. Isn't Fishmen island supposed to be big…I mean, it's an island!" Josh commented with a suspicious scoff as he looked back at the group.

Beside him, Miyako paled as she stared through the submarine's window. "I see something worth mentioning…" The group looked at her with puzzlement but the girl only pointed at something outside the submarine. The pirates followed her pointing finger with their gaze only to let their eyes widen at the sight. Outside, the water was shifting and swirling, right before them, as currents circled around each other like snakes. In an instant, a giant underwater twister formed, sucking everything up.

Unlike before, even Law's eyes widened in surprise as he realized the gravity of the situation. "A water twister." He turned back to Sai in a hurry. "Quick, full power to the engine. Get us out of here!" He shouted, pulling the navigator from his shocked daze.

Sai did as he was told and Jean Bart tried turning the submarine, but it was futile, it was too late. "It's no use, the current is too strong! It's sucking us right in!" The navigator shouted for the first time feeling helpless at his post.

"Everyone, hold on!" was the only warning Jean Bart could give before the submarine was sharply tossed and swirled within the water twister. Everyone fell to the ground with a yelp, while the vessel spun around quickly.

Miyako tried to hold on tightly to the railing but her grip soon abandoned her as it gave away. Her fingers slipped from the metal she was holding and with a gasp, the samurai found herself flying through the air with the force from the moving vessel. She finally stopped by hitting the metal wall hard enough to force air out of her lungs as she hit the back of her head in the process. Everything went blurry and hazy, before it turned into darkness.

~….~

Miyako groaned as she lazily opened her eyes. As soon as she did, a throbbing pain in the back of her head hit her, immobilizing her for a moment. With a grunt she put a hand to her forehead before rubbing her eyes. Blinking a few times, the girl looked around and noticed she was inside a dark room, lying in bed. Through further inspection, Miyako noticed it was the submarine's infirmary but everything was in the dark. The samurai sat up in bed and looked around quite confused. *_Why am I here?*_

The last events came back to her mind and she remembered getting a hit in the head as she lost her grip on the railing. A sudden gasp escaped her mouth when Miyako remembered they were caught in an underwater twister, completely at the current's mercy. However, the vessel seemed stabile now as it didn't shake or turn like before. Everything was eerily quiet.

Miyako stood up from the bed, still feeling a bit woozy from her head injury. She touched the sore part of her head and felt a bump in the back. The girl winced from the pain before sighing annoyed. *_Great…With my luck, I have a concussioun.*_ She found her katana next to the bad and tied it to her waist, ready to head out of the room. She was still quite puzzled as to what was going on. Somebody must've put her in the infirmary after she passed out but why wasn't anyone here now? Usually there was always someone working in the infirmary but there was no sign of anyone here at the moment. The girl opened the doors and stepped into the dark hallway. It was quiet and without any light, just like the previous room. *_What's going on? Where is everybody?*_ Miyako started having a suspicious feeling about it as she could almost smell trouble ahead. She didn't like this one bit.

Still, she proceeded walking down the dark corridors, heading towards the control room, and still didn't meet anyone on her way. "Hello? Is anybody here?!" The girl called out a couple of times while walking down the corridors but there was no response. She felt an uncomfortable chill overtake her body as she walked down the empty, dark and quiet corridors. It was a creepy feeling to say the least. It was never this silent in the submarine, even at night. There were always pirates working shifts, or the silent roar of the working engine as they sailed, or at least pale flickering lights in the narrow hallways.

She didn't meet anyone all the way to the control room where she now stood, looking around with interest. Just like before, there was complete dark and silence. Not even the screens at Sai's control panel were giving their usual light to the room. Everything was turned off.

"Miya-chan?!" A voice behind her startled her a little as the girl jumped and swiftly spun around. There was no mistaking it after hearing that familiar voice.

"Bepo?! What's going on here?" Miyako looked at the bear standing at the entrance of the control room. He looked a bit surprised to see her here but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. "Where is everybody?" She couldn't help the flow of questions spilling from her mouth in a rush. There was just too much she didn't understand.

The bear shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked at the girl, mulling over where to start. "A lot has happened after you passed out. I better explain." He saw the girl nod and that was enough indication for him to continue. "After we were caught by the water twister, we were tossed into a field of 10 meter tall seaweed. But that seaweed seemed almost alive as it tangled around our submarine and tried to pull us down. There was also something else hiding inside…we couldn't really see what it was because it was so fast, but there were many of them and they stated attacking the sub. After a while of trying to escape, captain finally noticed an underwater cave and directed us to hide inside. It was really deep and there was a current pulling us in so all we could do is follow it. It was almost like a tunnel directing us deeper down. I don't even know where we are anymore…But the strange part is that after a while there wasn't even water all round us but only a river leading us down. We weren't submerged anymore. In the end, we finally came out of the tunnel into a large cave-room where the river ended with a vast lake. That's where we are now." The bear finally finished, stopping to rest and take a deep breath.

"So…you're saying that we aren't underwater anymore? Even though we are thousands of meters under sea level?" Miyako couldn't believe it, as she stared wide-eyed at Bepo, still trying to process everything.

The bear only nodded and pointed outside the main window in the room. The girl looked outside and gasped sharply. Indeed, they weren't in the water anymore but on the big lake in a closed cave. Miyako stepped closer to the window as she stared in wonder but then another unanswered question brought her out her awe. She turned around to Bepo once more. "But what about the others?"

The bear made an uncomfortable look that immediately made Miyako stiffen in suspense. Were they alright? Before she could ask, Bepo started explaining again. "Well about that…when we came here there was something already here…I'm not sure, but we heard some kind of music, like someone was singing. Everyone went to check it out. I don't know…everyone seemed a bit…strange. I tried telling captain that it was a bad idea, but even he didn't listen to me!" The bear huffed with an irate expression, looking sideways. If the crew listened to him more, he was sure they wouldn't end up in so much trouble. But once again, he was ignored; even by the captain. "I told captain to at least order some of the crew to stay here and guard the submarine or help you, but nobody responded. So I stayed behind and carried you to the infirmary. I couldn't stop them…sorry." Bepo sighed deeply and bowed his head, gloom and depression coming over him.

Miyako knew she had to do something before Bepo completely fell under one of his gloomy moods. "That's alright Bepo, we can go look for them together now." She smiled at the bear and tried to cheer him up but honestly, she felt there was something disturbingly wrong as well. Even if the others acted rashly, she knew Law would never do such a thing. Not without a reason. There was definitively something suspicious going on.

~…~

The cave was immense, with wet glistening walls and stalactites on the cavern's ceiling. Meanwhile, tall stalagmites rose from the floor and into the air as if trying to touch the cave's top. It was quiet, apart from the constantly dripping drops of water that gave a certain rhythm of sound echoing throughout the spacious room.

However, when Miyako concentrated she thought she heard a humming sound. She furrowed her eyebrows and went closer to the wall of the cavern. The girl put her hands on the wet wall and leaned closer, trying to hear where the sound was coming from. The hum was still muffled but seemed louder now. _*Is it coming from the other side of the wall?*_

"Miyako!" The bear called out and pulled her out of her thoughts. The girl turned to see the bear a few meters ahead, pointing at what seemed to be an exit. "I think they went that way; their scent is still lingering."

Miyako rushed over to him to follow the first mate. "Wow, your sense of smell is that good, Bepo?"

The bear only bowed his head at the comment, a pink flush covering his furry cheeks. "Y-Yeah, but the scent is pretty weak already. There's a lot of water so their scent is being cleared out, we should hurry."

The girl nodded and followed the bear, trusting his nose and animal instincts to lead them the right way. She was glad he did because as they walked, Miyako realized this was a complete labyrinth. The further they went, the more pathways and tunnels branched out. There wasn't much light but little rivers of water traveled beside them, glistening and reflected soft blue light into the walls.

"Somebody could easily get lost here, wandering around these halls until they die." Miyako murmured still looking around.

"Don't even say that!" the bear looked around nervously. "Let's just find the others and get out of here, this place is creeping me out." A shiver ran down his spine as the fur stood up making him seem even fuzzier than usual.

The girl ignored the panicking bear, already used to his worried antics. Still, she could agree with Bepo; there was definitively something strange here and she didn't like it either. Looking around, Miyako noticed something shiny that caught her eye. She went to a corridor that was branching from their path to the left and walked up to a small golden item on the floor.

"Miya-chan, where are you going, the scent goes that way?!" Bepo called after her, creating an echo that bounced off the walls and back at them.

Miyako crouched, ignoring Bepo's shouts, and inspected the item in her hand. It was a golden coin though she didn't recognize the currency. It looked old and dirty, but there was still some shine in it. Miyako pocketed the coin, interested more in the strange currency than the gold itself, and looked around wondering where it could have come from. Not long after she noticed an opening in the wall and walked towards it.

Bepo looked around nervously and called after the girl a few more times but with no luck. So instead, he ran over to her not wanting for them to separate. "Miyako, what are you doing?" The bear asked in a slightly frustrated voice. He couldn't understand what was so important now to get them off their course. The others were still waiting, maybe even in trouble.

The girl gasped as she saw the sight of the room in front of her. Once again, it was a large cavern room but what caught Miyako's attention were the contents inside. There were loads of different kinds of items, treasures and even weapons of various kinds.

"Miya-chan, what are you-" The bear went to the girl's side, determined to hurry her but even he stopped at the sight. "What is this?" He looked from Miyako to the room and noticed she was already walking inside. "Whaaa! Wait a second, it could be dangerous!" Bepo tried to stop her as he cried out but the girl didn't seem to listen.

Miyako went inside to inspect the items. There were heaps of it; gold, jewels, necklaces…honestly a dream come true for a pirate searching for treasure. But there were also various maps, log pose, swords and pistols. Something cracked under Miyako's weight and the girl looked down, instantly stepping backwards with a gasp as she realized what it was. A skeleton; and she stepped right on its bony wrist. It was definitively a human skeleton.

"Miyako!" Bepo called out and the girl looked up to see a bear pointing at something. Another human skeleton. That's when she realized the room was full of them. There were bones on the floor and skeletons grinning at them with their everlasting smiles on their pasty skulls. "I-I think we should leave now." Bepo said looking around the eerie silent room.

This time Miyako nodded, agreeing with him completely. She remembered a thing the bartender from Sabaody Archipelago told her; numerous ships that fail to get to the Fishmen island and wash ashore, but completely void of passengers. She got a bad feeling in her gut as it twisted uncomfortably. _*I don't know what happened here but by most of these people's clothing and weapons they look like pirates_.* She noticed a few pirate flags though she couldn't recognize the Jolly Rogers on them. She imagined that their own grinning Jolly Roger could end up in here and a shiver went down her spine. "Let's get going Bepo." She finally muttered and the pair quickly left the room, returning back to the right trail thanks to Bepo's sharp nose.

~…..~

The two walked for a few more minutes though for Miyako the time seemed to flow exceptionally slow as they looked around the labyrinth of hallways.

"I hope your nose will work on our way back too." She mumbled looking at Bepo.

The bear nodded without answering her. He seemed even more anxious than her.

As they walked Miyako glanced at the bear again, remembering her conversation with Law not so long ago. _*That's right, Bepo should know about Law's connection with Doflamingo.*_ If she ever wanted to find out more about Law's past, now was the perfect time as both her and Bepo walked completely alone and without anyone to interrupt them. "Bepo…" She started, but then closed her mouth, a bit uncertain.

"Hm?" The bear turned around towards her, blinking with those button black eyes.

The girl wasn't sure how to continue or what to say for that matter. Bepo was always loyal to Law so he probably wouldn't tell her anything without Law's consent. Even if he did, Miyako wasn't sure she wanted to find out that way. She made a deal with Law; to wait when the time was right and then he promised to tell her. As much as she was interested, she didn't want to break that promise and go behind Law's back to find out what's going on. With a sigh, Miyako shook her head. "No. Nevermind." Bepo didn't seem to want to let it go that easily, still interested in what she was about to say, but luckily for Miyako another noise interrupted his train of thought. Rather than just a noise, both pirates soon realized what it was.

"Singing?" Bepo looked up ahead as his ears perked and twitched a few times, catching the tune that was carried towards them on the air. It was the same one as he heard before while still in the submarine with the crew.

The melody was light and beautiful, as it soothingly flowed through the air. It seems it was sung by more than one woman and it had a velvety sound to it. It reminded them of fairies dancing around on a full moon's night.

Both pirates looked at each other in wonder before hurrying up ahead, where the song was coming from. The pathway got steep and slippery and they had to climb the last few meters, carefully gripping the rocks beneath them for support. They kept their heads low as they looked down at the sight before them; a large room that looked like a cove filled with corals and reefs. In the middle was a big lake, though most likely filled with sea water. The rocks were all glistening, almost like stars on the bright night sky. There was a small waterfall on one side, murmuring as the water fell into the large lake. Around on the reefs and boulders, Miyako and Bepo could see the Heart pirates laughing and enjoying themselves, grinning widely. But they weren't alone. There were some creatures along with them, keeping them company, almost playfully swimming around. They had fish tails but their upper torsos were odd…They reminded Miyako of mermaids but not quite. They had dark blue tails but their upper body was also blue in color. Their skin looked soft and wet, but there were small, dark fins even on their forearms and they looked dangerously sharp. The fingers on their hands sported long claw-like fingernails, sharp and deadly. Their faces looked somewhat human but they had completely black big eyes, obviously creatures that weren't used to any sunlight. What seemed like small fins were in place of their ears. Instead of hair they had long blue, black or grey spikes that went down and it could almost be interpreted as hair, but it wasn't soft at all, only sharp. On their skin, there were numerous marks, stripes and spots. Instead of seashells that the Heart pirates often described mermaids wearing as their tops in their dream-talk with Miyako, there were glistening hard scales.

Still, through all that the Heart Pirates didn't seem to mind at all that there were some kind of monsters around them. Some were even trying to catch the slippery fish-creatures while others started going for the lake, wanting to swim with them.

Bepo gasped, happy he finally found the crew and that everyone seemed alright. "Capt-" He wanted to call out and already started rising, when Miyako quickly covered his mouth with her hand and forced him back down. Both of them ducked for a while, in case someone was looking up before the girl relaxed and let go of the bear's mouth. The said bear gave her a questioning look.

"Something's wrong. Don't let them see you." She whispered warningly before she dared to take another look.

Miyako looked up and finally found Law in the crowd among the others. He didn't have that stupid blissful grin on his face as his crewmembers but he was still completely laid-back, sitting on a rock with one of those creatures sitting beside him. The creature was staring at him, resting its tail in the water where it moved left and right playfully, while the mermaid monster kept singing to him. At better inspection Miyako realized most of those creatures were singing, creating that wonderful tune that didn't go at all with their appearance.

"Tch. What is that idiot doing?" She whispered in annoyance looking at Law who didn't seem to be having a care in the world. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with everybody? She looked at Penguin, Shachi, Josh, Cody, even Munk. Everyone was partying, enjoying themselves, not caring that they were surrounded by some weird and dangerous-looking sea creatures. What about Fishmen Island? Why were they wasting their time here?

~…..~

"Hahaha! Could you believe it Shachi, our dream has finally come true!" Penguin laughed as he tried to catch one of the beautiful looking sea creatures in the water, but the quick little thing kept avoiding his hands while giggling playfully.

"This is paradise! We finally found Mermaid Cove, didn't we!? I heard stories but this is so much better!" Shachi responded as he sat on the reef, a mermaid teasingly caressing him with her tail.

They looked around at the beauties surrounding them, singing to them in that perfectly melodic voices. Red heads and blonds, ones with brown or black hair, tanned and fair skinned; there were colorful mermaids of all kinds with soft skin and alluring faces. They're whole apparitions were dazzling.

Cody chuckled looking at one of the cute mermaids who kept staring at him, smiling shyly. "We don't need anything else, right captain?"

"Ah." Law answered affirmatively while smirking at an exceptionally beautiful mermaid sitting beside him, as she sang in her arioso voice. She was smiling at him, coming closer and closer, piercing him with a seductive look of her large blue eyes.

~…..~

Miyako gripped the rock she was holding for support, a smile on her face, but it looked completely forced as her whole expression looked annoyed. "That bastard, having such a good time…even with such a monster…" She muttered through gritted teeth, not noticing Bepo's worried look aimed at her. There was a dark aura that started forming around the irritated girl.

"M-Miya-chan, you're making a scary face."

The girl snapped back to reality at his words and looked down again. _*I can only think of one explanation…* _"I think it's an illusion of some kind." She whispered, still looking down.

"They're under an illusion?" Bepo blinked in surprise but after he thought about it, that fact sounded quite possible.

Miyako nodded and continued her explanation, more serious now. "You said that they started acting strange after you came here. That you heard music. I think this singing is what keeps them under the spell. We need to break the illusion by stopping these creatures from singing."

"I see...But how come we weren't affected?" Bepo tilted his big head looking at Miyako with a questioning expression.

The girl thought for a while, biting the nail of her thumb in the process. She hummed while thinking. "Well the only difference I can see from the rest of the crew and us is…well, you're a bear and I'm a woman. Maybe this only affects men?" She looked down again and saw everyone else enjoying themselves, completely ignorant of the dangers in front of them. "Heh. They'll be very surprised when they realize what's been seducing them….serves them right, the idiots." Miyako looked away, annoyed again, but with a gleefully dark expression on her face.

"Miyako, you're making a scary face again…" Bepo noted, looking at the girl suspiciously, uncertain how to interpret her expressions.

But Miyako's train of thoughts together with her plans was interrupted when she noticed movement from the creatures. Still singing, they were slowly guiding and pulling the gullible enchanted pirates towards the big lake. Miyako didn't doubt in her heart that the creatures only had bad intentions and the first thought that crossed her mind was _*They're trying to drown them!*_ She noticed one of the creatures pulling Law by the hand, towards the water, still singing to him sweetly. He didn't even resist even though he would be helpless in water as a devil fruit user. He was completely under the influence of the seductive spell. That's when an alarm went off inside Miyako's head and she realized they didn't have time for careful planning anymore. "Law!" She stood up and called to the captain loudly, hoping to get him out of his trance.

The song stopped and all creatures swiftly looked in her direction, staring at the two strange newcomers. Miyako noticed some of them took out what looked like a golden trident, readying for battle instantly. One of the creatures seemed like it was glaring at Miyako as it opened its mouth full of small sharp teeth and screamed a bloodthirsty cry completely different from the soothing melodies up until now. The spikes on its head stood up in the process, making it look like a sea urchin. The cry made the other creatures move as well. Miyako thought they couldn't come up since there wasn't enough water there but that didn't stop them as they rushed over. Some of them, however, started pulling the pirates into the watery depths.

Luckily, her cry and the cessation of the song brought the Heart Pirates back to their senses and they started resisting, pulling out their own weapons to defend themselves from the dangerous tridents in the creatures' clutches. Everyone looked surprised and confused, not even remembering how they got here and what were these awful things swimming around beside them.

Miyako and Bepo didn't even waste a moment before they jumped down and joined the chaos. Miyako unsheathed her katana in an instant and blocked a trident coming her way. With a corner of her eye she saw one of the creatures leap out of the water with amazing speed and right at her with its sharp claws. The girl jumped backwards, dodging yet another attack.

A startled yelp pierced her ears and Miyako looked at its source, seeing Sam who was dragged by one of the monsters and was now falling into the water. Luckily, he was grabbed by Cody and tossed back onto the rocks with a painful thud.

Miyako didn't have time to help her friends as she was once again attacked by the creature with the trident. It was much quicker than she expected as it slithered across the ground now like a snake that propped up its lower body. The muscles in that tail must've been amazingly strong to be able to keep the creature up like that. Suddenly the monster changed its position and it seemed like it was falling backwards, until it swung its long tail and slammed it into Miyako's side. The girl fell back and on the floor, feeling the pain in her shoulder. She noticed the golden trident coming towards her from above and the girl blocked with her katana, sliding it into the gaps between the spikes. The three spikes stopped inches from her eyes, dripping down water onto her face. With a grunt and a shove, using all her strength, Miyako managed to shove the trident back along with the fish creature that was stronger than expected. The monster only took a second to attack again, but by then, Miyako was already crouching on her knee and pierced with her katana stabbing the incoming creature in its stomach. It let out a wine as it rammed into the katana and fell in the water, staining it with a black inky substance that was its blood.

Another monster saw it and hissed at Miyako with a glare, its spikes of hair standing up in the air. It leaped out of the water and into the air, towards Miyako. Instead of avoiding, the girl ran towards the incoming fish and crouched at the last second when the creature was just about to slam in her. When the tail was above her, Miyako slashed with her katana upwards and spun around in the process standing back on her feet again. A loud shrill was heard behind her as the creature crashed into the nearby wall, its tail cut in two.

Miyako looked around and noticed that the creatures were slowly losing the battle. But then she noticed one managed to leap onto Mori and grab him as they both disappeared under the surface of the lake. Another grabbed Kai and pulled him in the water as well. She saw Penguin and Shachi quickly diving in after them before her musings were interrupted by more monsters coming her way.

~…..~

Penguin and Shachi found themselves in the dark and cold depths underneath the water, examining their surrounding the best they could. Something glistening caught their eyes and soon they realized it was scales of the monsters as they battled with the struggling Mori and Kai while trying to take them even deeper down. The mechanics exchanged only one look, understanding what they needed to do as they dove deeper to help their friends. They were completely in a disadvantage in this situation; battling sea creatures that could breathe and fight underwater and were even quicker here with their long tails and fins. Still, the mechanics couldn't just let their crewmembers drown here in this forsaken place. Shachi and Penguin wouldn't allow it.

Shachi tried to sneak up on one of them while Mori struggled, slowly losing his breath and consciousness with it. The mechanic finally swam to them and tried to rip the creature away from his friend. He gripped it by the spikes on its head, gritting his teeth as some of them pricked his hand but ignoring the pain as he pulled harshly on it. Luckily, this one didn't have the golden trident with it but that didn't stop it from turning around and slicing with its claws at Shachi, who was too slow in the water to dodge. It grabbed both of the mechanic's shoulder and dug its sharp claws into them, making Shachi cry out in surprise and pain. The remaining air left him after his cry but the mechanic still didn't give up as he used all his strength and power to try and punch the creature. Before it could connect, a surprised shriek came from the monster's mouth and a black fluid started forming around them. Shachi looked at Mori questioningly but then realization hit him as the other pirate pushed the monster to the side, pulling out his knife from its back.

Meanwhile, Penguin reached the other two and barely dodged as the monster suddenly turned around and tried piercing him with the trident. He managed to move his head to the side, the sharp spike only grazing his cheek. Still, it left him unprepared for another swift attack from the monster as it hit him with its tail, sending the mechanic deeper down into the water. The creature turned back to Kai who was barely conscious now and was about to strike him down with the trident, when a hand closed on the chef's ankle and pulled him down below, making his body dodge the attack. It was Penguin, who moved the woozy chef away from the creature, before the attack could connect. The monster pierced downwards with its trident, this time aiming at the mechanic, but once again Penguin managed to dodge. He grabbed the end of the trident and struggled with the monster, surprised at its strength. Alas holding an unconscious Kai with one hand and struggling with the trident with the other became impossible as Penguin kept losing both his strength and air underwater. _*Shit, if I don't let go of Kai both of us will die but…*_ He looked down once more and caught something with his glance. He released the hold he had on Kai and concentrated on the monster in front of him. Now, with one hand free, Penguin concentrated his power in his one hand and used his fingers to pierce the monster's chest stabbing right through to the heart with the palm. The creature wailed and let go of the trident in surprise, which gave Penguin enough time to take the weapon for himself, turn it around and stab the creature through the stomach.

The mechanic quickly looked down but his vision was obstructed by the black fluid all around the murky water as the blood of these creatures dirtied the lake. He noticed something white coming towards him and prepared the trident still in his hand but soon he relaxed as he noticed Mori and Shachi swimming quickly towards the surface, Kai in tow. The mechanic could see Shachi and Mori coming, which was why he trusted them to catch Kai and take care of him while he took care of the monster. As always, he could count on his mechanic friend to come through for him. Penguin grinned but realized he had no time for celebration as air shortage hit his lungs that now started to burn from the pain. The Heart Pirates quickly swam upwards as fast as they could, but soon noticed shadows moving in the water depths, coming towards them. The monsters weren't done with them yet and new ones were coming, determined to pull them into the watery pit.

The group tried to swim even faster but those monsters kept getting closer and closer, the golden tridents shining ominously in their hands. The pirates could already see the water's surface, only a bit further and they would make it, but soon they realized it wouldn't be fast enough. Those creatures will gain on them and reach them sooner than they can get out of the water.

Already feeling desperate, Penguin suddenly stopped and turned around. Shachi and Mori looked at him questioningly, still holding Kai with them. The mechanic only gave them a gesture to hurry and get out before diving back down and heading for the incoming monsters. Perhaps if he gave them more time and stall the creatures the rest of them will get out safely. He could at least prevent them all from dying, even if that meant sacrificing himself. Shachi grabbed the mechanic, shocked and desperate as he realized what Penguin was intending to do. He tried to stop his friend, but Penguin only shook off his hand and went on.

Just as they thought all was lost, tremors appeared throughout the water and three bursts of energy shot out towards the creatures, slicing up the water as they went. The group looked up and even Penguin stopped and turned to see what was going on. They saw Bepo, under the water, and he dived deeper to help them. Being a polar bear, Bepo was a great swimmer but not much of a diver. Still, he could hold his breath underwater more than any of them. The bear made a few more punches consecutively, sending those bursts of energy and hitting one of the closer creatures. The fish-monsters scattered around, trying to avoid the surprising assault, which gave enough time for the Heart Pirates to swim up to the surface.

Shachi was never so glad to be able to breathe as he was at the moment he finally came out of the water, taking a deep breath of air. Beside him, Mori and Penguin did the same, gulping on air as much as they could. The only one who didn't react was Kai, still unconscious and unmoving. Mori quickly checked his pulse and sighed in relief when he could feel it, albeit weak.

"Quick, get out of the water!" Bepo warned after resurfacing not long after the others. For a moment of worrying for Kai, they almost forgot the approaching menace from below.

The pirates scrambled out of the water and onto the reefs, pulling the seemingly lifeless Kai with them. The others stayed turned to the water, watching closely and standing guard in case those monsters came out again, while Mori quickly unbuttoned Kai's white jumpsuit a little to give him more air. "He's not breathing!" He yelled out obviously panicked; he wasn't a medic in their crew, only a chef just like Kai. However, soon his brain started working as he remembered the basics of first aid captain made them all go though. At that time, Mori rolled his eyes thinking he would certainly never need it with a whole staff of medics and Law being a doctor, but now Mori couldn't be more overjoyed that he learned it. His still slightly panicky brain decided to turn on long enough for Mori to remember how to do CPR, and without any delay the chef gave Kai mouth to mouth, puffing air into the other's lungs. Fortunately, it only needed one session for Kai to take a deep and pained breath before he started coughing all of the water out of his lungs. Mori helped his confused friend as the other continued to spit the water out, taking shallow breaths.

Seeing Kai was alright, the mechanics and the rest of the group sighed in relief, exhausted and their lungs burning with everything that happened. They looked around seeing the fight was still lasting, but the Heart Pirates slowly took the lead, making their opponents pull back or jump back into the water. The fish creatures couldn't be out of the water for long it seemed, which gave the humans a significant advantage. As long as the battle was kept out of the water, that is. Thankfully nobody else got pulled inside; there were too many creatures in the water now and there would be no hope for the poor soul who fell inside.

~….~

Law made an irate expression as he cut into yet another monster. He wanted to use his room but his own men were too close and he couldn't risk striking them with one of his slashes. Finally, he saw an opening as the fish started pulling back.

"Everyone, group up and come here! We're getting out of here!" He called out to the Heart Pirates and soon enough everyone ran to him and made a protective circle, guarding each other's backs. The monsters were watching them on the other side of the room, hissing and wailing, ready to attack again. But this time it will be a bit different. Law smirked and held out his free hand.

"Room."

The creatures watched the blue sphere in confusion and wonder as it enveloped everything, not even suspecting what will happen next. They didn't know that their fate was already sealed as soon as they entered Law's sphere. The captain swung his sword two times consecutively. As soon as he did, the creatures were chopped into pieces. The monsters screamed and shrieked as they saw their own body parts flying around, before everything started spinning due to Law's movement of his hands. Their body parts flew around and attached themselves to other monsters unnaturally, preventing them from moving. A numbing pain enveloped their bodies and it grew stronger, an uncomfortable feeling soon turning into burning pain where their body parts were abnormally met.

The creatures screamed in surprise, their spikes of hair standing up around their heads. The ones who didn't get slashed by Law's nodachi gave a last warning hiss before quickly jumping back into the lake and disappearing into the murky water filled with their comrades' blood.

The Heart Pirates relaxed after seeing the last of the creatures disappeared. Law looked at the mess around them, bodies of the monsters laying everywhere, the water and rocks stained with their blood.

The captain scratched his goatee as he spoke, still in thought. "Hn...Too bad we didn't catch one alive; I would love to see their internal anatomy. Perhaps if we take a dead one and preserve its body with ice…"

His musings were interrupted by a panicked Bepo, who couldn't understand Law's laid-back manner at this moment. "We don't have time for that captain! Let's get out of here before they come back!"

The rest of the crew pitched in as well, trying to talk Law out of anything reckless. They all just wanted to rush out of here as fast as they can and finally go to Fishmen Island. "That's right captain, come on, let's get out of here." Penguin and Shachi begged. They all knew Law could have some dangerous notions and they didn't want to give him time for any ludicrous ideas like hunting down one of those creatures to obtain it alive.

Law still seemed into his own little world as he mulled over his own thoughts, not really listening to the rest of his crew's desperate complains. "Hm, but then again most fishmen seem to have different anatomy so there's a question how relevant the data of our experiment would be." The captain furrowed his eyebrows in further thought.

"That's not the problem here!" The group yelled, scared of where this was leading to.

"Nevertheless, we probably won't have another chance like this. I doubt they'd let us experiment on any species on Fishmen Island…" Law muttered, spilt between his two wants.

"That's a given!" Miyako yelled, wanting to smack Law upside the head but that would get her into a world of trouble. Still, she was able to contain herself just like every time she wanted to kick the captain's ass for his behavior.

The polar bear fell to his knees, a gloomy aura enveloping over him. "He's not listening at all…" At this rate the Heart Pirates will really be forced to go hunt down one of those things.

"Captain, leave them be, let's just go find our sub and get to Fishmen island already." Shachi almost had tears in his hidden eyes as he pleaded his captain for mercy.

The mention of the submarine seemed to get Law back to his rational senses and overpowered his urge to experiment on new things. Finally, Law sighed. "I suppose there's no choice. Let's go find the submarine; it's been completely unguarded all this time."

The pirates cheered, relieved at their captain's words and ready to hurry back before he changes his mind.

"Ah-" Josh finally exclaimed, a new kind of dread entering his mind. "Does anyone remember the way back…?" He saw everyone stiffen at the realization since nobody could even remember where they were and where was their submarine waiting for them. The redhead facepalmed and groaned as the nightmare continued.

"I know!" Bepo exclaimed all of a sudden, happy that he was the star of the event for once and that everyone was depending on him. "I can track our scent back, the way I did to find captain and the others." The bear explained after seeing everyone's surprised gazes focused on him. He was glad to be able to do something in this time of need for his captain and the crew. His pride of being the first mate depended on it.

~…..~

Soon the Heart Pirates were on their way back, walking hurriedly through the slippery halls of the cavern, the small creek whirring beside their feet as it flowed alongside them.

As they walked, Law couldn't help glancing at the samurai girl beside him, his eyes wandering off in her direction every now and then. The reason was only one; her expression. There was a constant smug smirk on her face as she walked next to him and not once did it leave her features. Trafalgar wasn't sure what to think of it but somehow he felt like he didn't want to know the answer; that it would only annoy him. That smugness clearly written on her face promised nothing good. Nevertheless, his curiosity got the best of him and he had no choice but to finally ask, narrowing his eyes in the process. "What is it, Miss Miyako?"

Miyako's self-satisfied smirk never left her face as she answered. "I saved your ass today~" The girl all but sang in response. "And I can't wait to hear your 'thank you' later." She knew Law had a hard time expressing his gratitude since it meant admitting his weakness because he needed saving. In all this time she only heard him thank her for helping him out once and he barely got it out of his mouth. Let's not even start on apologies, which she didn't hear him utter even once in all their time together. She seriously started considering he was physically incapable of apologizing. Nonetheless, all these facts only made her more eager to pick on him now that she had the chance.

Law knew it would be something like that, but he was still surprised by the crude way she put it. She was definitively spending too much time with the crew. The captain narrowed his eyes again but didn't say anything as the girl continued.

"You owe me one." Miyako smirked at him, obviously feeling pretty damned good about herself right now.

Law turned his gaze forward again, not at all fazed by her word as he spoke in his usual mellow manner. "Actually, I believe we aren't even tied yet. I'm highly in the lead of saving _your_ ass." He purposely used her own words against her, amused by the sudden change in the girl's expression.

„You actually count!?" The girl sighed, looking at Law with a rather tired expression of disappointment. *_Why am I even surprised?_* She should've known that there was no way she could get any leverage on this man; as always he was still three steps ahead of her.

The girl's smug expression turned into a sulky pout and she looked like a child denied of a treat. "You're no fun. I should've let you get eaten by the fish monsters." She mumbled, displeased.

The captain raised his eyebrow at that statement but didn't seem to take offence by it; or at least didn't show it. "Oh? But then how would you sail out of here?" There was a lighthearted tone in his voice, as he wasn't even trying to mask his amusement.

The girl didn't waver at his words but instead raised her nose in the air, holding her chin up high as she answered with a smirk. Even with closed eyes, the girl continued to walk confidently "I would manage…But-" She emphasized the last word as she continued. "That would be rather bothersome so I decided to show some sympathy and save you. You still had a purpose." She finally finished, opening one eye to give Law a foxy look accompanied with a smirk. It definitively sounded like something Law would usually say and she even looked like him a bit at the moment. Law didn't doubt that it was completely on purpose.

However, Trafalgar had no intention of losing in her little game. Unfortunately for her he had a sure win move that always got to her as she always seemed unprepared for it. When it comes to Miyako, Law learned that trying with either wittiness or physical power, Miyako was always ready to counter, but there was something she was still not used to even after all these months. He got closer to her and smirked. "I'm so glad I can be of use to you." he started with sarcasm dripping from his every word. They were walking at the end of the group, so there would be no bothersome interruptions or questioning looks this time. It actually made him feel a bit disappointed since he knew how much Miyako hated doing what she called 'embarrassing things' in public and in front of the crew. It always made her even more shocked and out of it, which Law never tires of. He leaned in towards Miyako's ear, still walking beside her, and whispered subtly so only she could hear. "So if you are that eager to see my gratitude, I'll gladly show it to you later. They say actions speak louder than words, do they not?" He smirked as he saw the girl's face turn red all the way to her ears, the color obvious even in the semi-darkness of the cave.

Miyako felt his hot breath on her slightly chilled skin and it only made her remember what happened between them earlier that day in the infirmary. Her golden eyes went wide and she almost jumped away from Law who was still looking at her with that smirk on his face. Now it was his time to be smug. "N-n-no, t-that's fine!" She stuttered, barely able to utter the words as she shrunk away from the pirate captain. "I believe you so you don't have to show me!" She finally spat out in one quick rush of words before she quickened her pace, trying her best to run away from the still-amused Law and his suggestive words.

A few puzzled heads turned their way but nobody commented on it. Truth be told, the crew was already used to the occasional banter between Law and Miyako and they tried their best to ignore it or turn a blind eye. It was safer to just pretend you didn't see or hear anything when it came to certain moments since they didn't want to kindle the flame which was Miyako's rage that came after her embarrassment usually aimed towards the teasing crew, nor did they want to question Law's impatient and annoyed look when he was interrupted in one of his sessions of teasing Miyako to death. So as always, the Heart Pirates simply turned their heads forward again with a clear sweatdrop on their faces.

Miyako waked a few paces to the front of the group, well away from Law, and sighed in relief at the much needed distance. Her relief was short lasting as she heard Sai's words next to her. She didn't even realize he was there.

"Wow, Miyako-chan, you're really becoming bolder if you're willing to flirt in public." His tone stayed calm as always, only a slight hint of surprise in it.

„I am _not_ flirting!" The girl exclaimed back, a bit too loudly, making her voice echo throughout the cavern halls. The walls bounced back her words as if mocking her. _Flirting flirting flirting_….that's all she could hear, as the word drilled in her mind together with a newfound sense of dread when she realized everybody heard it as well. The girl stopped walking for a while, bowing her head with a gloomy aura around her. Hearing a few chuckles from the crew behind her only made her feel worse.

Thankfully, Bepo's voice interrupted her thoughts of despair along with any planned teasing from the Heart Pirates. "We're here!" The bear rushed out of the hall and into the large room where Miyako and Bepo started their journey.

A relieved sigh came from Penguin and Shachi. "Thank god, the submarine seems ok."

„This be one hello'a adventchya! Me galley better be alstarboard!" Munk exclaimed, running his fingers through his thick beard that had a few more strands of silver than before.

"Who would want to touch your kitchen anyway?" Josh muttered but quickly shut his mouth when he saw Munk's warning look that the head chef gave him. He might not have his deadly large wooden spoon with him now, but Josh didn't doubt the chef was still too dangerous to mess with. It was one of those rules the crew all knew by heart by now; never mess with Munk or his kitchen. Another was to never complain of Munk's food. Josh did that once and regretted it dearly as he was made to eat ten more servings of it. A shiver went down the medic's spine at the memory.

The Heart Pirates rushed inside their submarine happily, glad to be in a familiar place and still slightly confused about everything that happened. Bepo and Miyako explained most of it to them already but it was hard to process everything since they couldn't recall any of it. Most of them were just completely depressed and disappointed that their wonderful dream of mermaids turned into a nightmare with some creatures from the black lagoon.

"Still, how do we get out of here? We can't use the way we got here since it's too steep and the current would work against us." Jean Bart hummed in a troubled tone as he looked around the cave for any idea that would help.

Miyako bit the nail of her thumb as she looked at the cave's walls. She remembered something that might just be their ticket out of here. "I think I know how." She turned to Sai and Jean Bart. "Start the engine."

Sai stopped and gave a questioning look to Law who was standing behind Miyako, uncertain to act before he got permission from his captain. Law stayed silent but after a while gave them a barely visible nod and both navigators went inside to the control room. Miyako stayed on the deck even after everyone was already inside. Law was the last one, holding the doors of the sub open.

"What are you planning?" He didn't like to be uninformed about his own situation and he disliked even more for someone to give orders to his crew. Miyako had better have a good explanation for her actions.

"There is water all around us and I don't think these walls are so thick. I think we can cut them and let the water in." She explained looking around the room to find the right place to make the cut.

"Thus getting a route out of here." Law finished with a mutter, figuring out her plan instantly. Well he deemed that to be a good enough idea to excuse her for her earlier insolence. He saw the girl take a battojutsu stance. In all honesty, he could've done this part but it was her idea so why not let the girl have some of the fun. Whatever Law said, she _did_ save them earlier, so he'll cut her some slack…_this time_.

Miyako was silent for a while, her eyes closed, as she concentrated on the task before her. When she suddenly opened her eyes, she wore a piercing look. She unsheathed her katana and made an instant slash all in one move. _'Ittouryu; Kiritateru!'_ The slice went through the air and a large rig soon appeared on the wall as the slash connected. The hum of the water turned into thunder as the rocks fell down, blasted from the water pressure that started leaking into the large cavern. Miyako and Law quickly went inside, closing the metal doors tightly behind them.

The girl turned her head to her captain and grinned. "See? No sweat."

"Actually, the hard part comes now. But that will be decided by our navigators." Law explained and headed to the control room, Miyako right behind him.

The submarine shook and rose as it was engulfed in huge streams of water that filled out the room in a second. A current started forming and led the submarine towards one of those halls, rushing the vessel inside without any chance of slowing down or stopping. The two navigators did their best to avoid any walls or rocks on their way as they turned harshly left and right, riding the current. Everyone was holding tightly once more, as the submarine kept making sharp turns the whole way. Jean Bart had his hands full trying to keep the vessel even and on the right path, but every now and then they would bump into rocks or scrape at the walls. The current led them on, helping them stay on the right path but also complicated their ride as it made them go so fast it was hard to keep control of the vessel. After what could be either seconds or minutes of this rough ride, it finally seemed to come to an end as the current slowed down but only to be followed by another distressing surprise.

Everyone stared in shock at the realization but Josh was the first one to say something about it. "Wall….wall! WALL!" The redhead yelled in sheer panic now as they were about to crash. The current continued and spilled out of some small crack in the wall but it was far too small for the submarine to fit.

"Sai-ya, launch torpedo 1. Now!" The Captain yelled though still much calmer than the rest of his group that already prepared themselves for a crash and an unseemly death.

"Launching, torpedo 1." The navigator exclaimed after pushing a few more buttons before the decisive one. The submarine's weapon darted forward and right into the obstructing wall, destroying it completely. The rocks and sand blasted out along with the water and finally the yellow submarine.

The crew realized they started falling as the current kept leading them, but it finally slowed down completely and resumed its peaceful way throughout the sea depths. The submarine was once again engulfed with water all around and its sea life. Behind them was a large stone wall that looked like an enormous cliff and they just busted out of it, somewhere near the bottom. Underneath them was endless sand all around. But what made everyone there stare in completely silence was the sight in front of them. Shining brightly and illuminating the submarine with a sun that wasn't supposed to be there, Fishmen Island stood before them in all its colorful glory, enveloped in a large air bubble.

"It's here…" Cody was finally able to speak up.

The others soon got over their shock and cheered at their luck. "Fishmen island!"

"Mermaid Island!" Both Shachi and Penguin cheered in unison, hooking an arm around each other's necks before doing a strange dance full of joy, getting a few glances with sweat drops from the other pirates.

"Well that was a rather unconventional way to get to Fishmen Island." Sai murmured, still not believing that the tunnel actually lead right to their destination.

"The sea sure is a mysterious place." Jean Bart commented but decided not to 'look a gifted horse in the mouth.' If Lady Luck decided to smile upon them, who was he to go against that.

The captain of the Heart Pirates walked over to the main window of the control room, not turning his eyes from the bright sight of Fishmen Island before them. They were 10 thousand meters under the sea and the light was still shining brightly upon them; surely an amazing and interesting sight even to Trafalgar Law. There was a satisfied smirk clear on his features as he stared at the island before him.

"Sai-ya, announce to the crew that we've arrived at Fishmen Island."

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey10<strong> for beta-reading this chapter.

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><p>Fishmen Island, here we come! :D<p>

Thank you for all the nice reviews! As always, constructive criticism is welcomed so don't hold back. :)

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><p><strong>Izzie: <strong>lol *bows head* Sorry! Still, it was much needed for the continuation of the story so I had to make it a bit angst. Hm, I have some vague idea cause of that place in Doflamingo's family, but I don't know what it means exactly. Never mind, I'm just rambling. In the manga, chapter 735 was the last, right? I read it. :)

**Animagirl: **Hehe yes, but my all-time favorite by him is still; 'Weaklings can't choose their way of death.'

**Florachi: **Thank you! Hope you liked this one too! ^^ lol for some reason when I read 'hole' I just imagined myself digging a hole in the backyard.

**Animelover0160: **haha It seems I worried a lot of the readers with that. XD Thank you!

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Somehow, the Tenryuubito and crazy spoilt wishes always seem to go together so I felt it had to be something like this. I didn't want Piercy to disappoint, being a snotty World Noble that he was. :P Well after angering the Tenryuubito and the marines with their actions, saving one slave might not make much of a difference.

**RinD: **Thank you! :)

**Zoro et Robin: **Yeah, in the end it wasn't so hard to do that 'romantic' scene though I'm more afraid how to develop that kind of 'in-love' Law and Miyako in the future. ^^' (somehow it's hard to picture Law and love together.)

**robotsftw232: **Yep, it only took 44 chapters. XD

**Mi-chan1991: **Thank you, I hope you liked it!

**reddevil47: **Oh I have lots of ideas with the New World. :D

**Wings-chan: **Thanks. I'm always worried about making Law ooc. ^^' Yeah, I really think Law and Luffy are alike in some aspects too. And you can really see new (hilarious) sides of him, while he's with the Straw Hats. (Nobody can escape their crazy antics :P)

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Originally I wanted Law and Miyako to beat the crap out of the Tenryuubito in that palace but the story would head in a more chaotic direction then.

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **Haha Sorry to scare you. XD But it's no fun if there aren't some dramatic twists here and there. ;P

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Well that's Josh after all, his tongue is quicker than his brain. :P I'm glad I put that in; there are just some details I totally forget about since it's been a while since that chapter, so it's good when readers remind me. XD I realized my new favorite thing; flashbacks. They really help sometimes. :D lol I knooow, but that's why I gave them a nice pond to swim around freely.

**Bioware**: Thank you very much. ^^


	46. Chapter 46

'**I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

I actually uploaded sooner than I though. Whoot! :D I'm kinda feeling 'meh' about this chapter but that might just be my personal opinion as the author…I don't know, I'll let you guys decide. Hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters, but the OC Suzune Miyako is mine. This story is rated T for violence, language and suggestive themes.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 46<strong>

The Heart Pirates looked around in awe at the scenery before them. There were Merfolk everywhere, of all colors and kinds. The Fishmen swam inside watery tubes that reached every part of the island, branching out like roads. The others used air bubbles on their waists to move around and it almost seemed like they were flying, swimming on air itself as they moved their tails. There were even giant turtles used as transport like cabs and buses to help the Fishmen reach from one place to the other.

The pirates watched all this with open mouths and wide grins, completely losing themselves in the unusual sight.

"But I still don't get it; how can there be so much light here?" Bepo scratched his head as he tilted it to the side questioningly.

"It's because of the Sunlight Tree Eve," Law answered, almost a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He was always well prepared for their journeys and Fishmen Island was no exception. He studied as much as he could on the subject; history and all. "It absorbs sunlight in the surface and then sends it down through its roots." The captain finished his explanation with a gesture towards the large trees around the island that were actually the said roots.

"That must be the biggest tree in the world then," Penguin muttered in amazement.

Josh grinned at the mechanic. "I bet they'll be even more amazing things in the New World." Both pirates got excited by just the thought, until Shachi came from behind and interrupted them by almost jumping at them, hooking his arms on both their necks in the process.

"Guys, aren't we forgetting something…?" There was a light blush decorating Shachi's already grinning face. "Mermaid Café is still waiting!" He exclaimed, gaining a few worried and fearful looks from the by-passers.

The other mechanic gladly joined in Shachi's cheer, understanding the brown haired man's joy perfectly. "Whoooa! That's right everyone! Let's find some Mermaids!" Penguin raised his fist in the air excitedly.

On the other hand, Josh just covered his embarrassed and slightly red face with the rim of his hat by pulling it further down. "I'm not really interested," he murmured, sporting a slight pout on his expression.

Bepo, Miyako and Cody watched the redhead with a sweat drop, all of them thinking the exact same thing. *_He totally is…*_

However, as Miyako looked around, she couldn't help but notice the wary stares coming from the Fishmen. The townspeople seemed to be keeping as much distance as they could as they passed them by. True, the Heart Pirates were a rowdy bunch, and were at the moment yelling mermaids all around, probably seeming like human idiots to the Fishmen, but was it really that bad that the Mermen would feel so uncomfortable just seeing them on the street? Or was it because they were pirates? True, pirates were mostly feared and hated everywhere but the officials of the Ryugu Palace even allowed the Heart Pirates passage inside, already used to all kinds of pirate crews stopping here before heading for the New World. Besides, Law mentioned this was previously Whitebeard's territory and now under the protection of Big Mom, both notorious Pirate Emperors. So why such suspicious looks from all the townspeople around?

"Don't you think the Fishmen are acting a bit strange? As if they are avoiding us. Are they scared of us?" Miyako finally asked, unable to withstand her curiosity any longer.

This time it wasn't Law who answered, but Jean Bart, walking the crowded streets beside her. "It's not that odd considering the history between them and the humans," the navigator started, continuing after seeing the girl's puzzled gaze. "A lot of humans discriminate against the Fishmen, considering them lower beings than men. So a lot of them are even hunted down and sold like slaves. They've been fighting this war of prejudice for hundreds of years already." The former captain Jean Bart sighed, looking at the Merfolk around him. As a former slave, he knew well what it was like to live as nothing more than a dog of your 'master'. Slaves were thought of nothing but used property. The navigator could sympathize with these Fishmen and their fear of humans. Humans were cruel creatures after all.

"I see…I didn't even know they were treated this badly on the surface," Miyako murmured. Discrimination wasn't an unfamiliar term to her; she met with it on her journey as a Rounin quite often. There were always differences between the people and the classes as they each had their way of life but some believed they were better than the others. She remembered a particular sort of those people, a picture of Saint Q. Piercy and the Tenryuubito instantly entering her mind, and her features twisted into a displeased frown.

"Heh. You still have much to learn about the world," Josh said in a self-important note, giving her one of those I'm-so-sure-of-myself smiles.

The girl just looked at him from the corner of her eyes, not bothering to turn to him completely, her expression turning even less pleased. "I don't want to hear that from you," her tone was sour as she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" The redhead growled, his usual temper instantly getting the best of him.

The two bumped heads, glaring at each other, ready to lash out but they stopped cold when they heard a familiar clearing of throat beside them. Cody silently stared at them, not even having to say anything for the two to instantly calm down and fall into place. The medic was probably the only one who could control those two besides the captain. The pair froze and moved away with a sweat drop and guilty looks, not wanting to provoke the wrath of the blue haired medic.

"More importantly, Captain Law, we don't have any duties now, right?" Sam grinned, his thoughts clearly written on his face. If they were in a cartoon there would be two Mermaid ladies instead of his usual hazel eyes. He stared at his captain expectantly, only needing a green light to disappear in the blink of an eye.

The captain stared back at his crew, who were already tense with anticipation by now. He purposely prolonged the silence, pretending to contemplate on the idea, only to make them stir in their own impatience a little. Finally, the pirate captain sighed and nodded. Without having time to even voice his consent, the crew split up in groups and rushed away, heading in all directions. With another sigh and a shook of his head, the captain watched his crew quickly disappear into the crowd, still standing out in their snow-white boiler suits. He could only hope they don't get into any trouble but being the pirates they were, the chances for that were rather slim.

Soon everyone headed their own way. Law mentioned they needed a new log pose for the New World and made buying it his first priority. He invited Jean Bart and Sai for this task, since they were going to use that log the most. The smaller navigator was also interested in some maps of the unfortunately scarcely charted New World so he happily went along.

The rest of the crew also went their own way; most of them on their quest to find the dream-like Mermaid Café they all wouldn't shut up about ever since they set off of Sabaody. Even Cody and Joshua went with them; Cody just smiling, but honestly interested in the Mermaids as well, while Josh kept muttering under his breath and trying to hide his enthusiasm, yet he wasn't fooling anybody.

The ones who didn't go searching for mermaids, searched for some local liquor or cuisine, determined to try out as much as they could while still on Fishmen Island. Most of their interest was turned towards alcohol and women though, as they searched for any good taverns. Some even went shopping, talking about some famous designer who has a clothing brand for criminals or something like that; Miyako wasn't really sure since she wasn't listening closely anyway.

However, for the first time in quite some time, the girl had some time for herself, finding herself alone at the town's square. She took a deep breath with a smile, smelling the faint salty air around her, enjoying the peace and quiet for a change. _*Alright. So where to now?* _She put her hands on her hips, happily looking around, excited to start her exploration. Soon, that satisfied expression was accompanied by a sweat drop as the girl blinked a few times, her smile wavering lightly. _*Ah…I have no idea where to go.*_ She sighed a bit disappointedly, leaning forward as if a heavy burden was weighing on her back, but then she abruptly stood upright again with a bright smile and hit the palm of her hand with a fist of the other, exclaiming happily in the process and scaring a few bystanders. _*I know! Let's find a map of this place first!*_ With a clear goal in mind now, the girl walked on ahead with newfound determination.

~.…~

The samurai turned the map a few times, then tilted her head accordingly as if that would help her make sense of where she was going. She looked at the street in front of her. "I'm pretty sure the bus stop should be here…somewhere," the girl muttered, looking at the map again, still walking down the street and somehow managing to not bump into the Fishmen around.

"There was another ruckus, this time at Coral Hill. It seems someone from the Fishmen district came there and started causing trouble." An octopus-looking woman spoke up to her Mermaid friend.

Miyako's head turned a little as she caught that rumor while passing by, listening to the conversation. The girl didn't really like eavesdropping but this sounded like an interesting topic since she didn't really want the crew and her to meet any trouble here; they had enough of that on Sabaody and on their way here. Now, she just wanted to relax, find the bus stop that led to the famous sightseeing location called the Sea Forest and look around as nothing more than a tourist.

The old mermaid huffed, obviously displeased and irritated. "I'm getting sick of those thugs in the Fishmen District. Causing trouble, stealing, fighting…They seemed to be more irksome these days than usual." The woman shook her head with a glare on her face, aimed at a third party that wasn't here. "I hear there are some new gangs forming there; even going so far as to call themselves pirates."

The octopus looking woman shook her head as well, looking troubled at the thought, but then her expression lightened up in an instant. "But the princes were there to stop the man and put them into custody. Honestly, we're so lucky to have our dear princes protecting us. As long as they are here, we have nothing to fear," the woman was smiling brightly by the end of her speech.

"Oh, you're completely right! As long as we have our powerful Fukaboshi-sama, Ryuboshi-sama, Manboshi-sama and our wise king Neptune-sama, we are completely safe!" The other joined in the praise of their rules, clasping her hands together and looking up towards the palace almost as if celebrating some deity.

That's when the old mermaid noticed Miyako nearby and subtly let her friend know. They both instantly fell quiet and moved along in a hurry, glancing suspiciously at the human girl.

Miyako pretended not to notice as the women hurried away from her. Instead, with a sigh she kept on walking and looking at her map. *_At this rate, I can't ask anyone for directions either.*_ The girl sighed again but then stopped suddenly as she noticed a red sign right in front of her, that said bus 122. Miyako smiled happily as it was exactly what she was looking for.

~…..~

Miyako stepped out of the large bus which was actually a giant fish with a cabin strapped to its back. The girl gasped as she found herself in front of a large forest with sunlight shining upon the trees. It was filled with both flora and fauna; numerous colorful plants lightly waving as if alive, while various sea creatures swam around lazily completely unfazed by the girl's presence.

She looked around, but didn't notice anyone else here which gave her some peace and quiet to enjoy this view. The samurai walked deeper into the forest, noticing large wrecks of ships nearby. She strolled over to them, examining the wooden and metal wreckage known as the ship's graveyard. It would look eerie in any other occasion, but somehow with bright colors and fish all around her, Miyako didn't find the sight very ghostly or bizarre. That's why she strolled on, passing the large ships and examining each one with interest. She saw a particularly large one, dyed in a blood red color with black sails that had a white jolly roger painted on them. The ship had a wide hole gaping from the side of its hull and both of its masts were broken. The girl wondered what could've caused such damage and she soon decided to satisfy her curiosity by climbing on board. She stepped on the wooden deck, deciding it was still sturdy enough to walk on since the ship didn't look that old.

Miyako went on with her exploration as she stepped inside the cabin and down the stairs that led below. She opened the first door she saw and stepped aside in surprise as a large fish quickly swam out of the room and through the first window that led outside. The girl chuckled with amusement, looking after the fish, before turning her attention to the room once again. After further inspection, Miyako noticed it was the bridge of the ship with the galley, and the girl frowned a little. She had enough of galleys at the submarine; she didn't need to examine some more. So instead she strolled further down, passing the armory and the sickbay. The girl stopped after passing the sickbay and moved backwards, peering inside. She wasn't really interested in the medical equipment since that was Law's area of expertise but a bright thought occurred to Miyako; if she found something interesting, it would act as a good bribe for the captain. The girl already learned how Trafalgar's mind worked; if you want something, you better have something to give in return. That's why it was always good to have something prepared for such occasions where Miyako had to ask Law a favor; usually involving borrowing money. It didn't happen often but it was good to be prepared; one thing she learned involving Law was to always be prepared.

The girl stepped inside and investigated the room, starting from the cupboards. She saw some broken bottles of medication and pills but that didn't quite interest her. The surgical equipment didn't look like anything special since she saw all those instruments at Law's infirmary as well. When it came to Trafalgar Law, you could say a lot about him but you certainly couldn't criticize his infirmary. The man had the very best equipment there.

So instead, Miyako went to the doctor's room inside the sickbay and saw a small desk there. It was neat and tidy with only a few basic items on it. The girl opened one of the drawers but didn't find anything of interest in it. It was only after the third drawer that Miyako found a small but thick book enveloped in old leather covers. It had papers and notes sticking out of it. As she opened it, Miyako realized it was the doctor's diary or rather his research log. Every page was filled with scribbles and notes, accompanied with occasional sketches.

Miyako didn't understand most of it, but she bet Law would. However, one thing even Miyako could perceive. Her eyebrows furrowed as she continued to read and stare at the pictures. It seems our good doctor was preparing for his trip to the Fishmen Island and the girl felt a bit glad he never got the chance to step foot here since he would definitively do more than just tourism. The crew of this ship obviously wasn't friendly towards Fishmen. They seemed to be catching and selling them, while the more interesting ones would end up on this doctor's table as research specimens. The doctor wrote that he even bought some Fishmen slaves to do research on them. The girl closed the book quickly as more detailed descriptions of the research followed, investigating the Merfolk internal anatomy. Miyako remembered Law's desire to 'analyze' those sea creatures they met and even on Fishmen; somehow she had a feeling Law would get along just fine with this pirate doctor, probably compering their research. That gave Miyako a certain idea that brought a smirk on her features; Law would definitively be interested in this research material and would want this book. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Miyako pocketed the thick book in a small black backpack she brought along with her from the sub. She felt like a scavenger while taking it but then again, it's not like anybody would come looking for it; besides, she was a pirate now. That didn't mean she would go against her morals but perhaps bending the rules now and then wasn't so bad. The girl stopped and thought about that fact for a while, sighing when she realized the Heart Pirates were definitively a bad influence on her.

The girl strolled through the rest of the wreckage, mostly examining the damage of the ship. She even rummaged through the captain's cabin but didn't really find anything of interest. She listed through the captain's log that told about some of their adventures but it was pretty mild; at least compared to what the Heart Pirates went thought in the Grand Line. Not finding anything else interesting, Miyako went back to the deck and jumped down from it on the mossy ground, steadying the katana tied around her slim waist. She stood up from her kneeling position and looked upwards, only now noticing a white building on top of a small hill not far ahead.

_*A pavilion?*_ Miyako narrowed her eyes, trying to focus her sight towards the tall building. She ran towards the hill, scaring a school of fish passing by that swam a circle around the girl before heading higher up. Miyako giggled and looked up, her jaw slacking in amazement as she saw pods of whales swim slowly right above her. She never thought she would see such a sight and if she didn't leave Wanokuni, she never would. The girl smiled at that thought, not regretting her choice to come on this journey with the Heart Pirates. Adjusting the backpack on her back, the girl walked on towards the building.

Only when she came up to the hill did Miyako realize the pavilion was actually a grave and she was standing in front of a graveyard. There were a few more tombstones made out of high quality white stone. The pavilion was the most impressive with golden but subtle decoration around the archway. *_It must have been an important person,*_ Miyako thought, coming closer to read the name on the tomb inside the pavilion. *_Beloved mother and queen, Otohime-sama_,*the girl read and whistled in amazement as she realized it was the grave of the Fishmen Island's queen.

Her impressed expression was soon changed as Miyako suddenly got serious, looking behind her with the corner of her eyes. *_A voice. But it's weak.*_ Her Kenbunshoku Haki caught a presence nearby and it didn't belong to any of the fish fauna around her; It was a more cognizant being. The girl rushed towards the presence, realizing its voice was still weak meaning the person, whoever they were, were barely conscious.

Miyako rushed through the bushes, moving some plants as tall as her aside, when she heard a slight moan of pain.

"Nyuu~"

The girl looked down to see a Fishman lying on the floor, bleeding profoundly. He looked like an octopus with star-shaped white hair. He had serious injuries all across his body; from deep cuts to obvious broken bones. Any human would be long dead with those wounds but the Fishmen were more enduring than humans, which was the only reason this person was still breathing shallowly.

"What terrible injuries! Hold on!" The girl gasped and knelt down next to the Fishman, examining him. However, there was not much Miyako could do with her limited knowledge of medical care and without any equipment to help this octopus-man. She looked around but there was no one in sight, no one to ask for help. A light bulb lit up in Miyako's mind when she remembered she had a spare t-shirt in her backpack and since there were no bandages, this will have to do. She took out her t-shirt and ripped it into stripes to get a bandage-like shape. She did her best wrapping the makeshift bandages around the deepest wounds, staining her hands and attire with the Fishman's blood.

"Nyuu…Who are you?" The Fishman finally groaned out through slight panting.

"Oh, you're awake, good," Miyako smiled a little, seeing the octopus-man was conscious and much sturdier than she thought. Even with his grave injuries, he was able to open his unfocused eyes and look at Miyako. He slowly sat up, mostly with the girl's help. "Don't strain yourself. We need to find you some help," she warned, worried his wounds will become even worse.

"Nyuuu…I only remember swimming towards Fishmen Island but then I lost consciousness on the way. I must've been brought here by the currents," he explained and looked at the girl a bit better now. "A human?"

Miyako nodded, a bit worried that he will try to push her away and show the same unpleasantness all the other Fishmen were showing to her and the rest of the humans here. "Yes. My name is Miyako."

On her surprise, the Fishman didn't try to push her away nor did he give her a glare. Instead, he nodded to her respectfully. "Thank you for bandaging me. I'm Hatchan."

"I think the bleeding stopped but you definitively need medical attention. Come on, we need to get you to the doctor." The girl helped the octopus up and he hooked one of his six arms around her neck. She was both surprised and amazed that he could even walk with those injuries. Still, she had no idea how to get him all the way to the town, they had no time to just wait for the bus and then enjoy some scenery while he was bleeding to death.

However, once again the Fishman surprised her as he did a loud call, as if talking to someone, but Miyako couldn't understand a word of it. Seconds later a large purple fish came down to them, an air bubble around it to help it swim around. The girl looked at Hatchan with a questioningly gaze.

"Come on, get on." That's all he said, determined to climb on the large animal. Miyako helped him up and then jumped on herself, steadying Hatchan in front of her.

The octopus-man made another weird sound and soon they were lifted in the air, swimming quickly towards the town.

~…..~

As soon as they arrived at the city's center, filled with staring Fishmen, Miyako jumped down and helped Hatchan down as well. However, in all the commotion she soon realized they were surrounded by Merfolk. Everyone was staring at them with expressions of fear or distrust.

"What's this? A wounded Fishman?"

"Isn't that a human?"

"Look! He has cuts all over his body and that human has a katana!"

"The humans attacked another Fishman! She must've done this! What is she trying to do with him!?"

"I bet she wants to sell him at Sabaody!"

"Somebody, help!"

There were shouts and whisperer all around them, the Fishmen coming closer to Miyako who was now warily watching them. She could feel the change in them as fear turned into anger and blood thirst. She saw a few of them in the back, taking out their weapons. At that moment, Miyako realized there was no reasoning them; they were too scared and too untrusting of any human to actually listen. She took a step back, thinking of her best course of action. Trying to fight them would only rile them up more so instead she glanced all around, trying to find the best route of escape. At least they would take care of the hurt Fishman now so her job was done.

"Nyu! Wait! It's not like that! She helped me!" Hatchan tried calming them down, as he stepped in front of Miyako protectively. However, he stumbled forward due to pain and injuries, too weak to even stand anymore.

"Ha-san!" Miyako called out instantly leaping to the wounded Fishman to help him.

"Don't touch him!" One merman shouted and rushed at Miyako with a pitchfork. She was about to unsheathe her katana to dodge but before she could do that or even wonder why did that guy have a pitchfork here with him anyway, a blue sphere enveloped them all and the Fishman's pitchfork disappeared in a blink of an eye, replaced by a simple stick.

The crowd gasped and quickly hurried to the side, as far away as possible from the incoming humans. Law was walking towards them all, still having his room up, accompanied with Sai and Jean Bart. The whole scene of the deadly surgeon of death, a giant man and another with a rifle on his back, must've been frightening for the simple townsfolk and they suddenly lost all courage to fight.

"Mind explaining what's going on here, Miss Miyako?" Law asked with narrowed eyes and a serious expression, pulling his lips in a tight line. He stopped right in front of Miyako and the octopus-man who was lying on the floor in pain now, adjusting his nodachi on the right shoulder. As soon as he did that move, the Fishmen around moved even further, afraid of the sword's mare presence.

Miyako was surprised at the Hearts sudden appearance, but she quickly got over it, remembering there were more important things to worry about right now. "Ah well…It's a bit of a misunderstanding," she sighed with a troubled look, a slight hint of annoyance in it. "More importantly, could you help this guy out? He definitively needs medical attention."

Without even looking down at Hatchan or changing his bored-looking expression, Law answered still gazing only at Miyako. "And why would I care?" He completely ignored the frightened or armed people around him, as if not even deeming them a threat.

Miyako sighed, already knowing what Law would say. "I suppose 'because I asked you to' wouldn't suffice," she muttered with a dissatisfied look. He didn't answer but tilted his head a little as if stating _'that's obvious'_. So instead, Miyako continued with a different plan. She remembered the little notebook in her backpack and patted herself on the back for deciding to take it after all. With a smirk she looked up at Law again. "What if I can make it worth your while?" She took out the book from the backpack and flipped over to some research materials she knew Law would be interested it. She ignored Trafalgar's questioning look that seemed less bored now and tossed him the notebook.

The captain skimmed over it, narrowing his eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?" was Miyako's immediate answer before nodding at Hatchan and staring at her captain inquisitively.

The pirate hummed and furrowed his eyebrows, slightly displeased about this change of events, but then he stepped closer to the barely conscious Fishman. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Hatchan, kneeling to look at him better. "I remember you…" He muttered. "You're the one who was saved by Straw Hat at Sabaody, a year ago." Miyako stared at Law with a perplexed expression but Trafalgar didn't explain anything. Instead he stood up and turned to Jean Bart, nodding slightly.

As if on some cue, the large navigator stepped closer and lifted the wounded Fishman carefully. The crowd of people gasped and whispered some more, worried that the humans were trying to take the Fishman to hurt him further but nobody dared to do anything about it.

"Look, the officers are coming!" Somebody exclaimed with relief.

The Heart Pirates looked at each other but Miyako stepped forward before anyone could say anything. "I'll stay and talk with them." She gave a knowing look to Law wanting to say _'You go and help him_.'

"I'll stay with her," Sai walked over to her and nodded to his captain. "Just in case." He added and saw the silent approval in his captain's eyes. Law didn't seem to like that fact but then he sighed and turned to take Hatchan back to the submarine.

"And Law!" Miyako called out, making the captain turn around questioningly. "Don't cut him up." She added, half-jokingly but a little worried that he might actually do that, knowing Law and his love for experimenting.

The captain only gave the girl a rather sadistic grin; on purpose, she was sure, before turning around to leave. "I don't take orders from you, Miss Miyako," he finally added, walking off with Jean Bart towards the submarine.

After the captain and the other navigator left, Miyako and Sai stepped forward, awaiting the royal guards that rushed over to them. "Don't agitate them," he warned to the samurai in a whisper though she already knew not to do that much.

"It's them, officers! They hurt a Fishman and then kidnapped him!" One of the townspeople yelled and the rest of the crowd pitched in approvingly. "The other's got away!"

The royal guard of Seahorse-looking Fishman armed to the tooth rushed over to them, surrounding Miyako and Sai in a flash. Luckily, Law and Jean Bart were already gone by then, disappearing in the crowd and numerous streets of the Fishmen Island.

"What's going on here!? We got a notice that there was trouble with the humans!" One of the guards yelled, glaring at the human pirates.

"They kidnapped a Fishman! And they're pirates! Their captain is that Surgeon of Death from North Blue!" The crowd kept yelling comments against the two humans, not making Miyako's and Sai's situation any easier.

"Look, this is all just a misunderstanding. I found him already injured in the Sea Forest and brought him here for treatment. I didn't-" Miyako tried to step closer to the guard as she explained but was rudely interrupted with a spear dangerously close to her neck.

"Not a step closer!" The guard yelled. "We don't have any reason to believe anything you say, human! You will come with us to the Ryugu palace and be judged in front of the king! And you better tell us what you did with the Fishman!" Even the guards obviously had no intention to listen to them and Miyako glared at the group, her eyes darkening a shade. If both the townspeople and the guards were like this, she doubted the king was any different.

Sai's voice brought her back to reality and calmed her a bit. "Alright, we'll come with you," he said, rising his hands in the air peacefully. Seeing a puzzled look from the girl, the navigator whispered. "Just play along for now."

Quite reluctantly Miyako let herself be shackled with cuffs and her katana taken away by one of the guards. She kept a sharp eye on him, determined to take Yawarakai-Te from him as soon as possible.

~…~

Law put on his rubber gloves and unwrapped bloodied rags of clothing previously known as Miyako's t-shirt. He held the dirty cloth to Ben, one of the Hearts from the medic team, who was helping him in the infirmary at the moment.

The captain's sharp eye examined Hatchan's now bare torso with multiple wounds, ignoring the fishmans groans of pain every now and then. He did give him some morphine but it barely helped the octopus-man. It seemed, except being very enduring and strong, the fishman also needed much bigger dosage of medication than humans for it to have an effect. Law cursed under his breath as he realized he needed to waste valuable medical supplies on this guy. That research notebook Miyako gave him better be worth it. Absentmindedly, he wondered how did she even get her hands on that thing. All the while, his steady hands were hastily working on treating Hatchan's wounds with maximum precision and control. This work came so natural to him, he barely had to think about it; he did everything mechanically.

Looking at the octopus-man's face, Law was sure now that it was the same Fishman who got in trouble with the Tenryuubito at the auction house. At that time Law only went inside the auction house to ease his boredom and see Doflamingo's newest field of interest, which was human slavery. He never imagined that the little trip there would turn into such a grand event. At least Straw Hat let him see something amusing at that time. This time, the octopus-man had even greater wounds than at that time and Law wondered how he might have gotten them. It seems this Fishman was falling into trouble as much as a certain Samurai Law knew. That thought brought Law's mind back to Miyako and Sai, but he shook his head slightly. Even if Miyako was always hopelessly getting into trouble, Sai was with her, and both of them were strong. They would be fine.

He looked at the barely conscious Fishman in front of him. "We need to do a blood transfusion, what blood type are you?" He didn't stop his work on the octopus-man's injuries even while looking at Hatchan's pale pink face.

"Nyuu…B-But…you can't give me your blood. It's against the law to mix our blood with humans'," the Fishman murmured, barely able to get the words out through labored breaths.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed again. "What?" He had no idea there was such a ridiculous law. As far as he knew, Fishmen and humans had the same blood and could give transfusions to each other. There was no medical risk that would require such a law to be instated. Could it be for a different reason; the bad history between humans and fishmen? But more importantly, how were they supposed to find a willing fishman to give them their blood for the transfusion? Law was just about to ask that when Hatchan spoke up again.

"Go…Go to…Mermaid café and ask for Keimi…Tell her Hatchi sent you…" That was all he managed to pant out before falling unconscious again.

"Tch," Law frowned with an irritated expression. This Fishman was way too much trouble than he was worth, and surely more than that booklet was worth! Miyako would definitively get a piece of his mind for this one. Nevertheless, Trafalgar Law wasn't one to break his promises and he _did_ make a deal with her. Grudgingly, the captain turned to Ben who heard the whole conversation and nodded slightly; that silent gesture was enough for Ben to understand his orders and the medic ran out, not wasting any time since he could see the Fishman's state was dire.

Meanwhile, Law did his best to treat Hatchan's wounds enough to stabilize the Fishman but the doctor already knew the whole process of healing would be much harder and slower without new blood to rejuvenate the system

~…~

"I can't believe we got kicked out!" Sam cried out loud enough to turn a few heads at Coral Hill.

Shachi grabbed Penguin in a headlock and rubbed the top of his head with force. "It's all your fault! I can't believe you asked that mermaid if she could poop! What kind of a stupid question was that anyway!?"

Penguin only retaliated by a harsh jab into Shachi's ribs with his elbow. "You're the one who tried to grope the blonde one!"

"That large shark lady was really scary when she got mad," Josh muttered, rubbing his sore left check where he got hit by the woman's tail. "Why did I even have to get hit because of you two idiots!?" The redhead finally yelled, irritated with the two mechanics who weren't even listening since they were still in their own fight. The short medic joined them by hitting Shachi over his head, which made Shachi kick Penguin in the shin that led to Penguin jabbing a fist in Josh's kidney. The three started fighting on the street, completely ignoring the scared and confused townspeople.

"That place was kinda boring…they didn't have even one female bear," Bepo muttered, completely disappointed at the experience.

"Of course they wouldn't, we're 10 000 meters underwater!" Penguin yelled at Bepo angrily.

"Sorry," the bear bowed his head and apologized in a tiny mumble.

Cody didn't join in as he just watched with a sweat drop. Unlike the others, he had a few lipstick marks on his white collar and cheek. Much to the jealousy and dismay of his friends, the bastard once again did it, getting all the Mermaids' attention. Cody was probably the most popular one with the ladies in their crew, not counting Law of course. But unlike the captain who was usually uninterested, Cody rarely said no to the beauties approaching him. But right now, something else caught the medic's eye as he blinked in puzzlement, furrowing his eyebrows a little. "Hey guys!" He called, but of course no answer came from the still fighting crew members. Only Sam looked at him with a questioning gaze. The bluehead got annoyed by his ignoring friends and ended the little tournament between them by giving them all a good punch on the head, stopping them immediately. Now that what was left of their consciousness was directed at him, he tried again, pointing at something in the distance. "Aren't those Sai and Miya-chan being taken away by the guards?"

"Eh!?" At his words, everyone quickly struggled to get back on their feet and stared with wide eyes at the group of fishmen walking with two shackled members of their crew.

"What's going on!?" Sam exclaimed.

"What did that bakaonna do now…?" Josh muttered, sighing and shaking his head. Somehow, she had to be involved in this and it _had_ to be her fault. It always was.

"More importantly; shouldn't we help them?" Cody asked, rubbing his unshaved patch on the chin in wonder, his appearance pretty calm and relaxed considering the situation.

"They look like they're in trouble," Bepo noted the obvious.

"Of course, we should! I don't know what's going on but our Nakama need our help, come on! We need to bust them out!" Penguin raised his fist in the air, always ready for a fight and some action.

"Idiot, that makes no sense! You can't bust them out if they're not in the brig yet!" Shachi contradicted him, staring at his mechanic partner with annoyance.

"Don't be so strung on technicality, idiot!" Penguin growled, jabbing Shachi's side with the tip of his fingers.

The brown-haired mechanic bumped heads with Penguin, ready for another round, completely forgetting their previous goal, until Cody's cracking knuckles reminded them. Both mechanics calmed down, seeing Cody casually cracking his knuckles, probably not meant for the Fishmen but for these two. The mechanics eyed Cody's merciless fist with nervous glances, before Shachi decided to change the subject and remind everyone about Miyako and Sai, hoping to get Cody off their backs.

"A-anyway, let's go help them already!"

The royal guard didn't even know what hit them when Penguin, Shachi, Joshua, Cody and Sam jumped right in, kicks and punches flying all around. Penguin jumped right in, kicking the first fishman in the head and sent him flying in the nearby wall. Meanwhile, Sam took out his two knuckle blades and passed so quickly by one of the guards, the other didn't even realize he was cut. Only when Sam stopped behind him, in a crouching stance, did gashes suddenly appear and blood spurted from the fishman. Meanwhile, Cody took out a kunai and skillfully cut the metal shackles from Miyako's and Sai's wrist. Even the two Heart Pirates just stood there, surprised at what just occurred before their eyes. They were brought back to reality when Josh tossed them their weapons and the pair also sprang into action.

At the end, there were eight Fishmen soldiers lying on the floor beaten in their own pools of blood.

"You idiots, what have you done!?" Sai yelled at the rest of the group who were now looking at each other uncomfortably.

"But Sai, we saw you were being taken away by the guards. What were we supposed to do?" Shachi was the first one who dared to speak, despite Sai's face that was now red in anger, in complete contrast to his usual pale skin.

"And the best you could think of is to kill them all? We were trying to resolve this peacefully. Now we're just in an even bigger trouble," the navigator complained but calmed down after a few deep breathes. He sighed in resignation. There was no use to get angry now anyway, the deed was already done and there was no amount of fury or complaining that would change that fact.

"Why were you in custody anyway?" Josh looked at Miyako suspiciously while asking that, as if already presuming the answer. However, the girl just looked away with a seemingly innocent face as if she had no idea about any of it.

Before the pair could answer, there was a shout coming from the crowd and the pirates noticed more royal guards rushing over to them, armed with swords and tridents. There were at least a few dozen of them. The townsfolk were accusingly shouting and pointing at the Heart Pirates, calling the royal guards over here. The said pirates gulped at the sight. They could probably take the officers out but that would only get them into an even bigger trouble, maybe even with the three royal princes of the Ryugu Palace.

Cody sighed, a bit tired. He didn't look awfully concerned, only disappointed. "I just wanted to see the Mermaids."

"You saw them close enough," Penguin mumbled in irritation, glaring lightly at the lucky medic bastard who stole all the girls from the Mermaid café and had all the fun.

"I think we should run," Sam added, poking at Shachi who was closest to him, trying to get everyone's attention. The fishmen guards were coming closer by the second, all of them sporting anger-filled expressions.

"Don't blame it on me, you're the reason why Madame Shyarly kicked us out," Cody retorted, while Shachi gave Penguin another jab in the ribs as he also remembered it was Penguin's fault he couldn't enjoy his beautiful mermaids a little longer. That, of course, resulted in Penguin kicking Shachi in the thigh and then both mechanics grabbed each other in a headlock looking quite ridiculous in that pose as they both squirmed and tried to struggle out of the grip of the other.

"Guys, they're coming closer…We should definitively run," Sam noted once more, being the only who was actually paying any attention to the angry mob charging towards them.

Miyako sighed with a sad expression. "I really wanted to just be a tourist here; visit some places, see new things…Why does it always end like this?" The girl gripped her head and shook it in frustration.

"You're actually asking that!? It's always your fault in the first place!" Joshua yelled, frustrated as well but for a different reason.

"Eh?" The girl looked up at him with the most innocent big eyes the medic has ever seen, as if she was completely unaware of that fact until now.

Sam's eyes widened as he saw more guards joined the group coming towards them and now a hefty crowd of armed royal guards were hurrying towards the pirates, determination clear in their eyes. "Shut up and run for it!" The assistant mechanic yelled and smacked Josh on the head while his eyes were still glued to the dangerously closing crowd. That's when the rest of the Heart Pirates finally decided to quiet down and listen to the man, following his gaze with their own.

"Uh-oh," Bepo gulped and everyone turned around as one, before sprinting away at full speed towards the submarine.

~…..~

"Thank you so much, Trafalgar Law. Nyuu, I really thought I was a goner for a while there," Hatchan sat up in the infirmary bed as he watched Law walk around the sickbay, cleaning the used equipment while Ben threw out bloody rags and bandages. The Fishman looked much better now, with clean bandages on and a healthier hue of pink on his face.

"Oh, Hatchi, are you sure you're ok?!" The worried young mermaid next to him, Keimi, held the Fishman's large hand with both of her smaller ones, looking at his still-pretty-sorry state.

Law mostly ignored the two but he glanced at the pair now, remembering the mermaid was also familiar. She was the one the Straw Hats saved that day at the auction.

"Don't worry, Keimi. I'll be alright. I got hurt while protecting Straw Hat's ship."

On this statement, even Law looked up at the Fishman, suddenly more interested in the conversation. *_Straw Hat's ship?*_ He didn't know much about the subject since the last time he saw Straw Hat was at Amazon Lilly, and truthfully he never found out how did the other captain disappear from Sabaody that day of the auction. He just opened his mouth to find out more, when the doors of the infirmary opened, his large navigator barely squeezing inside.

"Captain, you need to see this," the man said in a gruff voice, only glancing questioningly at the Fishmen couple in the room for a second.

The captain only gave him a quick suspicious glance but didn't ask anything as he headed up the stairs to the control room, already predicting what it was about.

"Is something wrong?" The mermaid called after them but no one responded as both Law and Jean Bart disappeared out of the infirmary. Keimi and Hatchi looked at each other with worried and puzzled glances, not understanding the situation.

~…..~

Law went out on the deck and squinted his eyes to see at the ruckus happening further up North. It was too far to see anything in particular, even while focusing his sharp vision, but he already thought it would be as much so he took out a spyglass and unfolded it to look once more. Now he could see a cloud of dust coming closer and an angry mob of Fishmen mostly consisting of armed royal guards, which was unfortunately coming closer as well. On further inspection, as the captain's moved the spyglass lower, he saw a few white jumpsuits in front of that mob; it was definitively the Heart Pirates. Not only Miyako and Sai who were about to negotiate with the officers but all the Heart Pirates who weren't already onboard were now grouped together and running towards the submarine as if their lives depended on it. Their frantic expressions, as they desperately ran, were telling the same thing.

"What happened?" Hatchi was out of the bed and walked on to the deck, his Mermaid friend holding him steady for support.

The captain put away his spyglass and glanced back at the Fishman before sighing in slight annoyance. "My crew happened." He mumbled it, more to himself than the Fishman. He didn't expect Hatchi to understand what he meant anyway, but to Law things there perfectly clear; once again the crew has gotten themselves into trouble. The captain turned completely to his two guests to explain the situation a bit better. "It seems the Island's guards think we were the ones who hurt you and kidnapped you."

"Whaaa!? That's horrible!" The girl screamed, her eyes bulging and wide, while her jaw was slack and almost hit the floor. She grabbed her head and looked between Law and Hatchi with a still shocked expression. "What do we doooo?!"

The only thing Law could think of at that moment was how excessive and over-the-top that reaction was. Thankfully, his mind soon started producing more useful thoughts, but what he said next only produced another shocked reaction from the mermaid. "You can do something actually…Get out," the captain said it in a completely calm and relaxed tone, not angry but quite serious and blunt.

"What do you mean?" Hatchi looked at the pirate with uncertainty and a perplexed expression.

"By the time you convince the guards we were helping you, we will already be in jail. I don't have that much time to waste. Due to this circumstances, we will have to cut our visit to the Fishmen Island short and depart immediately," he turned to his navigator now as he continued. "Jean Bart-ya, start the engine." Before finishing, the captain turned to the pair and smirked. "So unless you want to go with us to the New World, I suggest you leave immediately." There was a slight mocking tone in his voice now.

Keimi gulped, obviously not liking the captain's proposition to go to the New World. The two looked at each other and nodded, reaching the obvious agreement.

"Thank you, Captain Trafalgar Law," Hatchi nodded to the captain to show his gratitude.

"That thanks should go to the girl who found you. The only reason I helped you was because of her anyway." Law shrugged with his usual laid-back demeanor, not really caring whether he was thanked or not.

"Captaaaaain!" A new voice echoed towards them as the Heart Pirates ran closer to the submarine, now in an ear shot. "We need to gooo!" The pirates yelled, unaware that Law was already a step ahead of them.

The pirates in white ran to the submarine, not even noticing the Fishman and a mermaid who passed them by as the Hearts climbed up the deck and quickly rushed inside, closing the doors. In an instant, the vessel was moving, catching the current on one of those water-filled tubes that led to the exit of Fishmen Island and out into the open sea depths once more.

"We need to reach the exit before they close it off!" Penguin yelled looking out the main window of the control room.

"Leave that to us," Sai said with a smirk, pushing a few levers that made the engine roar and the submarine double in speed.

"Aaah, we're not gonna make it!" The polar bear panicked and ran around the control room as the gates started closing, trying to stop the fiendish pirates from leaving. However, before it could close completely, the submarine barely made it out and into the open, making a sharp turn and going straight up towards the New World.

"Whoo-hoo! We did it!" Shachi cheered as he raised a fist in the air.

A thought passed through Miyako's mind and she turned to Law. "What about the Fishman?"

Her captain stayed quiet for a while, only looking at her from beneath that rim of his fuzzy hat, his lips in a thin line. He saw the anticipation on her face but decided to let her suffer in curiosity for a while; that's the least he could do after all the trouble she gave him today. Finally, he decided to satisfy her wondering eyes. "He'll be fine. He left before you got here; you probably passed him by without even noticing," he saw the girl relax in relief as she smiled a little. He'll never understand why she'd care about a person's wellbeing she just met. He wondered if she felt some kind of responsibility since she was the one who found the hurt Fishman. However, right now he had other things he wanted to discuss. "More importantly…" he started, looking back at Sai who was at his usual spot at the control panel. "…I believe you have some explaining to do." The captain narrowed his eyes as he finished.

The navigator sweat dropped as he saw the deadly stare of his captain piercing right through him. *_Is he saying this is my fault too!?*_ The navigator sighed dejectedly seeing that a week of laundry duty was already unavoidable.

~…..~

The submarine resurfaced with a loud splashing of water all around, right in the middle of a wild storm. The waves rose over the vessel, at least 10 meters high. They were right in the eye of the storm; the harsh wind blowing while the waves crashed on the side of the submarine, tipping it dangerously to the side.

"Bart-ya." Law called.

"I'm working on it," was the navigator's immediate answer as he tried to keep the submarine level and well despite the raging sea. The vessel rode dangerously on large waves, avoiding the most dangerous ones.

"C-captain!" Bepo, who was beside Trafalgar, pointed out of the window. Outside, there was a 20 meter high wave coming from their side, rising even higher as it threatened to crush them and send them back into the sea depths were they came from.

"We just came into the New World and it's already this crazy here," Miyako sighed, already used to all the dangers and trouble that seem to relentlessly keep following them around.

"Jean Bart-ya, hard to port. Go right into that wave," Law ordered, his calm expression not even showing one sign of worry or panic. He got this far, there was no way a plain storm will stand in his way now.

The submarine cut through the said wave, their view disappearing for a while as they found themselves engulfed with water. Jean Bart struggled to keep the helm steady as the wave tried to push the vessel down and into the sea. The navigator turned the helm to the side leading the submarine and it cut through the wave in a diagonal path. After a while of struggle, the yellow vessel reappeared out of the wave on the other side. Strangely enough, after passing that wave, the storm seemed to calm down a little as they traveled on, trying to avoid the thunder that blasted into the sea around them. The sea was still far from calm but stabilized somewhat, allowing the pirates safer sailing as they headed West.

The captain pulled out his brand new Log Post, the navigators already having their own on the control panel. This one had three needles instead of one that were now moving around. He noticed the two were fairly in the same position while the other still moved, staying unstable. Still, two were enough to set their next destination. The captain grinned in anticipation. It will be their first island in the New World. The beginning of their new adventure.

~….~

Miyako sighed, her arm muscles pained already, as she put down the last of the books of Law's vast collection in his quarters. She just finished reorganizing everything and putting it back on the bookshelves alphabetically, even though her wrist was already sore from transcribing some medical documents she was ordered to do earlier. The captain was obviously enjoying this little punishment game as he kept giving her chores all morning.

The girl gave him a dirty look every time she would pass by, carrying his books, but the man either didn't notice or pretended not to. The latter was more likely. He was just leisurely sitting back in his chair in the quarters, his feet resting on the table, while he read the leather-covered booklet Miyako gave him. His relaxed presence only made the girl more irked as she kept working.

Finally the girl had enough and put one more book into its place on the shelf before turning around to face her captain. "I still don't get it why I need to be punished. Didn't I already give you the book in return for treating Ha-san?" She huffed with her hands on her hips, looking like a sulking child.

Law briefly speculated on who was 'Ha-san' but soon remembered it could be none other than the octopus Fishman. "It was far more trouble than it was worth, considering," he answered in a lax tone without even looking up from his read.

The girl frowned, still dissatisfied, before giving Law a knowing smirk. "Really? Because you seem pretty interested in it. You haven't put it down all morning."

Trafalgar still didn't look at the girl, focusing most of his attention at the book in his hand. Without looking away, he reached for a coffee mug on his desk and took a sip of the black and bitter liquid inside. Putting the mug back down, he finally looked up at the girl, still wearing that bored expression as if he really didn't care about her complaints since they won't change a thing. Both of them knew it; which only meant the girl was persisting in it to purposely bother him. "You know, you would be done much faster if you spent less time complaining and more time actually working. You should be happy I didn't give you laundry duty as well." With that he turned his back to the girl once more, getting back to the book.

The girl frowned behind him, leaning against one of the bookcases. She stuck her tongue at her captain's back as if that would get her at least a bit of satisfaction out of it all.

"…real mature," the captain muttered, loud enough for her to hear, with a smirk on his features and an amused tone in his voice.

Miyako stiffened, a bit surprised. Before she could proclaim her captain a mind reader or a demon, which wasn't far from the truth in her opinion, the girl noticed her reflection in his coffee mug on the desk. Miyako sighed in disappointment; she wasn't even able to get the small satisfaction of hurting Law's pride.

She thought back at the good old times when it was much easier for her to gain leverage over Law with her remarks and wondered what changed? As she remembered, her eyes narrowed and a frown appeared on her face. _*Oh, that's right…he found my weakness.*_ As soon as Law started his sexual harassment towards her, Miyako would be at a loss and the captain didn't refrain from using this tactic as much as he could against her. She remembered his most recent promise to her; _I will take all your firsts_. She wasn't even quite sure what he meant by that but if it was what she guessed it meant… Miyako's face became a few darker shades of red at just the thought. What irritated her even more was his confident statement that she belonged to him. And he said it with that infuriating smug smirk on his face. That was enough to stir the fire of frustration within Miyako.

More importantly, when did Law get so much advantage over her? So much power? Miyako didn't like it and she definitively didn't approve of it. The girl decided then and there, in Law's quarters standing between the captain and his collection of books, that something needed to be done about this issue. The countermeasure was obvious; she needed to take some of that power back. And to do that, Miyako had to get over her fear of close contact with Law and her easy embarrassment that came together with his harassment.

As if on cue, the captain glanced at the girl, noticing two red cheeks as she seemed deep in thought, completely forgetting her surroundings. His bored expression gained a little interest as he raised one eyebrow in amusement. "I wonder what you're thinking with such a look on your face…Something indecent perhaps?" A slight smirk appeared of his features.

That statement clearly brought Miyako back to reality and she blushed even darker still, realizing she was caught. She turned around towards the bookcases and away from Law to hide her embarrassed expression. _*No! I'm doing it again! Baka Miyako, stop blushing!* _She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. *_That's right, I decided I won't let him get to me anymore.*_

She was able to calm down and put on her best mask of emotionless boredom, mimicking Law's usual expression. The girl turned around suddenly, giving Law a wide smirk. "I think the only one indecent would be you, Mister Trafalgar Law. You're the one who insists on sexually harassing me."

The captain kept quiet a while, more interested now. He wondered why was she suddenly so different and what exactly her new game was. Usually she would already be a blushing mess by now. Intrigued by this unexpected turn of events, the captain put his feet off the work table and stood up, leaving his coffee mug and book on the desk. He got a bit closer to the girl, leaning on the bookcase behind her with one hand. "What are you up to now, Miyako?" The formal title was suddenly gone as he came closer to the girl. He has been addressing her less formally whenever they were alone lately.

The girl stayed completely calm, which only added to Law's confusion. Usually she would definitively try and escape or stutter out some excuse to leave. Yet now she was only standing there with a completely emotionless face while looking him right in the eye. Suddenly the girl looked aside with an overdramatic troubled look on her expression, purposely, he was sure. "I am simply stating the obvious, _captain_." The said captain narrowed his eyes as his title came out slightly emphasized as if she was saying; _'Perhaps you forgot your manners but I haven't._' By now Law was absolutely sure Miyako was trying to provoke him. Perhaps as revenge for before? Still, he won't let her win that easily.

Little did Law know what was exactly on young Miyako's mind. _*He's too close! He's way too close! How long must I keep this up?! Please move away, move away, move away!* _The girl was completely freaking out and losing it inside her mind, but she still kept a perfect mask of calm on the outside.

Law smirked, now determined to shatter that mask and get the usual reaction out of her. He leaned closer and looked at the girl with half-lidded eyes. "Weren't you the one who said it was ok to do such things with me? Besides…" He leaned to her ear and whispered in a husky voice. "You didn't seem to hate it."

Miyako's brain almost blew a fuse at this and she stiffened, but was still able to control herself. Years of training as a samurai, perfecting peacefulness of mind through mediation, really came to use in the most unexpected of situations. It was almost comical how her mind, full of panicking thoughts of embarrassment, was completely in contrast with her straight expression. Still, if she wanted to wring out a reaction out of the captain, she needed to step it up a notch.

Law's eyes widened as he heard a soft chuckle come from the girl. Was she really laughing at a time like this? Shouldn't she already be a stuttering mess by now? The captain was even more surprised when he looked back and saw a mischievous smirk on the girl's face, in complete harmony with a devilish look in her golden eyes. "Indeed I did. But you see, I decided it would be unfair for you to have all the fun, mister Trafalgar." This time she was the one to step closer to him, a clear challenging look in her eyes. "You said something about wanting to take all of my firsts, but that's pretty selfish of you; to decide such a thing on your own. You want to own me? But who ever said you deserved me?" The smirk never left her lips as she finished.

The captain's eyes narrowed in moderate frustration, barely visible on his face as he tightened his lips in a thin line. Still, Miyako was able to see it clearly; she knew Law long enough. "I thought we were passed this game of cat and mouse?" His irked expression soon disappeared completely as it was replaced by an amused smirk. "Why don't you just give up; we both know I will win in the end."

He expected an annoyed huff from the girl or at least a pout and a glare, but on his hidden surprise, he only got a wider smirk. "I think you misunderstood me, Law-san. I have no intention of running away from you anymore; on the contrary, I am right here and waiting. But I will definitively not make this so easy for you. You want me, come and get me…but I'll make you work for it. In the end; we'll see who belongs to whom. Trafalgar Law, I bet in the end, _you_ will belong to _me_."

The captain couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise slightly as he stared at the girl, leaning down a bit so they can be eye-to-eye. He kept searching for some indication of what she was thinking exactly, but he couldn't see beyond the challenging and confident expression on her face, decorated with a smirk. Was this really the same Miyako? That's when he remembered her personality when they first met and realized not much changed since then, besides the fact that she warmed up to them all a little. Indeed, she accepted them but she was far from being an obedient and quiet subordinate in his crew. She was still the same prideful woman who didn't like to lose. Before he could retort anything, the girl sealed her bold statement with the most unexpected thing she had done since the conversation started. There seemed to be no end to her surprises today.

Miyako grabbed the front of Law's hoodie and pulled him in, definitively taking him by surprise. Her lips crashed with his as she kissed him; something she never did before. It was always he who instigated such acts while Miyako either went along with it or tried to run away. This was the first time she was the one kissing him…and she wasn't half bad at it.

After a while, Law collected himself and remembered to close his eyes, deepening the kiss and licking her bottom lip, demanding entrance. She granted it, opening her mouth a little and soon their heated battle of tongues begun, a battle of dominance that Law eventually won. The captain leaned closer and pinned the woman between him and the bookcase with his own body. However, as soon as Law got into it more, Miyako pushed him away lightly and playfully stepped aside, escaping his grasp. He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, displeased with the loss of contact, looking at her questioningly. There was the same devilish expression on her features as before.

The girl stepped closer to him with a seductive look of half-lidded eyes as she talked to him in a sweet voice. "As I said; you want me, try and get me…if I don't get you first, that is," then she suddenly turned around and walked away, already at the door before Law could process what just happened. "Well, I have work at the galley so I'll be seeing you later. As always, nice talking to you…Law." She gave him one last smirk before disappearing through opened doors and out of Law's quarters.

The captain stood there and watched the closed doors for a long time after the girl already disappeared. He covered his face with a hand, bowing his head down to look at some spot on the carpet, but then suddenly a wide smirk of amusement appeared on his features. There was an excited gleam in his eyes, the exact same one before he would start a fun operation or a dissection on a new and interesting specimen. _*Oh you want to play with me, do you?*_ The captain looked up and leaned against the book case, putting his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "Let's play then," he proclaimed to the empty room, an amused smirk on his face with his excited eyes hidden beneath the rim of his hat.

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey10<strong> for beta reading this chapter.

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><p>Hm, I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but…oh well, here it is anyway. It's too late for changes now. ^^' Since Hody and his pirate group rise to 'power' later (about a year after this chapter) I didn't really want to include them into this story since I didn't feel like it would make much sense. It's a pity since the Otohime and Hody story is really great and everything but I just didn't feel like it would fit very well if I use them now, a year earlier when Hody didn't act yet and was still kinda in hiding. That's why I only mentioned it in subtle notes like the troubles in the Fishmen district and the fishmen from there coming to other parts and creating more trouble than usual, but nothing definite. Still, I wanted to give the chapter some cannon touch since it <em>is <em>Fishmen Island after all, so instead the story with Hatchi and his wounds from protecting the Sunny came about. :) I'm a bit sorry I didn't include Jinbe in all this as well but I didn't really want to change the chapter now. ^^' I hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone!

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><p>Thank you for everyone's nice reviews and comments. As always, you guys give me inspiration. :)<p>

**Kiteria Faye**: hehe And even more fun comes ahead! ;D Thank you for the nice reviews!

**Izzie: **Well it did sting her a little bit…that's why she was so irritated when watching them. :P But since everything that happened with Hody, happened a year after this, I didn't put much of it here. Hm, yes, I think the name is connected with the Heart Seat which was meant for Law, too. I think the Heart Pirates were called that way in the first place because Law sailed under Doflamingo and was supposed to be the 'Heart' in the palace. Not so much as a fuck you, but more like it was his meant position anyway so he took that name. Who knows, hopefully we'll find out. :P Hehe Yes, yes he is possessive. ;P

**Wings-chan: **Oh well he'll definitively tease her more in the future since it's so fun for him too. ;P

**Moguuuuuuuuuu: **Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it. :D

**Zoro et Robin: **haha Thanks XD Ah, alas, the story is not M rated. ;P

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: ***_Khm_* No spoilers, but there's actually a reason for that. :P

**reddevil47: **Well since Hody and his men come 'out of the shadows' a year later around Luffy's time, I didn't put Law's confrontation with them since that might now have made sense time-wise. :)

**florachi: **haha Thanks. ^^ I hope you liked this one too.

**JustChan: **lol I told you I didn't forget. ;) Why, Josh? :O But he was so angry that time because he thinks of Miyako as his sister the most (wouldn't admit it for the world of course), so he was probably the most hurt by her actions. But even he was smiling afterwards.

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Yeah, I really liked doing a chapter with Bepo and Miyako! I want them to have more scenes together. ^^ Well, I always regretted that there aren't any 'bad' kinds of mermaids in One Piece so I wanted to add some of my own. :P And Fishmen Island chater was a pretty mild adventure, so the previous chapter kinda made up for that.

**Eternal-DreamWriter: **Hehe Yep, I love writing Law/Miyako moments. ^^

**robotsftw232: **haha Yeah, they didn't get it in the end. ^^' It's nice that Miyako rescued Law for a change. :D

**theristia: **Ah~ I don't want to give anything away so…you'll see about that as the story goes on. XD

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **haha That wouldn't be strange for Josh; I can imagine his petrified face. XD Well, it's not M rated after all. ;P Yeah, they will go on some adventures but I will also slowly lead the story towards the cannon one and add all the little pieces like Law becoming a Shichibukai and so on. What info I don't get from the manga, I'll make it up myself. :P Hehe I'm glad I can actually get so much emotions out of my readers, that makes me really happy. :)

**animagirl**: I think it's gonna be a real tease-fest for my readers since I'll be putting more *cough cough* _romantic_ parts but it's not M rated after all… XP


	47. Chapter 47

"**I don't like you" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

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><p>This story is rated T for violence and suggestive themes. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako.<p>

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><p>Enjoy and have fun! :)<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 47<strong>

"Aaargh, I can't take it anymore! When are we getting to the island?!" Josh suddenly stood up from the floor and ruffled his red hair, making his hat fall on the ground.

"Who knows...We should be happy at least the weather is on our side," Cody answered, throwing another card at a small heap in front of him and Shachi.

"You mean like yesterday when that rain of fire started falling. This New World is insane," Shachi added, throwing his own card on the pile with a happy 'Ha!' and collected the whole heap, putting it on his side.

Miyako's eyebrow twitched a little as she tried to concentrate on her book while lying on the bed.

"That was nothing...remember the day before that when we got attacked by those sea serpents? We couldn't even outrun them so we had to kill each and every one of them," Penguin said, turning yet another page of his rather questionable magazine. It said 'Ships' in big plain letters but on each ship photo, there was a pretty half-naked lady as if trying to use that tactic to attract buyers. Everyone knew Penguin had no intention of buying a ship nor was he interested in them particularly; he was a mechanic, not a shipwright.

Miyako's eyebrow twitched again. "That's all fine guys but…Why the hell are you all here in my room?!" The girl ended her question with an annoyed shout, sitting up on her bed and staring at her crew mates who have taken over her quarters.

Somewhere in the corner of an already crowded and small space, Bepo's snot-bubble burst and he mumbled a 'Sorry' before going back to his peaceful snoring. The group stared at him for a while with sweat-drops but then returned their attention back to the previous discussion.

"We can't help it, Miya-chan. We're bored!" Shachi answered, as if it was the most normal and logical argument for her question.

He shrugged and completely ignored Miyako's stare that bluntly asked one question; _'Why should I care?'_

They had been sailing for a week now and there was no sign of any island yet. Only dangers leaped out in all shape and form, making everyone stay on their toes constantly. Lately, for some reason to Cody, Josh, Penguin, Shachi and sometimes even Bepo, that meant hanging out in Miyako's small room, ready to run to their original posts when needed. Usually they argued that she had privacy since their quarters were shared and always full of other scruffy guys, having no peace and quiet. But that only meant that now Miyako had no peace and quiet.

"What's wrong Miya-chan, you seem agitated lately?" Cody tilted his head as he looked from his card game and straight at the girl. He was always good at reading her.

"Ah! Could it be captain's not giving you any?!" Penguin exclaimed, sure that he hit right on the mark.

_Whack!_

Next thing they knew, the poor mechanic was lying on the floor, black and blue from Miyako's katana sheath. Shachi was crouching beside him, poking his friend to make sure he was still alive.

"You had that one coming," Josh noted in Penguin's direction though doubted the half-dead mechanic could even hear him.

Miyako's eyebrow was twitching again as she tried to ignore the ridiculous comments of her crewmates. They were her friends, but sometimes the girl just wanted to throw them overboard from the submarine's deck. Of course she doubted the captain would be pleased by it, but at least she would have those few seconds of satisfaction and peace before Law decided to strap her to the operating table for drowning half of his crew.

She was sure the next to come would be a question whether she was on her period, hence acting strange, but luckily it didn't arrive. Probably because they knew whoever dared to ask that would end up much like Penguin.

Still, little did they know that Penguin's remark wasn't far from the truth, which only made Miyako more upset. Ever since she proclaimed her challenge to Law, there had been a dance going on between those two, each of them refusing to back down. The girl remembered the scene when she headed back to her quarters after that talk they had. At that time she almost banged her head against the wall when all that embarrassment finally came loose out of her. She was keeping it in for so long in his quarters, but as soon as she was out of there the girl's brain turned into mush. However, she had to keep her mask on when she was alone with Law; not to show him anymore of her bashful side even though it was definitively there, only deeply hidden. Unfortunately for her, sailing for a week without a stop made the submarine seem even smaller than it was, as they constantly bumped into each other on the vessel. She felt as if she was trapped inside a small metal maze that were the sub's corridors, but every exit led straight to the captain. It was frustrating to say the least; trying to keep her mask on, while Law seemed determined to break it. He was teasing her even more lately but it was different than usual. After that talk, he didn't kiss her even once. Forget kissing, he barely even touched her. However, he always seemed unnervingly close. It always appeared like an accident; taking a book that was right behind her or passing by in the corridor while brushing his shoulder against hers. The girl's body would always stiffen reflexively, expecting...something. Yet nothing ever happened. Miyako soon realized that she found such a thing frustrating, and that fact only made her even more agitated. It was always simple, minor things, yet they had greater impact on her than the captain suddenly kissing her, which he often did before. Was she getting addicted to Law's touch and now that it was gone, she was actually craving it? Was this another one of her weaknesses? The man seemed fairly good at creating those in her and then exploiting them to the fullest. She was sure that he was doing all this on purpose but Miyako still didn't know exactly what game he was playing at. That fact thwarted her the most.

The girl sighed and sat back on the bed, suddenly feeling tired. "Truthfully, I also hope we'll come to the island soon." She couldn't stand being so close to Law all the time anymore. Wasn't she the one who told him; she would turn the tables on him? She was the one who started this game with him, so certain in her victory. The one who falls in love first is the loser; that's what they say, no? In that case she couldn't afford to lose.

Miyako bit her lip, still in thought. Now that she thought about it, she never really considered 'love' and being 'in love' with the captain. That word still sounded too foreign to her. Trafalgar and her simply…_were_. They had their own little thing going on and Miyako's didn't hate it; far from it, even though she would never admit it out loud to anybody. But talk about love or boyfriends never really crossed her mind. She cared for Law, certainly. And it was a different kind of 'care' than for the rest of her nakama. But for now, Miyako was satisfied with just that. Just defining this thing with Law as a relationship of some kind and admit she cared for him.

"-yako? Hello, Earth to Bakaonna?" The girl blinked a few times, slightly startled as Josh brought her back to reality, waving his hand in front of her face.

Miyako frowned. "What, Shorty?"

"We asked, why are you so agitated?" The redhead glared at her, but decided to ignore the nickname this time. Still, he gave her a suspicious look as if believing something was definitively wrong with her head. Even Joshua noticed she wasn't acting like her usual self.

Miyako scowled and looked away. "I'm not particularly agitated…" She trailed off in her mutter, definitively only succeeding in appearing even guiltier.

The guys looked at each other with slightly worried looks; even Penguin, who recovered from his near-death experience by now.

Suddenly Shachi stood up, a grin on his face. "Hey, I know! Let's do something to cheer you up!" His enthusiasm rubbed off on the others in the group and everyone grinned, looking at Miyako with hopeful eyes.

However, that only made Miyako suspicious. After all, every time these guys had an idea, it was nothing good. Somehow it always ended up with them getting into trouble, usually with the captain. "Um…guys, I appreciate the offer but-" She started, trying to avoid a certain catastrophe.

"Nonsense! It will make you feel better for sure!" Penguin stood up as well and grabbed her by one arm while Shachi already held the other. Before she could weasel herself out of their grip, they made sure to have a secure hold on her. The group grinned mischievously, only making Miyako tenser with suspicion.

Before she could sense their motives, they were already leading her down the halls. "What do you want to do?" She glanced between Shachi and Penguin warily. Cody was right behind her lightly pushing her while Josh led the way.

The Hearts looked at each other, those grins never leaving their expressions. "How about a dare game?" Penguin finally suggested; always the first one to come up with nasty ideas when boredom hits, which is more often than you'd think when you are in a submarine, unable to even step outside for some fresh air most of the time.

Miyako definitively didn't like it. "What kind of dare?" She asked carefully, the tone in her voice even more alert now. Before she could get an answer, they found themselves in front of the swinging galley doors that had two little round windows on each side.

Both mechanics looked at each other with those mischievous grins before answering in perfect unison. "Steal Munk's wooden spoon!" With just that, they shoved her into the galley.

The girl was pushed inside without even getting any time to protest. She sharply turned around with wide eyes and a frantic expression on her face that clearly stated she did _not_ want to do this. However, in the little windows she could see the group's grinning faces. Shachi was gesturing to her and urging her to go on while Penguin gave her the thumbs up. Cody just shrugged his shoulders with an apologetic look and Josh was too short to even reach the round windows.

Miyako sighed tiredly when she realized the two mechanics at least had no intention to let her go back without doing this task. She turned around back to the closed off kitchen of the galley where happy humming was coming from. She gulped and looked at the room uneasily. Everyone knew what happened to those who pissed off Munk and Miyako had no intention of becoming one of them. Especially since she wanted to stay on his good side. But stealing Munk's large wooden spoon will definitively earn her a day in hell from the head chef if he finds out. He carried that spoon everywhere and nobody was allowed to touch it except him. The unlucky ones would often taste its hard wooden surface, combined with Munk's strength. Definitively not something you'd want to experience. Miyako turned around to her friends one more time with a pleading look but received no mercy, only stupid grins that prompted her on.

The girl looked back at the kitchen and sighed. There was only one thing she could do in this situation; not get caught. That was the only way to complete this task and not get in trouble.

She unfastened the katana from her waist and leaned it against the wall carefully. The girl started sneaking ahead as quietly as she could, using all her stealth skills for this task. The humming sound in the kitchen grew louder as she came closer, now combined with the noise of boiling water and chopping sounds. Great…he also had a knife in his hand; a perfect thing he could throw at her while she ran for her life out of the galley. Miyako wondered how it became like this; all she wanted was to relax in her room with a good book and away from a certain pirate doctor. Instead, she was in the galley, risking her life by possibly antagonizing a large chef pirate who showed no mercy when somebody was messing with his kitchen.

The girl got on her hands and knees as she looked towards the open doors of the kitchen. She had to pass the doors and then the serving counter that had a large window, which led into the kitchen, where the chefs usually left the food servings for hungry crewmembers at meal time.

The girl crawled on the floor to the doors, peeking to see Munk's broad back as he worked in the kitchen. It was past lunchtime so nobody worked here now but Munk always had something to do here. The head chef never rested as he tried out new recipes hoping for even more nutritious meals for the crew. He must've been working on the new one as he occasionally stirred his stew that was slowly bubbling on the fire in a large pot. The girl's sharp eye immediately noticed he was stirring with his big spoon that he would then put aside on a nearby plate. The chef would then turn around and proceed cutting some vegetables to put inside. Miyako recognized that was her moment to act. If she could only reach through the serving window and grab the spoon while Munk's back was turned around. However, if she got caught while doing so, consequences will sure be dire. The girl promised retribution to the two mechanics for making her do this. Her eyes narrowed at the simple thought of those two as their satisfied expressions kept grinning in front of her eyes.

Putting the two twats at the back of her mind, Miyako concentrated on the task at hand. She peered at the large pirate again from her spot on the floor and waited until he was turned around to quickly crawl on her hands and knees passed the open doors and right under the serving counter, below the kitchen window. She sat down and took a deep breath, finding courage to slowly rise on her knees and peek upwards, right in time to see the chef turn towards her. Her eyes widened and she quickly lowered down, waiting for a while as she heard his steps around the kitchen along with the humming song where he would mumble a word or two every now and then.

After a while, Miyako once again dared to raise her head and peek, seeing that Munk had turned his back to her again. She locked her gaze on the wooden spoon laid there on the counter; so close yet so dangerously far away. The girl licked her dry lips, gulped and stood up to climb over the serving counter and reach for the spoon. A bead of sweat appeared above her brow; if Munk turns around now she was dead meat. The samurai could hear her own heart pounding in her chest and all the way to her ears as she stealthily tried to reach for the serving spoon.

Her golden eyes brightened as a relieved smile appeared on her face the moment her fingertips touched the item. Grabbing it hurriedly, the girl jumped down and hid against the counter once again. She crawled as quickly as she could until she finally found herself against the wall where she started this whole operation.

"Huh?" Munk turned around looking for his big spoon but without any luck. The chef scratched his head with a frown. "I be sure I port 't here … Am I gettin' old?" The pirate looked around, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

Miyako grimaced at Munk's voice and quickly stood up, taking her katana in the process and sneaking on her tiptoes to the entrance of the galley where the rest of the group still waited for her.

As she came out to the hall, hands behind her back, the men looked at her expectantly, trying to guess her final result. Her expression turned into a proud grin ad she removed one hand from behind her back and showed everybody her little prize.

The guys laughed in excitement. "Well done, Miya-chan! Don't you feel better already?" Penguin grabbed her and put a hand around her while Shachi rested his elbow on her other shoulder.

Miyako chuckled devilishly. *_Oh, I'll feel even better soon.*_ There was no way Miyako was leaving without giving the mechanics some form of payback for her troubles. She smirked and looked at the pair, still sporting that mischievous gleam in her bright eyes. "I do. So I'd like to thank you two for that."

The two mechanics first looked at her in wonder but then grinned widely, a bit of saliva in the corner of their mouths. Their cheeks turned slightly red as they expected a big reward from the smiling girl. However, instead of getting a 'thank you' kiss as the mechanics expected, the girl shoved the piece of wooden cutlery in their faces.

"So I'll give you a task that will make you feel _exactly_ as I did," the girl finished, her expression suddenly turning less sweet and more vile. "I took this spoon from Munk without him noticing; now it's your turn to bring it back," she sang in a cheerful tone.

Josh chuckled beside her. "That old chef will really think he's going crazy; first his spoon mysteriously disappears and then it mysteriously comes back." The redhead liked that idea and he liked the devilish look on Miyako's face even more, as soon as he realized what she was planning.

The two mechanics lost their grins as they fell down into nervous frowns. Sweat started forming on their foreheads.

"o-oh, that won't be necessary, I mean…we're fine with just this so…" Shachi started, slowly moving passed the group, ready to run away.

"Y-yeah, we're fine to end the game here for today," Penguin added, right next to Shachi as he too tried to escape.

However, arms around their shoulders stopped them as Miyako appeared behind them, putting each hand around their neck. Meanwhile Cody and Josh appeared before them, blocking their route of escape, both medics grinning evilly.

The girl chuckled quietly and both mechanics could swear she looked like a cunning fox. "Now, now, boys. It would be such a pity…after all; you gave _me_ such a fun time." There was still a light tone in her voice, amused by their nervous appearance.

"B-but if Munk sees us, he'll kill us! We'd end up much worse than if it was you." Penguin begun in a pleading voice.

"Yeah. Have mercy on us Miya-chan." Shachi added.

The girl only raised an eyebrow with a face that said she wasn't impressed at all. "No." The blunt and simple word pierced right through the mechanics' hearts.

_*Heartless…*_ All men thought at the same with a sweat-drop, looking at the girl.

"Miya-chan is as bad as captain. Completely heartless!" Penguin finally announced with a teary voice and Shachi only gave him a warning to shut up by elbowing him hard in the ribs.

However, the girl didn't get angry, but instead just smiled even sweeter at them. Unfortunately for the mechanics, everyone on the sub already knew what that look meant. "Why thank you very much." She took the large spoon and stuffed it in Penguin's jumpsuit collar, patting the bulged fabric there. "Good luck," the girl sang in a cheerful voice.

Next thing they knew, both mechanics were shoved harshly through the swinging doors and fell face-first on the galley floor.

Cody and Josh chuckled at the display while Miyako still kept that foxy expression on her face. A few minutes passed before loud noises and shouts came out of the galley.

"So it be ya' rascals!" Munk's deep voice boomed all the way to Miyako and the medics.

"Ouch!" Shachi's voice exclaimed before more clattering was heard.

Footsteps followed and the doors swung open with force, both mechanics struggling to exit at the same time, getting stuck for a while before Penguin fell on the floor and Shachi right on top of him. Through the still open doors, a pot flew out and Miyako ducked quickly to avoid it hitting her right in the head.

"Cam'er ya two!" Munk's voice boomed again as heavy footsteps echoed towards the hall.

"Run!" Both mechanics scrambled up and ran away as if their asses were on fire. Miyako laughed at their backs, staring at the scene, but then remembered it would be better for her to get lost before she ends up just like them. The three remaining pirates cut and ran down the hallways, laughing all the way.

~…..~

"Hahahaha!" Both Miyako and Josh laughed until their stomachs were sore, once in their life agreeing on something; that _that_ was probably one of the funniest scenes they ever saw.

"Cut it out you guys!" Penguin yelled, red in the face due to anger and embarrassment. Shachi was right there beside him, cradling his hurt head as he got a pretty big bump due to Munk's wooden spoon. They were all back in Miyako's room after they successfully escaped from the enraged chef.

"Guys, what happed while I was asleep?" The bear tilted his head, looking at his friends suspiciously. They just rushed back in; most of them laughing like idiots, while Shachi and Penguin fumed in anger.

Miyako finally managed to calm down, falling back on her soft bed. Her chiming laugh turned into a series of chuckles before she was finally able to pull herself together, wiping small tears from her eyes. "You should have seen your faces when you burst back through those doors."

Cody chuckled, remembering the scene of the two mechanics struggling to exit the galley at the same time, which only resulted in them both getting stuck. "You only have yourselves to blame this time, guys." He shrugged not really feeling any pity for the two troublemaking mechanics. They wanted to mess with Miyako and it bit them right back in their asses. Quite literally since Shachi's ass was still sore from the thrown metal pot that hit him there.

"Guuuys, what's going on!?" Bepo continued to whine, not liking that he was excluded from this.

"Nothing Bepo, it's just Shachi and Penguin being idiots," Josh answered, shaking his head and flopping on the bed beside Miyako.

"Oh. So the usual then." The bear answered bluntly in a completely even tone as if it was nothing surprising.

"You shut up Bepo!" Penguin shouted, glaring at the bear under his hat.

Shachi only sighed, feeling disparaged all of a sudden. "How low have we fallen if even Bepo thinks we're idiots."

"Sorry." As always, the bear only bowed his head with a sudden somber look on his face.

"How come my head mechanics can always be found anywhere but in the engine room?" The new voice startled almost everyone in the room, making them jump a little. The pirates looked towards the doors, seeing their captain leaning against the door-frame with a wide smirk on his face. He always enjoyed surprising them like this. The only ones who weren't shocked were Bepo and Miyako. Bepo due to his sharp nose that could recognize his captain's scent anywhere, while Miyako's Kenbunshoku haki allowed her to feel Law's presence even before he entered the room.

"Captain!" The bear exclaimed happily, completely forgetting about his depressed mood from just a second ago.

Miyako only turned her gaze towards Law silently, with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Captain, don't sneak up on us like that!" The redhead complained though no matter how many times he already said this, Law never listened even once. As always, the captain just smirked, amused by his crew's startled faces.

"But captain Law, we're all done with maintenance. We don't have any work now." Penguin answered Law's question with a shrug.

All the others in the room did a mental facepalm unanimously, looking at Penguin.

Shachi turned to his friend mechanic with mixture of anger and bewilderment on his face. "You're really on a roll today, aren't you!?" The question was obviously rhetorical but Penguin still gave Shachi a questioning look indicating he didn't know what the other was talking about. Only when Law answered did it become clear to even him.

"Oh, you don't have work?" Law mockingly made a surprised face. "Well we wouldn't want you feeling bored, so why don't you two make full maintenance of the boiler room as well." The captain finished with a wide smirk once more, an evil gleam in his amused grey eyes.

Shachi sighed tiredly, already knowing this was coming while Penguin just watched in disbelief, his jaw slack, as he finally realized he should've kept his mouth shut. Finally, he sighed as well, leaning forward as if there was a weight on his shoulders. "Captain is merciless too…just like Miya-chan…" The mechanic mumbled in a whiny voice, earning an annoyed look from Miyako and a questioning raised eyebrow from Law. If Law asks and Penguin blurts out about what they were doing just moments before, they'll all be in serious trouble and the mechanics' work won't end with the boiler room either. Everyone silently prayed for Law not to ask about it, but somehow they didn't feel so lucky.

On their surprise, a small den den mushi sounded itself from Law's pocket. In a lazy movement, Law pulled it out and answered. "Yes?"

Sai's voice emitted from the snail contraption. "Captain, we've got company above us." It was enough to indicate that there was a ship coming towards the submarine that was still slowly sailing underwater.

Law put the now silent den den mushi back into the pocket of his trousers and kept silent for a while, as if in thought. Then he turned around, adjusting the heavy nodachi on his shoulder and headed towards the control room. "Bepo." Before walking off, he called for his first mate, who was right beside him in a flash with a simple 'Aye, captain!'

The others waited for Law to leave, still tense, and only relaxed when he was out of sight. Everyone sighed collectively and mumbled the same word. "Saved…."

~…..~

Law put his crew's strange behavior to the back of his mind for a moment and instead focused on more important things. He walked into the control room, Bepo at his heels, and headed right towards the control panel where his navigators awaited him.

"What's going on?" Before Law could ask the same, Bepo inquired.

Sai, however, turned to his captain. "There's a pirate ship 140 meters in front of us at North-North-West." The navigator answered, looking at the moving numbers on his radar.

"It has two jolly rogers, captain. And one of them belongs to the Pirate Emperor Kaido," Jean Bart added, still looking through the periscope.

Now, when Law heard it was a pirate ship heading their way he neither expected much nor did it hold a lot of interest for him. But as soon as that certain name was mentioned, Trafalgar turned into all ears. *_Why, luck must be on my side today.*_ The captain couldn't help but grin excitedly with an evil expression on his face. Of all the ships, the first one they encounter in the New World is the ship of the Pirate Emperor Doflamingo was having a deal with. The timing couldn't be more perfect as Law needed more information on Kaido's and Joker's arrangement anyway.

"What about the other flag?" Law asked, interested in who those pirates were exactly. They were obviously sailing under Kaido but the main question was; how much could they tell him about their boss' work with Doflamingo? How much did they know?

"Hmm, I don't recognize it." Jean Bart admitted, squinting his eyes as if that would help him remember the Jolly Roger that fluttered on the black flag in the wind.

Law closed the distance to the periscope in a few long strides, replacing Jean Bart's spot as he too looked into the object. He saw a large ship, at least three times bigger than their submarine, sailing slowly on the calm sea. There was a smaller flag that undoubtedly belonged to Kaido's jolly roger and also a bigger one which had an animal's skull on it, probably a tiger's, Law guessed by the looks of it.

"A tiger's skull…" Law mumbled trying to remember where he saw that jolly roger before. It was definitively familiar.

"A tiger's skull? Does it have a scar on its left eye?" Sai called out, hearing Law's musings.

The captain looked back at Sai with interest before checking into the periscope again. "Yes, it does." He turned back to his navigator, expecting an answer. Sai obviously knew who these pirates were.

Without even needing to hear the question, Sai explained. "The one eyed lynx pirates. I remember seeing their captain's wanted poster in the newspapers; Jonna 'Silver Tooth' Craggs. He has a bounty of 180, 000, 000 Beli." The navigator looked at his captain a little wearily, as if trying to silently warn Law from doing anything rash. Jonna was obviously not just _any_ pirate since he sailed under one of the Pirate Emperors and had quite a hefty amount on his head.

Law thought for a while, but then grinned, surprisingly pleased with this information.

Bepo recognized that look before Law even had a chance to say anything. The doctor had nothing good planned and it was obvious what his intentions were. However, that only caused more worry for the Bear. "Wait captain, you're not really thinking about raiding them, are you?!"He knew that question was futile even before asking it, since the bear already knew the answer to it.

Law ignored the polar bear and turned to the navigator instead, the smirk never leaving his face. "Sai-ya, tell everyone to get ready."

"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed with tears in his eyes and an equally teary voice. He grabbed his fuzzy head before clasping his pawed hands together. "Please, captain, we just got to the New World, we shouldn't antagonize one of the Pirate Emperors already!"

"Don't worry about it, Bepo." Law didn't seem worried at all as he kept his confident smirk steadily on his face. That expression clearly said Law didn't plan to just bust in without a plan; that wasn't his style. No, this expression clearly stated the captain already had a plan. Besides, having a submarine gave them certain advantages; only a fool wouldn't make use of those advantages. And Law was no fool.

"Even if you say that..:" The bear couldn't be so easily convinced but he stopped trying to persuade Law to give this one up, already knowing his captain for too long and too well. When Law wants something, he'll take it; it's as simple as that. Right now, Law had a goal of defeating these pirates and nobody could get in his way.

Sai hung up the den den mushi after finishing the announcement to the crew, warning them to prepare for emerging and battle.

"So what do we do captain?" Jean Bart awaited his captain's orders in silence. The man's face was an unreadable mask that showed nothing of what the large navigator thought of it all.

Jean Bart-ya, dive deep and pass beneath the ship. We'll emerge from behind, away from their cannons." The captain announced with a smirk.

"Aye, captain." The navigators exclaimed, Sai smirking as he already knew what his captain was thinking. Taking them by surprise by coming from behind, then destroying their mast and ruder, leaving them no chance to escape. The navigator already knew how his captain worked and he knew the plan would go something along those lines. And after that, there was nothing else to do but a full-out battle with the lynx pirates.

~…..~

"Captain!" The first mate of the One-eyed Lynx pirates called out to his captain as something started emerging from the sea behind their ship.

"Is it a sea monster?" Another pirate questioned as they saw a shadow of something rising from the water.

Everyone prepared for the worst. This was the New World after all, a place where anything might happen, and that anything was usually deadly and dangerous. The pirates pulled out their weapons even without their captain ordering them to, however, everyone still got startled when they finally realized what the object before them actually was.

"A ship?" The first mate exclaimed with a perplexed expression.

"A submarine." Jonna 'Silver Tooth' Craggs muttered, surprised as the rest of them but hiding it better.

The vessel appeared in all its yellow glory, the Jolly Roger grinning at the Lynx pirates as if mocking them. The submarine was much smaller than Jonna's ship, to the point where its deck didn't even reach that of the One-Eyed Lynx pirates.

Jonna narrowed his one good eye and stepped closer to the wooden railing of the stern, eyeing the metal vessel suspiciously. Suddenly, the doors of the submarine opened and a man stepped out. He was shorter than Jonna and his lean body was no comparison to the other man's large and toned one. The one-eyed captain was at least two heads taller than this runt. The next two things Jonna instantly noticed were the fuzzy hat on top of the man's head and a large sword that was almost as long as the man was tall.

"Who are ya, ya scurvy dog!?" The first mate yelled out at the man in a fuzzy hat, forgetting his place for a moment. Soon he was reminded when Jonna gave him a glare accompanied with a warning growl. The captain didn't like to be interrupted.

However, the man in a fuzzy hat didn't answer. Instead, he grinned widely, showing a nasty look on his face as if he was preparing to do something delightfully evil and amusing at the same time. "Room," was all the young pirate said, a blue sphere suddenly enveloping both the submarine and the ship with everyone in it.

The startled Lynx pirates took a few steps back as if trying to escape this bluish circle, but with no avail; it completely surrounded them all.

The captain of the large ship widened his one yellow eye as he saw the mysterious man unsheathe his large sword. But what could he do? He was still standing on the deck of the submarine, too far away for even his long nodachi's reach. Still, Jonna had a bad feeling about this and didn't intend to risk it. Suddenly, his eye narrowed as he remembered that tanned face along with the fuzzy hat. "Surgeon of Death…One of the 11 rookies of the Worst Generation, aren't ya?" The captain mumbled quietly, staring at the other captain. However, an alarm quickly sounded off in his head as he remembered that this pirate, Trafalgar Law, was a devil fruit user. "Everyone, to arms!" The large captain called out loud enough for his whole crew on the ship to hear. The said crew didn't waste a single moment as they all prepared their weapons; from pistols and rifles to swords and axes.

However, Law only smirked as he swung his nodachi, still far out of reach. And yet, only a second later, Jonna's ship started creaking and moaning ominously.

"The mast!" Someone from the crew yelled, as their mast fell down, taking a few pirates with it, crushing them in an instant. The large pole crashed down from the ship's deck all the way to the submarine's where it made a bridge between the two vessels.

Not only that, but another crack was heard and Jonna watched as his ship's ruder along with a piece of the stern broke off and fell into the sea with a large splash. Shouts of surprise and displeasure filled the air as his crew realized they were completely immobilized, unable to sail.

Meanwhile, the doors of the small submarine slammed open and pirates wearing white jumpsuits ran out, one after the other, filling their deck. Every one of them had an excited gleam in their eyes and a grin on their face as if they couldn't wait to get started with whatever they were planning. Getting some action was long overdue. By now, it was already painfully obvious what the Heart Pirates had in mind.

The captain strode closer to the railing, growling at Law and his crew. "You are a fool, Trafalgar Law!"

The other captain just looked at the larger man with an unfazed expression. He looked almost bored as if he was already expecting for Jonna to say something along those lines. In the same bored and laid-back manner, Law gave his orders. "Give them no quarter men. But leave the captain to me."

With that the Heart pirates cheered and rushed across the mast, invading the other ship's deck. Law stayed behind for a while, watching the scene, his bored look suddenly replaced by a grin that slowly spread across his face. Indeed, some workout and fun was long overdue.

~…..~

In a flash Law appeared on the pirate ship, mowing down opponents in the process. A few others shot at him, trying to fight his long-rage abilities with their own long-range weapons. The captain noticed Miyako just slashed her opponent near them, his blood splattering everywhere. In the same second, Law twitched his finger and called out a simple world. "Shambles." In that instant, the blood drops that were about to spray some of Jonna's men were replaced by bullets previously flying towards Law, hitting the enemy pirates, while a few blood stains splattered near Law's feet. The captain grinned at his opponent's stunned expressions. Not waiting for them to recover from their shock, Law swung his nodachi, splitting the pirates in a few pieces. He raised his hand once more and shifted it to the side, the pirates' body parts following his movements. They were attached to other parts and formed a gruesome sight of unrecognizable lumps of flesh, still groaning in pain and startled yelps. With a sharp movement of his wrist, Law sent those forms flying right into some of his other enemies, sweeping them away until everyone fell overboard and into the sea. Most of those pirates would experience a painful death of drowning, unable to move in their new forms the doctor gave them. However, that thought only made Law more motivated to continue his ruthless assault.

The Dark Doctor stopped as he heard a loud animalistic growl and turned towards the sound to see none other than captain Jonna himself, standing near the helm of the ship. The already large man grew even larger, his back twisting and hunching a little, the shirt ripped apart as his body slowly started to transform. Deadly claws and sharp canines appeared on his pawed hand and in the yellow snout. The man turned into a beast, a huge tiger humanoid, rising up on his two feet and towering over some of the Heart Pirates. Bepo and a few others attacked him, but the captain was swift and had animalistic senses and reflexes, dodging Bepo's kick and blocking Shachi's and Sam's fists with his much larger hand, then blasting them across the ship. Ben came from behind him but the captain swiftly made a turn, avoiding a kick to his spine, and entangled his tiger tail around Ben's ankle, swirling him and sending the pirate flying into the railing. Jonna had no problem fighting a few of Law's men at once; truly a man worth 180, 000 000 Beli. However, Trafalgar only grinned at that thought. *_Good. We'll have some fun then.*_ The Surgeon of Death clutched his nodachi and stepped forward, walking carelessly towards his prey.

~…~

Miyako blocked one heavy sabre, seeing her own reflection in the gleaming metal sword so close to her face. She ducked as the other came from her side and spun around while pushing away the sword and its wielder away from her, stepping backwards to gain more room. She looked at the opponent in front of her; a scrawny fellow but fast, wielding two sabers at once. The man wasted no time as he jumped towards her, closing the distance between them, and attacked again. Miyako blocked both sabers with her katana, stepping back and using that leg as support while her opponent used all his strength and weight to try and push her down. She gritted her teeth as she tried to endure the strong force pushing her towards the floor but then an idea crossed Miyako's mind and the girl smirked.

"_Why go against the wind when you can simply flow along with it." _Her master's words echoed in her mind.

Suddenly, she moved aside, letting the man stumble forward by the loss of support. She used that second of weakness to spin around and cut at the man's neck with one swift movement before passing him by. His head flew in the air and rolled onto the already bloody deck, while his body stayed standing for a few seconds before it toppled to the ground.

Not giving her any time to rest, another, much bigger pirate attacked her with a broad axe. She quickly dodged his weapon by ducking and stepping forward, before cutting at the man's side. The sharp steal of her katana cut through his flesh like butter, sliding easily in and then out of the pirate. His whole side came open, a few organs spilling out as the man fell on the ground with one last cackle.

A few more pirates ran towards her ready to attack, but Miyako seemed to disappear in a flash and reappeared in a crouch behind the five men. The next moment, blood spurted out of them as cuts appeared on each of the pirates, either on their sides or necks.

The girl swiftly jumped high in the air to avoid a mast that Jean Bart ripped out of the ship's deck and swung with it, sweeping a dozen opponents of the deck in the process.

"Oy, Jean Bart, watch it! You almost swept me with them!" Josh yelled in anger, reprimanding the older pirate before dodging one opponents and hitting him in the back of the neck with a chopping attack, sending the man to unconsciousness.

"My apologies." The navigator called back in a simple apology before turning around to effortlessly blast away a few more pirates with his one large hand.

"Tch…you don't sound sorry at all…" Josh mumbled, noticing that Jean Bart didn't waste much attention on him, since he was busy crushing a few pirates with part of the ship's railing that he effortlessly ripped out with his bare hands.

On her other side, Sai blocked a sword with his sturdy rifle before twirling it and hitting the man in the face with the butt of it. He then twirled the rifle back in position and only needed one second to position himself and aim before firing at one of the pirates who were about to sneak up on Shachi. The shot got the pirate right in the middle of his eyes, sending his head backwards where his body soon followed.

As much as the Heart Pirates argued or fought among themselves, when it was time for battle, all of them worked in perfect unity with flawless teamwork.

"Shoot her down!" A pirate yelled, signaling to five pirates with rifles who were aiming at the samurai girl and it brought Miyako's attention back to her own enemies. The girl narrowed her eyes but rushed forward, right towards the pointed guns. The air shifted as Miyako's haki blasted out, just as the pirates shot their guns. To the slower eye it seemed like all of the bullets simply missed without even grazing the girl, but it was Miyako's haki that told her the exact path of the bullets, making the girl dodge them in lightning speed before they could even get to their target. The samurai jumped in the air, landing right in the middle of the group, twirling around with a sword and cutting their guns first. One managed to reload an aimed the rifle at Miyako but as much as he tried pulling the trigger nothing happened. Confused, the man looked down and his eyes widened in shock and surprise, seeing his hand was gone from the trigger, lying on the floor in a small puddle of blood. Everything happened so fast, the pirate didn't even have a chance to feel a thing. Looking back up, the man found himself eye to eye with the Golden-eyed Miyako of the Heart Pirates and her bloodied katana, Yawarakai-Te. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to beg for mercy, but never had a chance to as the katana pierced his throat and pulled out, letting the man bleed to death as he choked on his own blood.

The girl straightened up again and swung her katana downwards, making the blood splatter from it and onto the floor and the corpses around her. She turned it a little, making the gleaming metal shine on the afternoon sun ominously while her eyes burned with the color of gold, really seeming as if on fire while the sunlight gave them an even brighter glow.

~…..~

Jonna raised his heavy paw in the air, the long claws glistening on the light. He was just about to bring it down on a barely conscious Kai when a long nodachi stopped him, blocking his attack. The tiger man growled and looked to the side to see Law next to him, clutching the sword with both hands. With a round kick aimed for Jonna's ribs, the Hearts' captain sent the bigger man flying. Jonna crashed through the cabin's doors and fell down the stairs into the inside of his ship.

Not wasting any time, Law jumped down the cracked stairs and saw a heap of wood entangled with Jonna's body. The tiger suddenly busted out of it with a loud angry roar, sending splinters of wood everywhere. In one fluid motion the animal man rushed at Law and tackled the smaller body, pushing the other captain into the wooden wall and creating a smaller crater in the process.

Law felt the air escape his lungs with the painful contact of his back against the wall. Another, sharper pain, soon hit him as the tiger sank his claws into Law's shoulders, holding him in place. The beast-man opened his large snout, showing rows of sharp long teeth. Saliva dripped down from them and Law could sense the hot breath on his face as Jonna prepared to sink those teeth right into his neck.

The Dark Doctor grimaced, struggling to break free from the tiger's grip but Jonna wasn't a giant beast only for show; he had the strength of one as well. Getting away from the tiger while being held against the wall with the humanoid animal's claws ripping into your skin, proved much more complicated than Law imagined. Just as Silver Tooth's teeth, glistening with saliva and giving Law a pretty good idea where the pirate got that nickname, were about to tore into his flesh, Law used his fingers to slightly change his odds. Luckily, his operating room was still there, giving him powers to turn the tables around.

"Shambles." Just as the tiger man was about to bite into Law, the younger captain disappeared and instead Jonna's teeth bit into hard wood, reducing it to pieces with his mighty jaw.

That same second, Law appeared behind Jonna and took his fallen nodachi from the floor. Law swung his sword, a bit awkwardly due to the small space that limited both their movements. However, the tigerman swiftly jumped forward, the slash missing beneath the captain while both of Jonna's arms reached for Law, flying towards him with claws ready. Trafalgar jumped to the side against the wall and dodged the other captain who landed on the ground but had to jump backwards into a closed room to dodge another of Law's attacks.

Trafalgar scowled in annoyance as Jonna Craggs appeared a more fitting opponent than the Surgeon of Death expected. His zoan devil fruit powers gave him all the agility, instincts and strength of a real tiger. Still, Law had no intention of losing. The sole reason he attacked their ship was to find out more about Kaido and he was not leaving without at least some information.

Law rushed in the room, jumping over the broken doors and faintly noticed it was the captain's quarters. How fitting. The Dark Doctor smirked, but his amusement didn't last long as a long tail sprung towards him, trying to wrap itself around Law's neck. The captain instantly noticed that was only to get his attention and lose the focus of the real danger, Jonna clawing at him from the side. So instead, Law ducked and avoided the clawed hand coming from the side and the tail going for his neck. Before Jonna could move his tail down to hit him and send him to the floor, Law moved forward, still in a crouch, and swung with his nodachi. The sword cut both of Jonna's legs in one move and Law stood up when he passed the other pirate, standing behind Jonna now. Seeing as they were still in the doctor's Room, instead of blood gushing out, the legs simply split away little below the knees and fell on the floor while the tiger man crashed into the ground.

Just because there wasn't blood, didn't mean Jonna didn't feel pain from getting his legs cut off. Quite the contrary. The large man screamed in pain and the lack of concentration made him transform back into a human. The man propped himself on his elbows and tried to stand up but a tip of a sword was pointed right into his face, making him stop instantly. Jonna glared up at the smirking man before him. "What do you want, you bastard?" The captain spat out through his gritted teeth.

The question only made Law's grin widen. "Information." He ignored the puzzled expression on the other's face. "I want you to tell me about Kaido and more importantly, his deal with Doflamingo…or do you call him Joker?" Law's eye caught a slight change in Jonna's expression when he heard Doflamingo's underworld name. Craggs' good eye widened in the slightest, but it was enough for Law to notice the man knew at least something. "So you _do_ know something." Law stated calmly, noticing Jonna's surprise at his statement. The other didn't notice he gave himself away with his little reaction, but nothing escaped Law's acute eye.

However, the larger captain decided to do things the hard way. The man glared at Law with a disgusted look and spat in front of the younger man's feet. "I ain't telling you nothin'!"

The doctor decided to ignore the double negative of Jonna's statement, which made his sentence completely irrational, and instead gave his opponent a wide grin. A wide, sadistic, excited grin. "To be honest, I was hoping you'd say that." His expression was enough to send shivers down even Craggs' spine and suddenly Silver Tooth looked more worried than before.

One of the benefits of Law's powers were that no matter what you do to your victims, they don't die. No matter how many times you slice them, they never bleed out. Yet, they feel the pain of every cut just like any other human would. That made his abilities a perfect torturing tool; something Law often used to his benefit.

The Lynx captain groaned in pain through gritted teeth, desperately trying to hide his agony from Law, as his hand bent in an unnatural way and broke in the elbow.

"Tact" The Surgeon of Death moved his finger again, making Jonna's kneecap burst out of the man's leg. The bone tore through the flesh and stuck out of the leg like a pinnacle. Even Craggs couldn't suppress the scream of pain that followed from his dry throat.

"Y-you…sick…bastard…" Silver Tooth glared daggers at Law, panting and weak from all the hurt.

However, the other captain stayed unfazed by Jonna's words. He looked bored as he raised his hand again and Craggs' forearm split open by its length, showing him a clear view of nerves, veins and the bone inside. Jonna screamed again, completely bewildered as he watched his own bone move and break in the middle, sticking out just like his kneecap earlier. Yet it perfectly avoided cutting any veins in the process so he wouldn't bleed out. Law was good at this; skillful as an expert, though Jonna couldn't tell was it from Trafalgar's experience being a surgeon or torturing people. Probably both. "That's not what I want to hear." Law sighed, his patience growing thin by the passing minute. "What I want to hear is what is Kaido planning and how much do you know of Joker's hand in it." Finishing his question, Law moved his nodachi in a slash and Jonna's arm spilt in length; from palm to shoulder. The captain screamed again.

"I...I don't know much…Please…" Jonna panted and lifted his still whole other hand as if that would protect him from the sadistic surgeon.

Trafalgar smirked. "I don't need you to beg, I need you to tell me what you _do_ know." Just in case Jonna didn't get the message, Law made it more clear by cutting off Jonna's hand that was raised in the air.

With another grunt and a lot of panting, Jonna fell on his back. He could see his own legs lying there on the floor in front of him. The sight was bizarre and terrifying at the same time, which made the captain gulp painfully. "Kaido is…building a zoan army…He wants to overtake the power of the Emperors now that Whitebeard is gone. H-he wants…to rise to the top while everyone is still recovering from the War of the Best. Everything grew silent…and Blackbeard is a force on the rise…Kaido wants to turn it all in his favor with manpower. It's…only a matter of time before…Teach shows up again and tries to take all the power for himself."

Law narrowed his eyes. "Kaido thinks Blackbeard will try to kill the rest of the Emperors as well." Whether that was really Teach's intention, Law could only guess. But it wasn't odd that Kaido thought that way. So instead, the Emperor wanted to forestall everyone else, and become a much greater power than all of them. He could rise to the top and protect himself with one go; but he needed an army of zoan users for that. Law read the data of Vegapunk's research; the scientist wasn't able to find a way to make logia or paramecia devil fruits yet, but somehow the zoan type fitted Kaido of the Beasts perfectly. "So? How big is Kaido's amry now?"

"A-around 300 zoan users and rising…But there are regular pirates too." Jonna gulped, shifting uncomfortably. He noticed his sword leaning against the wall, thinking whether he had time to leap towards it to stab Law. However, as soon as the other captain followed Jonna's quick gaze and understood what the other was planning, he stabbed right though Jonna's still good knee, wringing out more screams from the pirate.

"And Joker?" Law was much more interested in Doflamingo's part of the deal, trying to find any weakness he could use against the Shichibukai. Just in case, the doctor rose his nodachi a little, giving Craggs a fair warning.

Jonna gulped. "A-alright! I'll tell you everything."

~…~

The deck was stained with blood and covered in fallen pirates, as the sounds of fighting finally started to quiet down. The last crew-member of the One-eyed Lynx pirates fell on the deck, taken out by Cody's dagger.

There were a few moans of pain as the Heart Pirates didn't come out of the battle uninjured either. Some were shot while others sported cuts or broken bones, but luckily there were no dead among them. The medic team was already searching for any injured, giving everyone first aid.

"Where's captain?" Sam looked around but saw no sign of the tall man in a fuzzy hat.

"The last time I saw him, he was fighting with Silver Tooth. Both of them jumped below deck, inside." Cody pointed at the entrance to the ship.

"He didn't come out yet…" Jean Bart stared down the stairs but saw nothing but black darkness. Suddenly a scream ripped through the air. The Heart Pirates stiffened but instantly recognized that the voice wasn't their captain's. With a sigh, everybody relaxed. It seems captain wasn't in any danger; on the contrary, he was having fun.

~…~

The man on the floor panted from all the pain and strain as he finally finished telling everything he knew. He tried lying or covering up some things a few times, but Law was like a lying detector, instantly noticing the subtle changes or twitches in Jonna's expression.

Trafalgar sheathed back his nodachi, turning his back to the dismembered enemy. Jonna had both his feet and arms cut off now.

"You won't get away with this, Trafalgar. Kaido will rip you apart when he finds out you attacked his men!" Craggs was able to get back some of that courage as he remembered his boss was a mighty Pirate Emperor.; one known for his cruelty and power. Unfortunately, Kaido wasn't here right now; and that's why Law turned around with a bored expression towards Jonna, his expression an unreadable mask.

The Surgeon of Death stayed quiet for a while but then his lips stretched into a wide grin. A sadistic expression stayed on Law's face as his eyes shone with a new emotion Jonna didn't see before. "In that case, we'll just have to make sure Kaido doesn't find out." Somehow, the combination of Law's look and the slightly gleeful tone in his voice, made Craggs stiffen in discomfort. With those words that sounded much like a promise, Trafalgar Law walked out of the room and disappeared from Jonna's view.

~…~

"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed happily when he saw his captain and long-time friend walk up the stairs and onto the deck.

Law gave Bepo his nodachi and tuned to look at the state of his crew. A few injured man, but all in all they were successful. "Take anything of worth you find inside the ship!" He declared, hearing another cheer from his crew as they were given permission to freely plunder the vessel. Law turned to walk away but then stopped as he remembered one more thing. "Oh. And leave the gunpowder." A wide grin spread across his face once more.

~…~

While the crew enjoyed their free time of stealing whatever they could carry, Law had plans of his own. He called Eli and Ari to discuss his plan with them. Eli was his master gunner though in this case the brown-haired man with an ushanka on his head took care of torpedoes and made sure the torpedo tubes and mechanisms were in order. Ari, on the other hand, was an explosives expert who often designed and created bombs and dynamite.

Meanwhile, Miyako and some of the others went down below to see were there anything worthy of taking. Still, the samurai girl didn't really have any desire to scavenge the ship so instead she turned away to do a bit of exploration.

"Miya-chan, where are you going?" Cody's voice stopped her as he saw the girl leave from the group.

"Oh, I'm just going to explore the ship a little." The girl answered despite seeing a few questioning stares from the crewmembers. They probably never had a wish to explore an enemy ship if it wasn't in case of looking for treasure.

Cody didn't really seem surprised by the girl's answer, probably used to such antics from her. Still, he gave her a slightly worried look. "Ok well, just be careful," he warned in an ambiguous tone.

Miyako smiled and turned around without a word, going further below to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Cody and the group found a chest with various items; from log poses to golden coins and maps.

"Hey guys, who do you recon this was for?" Louis lifted up a frilly, big victorian-looking, dress with flower patterns and bows on its light blue fabric.

"The captain?" Josh question and the group chuckled imagining the bulky, large captain of the Lynx pirates parading around in that dress.

"Hey guys, don't be mean!" Penguin started giving them a reprimanding expression, until a wide grin spread across his mocking face. "Maybe they had tea parties in their free time so he wanted to look nice?" he added and everyone burst out laughing openly this time.

After some time of looking around and finally finding their two main goals; the armory and a treasury, along with some crates of useful supplies, the Heart Pirates started moving the cargo and loading it into their own submarine.

However, the uneasiness returned to Cody's chest as he noticed Miyako was nowhere to be seen for a long time now. "Hey, Miya-chan still hasn't come back?" he turned to Josh, who was struggling with a heavy chest beside him. Unfortunately, the treasury was mostly empty as they didn't find much of interest on the enemy ship.

"Nope, haven't seen her." The redhead didn't bat an eye as he answered, obviously not feeling even a bit anxious about it.

"Hm…There might be some more enemies below that we didn't encounter. Josh, go find her." Cody put down another crate on the submarine's deck and turned to his medic friend.

However, Josh simply gave him a perplexed look, not liking the idea. "Why? She can take care of herself." Indeed, even he admitted Miyako wasn't some lady in distress who needed looking after. She had her katana with her and that was enough to make her a serious threat to anybody who dared cross paths with her.

Cody just sighed and rolled the sleeves of his jumpsuit to his elbows, feeling the heat under the afternoon sun along with their straining activates right now. Two dark tribal tattoos of their jolly roger revealed themselves on each of his forearms. "It's fine, just go see. Maybe something happened."

"Nothing happened!" The redhead spat out, not willing to strain himself with this fruitless task. However, as soon as he saw Cody's slightly agitated look, the shorter medic sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go…" He mumbled and waved as if he was trying to dismiss the whole subject. The redhead lazily turned around and trotted back to the pirate ship, walking inside.

~…..~

After exploring most of the large ship, Miyako finally came to the lowest level though she didn't find much of interest in it. Mostly, there were some spare parts for the ship, ropes, cloth for sails, and in the far end was a brig. It was cold and wet in here as water puddled around her feet. A scent of mold was in the air and the girl scrunched her nose in response. She walked all the way to the end, looking at empty cells. That is until she realized one of them wasn't completely vacant.

Miyako's eyes widened when she noticed a girl sitting on the floor in one of the cells, shackled with chains to the wall. She was dressed in a ripped underdress and a mess of long black hair hid her dirty face.

The samurai quickly walked over to the cell and cut the lock with her katana, not wanting to waste time on finding a key. At first the girl looked at the newcomer with wide, fearful eyes and tried to scoot away from Miyako, but only bumped into the wall behind her. She had a cloth tied around her mouth like a gag, only allowing her to muffle a few incoherent words.

"It's ok, don't be afraid." Miyako tried to calm her. "I'll cut the chains so move aside," she continued, bringing forth her sword once more.

At first the woman seemed uncertain but then did as she was told, giving Miyako more space. In a flash, the metal cut the old chains and freed the girl. However, the metal cuffs around her wrists still remained, leaving scarred flesh underneath. Finally Miyako crouched down and removed the gag from the woman's mouth.

"W-who…?" The woman's dry voice cracked in half, unable to finish the question.

A third voice sounded behind them as Josh walked over, seeing Miyako's red ribbon swaying around in the distance while the girl moved. "Miyako, where the heck did you go? What are you doing here?" The redhead didn't seem at all pleased but he abruptly stopped when he saw the black-haired woman, who once again looked alarmed.

Miyako turned to Josh with an uncertain expression, not really knowing what to do with the woman. "I found her in the cell."

"Who are you people?" The woman tried speaking again, this time managing to finish her question, but only in a soft whisper.

"Pirates." Josh answered bluntly, without hesitation.

The woman's eyes went wide again and Miyako looked at Josh with a '_What are you saying, you idiot?!'_ look. This woman was imprisoned by pirates and they did who-knows-what to her. The last thing she needed was more pirates around her. Still, Miyako knew they couldn't really hide this fact for very long, seeing as there were around two dozen pirates outside on the deck.

"P-Pirates!? Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" Once again, the woman tried to crawl away from the pair but had nowhere to escape.

"Don't be scared, we won't do anything to you!" Miyako tried to calm her but to no avail. After a few more words of reassuring, the woman finally started to calm down again.

"What happened to the pirates of this ship…?" The woman whispered, unsure again.

"Killed them." once again, Josh blurted out with no concern how it might sound to the woman.

And once again the woman stiffened in response. Miyako turned and gave him a glare, while Joshua just shrugged with a '_What?_' question written across his face as if he couldn't understand the problem here. The samurai really wasn't sure anymore was he really being so clueless or just messing with them on purpose.

"Then I demand you take me to your captain!" Unexpectedly the woman burst out, a sudden confident look on her face.

Miyako didn't know where that confidence came from but she was worried it would soon be completely wiped away when the woman met their captain. She knew how intimidating Law could be and after having such a traumatic experience with pirates, Miyako doubted it would be a good idea for the woman to meet a man who put sadism on a whole new level.

"I don't think that's such a good idea-" Miyako started, wanting to explain, but the woman cut her off and brushed her efforts away with complete certainty.

"Nonsense! You killed those ruffian pirates so there might be still hope for you lot. Come now, help me up and take me to the person in charge." There was a demanding tone in her voice, bordering with orders now. The woman reached out with her arms as if expecting for someone to help her up.

Miyako and Joshua looked at each other with slight confusion, uncertain how to proceed, but the medic's expression soon changed as an idea crossed his mind. A mischievous grin appeared on his face, which only made Miyako more unsettled.

"Alright. I'll take you to captain." Joshua answered unusually obedient for someone who was ordered by an unknown prisoner. He even grabbed her hands to help her up.

"Hey, not so rough!" The woman yelled as the redhead started pulling her outside to the deck, not so gently but far from caring about it either.

Miyako didn't even need to ask what Josh was planning to understand his trail of thought. It was quite obvious what he had in mind. As soon as they heard this woman's tone, it was obvious what would happen if such a person met Law and started acting as she did now. They would be picking up her pieces across the deck. The samurai sighed and jogged behind the couple, with Josh still holding the woman's writs tightly in case she tried to escape; such an attempt would be completely useless in this situation.

~…..~

"Unhand me, you ruffian!" the woman exclaimed, struggling from Josh's grip and ripped apart from his hands once the pair stopped walking. She looked ahead of her to see a tall man with a white, fuzzy, spotted hat. Such a sight didn't really look intimidating on a man but the dark, dangerous aura made up for that fact. He looked at her, or rather pierced, with his grey eyes that had dark circles of sleep deprivation under them. He only gave his two subordinates a questioning gaze, silently demanding an explanation.

Josh shrugged. "We found out who that dress belongs to." He started to explain, but then remembered Law wasn't there when they had their little talk about the One-eyed Lynx pirates having a tea party in frilly white dresses. Perhaps that was for the better, Josh concluded, and cleared his throat to start from anew.

However, this time Miyako was quicker as she continued instead of him. "We found her locked up in a cell."

Before Law could ask anything more, the woman started talking again. And talk she did…a lot. "I demand you take me back in your…" she looked behind Law at the small yellow submarine next to the large pirate ship and made a slightly dissatisfied expression that didn't go unnoticed by Law. "…vessel! I will not be treated like a prisoner or some lowly commoner! If you have any dignity, you will treat a noble woman with respect! I also demand a safe quarter for myself, food and water and of course a hot shower! And-" She looked around to see one of the pirates still holding that dress, her dress. Without hesitation she stomped towards him, making the uncertain man flinch a little, and ripped the dress from his hands. "I will be having this back!" She stomped back to Law in quick strides, putting the dress in front of herself as if trying to protect herself from their view.

Meanwhile, Cody scratched his head in thought, staring at the young woman. She couldn't be older than 25, with messy black hair and pale skin. Her physique seemed frail, her hands without any blisters as she probably never worked a physical job in her life. She did say something about being a noble woman, didn't she? Still, even with her hair sticking to her wet and sweaty, dirty face, the medic had a strange feeling of familiarity as if he saw her somewhere before. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his mind and the medic jogged back to the submarine.

Miyako's eyes widened as the woman kept talking, on and on, both demanding and ordering while also insulting the Heart pirates as they were only just 'low-life pirates who would do anything for money so it was better for them to listen and help her if they wanted to be rewarded.' Honestly, even Miyako was losing her patience with this arrogant and loud woman, and everyone had similar glares in their eyes while staring at the talking noble woman. And Law? Oddly enough, he just stood there and listened, looking bored. But Miyako knew it was just an act. He was probably wondering what else the woman had to say before he sliced her to pieces and tossed her ass overboard. If Miyako didn't do something, he'd definitively kill the noble but truthfully right now even Miyako imagined cutting the woman's head off just to shut her up. She was getting more and more agitated by this noble.

"As I was saying; these ruffians didn't deserve anything better than to be killed." The woman nodded at some pirate corpses of the other pirate crew. "And if you want to be well rewarded, you better listen to me carefully. I have my demands that you better-"

The woman's antics were abruptly cut off when a fist flew right into her face, making her fall on the wooden floor, unconscious and finally silent. The Heart Pirates all stared at the sight and then at the culprit; Miyako, who straightened back up while waving her slightly pained hand. She wasn't really used to punching people, so the sensation seemed foreign to her. Even Law blinked a few times with slightly wide eyes, not expecting this scenario. On the other hand, Miyako just shrugged. "It had to be done," she explained plainly, but everyone understood its meaning perfectly so they all just shrugged and nodded with agreement.

"So can we kill her now?" Eli muttered, looking at the unconscious woman on the floor.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Cody came running back, holding a newspaper in one hand. He looked at the front page and crouched down over the woman. Moving her hair away from her pretty face, he put the newspaper next to her, looking at the picture on the newspaper page.

"It's her!" Bepo exclaimed seeing undisputed similarity with the picture and the real woman.

Miyako took the newspapers and read out loud. "Laura Talliage, the daughter of the textile industry Tycoon and nobleman, Taijirou Talliage, was kidnapped while traveling with a merchant ship back home from a trading meeting on Solaria. It is said that the pirates attacked and plundered the ship and took the noble woman for ransom money. The suspects are the One-Eyed Lynx pirates, underlings of the infamous Pire Emperor Kaido."

"So they'll come looking for her! Captain, this girl is just unnecessary trouble." Ari noted. They already pissed off the Tenryuubito once, not to mention they already became a serious threat for the marines with the Abney Cove incident and their captain was a supernova with a 440 million Beri on his head. Kidnapping this woman was really unnecessary though there's nothing much they could do to anger the World Government more anyway. Still, who would want to listen to this woman for one more second than necessary?

As the Heart Pirates commented among themselves what to do with the woman, Law stayed strangely quiet. The crew started to become suspicious when he still didn't word out his final decision on the matter. "Captain?" The Hearts called out, uncertainly.

Law had the same laid-back look he usually did while he looked down at the unconscious woman. After a while, he finally said one word; or rather a number. "35."

Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expression, nobody understating what their captain was talking about. Law ignored their confused stares but continued anyway. "She gave me an order 35 times."

"You actually counted?!" The crew exclaimed in perplexed shock, staring at their captain in disbelief.

Josh sweat dropped seeing that Law definitively had an idea in mind. "You're not planning to cut her to 35 pieces, are you?" The redhead looked at his captain suspiciously, guessing that would be exactly what Law was planning to do.

On their surprise, Law didn't change his bored expression. "No. That would take too much time and we can't stay here much longer. We need to make sure Kaido never finds any remains of this ship, nothing that could lead him to us." He stared at the woman on the ground. "And that means; no witnesses."

"Ah, I like that thought." Bepo smiled contently as he thought about them covering up their trail so Kaido could never bring down his furious retribution on them.

"So what do we do with her then?" Miyako gestured at the woman. She wouldn't mind having some girl company on the submarine but somehow she doubted she would enjoy it with this woman.

Law didn't answer, but instead looked at Eli and Ari. "Is everything ready?"

The two pirates nodded in unison. "We can light 'er up as soon as you tell the word, cap'n."

A grin slowly spread over Trafalgar's face, giving everyone chills. Now everyone was sure; their captain definitively had something in mind. And as always, they doubted it was anything pleasant…well, not for this woman anyway.

~….~

When Laura Talliage opened her eyes again, still hazy and with a splitting headache, she couldn't quite understand what was happening around her. The first thing she noticed was the high distance between her feet and the ground. A slight uneasiness came over her as she looked down, noticing she was high in the air. That uneasiness only grew stronger when she realized she couldn't move; her whole body was tied. But to what? As her mind cleared up a bit, Laura understood she was tied to a mast. Her slightly panicking mind remembered clearly that mast was broken, but was now sticking high from the ground once more. However, she didn't really have time to wonder about such unessential details and instead tried to desperately free herself. She voiced out some muffled complains but unfortunately she once again had a gag in her mouth; curtsy of Josh himself. The woman kept struggling and trying to scream, her eyes wide and teary from fear.

A safe distance away, a yellow submarine slowly rocked on the small waves. The Heart Pirates stood on the deck looking at the large pirate ship in the distance. Only seconds later, the whole pirate ship blew up, enveloped into flame and cinder. Parts of it flew in the air and into the sea with a sizzling sound of fire hitting cold water. The ship continued to burn, both flags slowly disappearing into ashes. The Heart Pirates stood and watched as the ships slowly started falling apart and disappearing into the sea. Some wood still continued to float around, carried by the waves.

"I doubt Kaido will be able to find out anything from the wreckage now," Jean Bart concluded as the ship fell apart completely.

Meanwhile, Miyako sighed at the sight. She wasn't really happy about killing that woman but she didn't really have any pity for her either. Those kinds of people didn't bring out any mercy from the samurai; she didn't feel like they deserved any. She glanced at Law standing beside her, staring at the burning ship with his usual calm expression, his amusement short-lasting as always. "I bet that was more than 35 pieces though," Miyako mentioned, remembering their previous talk. With so much gunpowder that exploded and destroyed the ship, Laura must've blown up in many more than 35 pieces.

Law glanced to his side at Miyako and smirked at the samurai girl. "You think?" He turned around and walked back into the submarine nonchalantly with his hands in the pockets. Bepo noticed his captain leaving and trotted after the man, holding Law's long nodachi in his paws. Miyako watched after the captain for a while but then simply sighed again and walked inside while slightly shaking her head. She didn't know what was worrying her more; the fact that her captain was a sadist or that she was already so used to it, it didn't even faze her anymore.

~…~

The doctor made final stitches on his subordinate's shoulder before taping the gauze over it. "Don't strain the shoulder too much or your stitches will break," Trafalgar warned, letting the crewmember put his shirt back on.

Cody smiled beside them as he put down some antiseptic and started sorting new medication in the cabinets. "You'll be fine, Louis, just watch the shoulder while you're working down at the engine room."

The said assistant mechanic smiled, putting back the hat on his dark blonde hair. "Thanks captain." The man hopped down from the bed and with a tip of his cap said one final goodbye before exiting the room.

Even though there weren't any casualties in the Heart Pirates crew, the battle was still bloody. None of the men were seriously injured but most had cuts and bruises and some even gained broken bones throughout the fight. Kaido's men weren't a joke and the Heart Pirates learned that the hard way. However, Law deemed the sacrifice worthy for the information he got from Silver Tooth. He was one step closer to reaching his goal; it won't be long before trouble starts stirring in this world. The name of D will once again make a commotion and that person's long lasting dream will finally come to realization.

The sound of the doors opening pulled Law out of his thoughts. Without turning around the doctor took out his equipment, sure it was yet another patient for patching up. Either that or the boys got too happy with a bottle of whiskey and wiring in room 2B again. Law shook his head with a sigh, remembering that scene. Once again, his thoughts were broken when Cody addressed the newcomer.

"Oh, hi Miya-chan. Don't tell me you got hurt too?" He looked at the girl with a worried reprimanding look of an older brother towards his frivolous little sister.

The girl walked over to the infirmary bed and hopped on it, where she sat comfortably, swinging her legs like a playful child. She really seemed like a mischievous little sister at the moment. Miyako sighed, a bit too dramatically, and showed Cody a small but deep gash on her upper arm. "Shachi insisted I come here to take care of it. I told him I could do it myself and that it wasn't so bad, but he wouldn't even hear it." The girl gave Cody a fleeting smile before turning to Law who was cleaning a few instruments and already picking up the needed ones after scanning over Miyako's wound. "Captain." She nodded, greeting the man, more serious all of a sudden.

The blue-haired medic noticed the tension between the couple, looking from Miyako to Law. They didn't say much, but that was weird in itself. Usually they would already exchange a few snarky comments and teasing remarks, but instead, both of them seemed at a standstill. _*Are they having another fight_?* The medic sighed with a tired expression. It seemed like those two will never get along perfectly; there was always something going on between them. Deciding to give the pair some space, the medic took some medical supplies and headed for the small medical storage in the backroom. "I'll just put this away," he commented innocently and excused himself.

Miyako knew exactly what her friend was thinking and locked eye-contact with him, silently begging him to stay. _*Don't you dare, don't you dare, don't you dare- aaand he's gone.*_ She sighed in disappointment as Cody disappeared in the back room, completely ignoring her pleading eyes. *_How merciless…* _

"Alright, let's see it." Law sat in front of the examination bed and took of his fuzzy hat on the side before putting on his white rubber gloves. He took Miyako's upper arm and turned it carefully to have a better look at the wound. "It's not that bad. You'll need stitches though." He rolled away in his chair to his equipment and took some cotton wad and alcohol to disinfect the wound. Putting some antiseptic on the medical wadding, the doctor reached for the wound with it, trying to clean the gash.

However, as he moved his hand closer, Miyako leaned slightly back. Law stopped and looked at her with slight annoyance, seeing an innocent blank face staring back at him as if she didn't notice anything. He tried again, but the more his hand reached forward, the further back did Miyako lean. Law finally gave up and sighed, losing patience. "Miss Miyako," he warned, putting the wad aside.

Miyako just looked to the side, a guilty expression clear on her face, and a small pout appeared with it. "But it stings," she muttered, a bit embarrassed. She really didn't like putting alcohol on wounds even though it was often used to clean her wounds when she was a child. As a kid training kenjutsu, she always obtained various cuts and injuries so she had plenty of experience with disinfecting them, but no matter what she could never get used to the uncomfortable stinging sensation that came with it.

Trafalgar had to fight the urge to sigh again at the girl's actions. Honestly, she got wounds all the time, injuries that certainly hurt more than some disinfectant on an open wound, yet she was complaining about _this_? He watched her slight childish pout and noticed the little blush that appeared on her cheeks from embarrassment. How could there be a person with so many inconsistencies; serious and cold-blooded one moment, while completely acting like a child the next. She could be merciless and fighting with all her power while enduring her own pain, but then she comes to him and does _this_, complaining about a little sting. Next thing he knows, she'll be running away from a simple syringe for blood analysis. Even though his patience was growing thin, Law's doctor professionalism kicked in and he closed his eyes for a while, before looking at the stubborn girl in front of him. "If I don't clean your wound, it'll get infected."

"Can't you just wash it with water?" Miyako mumbled, still rejecting the idea. The look that the doctor pierced her with, gave Miyako a clear answer to that question. "Guess not…" The girl muttered, looking back at the awaiting doctor. She glanced a few more times at the alcohol suspiciously but then sighed and scooted closer to the edge of the bed. "Fine." She sighed. She knew when she was defeated and Law didn't look like he was in the mood for any more struggling on this matter. He took his doctor profession quite seriously after all, and he's been taking care of his wounded crew members ever since they carried on with their journey, carefully sailing underwater so nobody could see the yellow submarine suspiciously close to the burning scene of Kaido's pirate ship. The captain must've been tired himself, after the fight with Jonna that also left Law with some injuries. So Miyako decided to show some mercy this time and take her stubbornness down a level. She turned her bare upper arm towards the doctor, letting him work; glad she wore her black spaghetti strap shirt to make it easier for him. It was a better option than having to take her t-shirt off in front of him.

Nonetheless, Miyako couldn't forget that they were slightly on weird terms these days. Especially with Law's latest attempt of teasing her, or at least that's what she thought he was doing. She still didn't know what was his game as he kept on giving her only a little; accidental brushes or feather touches, yet that simply made her want more. It was slowly driving Miyako mad as Law would pull back every time she thought she would finally get what she wanted. And what was that anyway? Miyako gulped as she realized she was once again dragged into his own pace. If she didn't pull herself together, he would definitively win. The girl looked at the man in front of her, his eyes focused on her wound as he worked quickly and with great precision. His tattooed hand worked around her wound rather gently; how ironic that it was the same hand that spelled the word 'death' on it. The same hand that killed dozens of his enemies only a few hours ago. The same calm and collected expression that was now concentrated on his work, yet not so long ago it made such a sadistic grin while planning to strap a woman on a mast and blow her up. Thinking about that grin made Miyako's eyes gaze down to the man's lip. The girl gulped unconsciously and bit her own lip. It seemed forever since Law even kissed her; the last time was when Miyako kissed _him_. Presence of that memory made the girl blush and quickly look away, as she reminded herself of such an embarrassing display on her part. A kiss _she_ initiated. She still couldn't believe she did that and quite forcefully when she thought about it. Nevertheless, Miyako had to admit she liked the feeling. A feeling of being in charge for once, taking Law by surprise and not the other way around. A barely visible smirk passed Miyako's features before she remembered to keep her calm again.

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't even notice when the last stitch was tightened on her wound and closed the deep gash. Law cut off the string and put down his medical items, all done with his work. Miyako blinked, realizing it was already over and she hardly felt a thing. She was so into her thoughts, the girl completely forgot Law was treating her. Either that or he was indeed so skillful she barely felt it as anything more than discomfort on her arm. "That was quick and actually pretty painless. Well as much as sticking a sharp needle in your skin can be," the girl noted, mumbling in slight surprise.

Law stood up and turned to move the equipment away, before turning to face her with gauze in his hand to put it across her now treated wound. At the same time Miyako hopped down from the bed, making the two almost bump their foreheads together. The girl gasped despite herself, startled at the sudden unexpected closeness. Law on the other hand didn't bat an eye, giving her the same unreadable expression as always. "Well I _am_ a doctor," he noted, and the girl could feel his warm breath on her face. It smelt of the dark coffee he always drank but it wasn't unpleasant. Her lips parted a little without her even realizing. The doctor kept his eye contact on her, stepping even closer, but still remaining that hair's-breadth of a distance away, enough for them to stay apart. Suddenly, a slight pain on her arm brought Miyako out of her daze and she looked down to see Law stick the gauze over her wound. Before she could even realize what happened, the doctor finished and turned away from her again.

The girl's face flushed once again as she felt both played and unsatisfied, but the thought that Law was able to do that to her only frustrated her more. She shouldn't want him. She didn't _want_ to want him! Yet, she still bit her bottom lip at the deprived expected contact. However, she wanted to get to the bottom of Law's recent actions one way or the other. She narrowed her eyes and frowned with displeasure as she watched the doctor's back. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

The captain walked over to his desk and leaned on its rim, crossing his arms on the chest. The sleeves of his yellow hoodie pulled up in the process, showing the black tattoos on his forearms. There was a mischievous smirk on his face as he watched the flustered girl with amusement. "Doing what?"

She wasn't at all fooled by his innocent act. Actually he didn't even look innocent and she was sure that was also done on purpose. He knew exactly what she was talking about; and he knew she was well aware of that fact. Miyako scowled feeling that this time it was her patience which grew thin. "You know what I'm talking about; you've been doing the same thing for days now. Getting close to me and then…" She quieted down instantly, closing her mouth with a small pout, not really sure how to voice out what she wanted. If she did, he would instantly know what was bothering her; the fact that he has refused to kiss her for two weeks now. But there was no way she could show such weakness and tell him that, could she? Didn't she proclaim so confidently that she will make _him_ fall for _her_ ?

The smirk never left Law's face as he tilted his head, obviously amused. "And then _what_?" He urged her on, waiting for Miyako to finish her sentence.

"Never mind…" The girl muttered with another scowl and started walking towards the doors. There was no reason for her to stay here now that her wound was treated.

"If you want something, then just do it." Law's casual voice behind her stopped the girl in her tracks.

Miyako turned around and blinked in surprise. "Huh?" She wasn't sure what he was referring to. She noticed his smirk was gone and once again that unreadable expression replaced it. He didn't answer anything, just kept piercing her with his clear eyes that were now in plain view instead of hidden underneath the rim of his spotted hat like usual. As Miyako locked her eyes with Law, she suddenly understood exactly what he meant; because he already knew what was on her mind. Once again that man was a step ahead of her. However, that realization brought a bright blush on her pale cheeks. "Y-you mean…you want me to…I mean, you intended to…" She continued to stutter, uncertain how to even form that idea into words.

Yet Law simply kept staring at her with the same unreadable expression. He was still standing in the unchanging laid-back posture, leaning against the desk. He looked as if waiting for something, settled there with his arms across his chest. After a while, a smirk came back to his lips, amused by the girl's flushed appearance. He tilted his head questioningly, a teasing expression appearing on his features. "So? Is there a problem with that? You've already kissed me once so it shouldn't be hard to do it again."

The girl only blushed harder at the memory. "Why all of a sudden?" She didn't even know which question to ask first. Why was he making her do that all of a sudden? Is the reason why he was teasing her this whole time because he was urging her to make a move? Rather, it seemed like he was pushing her. Perhaps, he was testing her boundaries; trying to see how serious she was about her proclamation a few weeks back.

Law simply shrugged as if there wasn't any particular reason. "Who knows…Maybe I was just tired of always making the first move." His laid-back expression changed into a devious one, decorated with a wide grin. "From now on, if you want something from me then come and get it. You won't accomplish anything if you just wait for me to give you what you want."

The girl's body stiffened at his words. They sounded mocking, yet pierced her heart with an uncomfortable truth. It hurt her right in the pride; where it hurt the most. "I'm not so dependent on you." She bit back with challenging eyes, glaring at him. *_This is just ridiculous!*_ She turned around to leave again but stopped as she heard a deep sigh behind her, as if Law was truly disappointed.

"Can't do it after all," the man muttered behind her back, uncrossing his arms and putting them in the pockets of his trousers instead. There was a mocking disappointment in his voice as he started to turn away from her, getting back to his work.

Miyako knew Law said that only to provoke her. She knew he was just trying to push her to do what he wants. And yet she couldn't stop herself once blood rushed into her head, her embarrassment forgotten, as she turned back towards the man and closed the distance between them with a few quick strides. Before she even knew what was happening, the girl grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him further down so their lips could meet. It was a bit surprising and awkward at first, but Miyako didn't pull away. Instead she did something even more unexpected; she licked Law's bottom lip.

Even Law was surprised by this action, not expecting that the girl would go this far even if provoked. Perhaps he pushed her a little too much. Still, the captain wasn't complaining and he couldn't help but smirk into the kiss by the girl's somewhat awkward but determent actions. He pulled his hands from the pockets and circled the girl's waist instead, while opening his mouth and letting Miyako inside. He gave her some freedom to explore for a while, before he took charge and entangled his tongue with hers easily winning the little war. He could feel the sweet taste of her mouth, reminding him what a sweets addict this girl was. Her scent enveloped him; a fresh flowery smell of her shampoo. That's when Law remembered it was indeed two weeks since the last time he had any real contact with this woman. He had to admit he was slowly getting tired of his own game, only allowing himself fleeting touches and limited contact with her until she came to him on her own. He had enough patience when he wanted to, especially when it came to reaching a certain goal, but now that he finally had her in his arms that patience slowly dissolved, making him realize he missed this scent, taste and soft skin. He would never admit it, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting more of those soft lips right now.

He pulled her closer, his hands roaming more freely across her body now. Law groaned into the kiss when he felt her shiver against him. His hand moved up her back to her neck and he cupped her cheek to deepen their kiss, tenderly biting her lower lip. His eyes opened ever so slightly, examining her blushing cheeks and her long lashes so close to him. He noticed her red ribbon, instantly getting an urge to untie it and entangle his hand into her silky long hair. He wondered how it would feel under his fingertips. Even more, he wondered how her soft skin would feel under them; her body lightly shivering in reaction to his touches.

His lips made a trail down from her jaw to the neck and he bit down at that spot that always made her moan. Miyako winced in his arms, her hands that were gripping his shoulders now entangled around his neck. He sucked and bit down on that spot, leaving dark purple marks on the pale skin. Law wanted to mark her, make her his completely, subdue this woman. The thought of Suzune Miyako completely compliant under him made his blood boil. He wanted to push her down and tame her completely, but he knew it wouldn't have meaning if she didn't give herself to him willingly.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't urge her on a little. Law trailed his lips back to hers and kissed the girl once more. He expertly turned her around without breaking the kiss as she didn't even seem to notice, too much in a daze from the pleasure he was giving her. With a smirk he gently pushed her to sit on the desk, resting his palms on her thighs. Unfortunately she wore jeans instead of her usual skirt today, but that didn't stop him from moving his hands up her tights to her hips and played with the rim of her shirt teasingly while resting between her legs. She warned him before that she didn't have any intention going all the way with him, and Law decided to at least make her regret those words. And he knew a perfect way to do it too. The captain put his hands around her waist again and pulled her towards him, making their bodies flush against each other. The girl's breath hitched but she didn't resist and instead encircled her legs around him, pulling him even closer. Law groaned as he took that as a sign to continue. Looking at her eyes, he could see her golden irises were hazy and unfocused, while the girl panted through lightly parted lips. Her cheeks were red and the flush traveled all the way down to her chest. Law's gaze remained there for a second as he watched her well-developed bosom move up and down while she breathed shallowly. It felt like it was inviting him. Law unconsciously licked his lips like a predator preparing to pounce on his prey.

"Cody!" A word came from Miyako's mouth that Law wouldn't even dream of hearing at this moment. The captain stopped instantly, blinking a few times and waiting for his mind to process what he just heard. Did she just call out another man's name?

~…..~

Cody set down the medical items on their appropriate shelves in the small medical storage backroom of the infirmary. He took his time, seeing as Miyako and Law obviously had something to discuss between themselves. He felt a bit sorry for Miyako when he saw her pleading look directed towards him, but he knew it was better for them to settle things on their own and in private.

He could hear them talking for a while, before complete silence fell over the infirmary. *_Did they leave?*_ Cody blinked, confusion hitting him as he realized he never heard the doors of the infirmary close behind them. Still, he took the silence as a sign that it was safe for him to go out. As soon as Cody opened the storeroom doors and took one step outside, his body stiffened and a light blush appeared on his cheeks when he saw the sight before him. Remembering to close his slack mouth, the medic stepped back into the storeroom and quickly closed the doors behind him. Once again in the dim light of the small room, Cody scratched his spiky head with a deep sigh. "They forgot about me, didn't they?" He mumbled softly and slid down on the floor, unsure what to do next. The medic rummaged through his overall pockets and found a half-empty pack of cigarettes. Even so, he knew he wasn't able to actually smoke in here. Staring at the pack for a while, Cody's head fell along with his mood. _*I'm trapped…* _

He didn't know how long he stayed sitting in that closed up space, but the medic felt he had to get out and breathe some fresh air or he would go insane. He wasn't normally claustrophobic, but the more time he spent in this small room, the more he felt he couldn't breathe freely.

More than anything the medic was bored to death. He read all the labels on the medical bottles and boxes on the shelves. He numbered all the bones in a human's body. He even read through all the crew's medical charts in metal cabinets here, arranging them in an alphabetical order. Finally snapping, the medic stood up suddenly. "This is ridiculous!" How long will he have to stay here? More importantly, how long are _they_ going to keep that up!? Cody didn't even want to know where their little make out session will lead. Not that he wasn't happy for the pair; he was glad they obviously resolved their differences but he didn't really have to witness that. Some things were better left unseen.

"Perhaps I can just casually walk in there and pretend everything is fine? No, no, that's stupid…" The medic walked in a small circle while thinking, the room not allowing him much space to operate. "Perhaps I can sneak out the door? They probably won't even notice." He felt silly even imagining it, sneaking out of the room like some burglar who didn't belong there in the first place. And how awkward would that be if they saw him! The medic sighed again tiredly, wanting nothing more than to smoke a cigarette…or a whole pack for that matter. He noticed it was still pretty quiet. If they proceeded from where he last saw them, it was sure to get more vocal. Cody blushed dark red as soon as that thought crossed his mind. What the hell was he thinking of at a time like this?! He wasn't the same as those two perverts! A picture of Shachi's and Penguin's grinning faces crossed Cody's mind and the medic sweat-dropped. Who knows what stupid idea those two would come up with if this had happened to them.

Still, he had to do _something_ since Cody had no intention of staying here any minute longer. Deciding to try his luck outside, the medic opened the doors of the storeroom as quietly as he could manage. If he was careful enough, perhaps he'd be able to get out of the infirmary and disappear before the couple notice him. Seeing how into it they were, it shouldn't be that hard.

The medic tried to be as silent as a mouse, and approximately the size of one, as he walked on towards the doors.

"Cody!"

Unfortunately, his plan didn't go so well. Why did Miyako have to open her eyes now!? The medic stopped in his tracks, uncomfortably looking around. "H-hey…" What should you even say in a situation like this?

Law growled and looked back at the medic with a sigh, not even bothering to straighten up and move from his position between Miyako's legs. Still, the girl did that for him as she nervously pushed him away, jumping from the desk and staring at Cody with wide eyes and completely red cheeks. It looked like she wanted to say something but didn't know what. Cody couldn't really help her there since he was also at a loss of words. She was too embarrassed to even form a coherent sentence, while Cody on the other hand, looked like he was ready to disappear into himself as he nervously looked between Miyako and Law. He probably knew in what kind of mood his captain was at the moment and didn't want to worsen it by saying anything unnecessary.

"You were here?! Oh right, you were here!" Remembering that Cody was in the infirmary from the start, Miyako cursed herself for even forgetting such an important fact. And then she cursed Law, realizing he was the reason why she forgot it in the first place.

"Y-Yeah, sorry…" The medic mumbled and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. The whole scene looked nothing less than awkward with Law glaring at Cody, Miyako fidgeting nervously with a red face and Cody standing in the middle of the room uncomfortably. Wanting to escape from this moment as soon as possible, the medic slowly started walking towards the doors. "So I'll just-"

Unfortunately Miyako cut him off and stopped him instantly. By her expression he could guess she was trying to run away from here as much as he was. "No, no! You were working so you stay, I'll go." Without waiting for him to answer, the girl headed for the door.

However, Cody had no intention to stay here alone with a pissed off Law. He grabbed her arm and pushed her aside gently, heading for the door himself. "No, no, I insist. Don't let me disturb you. I'll just go."

The girl appeared in front of him, putting both of her hands on his shoulders as if trying to stop him. "No, no_. I'll_ go."

Both of them were still smiling politely, but their bodies seemed stiff as they both slowly lost their patience. Neither of them really wanted to stay here in this uncomfortable atmosphere and no amount of smiles on their faces could hide that fact.

However, when Law's voice echoed throughout the room, both Miyako and Cody stopped and went quiet, grimacing at the icy-cold tone behind them. "Nobody is going anywhere." The two straightened their stiff backs and slowly turned around, seeing Law's clearly irritated expression. Just as he was about to continue, narrowing his eyes in the process, the infirmary doors opened and Ben came in.

Both Cody and Miyako were probably never so glad to see the assistant medic and they both gazed at him with a hopeful expression. They looked as if they were about to cry from gratitude, staring at this angel before them. The bulky man got confused by their piercing stares, momentarily forgetting his purpose for coming here in the first place. He wasn't really sure what's going on, but even he could feel the tense air in the room. "Um…Miya-chan, Munk told me to send you to the galley when I see you. He could use an extra helping hand." He gazed uncertainly from Miyako to Cody and finally turned his head to Law who seemed to be the source of the deadly cold pressure in the room.

Miyako almost jumped in happiness at that news. She was saved. "A helping hand? Right! That's me." She gestured towards herself as if only remembering her job at the galley now. With a bright smile of relief on her face, the girl headed towards the exit. Cody gave her a stare that clearly stated; '_Don't leave me here with him_!' much like she did to him not too long ago. But just as Cody walked away at that time, now it was Miyako's turn to leave the medic at Law's mercy. She shrugged at him apologetically and silently hoped he'll get out alive without too much trauma.

She passed by Law, trying to squeeze between him and the wall while the captain still kept a piercing gaze on her. She did her best to ignore it, but had to stop when Law's arm blocked her way as he put it on the wall in front of her. "Miyako-" He started warningly, indicating that he still had something to say on the matter but the girl rather quickly and expertly passed below his arm and stood up straight again on the other side, twirling back to face him. She did it all in one fluid movement, which was actually rather impressive. Unfortunately, nobody in the room had the time or will to address it since they were still focused on the growing tension in the air. Miyako put both index fingers in the air in front of Law's face as if emphasizing something. "Munk. Galley. Gotta go." She hurriedly tried to explain, still gesturing with her fingers, but didn't even have time to form a complete sentence as she focused all her energy on escaping Law and disappearing from there. Before the captain could protest, she turned around from him and disappeared through the main doors.

Law stared at the closed doors of the infirmary for a while, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose in the process. Once again the girl managed to escape from his grasp. Not to mention he was, once again, left with nothing but thoughts of a needed cold shower. "I never wanted to strangle a woman so much in my entire life." He murmured, though both medics heard him. They sweatdropped with slightly shocked expressions. Since it was Law, they were a bit worried he might actually do it.

The picture of Miyako was still far too vivid in Law's mind; the slightly glazed stare of her golden eyes while she looked at him, the inviting parted lips, the attire that showed off all her curves perfectly. Her tight jeans that framed her well-built legs and the spaghetti-strapped black shirt that didn't have much of a cleavage but that just left more room for imagination, especially since it was skin-tight and making the nice curves of her chest visible. Miyako was still against too revealing clothing, unable to understand the newest fashions where women walked around in bikini tops, but she was certainly getting used to the style of clothing in this part of the world. Law preferred the types that could keep him interested anyway and Miyako was definitively one of them.

The blue-haired medic looked at his captain with sympathy and without a word offered the man a cigarette from his pack. Law actually thought about it for a moment, looking at the opened pack, but decided against it after all. He didn't like that addicting habit that only gave you a fleeting placebo effect. What he wanted right now was something different and much more real. The doctor shook his head and went to sit behind his desk instead, remembering he still had some work to do. At least that will make a good distraction to focus his mind on other things, less aggravating things.

At least he gave her a parting gift, a small sign of his victory, before she escaped. Law wondered how Miyako will react when she finds out there was a pretty large and dark kiss mark on her neck. It was quite an obvious contrast from her white neck. Too bad for her that she had to go to the galley, where most of the Heart Pirates were dining right now.

As if on cue, a loud scream resonated throughout the submarine. Ben almost dropped a bottle of chloroform while Cody's hand twitched and did a line on the report he was writing. Unlike his two medics, the captain just calmly sat in his chair, leaning his head on the knuckles of one hand that was propped onto the chair's arm. He wasn't even remotely startled by the echoing scream of their samurai. _His_ samurai; which he made obviously clear with that mark. Instead, a wide grin slowly spread across Law's features.

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey<strong> for beta reading this chapter.

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><p>Another chapter done, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all your lovely comments and as always reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. ^^<p>

**Wings-chan: **Sorry about the reviewing problem, I think it's because I shifted the chapters when I deleted some announcements. I hope it won't cause a problem again. :/ Haha That will have to stay between the Hearts and those mermaids. ;)

**NightStar85**: Well it's Law after all, so he'll definitively strike back. ;D

**JustChan: **Yes, I wanted to make it longer but I also wanted to make it a one chapter length. ^^' I hope I will. I have most of it in mind already, especially the Shichibukai stuff. :)

**pharoah999: **Don't worry, there will be more Miya/Law moments and those two often fight so there will definitively be more of that too. :P It's definitively not over, I mean I haven't even got to the Punk Hazard arc yet. :D However, I don't have any new Law fanfics in plan, since I'm still not finished with this one. Thank you very much for your support! ^^

**izzie: **Yeah, I think I wanted to make it a bit more adventures since it was Fismen island and everything. I guess, that's why. Still, I'm glad you liked the chapter. :D

**Kiteria Faye: **Thanks, I do try to make it fun (the whole One Piece adventure world) but also realistic. And they can't get stronger without sacrifice after all.

**Neeky-chan: **Thanks, I'm glad you like it so much. :D I hope you have a lovely day as well~

**KotoriRod: **Heh yeah, I think the title and the beginning averts a lot of people because it's pretty much cliché. ^^' But I'm glad some give it another chance and get pleasantly surprised. :D

**Yumi sawamura: **Haha Oh, it sure did. I believe things are just gonna get more fun between those two from now on. Yep, it's my first story. I still have a lot to work on, though. ^^' Oh, I didn't even know about the hat. :O Ah well, let's just put that in the 'author's freedom while writing fanfiction' department then. :P

**lucyknight13: **I know, I love him! :D


	48. Chapter 48

**'I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

This story is rated T for violence, blood, language and suggestive themes.

I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako.

Well, the new chapter is finally done so I hope you enjoy. Have fun!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 48<strong>

The yellow submarine slowly emerged through the clear waters of the sea, cutting it with its two masts before it completely rose onto the water's surface. As soon as the vessel was safely above sea level, the metal doors slammed over and a polar bear ran out, breathing in the fresh morning air.

"Aaah, finally fresh air! I couldn't stand being in that stuffy place anymore." Bepo stretched with both hands high in the air.

Soon after, men in white jumpsuits followed, stepping out onto the deck one after the other. They all wore different and colorful hats with grins and excited smiles.

"We're finally here! Our first Island in the New World!" Shachi almost fell over the railing because of how far he leaned forward just to see the small island they were approaching.

Miyako sighed with content clear on her expression. "Thank God. I would have killed Josh if I had to spend one more day trapped with him in this submarine," she confessed, an exhausted look crossing her face.

"Hey!" An angry voice of a certain redhead came from somewhere in the back.

"I hope we find some materials for the sub. It got somewhat beat up on our way here…one of the side engines has been rattling ever since we got tossed around by that underwater twister." Penguin walked towards the railing with a long list in his hand, checking everything they needed to buy.

Kai sighed. "Yeah, we need to buy fresh food too…we're running out of supplies."

"Is that why we had oatmeal for all three meals yesterday?!" Josh exclaimed with a grimace, remembering their recent diet that shouldn't even be called that. He didn't even like oatmeal.

The captain of the Heart Pirates stepped out on the deck, looking at the island ahead of them. "Don't forget we are on a tight budget. We didn't really have time to get our hands on some money lately." Law didn't look thrilled by their situation either. The only ship they encountered was the one belonging to One-eyed Lynx pirates and they didn't have much to loot from anyway. The Hearts have been having some money difficulties ever since Fishmen Island where the crew, much to Law's dismay, spent almost all their savings on women and booze. Of course that got them a week of scrubbing the bathroom toilets, which never looked pretty as they were used by about 20 men. Law hoped they could change their Beli issues real soon as they approached the new island; one way or the other.

Bepo and Miyako looked at each other for a moment, as if thinking the same thing. "I wonder if we should've taken some of that gold in the caverns after all," Miyako mused out loud.

All heads suddenly turned towards the polar bear and the samurai girl. "Gold? What gold?"

"Ah! I was so worried about captain, I totally forgot about the treasure!" Bepo exclaimed suddenly, hitting his open palm with the paw of his other hand.

"Treasure? Gold? What are you talking about?" The Heart Pirates still demanded an explanation, huddling around the pair.

Miyako hummed as if troubled, before shrugging. "Well the cavern where those sea creatures attacked us, there was this big room with all kinds of treasure. But to be honest, we were hurrying to find you guys and later you all wanted to find the submarine as soon as possible and get out of there, so I didn't really concern myself with it anymore." Once again the girl shrugged, finishing the explanation.

Everything was silent for a while as the pirates stared at the unfazed girl with slack jaws. She didn't seem to get why everyone were so shocked.

"What?" Miyako finally asked, slightly annoyed that the men just kept staring at her like something was wrong with her head.

"Miya-chan!" Penguin was the first to call out in a shocked response, grabbing Miyako's shoulders with both hands and talking in a rushed pleading voice. "How can you pass a treasure and not take it! That goes against every pirate's nature! Looting treasures is…is….a pirate's romance!" The mechanic explained, still holding onto Miyako's shoulders as if he was desperately trying for the girl to understand. Behind him, the crewmembers nodded in earnest. "It's the same as yelling out 'Land ahoy!' when you see a new island or sending someone right into the depths of Davey's Locker! It's definitively a pirate's...no, a man's romance!"

The girl tilted her head in slight confusion and furrowed her eyebrows as if trying to solve a particularly hard mathematical problem. "Who's Davey and why would you stuff someone into his locker? That's just mean." She often had no idea what these guys would spout but today they seemed even more into it than usual.

Once again, a complete silence enveloped the deck before Josh's voice, a few octaves higher than usual, yelled out in anger, pointing his finger right into Miyako's face. "You're a disgrace to all pirates!" The girl got slightly taken aback by his outburst, but before she could give her own retort, the redhead continued. He took a determined stance with a raised fist. "That's it! We're going to teach you how a true pirate acts! And if you fail, you will never become one of the Heart Pirates!"

"Eeeeh?!" The girl was sincerely surprised by his statement. How did things turn out like this? Hasn't she already been accepted by the Heart Pirates anyway? Was this really so important; to know each and every term in their strange 'pirate' lingo? It took her long enough to get used to the strange way people spoke out of Wanokuni in the first place. Her gaze sought out one man whose one word could end this whole charade, but Law stayed suspiciously quiet as if amused by this turn of events. As their gazes met, the captain shrugged with a barely noticeable gesture, silently telling her there was nothing he could do. That was a blatant lie of course; a lie that sealed her fate for the rest of their stay on this island.

"Wait, what do you mean '_we__'_?" Cody walked over to the two, having a bad feeling about this.

The shorter medic turned to his friend with a straightforward expression. "You're gonna help of course." The blunt tone in his voice clearly stated Josh had no qualms that Cody will join them in this task; as if it was expected.

On the other hand, Cody sweatdropped with a grimace and looked away.*_I knew it!*_ After a moment of collecting his composure once more, the medic sighed and looked back at the expectant Josh and a still shocked Miyako. He couldn't help but sigh. "Fine." It's better for him to not leave those two alone in their antics; who-knows-what disaster could follow.

"We're here!" Their chat was interrupted by Bepo's excited call as they came to an autumn island and the view of the harbor sprawled out in front of them. Not just the harbor, but the whole island became clear before them, showing off its wonders.

It was a rather small island, where everything seemed clustered together, with narrow streets between houses and shops. The whole town seemed full of life as voices and ringing echoed around. Tall metal chimneys rose up in the air, puffing grey and white smoke now and then while other whistled like kettles with boiling water. Even though the white smoke rose up in the air, it only dissolved in the atmosphere like some benign gas, slowly disappearing. It was nothing like the black, polluted air that flowed ominously above Jade Island, where factories worked days on end. All sorts of vehicles rode down the streets, with some people even standing on small machines they steered down the paved streets. The whole town seemed alive and moving, creating a charming scenery.

The yellow submarine docked into the port next to a ship that looked like a black and brown metal contraption combined with wood, creating a scrappy-looking vessel. The Hearts jumped down from the deck onto the wooden pier, fastening the sub's harnesses and metal chains that their crewmates threw from the deck.

Miyako looked around in awe when they finally headed away from the port and into the town's heart. The buildings were all closely fitted one next to the other, metal pipes of some sort connecting some of them; they were set up throughout the whole town. A clock tower with a black pointy rooftop rose in the town's center as the highest building and chimed loud enough for the whole town to hear as it stroke ten o'clock. All the buildings looked scrappy with metal and wood united together to form houses and shops.

Men walked by in leather cloaks and top hats, while women wore puffy dresses and corsets, holding canes or umbrellas. A strange contraption that looked like a quadruped walked without anyone steering it side by side with a human child.

"Wow…everything is full of machinery!" Shachi exclaimed excitedly. Just then a loud rumbling sound came from behind him and the mechanic swirled around just in time to see a building rising. It was a shop but it looked like the shopkeeper was closing as the man shut his window and lowered the shutters. Two big holes on its floor opened and large, metal legs came out. They squeaked and shrieked as the whole building rose up and literally walked off, the wooden sign of the shop clattering against the wall from behind. Shachi just stood there, his mouth open, a shocked expression on his mostly hidden face. "Penguin…that shop just…walked away." The brown-haired mechanic couldn't say much more, still too perplexed by the view.

Penguin was staring at the leaving building as well, a similar expression on his face. "I think I'm gonna cry a little." The man admitted with an obviously moved expression on his face, clear even with the yellow rim of the hat hiding his eyes. Shachi simply put a hand on his friend's shoulder, indicating to Penguin that he knew exactly how the other felt.

Almost in harmony, both mechanics cheered with tearful eyes and excessively loud voices. "This place is awesome!" They couldn't stop looking around, going up the numerous stairs that led to different wooden and metal bridges leading around the town.

"Wow, they're really in paradise." Miyako looked at the mechanics with a sweat-drop. They were acting like excited children, exploring every nook and cranny around them. When they saw a large zeppelin slowly flowing through the white sky, Penguin really did cry.

"What's the name of this town anyway?" Bepo looked around, a bit wary of the moving machines and rumbling pipes that made a connected web throughout the town.

"I believe it's called Noir, just like the island…well, this whole town _is_ the island actually." Sai explained, looking at a small river that was actually sea water as it passed through the island with a few stone bridges connecting the two sides. There were roots and weed growing from the stone blocks, slowly resolving the stone. The bridges, much like everything looked old and in slight ruin but somehow only added to the charm of the whole town.

A sudden loud whistle made Miyako jump and she looked behind her. Near the port was what looked like a station of some kind but she couldn't see any tracks on the town's road. At better expectation the girl noticed a long metal contraption with carts, standing there right on top of the water as if that sight wasn't canceling the laws of physics at all. The front had a small chimney that whistled now and then, blowing white smoke out of it.

"Oh, it looks like the Sea train is here." Cody commented, not at all surprised by the sight before him.

"The Sea train?" Miyako, on the other hand, couldn't be more amazed by the sight. She never even saw a train in real life; only in pictures of some books she often read.

"Miya-chan never saw one, did she?" This time it was Sam who spoke, but there was no mocking in his tone. "They've become popular recently, after the one in Water 7 became so known as a big success. Now a lot of islands have them, connecting one island with the other. It really helped the trading business. This train seems to be transporting cargo."

A slight disappointment crossed Miyako's face. "So we can't ride it?" She looked at Sam with big, expecting eyes, as if he was the one to decide on the matter.

The man blushed, a bit embarrassed by Miyako's sudden intense stare towards him. "W-well…maybe. But I doubt it's for tourists…or pirates for that matter." He shrugged at the last part, silently apologizing.

Miyako still kept that disappointed look as she watched back at the Sea train that was once again ready to leave the island, following the rail tracks situated on the sea. "It's amazing." She read about trains and so much more in all those books of hers that she read even as a child; dreaming of one day seeing that world; experiencing all those adventures she read about. And now, finally, she was. She was right there, watching a Sea train in real life as it drove off on the sea. She felt disappointed that she didn't get to ride it but she was exhilarated just being able to see such a sight.

A hand draped over her shoulders in a comforting manner. Cody's smile pulled Miyako out of her thoughts as she looked at the medic beside her. "Don't worry Miya-chan, I'm sure you'll be able to ride one. There are so many amazing things in the New World after all."

"And dangerous. Don't forget dangerous things…" Kai muttered and gulped at the thought. Just the horrific stories of the New World were enough to send a shiver down his spine.

Eli jogged down the street towards the group, the earflaps of his hat dancing on the wind behind him. "Captain, what will we do about the supplies?" Some of the Heart Pirates were already awaiting Law's orders. They didn't have enough money to buy everything they needed so for now they had to focus on the crucial items.

Their captain sighed, looking over the list of the supplies that had to be bought. He already knew the parts for the submarine will, as always, be most expansive, but they were definitively obligatory since they didn't want the vessel to break under water pressure if some of its elements were too weak. That would, indeed, be a gruesome death and Law wasn't prepared to die for such a foolish reason. Luckily, the island seemed equipped with mechanical goods for the engine and there were bound to be a few engineering shops around here. Taking Eli's pen, the captain marked their most needed supplies. "For now, buy this. I'll find a way to make us some money." He was hoping to find some source of gain after looking around the island. Hopefully there was something useful to be found, though Law really doubted they had such luck that a golden opportunity would just wait for them, ready to be taken.

The captain turned to his large navigator. "Jean Bart-ya, how long till the log pose sets?"

The ex-captain looked at the log pose, the fragile item looking tiny in his large hand. "I talked to a few locals; they say less than 2 days."

"Oh, great! Let's look around then." This time it was Miyako who answered, excited to start the new adventure of exploration on the small but interesting island where buildings walked and people drove.

Her bright smile was soon extinguished as Josh pulled her back by the collar. A slight choking sound escaped her mouth as she stopped in her step and instead took one back, barely containing balance to prevent herself falling on her bottom. "No, you don't!" The medic exclaimed, securing a safe hold on the samurai.

Miyako swiftly turned around, escaping Josh's grasp, and punched him over the head without mercy. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" There was a seething glare burning from her eyes and right into the medic's.

The redhead held his pained head and glared right back, angered by Miyako's actions. "You and I have work to do, remember?! You can't get out of it, I'll burn all the things you need to know as a pirate right into your brain!" The short man looked awfully determined about this; obviously having no intention to forget about this.

Miyako looked around her, a bit uncertain. She gazed at Cody questioningly, but the man just shrugged with a tired sigh, already used to Josh's stubborn behavior. Once the temperamental redhead sets his mind on something, it's impossible to sway his determination. And right now, Josh decided that this was happening and wasn't letting Miyako get out of it.

Before she could even answer, the redhead grabbed the girl's hand and started dragging her away. "Come on!" Seeing Cody a few meters away, silently turning his back to them and trying to sneak away, the shorter medic called out to him. "You're coming too!" Cody grimaced but turned around, resigning to his fate. Both he and Miyako shared the same defeated expression as they quietly gave up and gave in to Josh's demandes.

As the final hope for her escape, Miyako turned to Law with a pleading look that clearly conveyed; _Take me with you. _On her dread, the captain just ignored her big puppy eyes, completely unaffected by the begging look she was silently giving him. Instead, he dismissively waved his tanned hand at them. As much as the whole scene amused him, he needed to return to more important matters right now; like planning how to get his hands on some money. "Have fun." He simply mumbled, not really caring about Cody and Miyako who were being dragged away by Josh, the redhead still holding them tightly to prevent their escape.

"Law you traitoooor!" Miyako's angry yell was carried on the wind as it slowly diminished, along with its source, who was currently being dragged into the crowd by the red-haired medic and disappeared not long after.

"You think they will be alright?" Bepo scratched his cheek with a sharp claw, his gaze still following the three pirates where they disappeared into the mass of people.

Law turned to look at the same direction, a slight smirk of amusement on his face. "They'll be fine." The captain turned back to stroll down his own way, putting both hands casually into the pockets of his trousers while his trusted first mate carried the long nodachi. The bear trotted after Law, shyly lowering his head as he noticed the onlookers around them giving him puzzled and interested stares. It was probably the first time they saw a walking, talking and clothed polar bear holding onto a large sword.

~…..~

Shachi and Penguin couldn't get enough of exploring every single shop and street in this town. They ran through the small main square with the big clock. One mechanic went up the stairs, taking a deep, excited breath when he saw some of those small robots in a shop's window. Shachi practically glued his face to the cold glass, looking at the small mechanical contraptions standing on their metal feet on a small platform.

Meanwhile, Penguin followed one of the rumbling pipes from one metal bridge to the other, until he came to the town's postal office and realized those pipes were postal tubes where mail traveled from one place to the other. The clerks would put the message in a wooden tube that would be sent down a certain entrance of one of the pipes.

After some more running around, the two mechanics finally met up again, bumping shoulders as they both stopped at one certain shop. It looked old and small, barely standing and with nailed boards patching up a few holes in the wall. On top of the metal rooftop that consisted of metal boards and panels, two chimneys happily puffed out the white smoke that traveled high into the air and dissolved into nothingness. Despite its run-down appearance, the mechanics stayed there standing in awe, slowly walking towards the glass window of the store. There was only one item presented there; a heavy-looking, large engine with wires and circuits traveling through compartments, while joints held various parts with skillfully fitted screws. An air went occupied a large proportion of the engine, set up just right so the contraption doesn't overheat.

"Is that…" Penguin started, looking at the engine closely with his trained eye of a mechanic.

"Air dependent, Sterling 2000x" Shachi finished just above a whisper, still staring at the engine in front of them.

Meanwhile, Penguin stepped back to look for the shop's name or some kind of sign. After a while, he found a wooden board, so dirty with grease and soot, it was hard to read what the name spelled. With a little bit of strain and some squinting of his eyes, Penguin finally read the sign out loud. "Mister Bingley's Tinker Shop of Engineering."

The two mechanics looked at each other, a wide grin crossing their face, as they repeated in harmony. "Engineering."

Shachi headed for the doorknob of the small store even before Penguin could voice out the suggestion. Just as the brown-haired mechanic was about to pull the knob, a voice came from the inside. The pirates couldn't really distinguish the topic of the conversation but it sounded like someone was arguing. Shachi and Penguin looked at each other once more, this time an expression of questioning confusion replaced the previously excited smiles.

A bit hesitant, Shachi slowly opened the doors, the voices from inside becoming loud and clear now.

"I'm telling you it's the only way!" A woman's voice raised an octave higher, one foot stomping on the hardboard floor.

"It's far too dangerous, Ettie. Besides, we don't even have enough people needed for it, you can't do it alone." A much older man's voice followed in a calm but clearly worried manner. He seemed tired as if this wasn't the first time he held this conversation with the woman.

"If we don't do _something_, the shop will-!" The woman stopped herself as soon as she heard the store's bell that chimed with the opening of the front doors. Her head whipped back to look at the two newcomers, an annoyed glare boring into the two men.

"H-hi." Shachi greeted awkwardly, rising one hand in the process. Both mechanics just stood there, shifting in their position, unsure what they just interrupted but the glare of the woman never diminished as she stared at them.

However, even in this situation Penguin's cheeks managed to form a light blush when he got a closer look at the woman standing in front of them. She seemed in her early twenties, tall and lean, with flawless tanned skin, which seemed even darker than Law's. She wore high leather work boots that almost reached to her knees, while the heels supporting them only added to her height. Appearing from the boots and up her legs were skin tight beige pants, accompanied with a white loose blouse tucked into her pants, with the first two buttons carelessly left open. There was a heavy tool belt on her waist, carrying a pouch and a strapped pistol, together with various tools. Her curly and wild mid-length black hair that was restrained by a red bandana on top of her head, whipped behind her as she swiftly turned towards the two mechanics, boring her two big brown eyes into them. She put her callused hands covered in fingerless leather gloves on her hips and tilted her head slightly, her full lips forming a slight frown. "Who're you?"

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other for the umpteenth time that day; however this time there was a clear look of wonder on their faces. After exchanging quick glances, the pirates looked back at the woman, unsure how to answer.

Instead, they looked back at the other person in the room; an old man sitting behind the shop's counter. He wore a strange pair of goggles that had a tube mechanism on it, while one of the eyeglasses was green and glowing. The tube suddenly pulled back into itself and the green light dimmed before disappearing completely. The said man took off the goggles and showed them his wrinkly, pasty face. Snow-white unruly hair fell on his face, accompanied by the same-colored mustache.

The old man spoke up before they had a chance to say anything. "Now, now, Ettie, don't be mean to the customers. We barely have any to begin with…" Clearing his throat, the man smiled at the two pirates, showing off his yellow teeth. "Welcome to my shop. I am, as you chaps can already guess, mister Bingley! How can I help you gentleman?"

Penguin managed to get out of his daze long enough to answer. "Ah! Mister, is that really a Sterling out there in the window? Where did you get it?"

The old man, who was stroking his mustache up until now, stopped his actions and looked at Penguin with wide eyes, blinking a few times in wonder. To the mechanic's surprise, the old man laughed whole-heartedly, before managing to calm himself enough to answer the baffled mechanic. "Got it, young man? I'm afraid you're mistaken. I built it." He showed them another grin that resonated amusement and pride at the same time.

The mechanics couldn't help but gape at the old man, who was now walking around the counter and towards them. He was so short, he barely reached passed Shachi's waist. Still, that didn't seem to bother the smiling geezer as he walked up to them with a grin on his face and put a pair of regular, thin glasses on his nose. The whole action reminded Shachi of a grandfather trying to see how much his grandson has grown since the last time they saw each other.

Penguin stepped forward, towards the man, still gaping and in shock. "Old man, you're telling us you built that engine from scratch!? But this is an air-dependent model, only factories with hundreds of people working on it can make this!"

"Fufufuf" The old man simply chuckled, amused by Penguin's shocked expression. But even more, he was impressed by the young man's enthusiastic and excited demeanor now that they were talking engines and mechanics. The old man could instantly see these boys weren't just tourists, looking around, but honestly knew about the matter.

"Hmpf, of course! Gramps is the best engineer on the island and his work is of much better quality then some factory work." The woman crossed her arms on her chest, puffing a loose strand of hair from her face.

The old man laughed again. "Well I can't take all the credit, this young lady helped. This is my granddaughter Etella, and also my best apprentice…well then again, she is also my _only_ apprentice. Fufufufu." The man laughed at his own joke, but the laugh soon turned into a coughing fit.

"Gramps!" The woman ran up to him, stroking his back soothingly. "Did you drink your medicine today?" There was no trace of that frown on her pretty features now, only honest worry.

"Yes, yes, Ettie. I'm fine. Don't treat me like a child, girl, there's still some fight left in these old bones!" The man waved at her dismissively, shaking off her worried gaze. Instead, he turned towards Shachi and Penguin once again. "I'm surprised you managed to recognize that engine; it looks quite different than the ones produced in the factories. Who might you be, gentleman?" The old man fixed the small glasses on his nose, taking a better look at the two men before him.

The two men tensed a bit, not sure how to respond. They both knew how people reacted at the word 'pirate' and not many wanted to be in company of one. They didn't know if people of Noir tolerated pirates or if the man will start calling for the town's officers as soon as he hears the name of their pirate group. Shachi gulped, stalling the inevitable.

"They're pirates." The woman, now known as Etella, answered before Shachi's dry throat could voice out a response.

Penguin looked as startled as his friend. "How did you-?"

Once again, his words were cut off when the woman continued. Her whole attitude seemed rather aggressive but Penguin just couldn't find the strength to be angry at the exotic beauty before him.

"You're running around with your pirate mark on your overalls. You're standing out in those outfits, Heart Pirates. I've seen your wanted posters in the newspapers…your captain is quite infamous." A small smirk appeared on Etella's lips, amused by something the mechanics couldn't see.

The two pirates were sure the old man would chase them away, but instead he only looked at them in amused wonder. "hoooh, pirates you say? How interesting, we didn't have any in quite some time. Not since I helped that young lad with his new arm…" The man lost himself in thought for a while, reminiscing on some other time in his life.

Shachi and Penguin just looked at each other, not sure how to respond. They seemed to be at a loss of words quite often next to this pair.

However, Penguin soon got out of that state. The younger mechanic always knew how to break the silence, usually with his inappropriate behavior. "So old man, if you're such a good engineer, how come this place is all cheap and run down? Uf!"

An especially hard jab in the ribs by Shachi's elbow made Penguin lose all air in his lungs. The mechanic looked at his pirate friend with a perplexed expression, not understanding what he did wrong this time.

Shachi stayed quiet but gave him a warning stare. On the other hand, a shiver went down Penguin's spine when he noticed Ettie's burning glare on the nape of his neck. The mechanic fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at the dusty floor and avoiding her hard gaze. "Sorry," the young man mumbled.

On their surprise, the old man Bingley just chuckled once more. "That's quite alright. You youngsters are all straightforward, aren't ya?" He gave Etella a quick amused glance accompanied by a knowing smile, as if the statement was meant for her as well. However, as he continued, the man's gaze became somewhat somber. "The truth is we aren't doing that well. There aren't many customers that come here. This shop and I…no, our whole family has been through a lot, but at this rate it seems I'll have to close down the business for good..." Bingley walked over to one of the shelves that had various mechanical items on it. He slowly swiped his hand across the shelf, feeling dust underneath his fingertips. These items have been waiting on these shelves for a long time, for someone to buy them, but hardly anyone comes here anymore.

"Gramps…" Etella stated with a sorrowful gaze, not knowing what to say. She knew best how important this shop was to Arthur Bingley, her grandfather. It was a family business and he hoped for Ettie to succeed him in it one day, but now there was poor chance of that ever happening.

"I don't get it." Shachi honestly exclaimed, crouching to look at one particular item in the shop. He took it off the shop and presented it towards Bingley. Penguin instantly recognized the strange apparatus and whistled, impressed. "This is a GP for a battery cell. And look at this Penguin, this part here! It's genius" Shachi presented it to the other mechanic who's jaw slackened in astonishment.

"Old man! You actually managed to think of a way to proof the battery from salt water contamination!" Penguin exclaimed as he examined one of the crucial parts of the large battery cell they used at the submarine. However, this one part was slightly different from theirs as it was modified and clearly improved.

"How can someone with this skill have problems with getting costumers?" Shachi continued in an amazed and completely perplexed tone.

Old man Bingley and Etella looked at each other; the woman had a troubled expression on her face while the short man just smiled sadly. Ettie's fists suddenly tightened in anger as she glared at her feet. "It's all _his_ fault." She suddenly spat, surprising even Arthur Bingley.

Shachi and Penguin both looked at each other with questioning gazes. They noticed Bingley's expression turned rather awkward as well. "His?" The two mechanics asked in unison, putting down the items they have been admiring up until now.

"Viscount Caffrey Thorneye. He also owns an engineering shop, though his is much bigger. He's the most popular engineer in town. " Etella started to explain, her expression darkening as she went on. "He proclaimed to the whole town that gramps' marchandise isn't safe and completely wiped out our business!" The woman slammed her fist onto the counter, gritting her teeth in frustration. She knew how much her grandfather has been suffering because of everything that happened, yet she couldn't do a thing about it. She felt weak and useless.

"Isn't safe?" Shachi tilted his head to the side, looking at Mister Bingley with a questioning gaze hidden behind his sunglasses.

The old man sighed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "It's my fault."

"Gramps!" It seemed Etella wanted to protest but Bingley stopped her, rising one arm.

He shook his head as a signal to his granddaughter that he wanted to finish with this topic. "That's enough, Ettie. These young boys shouldn't trouble themselves with our problems." Once again he turned towards the two pirates, smiling, but his gaze still seemed troubled and less alive than before. "If you are still interested, feel free to look around. However, as you can see, there isn't much left…I haven't had much money to buy needed materials."

Shachi felt sorry for the old man and his granddaughter. Even though they were both talented engineers, they're business will go to waste along with all these wonderful inventions. He looked at his friend, who was once again in his own world, marveling numerous items in the small shop.

Penguin was momentarily in awe by a contraption which mechanism rotated on various wheels, big and small. The rotation made a certain cylinder move, which then transferred the kinetic energy to the rod that was moving inside a wooden bowl. On the other side of the contraption, there was a metal container above a burner, for warming up liquid. The Penguin tilted his head on one side, then hummed in thought, before tilting it to the other side. He just couldn't figure out what it was for, even though it looked familiar.

Etella chuckled quietly, amused by the troubled mechanic. "It's a tea-brewer. Well, coffee works too actually. It can do anything, from brewing tea to boiling water and finally it mixes it here, pouring the tea out of this tube." The woman pointed at a long but narrow tube leading downwards. "It's one of gramps' inventions, of course." There was a smile on her face now, showing she was proud of her grandfather's work. Then she crossed her arms on her chest again, looking between the two men. There wasn't a frown of annoyance on her face as she looked at them, only slight amusement, as if she warmed up to them slightly. Or at least wasn't as suspicious as before; perhaps it was because the pirates obviously acknowledged her grandfather's work. "I'm more interested as to what are two pirates doing here? You seem to know quite a lot about some of these items."

"Oh, that's because we are the mechanics on our submarine." Penguin stood up from his crouch and bumped his chest with a fist, grinning proudly.

"A submarine?!" Both Etella and her grandfather opened their eyes widely as they stared at the two mechanics.

"Mhm, we helped in building it ourselves! Ah, that's right; I'm Shachi and this is Penguin." The mechanic finally remembered to introduce them as he pointed with his thumb at Penguin next to him. His younger friend tipped the yellow rim of his hat, in a brief hello.

"A submarine, you say? Now, _that_ I would like to see. Ah, I remember, in my younger days I also worked on a design of one submarine. Urtica, we called 'er. A beauty, indeed." Once again, Bingley let his mind wonder in his younger days of life, strolling down memory lane with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

"Then you boys know your stuff. Why don't you look around? We have some great wiring slots that I myself worked on." The young woman announced proudly.

Another blush covered Penguin's cheeks and the man smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Etella-san, did? Then I'd definitively want to buy it!"

Another elbow in the stomach stopped Penguin from taking any further. Instead, Shachi continued. "That's great but to be honest, we don't have much money to spend." A bit awkwardly, Shachi reminded Penguin of their current financial situation.

"Oh…that's right, we're kinda broke." Penguin continued, sighing disappointedly. He pulled out a list of things they had to buy. "But perhaps if you have these items…?" The younger mechanic handed Bingley their list.

"Um but…" Shachi shifted a bit uncomfortably in his place, looking around the room. The rest couldn't see his mostly hidden expression but his demeanor was enough to suggest that he felt reluctant about asking something.

Etella, being a straightforward woman that she was, frowned, annoyed by Shachi's unwillingness to speak up. "Just spit it out already, what is it?"

The mechanic felt uncomfortable cold sweat form on his brow but decided to continue anyway. However, Etella's piercing gaze only made him more hesitant to do so. He didn't really want to test her wrath and somehow had a feeling he was treading dangerously close that territory. "I don't really want to ask this but…what did you mean by 'unsafe'?" Mister Bingley and Ettie seemed like likable and good people, even if Etella could be rather harsh, but as a mechanic, Shachi's priority was to ensure the safety of the crew and vessel. If the merchandise wasn't of good quality, not matter from who it was, Shachi wouldn't risk all their lives by buying something of uncertain standard.

"That's a lie! It's not true!" Etella yelled out even before Bingley could answer properly, her brown eyes once again furious and burning.

Shachi gulped, not wanting to provoke the woman any further.

Before anyone could say more on the matter, a sound of carriage rolled down the street, stopping right in front of the small shop. The horses' light galloping ceased as the coach stopped. Small metal steps swung out and unfolded themselves on their own, before the doors of the carriage opened. A sole polished black shoe stepped out of the carriage, before the other followed and finally their owner stepped on the paved road.

The four people inside the store watched the unusual sight through the dirty glass window, staring at the newcomer who was now opening the front doors. The bell rang as the stranger walked inside, closing the doors behind him.

Shachi and Penguin stared in silence at the person in front of them. They looked like a gentleman with finest fabric for their elegant suit. A long black coat of leather spilled almost to the floor, while a top hat rested securely on neatly combed red hair. White silk gloves decorated his hands as he held a black cane with an ornamental metal ball on top. His posture was stiff and upright, as the man held his chin high proudly while walking. Thin red mustache decorated his face of mid-forties. The man glanced at the two strange men wearing white overalls, but seemed to dismiss their entire presence as they proved of no interest to him. Instead, his one eye behind a golden monocle focused on Mister Bingley and his granddaughter.

The tall man flashed a smile towards the pair, showing perfectly white teeth; except one which was replaced by a silver tooth. "Arthur Bingley, it's been too long."

The woman just glared at him furiously, as if trying to release the fires of hell itself to consume this person. On the other hand, old man Bingley only looked at the newcomer with disinterest, as if bored by the other man's presence. "I'd rather say; not long enough, Viscount Thorneye." The old man retorted in distaste.

The younger man smiled as if amused but it never reached his eyes. He looked back at the two mechanics. "I see you have customers. That's quite unusual."

"That's none of your business! Go back to the hole from which you crawled out, you snake!" Etella didn't even try to pretend to show some manners towards the gentleman as her grandfather did. She was slowly losing her composure and it was obvious to everyone in the room. The tension could be cut with the knife while the air grew deadly and cold.

On Etella's disgust, the man only chuckled at her, unfazed by the outburst as if he was used to it. He stepped closer to the woman and narrowed his eyes in delight when he saw her flinch and shrink back in suspicion. "Oh dear Ettie...still as feisty as ever…and yet even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

The man reached to touch her cheek with his gloved hand but stopped abruptly when he heard the cocking of the pistol. In a second, Ettie had drawn out her pistol from her belt and aimed it right between Thorneye's eyes, only inches away from his face. "_You_ don't get to call me that and don't touch me." Her voice was no more than a growl now, deadly serious as she held her finger on the trigger.

The man's face flinched in slight alarm as he stiffened. Still, he managed to save most of his composure while stepping away and moving his hand back to his side. As soon as he stepped away, Etella also put away her flintlock pistol back to its holster.

"I apologize for my granddaughter's behalf, Viscount. She's been in a slightly ill mood today." Even though Bingley expressed his apologies, there was a clear tone of amusement masked underneath them. "So what can I do for you this time?"

The Viscount cleared his throat and looked back to the old man. Once again, his tone returned back to that proud and mighty one, obviously he considered himself better than anyone else in this room. "I have come to ask you about my offer once again, Bingley. I hope you've given it some more thought this time."

The old man sighed, exasperated. He knew this is why the Viscount came here, but honestly he was tired of repeating himself so many times. "As I've said before, the answer is still 'no.'"

Thorneye scowled. "Think about it Bingley, this place is already over, as is your business! You have nothing. But it'd be a waste for a man of such skill as yourself. If you and your granddaughter come to work for me, you can still do what you do best and make a living. I am being quite generous here, despite your….history." Viscount gave Bingley a knowing look, reminding him of something that happened long ago.

For the first time, the light smile left Bingley's face and was replaced by a more serious expression. He took off his small glasses and blew hot breath into them a few times, before cleaning them with the edge of his sweater. "Viscount Caffrey Thorneye…" He started as if trying to remember something about that name. "I know you got your wealth by making your engineers develop weaponry that you sell to the World Government. Nevertheless, as much weapon trade is a profitable business, I have no intention of creating things that hurt people. As you can see, my inventions and creations are all based on helping them one way or the other." He gestured around the small space, showing all kinds of devices working on the shelves. "So I'm afraid, I can't lend you my knowledge." His voice was completely serious now, no amusement left in it. "My answer won't change no matter how many times you ask."

The Viscount looked anything but happy, giving a dissatisfied glare towards the old man. He narrowed his eyes while responding. "We'll see about that," the man spat out before turning around swiftly and leaving the shop, his black coat fluttering behind him. The doors of the shop slammed closed, the bell ringing loudly, while the sounds of galloping resonated down the street.

Bingley sighed in exhaustion as he finally relaxed. "That man just won't give up." Another coughing fit attacked the old man and he had to sit down behind the counter to calm down. Etella quickly ran to the back and returned with a glass of water, handing it to the pale old man.

"So…that was the guy you were talking about earlier?" Shachi watched towards the doors where Thorneye stood not long ago, with a frown on his concealed face.

"Yes…He is the one who publicly ostracized our merchandise and grandpa's skill."

"Ettie…" Bingley panted and put a wrinkled hand on Etella's. "In the end…it was _my_ fault." A somber expression reappeared on Bingley's face just like before.

Etella only shook her head harshly. But then she remembered their conversation from earlier, before the two mechanics interrupted them, and reached for her back pocket. Perhaps, this time he will listen to her. "Gramps…That's why I said; if we try this. If we win we will show everyone what our skill can do. We could win it all back and have enough money to save the shop!" The woman showed her grandfather the small leaflet once again.

"No!" The harsh response from Bingley threw him into another coughing fit. After he managed to calm down, the old man continued. "I already lost Henry that way…I won't lose you too. Listen to me girl, it's too dangerous! You must promise to me you won't even try it!" The old man was now desperately clutching at her shoulders, staring right into her eyes with his own. "Promise me!"

Ettie looked away guiltily but then looked back at her grandfather with a sad gaze. "I promise," she mumbled.

Shachi and Penguin stood there, completely forgotten, and looked at each other in puzzlement. "Um, what's all this about?" Penguin asked after a while, staring at the pair in front of them.

Etella glanced at them before standing up and walking over to the two men. She grabbed each mechanic by the arm and escorted them towards the exit. "I'm sorry, but my grandfather is not feeling well. You'll have to leave." She walked them out to the exit but then added in a whisper so only they could hear, "Meet me at the clock tower at 8 tonight." Before the mechanics could ask anything, they were pushed outside on the street and the doors of the store closed in their faces.

The two pirates looked at each other once again, staring at the shop quizzically. Penguin shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

But then Shachi stiffened and grabbed his head in despair. "Ah!" He exclaimed, remembering something vital. "In the end, we didn't buy any of the parts we needed! We'll have to come back to Captain Law empty-handed!"

Both mechanics felt a cold shiver run down their spines at the uncomfortable thought.

~…..~

Law walked down the streets of Noir in interest while watching various mechanical beings and items, from vehicles to pets, passing him by. A loud sound of a horn made Bepo jump next to him and move out of the way as a two-wheeled vehicle that Law never saw before, even in books, drove passed them, carrying two people on its back. It had wheels and pumps on one side, a dark liquid running through see-through tubes and into the engine.

"This place is pretty crowded." Bepo noted, feeling even larger than he actually was. He felt like he was in the way even more than usual and a feeling of discomfort washed over him.

The subtle change in the bear's expression didn't escape Law's perception and the doctor noticed his friend was feeling nervous and uncomfortable. The people around were still staring at Bepo with wide-eyes as if he was the real wonder here and not the occasionally walking buildings.

Before Law found time to retort, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The man quickly spun around, expecting a danger he needed to address, but the real sight confused him more than any marine would. A woman with long and curly hair and large dark eyes stood before him, smiling seductively. She wore a provocative dress with a tight leather corset and open cleavage, much larger than it should be as the attire only boosted her chest more. The frilly dark green dress had a slit on the side, showing one long leg covered in fishnet stockings. She held a metal fan in her hand, while other still caressed Law's shoulder. The only thing out of place and ruining the girl's allure was one glass eye that was held in place by thin metal hooks surrounding it, which were sunk deep into the girl's skin and creating a supporter for the eye.

"Hey there, cutie. Want to have some fun?" The girl smirked at him, winking with her good eye.

Law looked behind her, in a narrow and dark alleyway, seeing more girls dressed similarly as she was. It wasn't hard to guess these girls' profession. One noticed him and grinned with rotten teeth, showing off one of her legs which was obviously wooden. Law frowned for a second, trying to hide his disgust; did someone really even buy women like her? He turned back to the smiling girl before him. However, the pirate captain had no interest in prostitutes and as a doctor, the idea of all the diseases such wenches carried only repulsed him more. The captain gave the woman a smirk; she was actually pretty lucky. Some other time she might've ended up on his operating table instead of his bed as one of his new toys to practice on. However, he was more worried about their money issues and Bepo, who was getting anxious now, so he let this opportunity escape him. "No thank you, sweetheart," He answered polity, turning the woman down.

She could instantly see he wasn't one to be swayed, so she gave up on trying to persuade him. Still, it seemed the woman liked his good manners, because she smiled with a subtle bow in her knees. "Well if you change your mind…" She left the statement unsaid but gestured with a tilt of her head towards the alleyway, before turning around and walking back to her spot.

The captain turned, noticing his first mate was out of sight. At first he thought Bepo ran to a more secluded area, away from all these people, but then noticed the big orange jumpsuit not far from here. Law walked up to the polar bear, noticing Bepo was staring at a window of one of the stores.

"Look captain, it's a music shop." The bear seemed a bit brighter now, his nervousness momentarily forgotten as he watched small items in the window. Law noticed three strange-looking robots that reminded him of bugs. They had miniature trumpets and other instruments on their backs. When Bepo and Law came closer, as if on cue, the little creatures grew six legs each and ran towards the two men, lining up in front of them. With one motion of a small mechanism on them and a final click, music started playing out of them. The little bug robots sounded in perfect harmony, resonating the sound of pianos and violins from their little horns. The bear's eyes widened in excitement and awe as he stared at the little things, a wide smile on his face. That smile only got bigger as music continued. Law let him have his moment, watching the show himself, until the miniature concert ended.

With a smirk, the captain turned around, glad to see his first mate in a better condition. "Come on, Bepo. Let's go."

"Captain, can we get one of those?!" The bear didn't try to hide his excitement as he trotted down the street next to Law, now completely oblivious of the incoming stares.

"If we get our hands on enough money," was Law's honest reply.

"You know, I want to show it to Miya-chan. I bet she would love this music shop." The bear's smile never left his face as he continued.

Law wondered about that statement for a while. "Yes…I suppose she would." The man mumbled, slightly in thought. His mind trailed back to his samurai; who knows what she was doing now. Probably nothing fun if Joshua-ya still had his grip on her. The captain bowed his head slightly, a shadow falling over his eyes, created by his hat. His lips pulled back into a smirk. As long as the girl was with Joshua-ya and Cody-ya, she won't be anywhere near trouble; and that meant less exhaustion for him. Law was quite pleased with that.

"Are we gonna go eat something, captain?" Bepo's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "I'd like to eat fish."

"Whatever you want, Bepo. I don't care." Law nonchalantly shrugged, not really minding either way. "As long as it's not bread." He mumbled in continuation, but the first mate and his longtime friend already knew that much anyway. Instead, Law's attention was once again occupied by something else; a tattoo and piercing saloon. The red and black letters on the front window clearly stated so. Law looked down on his tattooed hand, the letters written in black ink just beneath each of its knuckle, forming a word 'death'. He looked at his other hand, the left one, which held no such mark. The pirate captain hummed in thought.

_Law turned another page of his book, ignoring the intense stare he was getting from two golden orbs. He was currently enjoying the light breeze of the Grad Line, the weather stable and sufferable for once, as he sat on the upper deck of the surfaced submarine. The sounds of his crew's shenanigans were echoing from the deck below in the front of the submarine while the Heart Pirates played cards, fought and overall enjoyed the fresh air while they still could. Meanwhile, Law was enjoying his own time of peace and mostly quiet, leaning against a sleeping Bepo next to the upper railing._

_On his surprise, Miyako came to join him, after she got sick of Penguin cheating in their card games and Shachi trying to see up her skirt every moment he could. Then Josh mentioned an embarrassing situation he recently stumbled upon with her and the captain involved, making the crew tease her endlessly and ask even more embarrassing questions. After giving a good punch to Sam and throwing Josh overboard while secretly wishing he was a fruit user so he could just sink away like a hammer to the bottom of the sea, Miyako finally had enough and stomped to the back of the sub in search of Bepo, the only crewmate she could never get angry at. On her dismay, the polar bear was soundly sleeping, his much larger body hidden behind the captain's while the other silently read his book. _

_The girl didn't want to wake the polar bear, but she also didn't feel like going back to the rest of the Heart Pirates right now. So she, on Law's utter surprise that he hid behind the rim of his hat, decided to stay with him here. It wasn't often that Miyako came to him; at least not without a good excuse like 'doing her job' when she would bring him his meal in the quarters. Still, Law asked Munk about that once and the head chef told him he hadn't had to ask the girl to do it for months, Miyako did it on her own now. Law simply rationalized that fact by saying she must be used to it already and so that was the reason she did it on her own accord. The captain also ignored the knowing look Munk gave him as if silently disagreeing with Law's logic and having a reasoning of his own. Trafalgar never asked Miyako about it to confirm his theory in fear that it would make the girl self-conscious and she would stop doing it altogether. He didn't really know why he'd care either way but a little voice inside him whispered that their silent arrangement, with Miyako sometimes coming to his quarters, suited him just fine and Law didn't want to spoil it. _

_A hum broke Law's train of thought, returning him to reality. The captain noticed he had been staring at the same page for 20 minutes now and didn't even remember what he read there. The girl was distracting him. A slight frown crossed his features as he sneaked a peek at the samurai. She was lying on the ground, staring at the covers of his book for a while now. She was obviously bored. _

_At first she had been amusing herself by playing with Bepo's sleeping face. She would poke his cheek or nose, examine his fangs or touch the spot on his ear that always made it twitch. The girl would giggle every time, like a small child playing with a big teddy-bear. However, after a while, Law warned her to leave Bepo alone to sleep in peace so Miyako stopped, flopping back down to the ground with a dramatic huff. She blew away some hair from her face, staring at the blue sky and the white fluffy clouds slowly sailing through it. After a while, the girl turned back to lie on her stomach, propping her head with her hands and stared at Law's book with an intent gaze, humming now and then as if troubled._

_Law__'s eyebrow twitched, feeling the girl's eyes on him. The silent staring was slowly getting on his nerves. "What is it?"_

"_Why do you have the word Death tattooed on your hand?" __Miyako didn__'t even blink as she asked bluntly, staring at the tattooed words on the captain'__s fingers. _

_The strange question took Law by surprise as he wasn't expecting it at all. It seems that she wasn't really staring at his book all this time, but actually at his hand. He raised his left hand, looking at the black inked letters there. He furrowed his eyebrows for a while, thinking about her question and remembering something in the distant past. _

_At first Miyako thought he would just ignore the question and stay silent, but after a while, Law started, "After I ate the ope ope fruit and started using my powers, I could only open my Room and operate it with the left hand." A sadistic grin appeared on the captain's face while he remembered something amusing. "The Room that meant sure death to anyone in it."_

"_Hmmm__…" Miyako hummed once again, still staring at his tattooed hand with the same expression on her features, while propped up on her elbows. "But now you can create your Room with both hands, no?" It was more of a statement than a question, since Miyako already knew the answer to it._

_Once again, a bit surprised, Law nodded uncertainly. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but it was strange for her to suddenly ask about his past even in this indirect way. Miyako usually didn't pry into his past or business unless it concerned her. "__Un,__" was his only short answer, accompanied with a nod. She must be really bored._

"_Then, shouldn't you tattoo it on your other hand as well?" Her gaze traveled up, from his hand to his shadowed eyes, staring at him questioningly._

_The captain blinked a few times, not really expecting such a suggestion from her. He looked down at his right hand, tanned skin without any inked marks on it. He didn't really think about it much but now that he did, it kind of made sense. "I suppose," he muttered, not really liking the idea of following someone else's ideas. But Law could tell a suggestion from an order, so it didn't really make him irritated. _

_Miyako grinned at him, which only surprised the captain more. "Yeah, I think it would look better after all."_

_Law stared at the smiling girl for a while, perplexed by her sudden words. However, he realized he shouldn't have been surprised about it since it was Miyako who he was talking with, after all. The captain bowed his head down, the hat shadowing most of his face, but an amused smirk appeared on his features as he thought over her suggestion. "__Yeah...__" _

Law stared at his right hand before glancing at the tattoo and piercing saloon once again,

"Captain, what is it?" Bepo leaned forward, looking at Law's hand over the man's shoulder.

Still, even if Law wanted a tattoo this was not the moment to get one. They had money troubles as it is; to the point where everyone needed to reach into their personal savings to compensate for the lost money and buy needed supplies. He had to be practical and think economically for now. The captain sighed and returned both hands into the pockets of his spotted trousers. "It's nothing, Bepo. Let's go." Once again, the captain continued to walk down the crowded street.

~…..~

"Alright. If I say 'You're about to dance the hempen jig' what do I mean?!" Josh pointed a pencil right at Miyako's nose, ignoring the girl's completely bored look while she practically lay on the table.

They were currently in a small inn where most of the Heart Pirates gathered around to eat their meal, exhausted from the stocking up on supplies and carrying crates to the submarine. The place immediately became louder and rowdier when the group of men in white overalls entered, laughing and talking while enjoying some food that didn't look like a pile of goo for a change. They've had it rough on the sea for some time now, as the crew's chefs scrapped up the last of their food supplies for their meals, which really didn't look that presentable. For a change they could enjoy a hot, tasty dinner with even some beer on the side. They were also looking forward to sleeping on actual beds but that dream soon disappeared when captain warned them they had to stick to the budget; if they wanted to buy what they needed on the island, they'd have to sacrifice their night of coziness and spend the night in the submarine's quarters.

Miyako scrunched her nose as she stared at the pencil in front of her. Josh really got into this; he was dead serious about this little lesson of being a pirate. But Miyako couldn't really join him in his enthusiasm since she was bored to death, only dreaming of sweet escape at the moment. "I don't know; is it a funky pirate dance?" She stared at the redhead with half-closed, displeased eyes while keeping her voice in a monotone mumble.

The medic gritted his teeth in annoyance. Was she even listening to him?! They had _just_ been over this. "No! It means you're going to hang!" The man gestured with the pencil, forming a line with it from one side of his throat to the other. "Now let's go over this one more time." He wasn't about to get beaten, still completely determined to educate Miyako on this matter.

"Uuugh." The girl groaned in absolute pain as she watched her life pass her by, waving happily right before her own eyes as it left her behind. "Just throw me in Davye's Locker instead!" She had enough of this; Miyako looked around, already planning her escape one way or the other.

A light laugh echoed somewhere on her left. There, Cody was lying on a bench near the wall, playing with a single apple as he tossed it in a straight line in the air and then caught it with ease. "You actually got that right," he noted, chuckling in slight amusement. He could see the girl was slowly reaching her limts in patience as she was now banging her forehead on the wooden table repeatedly.

Miyako looked at the old clock on the wall of the inn. It was already 9 in the evening and they had been doing this for a few hours now, ever since they docked on this island. She looked out of the window seeing it was already dark outside. Josh was still telling her something, but Miyako effortlessly ignored him as she tuned him out, focusing on her own thoughts. Most of the crew was already here at the inn; everyone but the two head mechanics and captain Law. Miyako remembered the scene that unfolded a few hours ago, something that caught her interest.

"_Alright you landlubber, let's see what you know!" Joshua pointed his pencil high up in the air as if proclaiming an important point. _

"_You know, I have no idea what you just said but I have a strong feeling you insulted me." Miyako pierced Josh with a suspicious look, a frown on her face. _

_The redhead just smirked, returning Miyako's stare with his own, challenging one. "Well if you were a '__real__' pirate, you would know for sure." He purposely emphasized that part, irking the girl further. _

_Miyako shifted in her seat uncomfortably, crossing the arms on her chest while her frown deepened. She huffed in displeasure. "__I still don__'t see why I have to go through all this trouble...who cares how I speak. My way of vocabulary is just fine." With her pouting posture, the girl looked like an irate child who just got grounded. She could be enjoying the island right now; exploring, seeing new things… It looked like such an exciting town with so many various machines and possibilities. Instead, she could only enjoy the view while sitting next to the inn's window. _

_The doors of the inn opened again, letting some of the autumn breeze from the outside in along with a few stray leaves. The pirates reflexively turned their heads towards the newcomer in interest and immediately some of them formed bright smiles underneath their hats. "__Captain!__" The crew called out when they saw Trafalgar Law step into the room, Bepo right behind him holding onto the nodachi. _

_Law acknowledged everyone's presence, gazing across the filled space of the small room. He found an empty seat in the corner, with a single unoccupied table. Perfect. The captain relaxed in his chair, soon with a bottle of rum in his hand. Sipping the burning liquid, he looked around the room. He saw Joshua-ya dictating something to the samurai who was lying with her face on the table, looking dead tired of it all. Law smirked in amusement at the sight. His attention was then directed at the two head mechanics who were acting rather strangely; which meant they weren't causing any trouble nor were they in the center of the big group where some serious gambling was going on right now. No, instead they were sitting calmly on the side, whispering something to each other every no ad then. It looked like they were discussing something fiercely, but it wasn't one of their usual loud arguments accompanied by an occasional fist. Law's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _

_Still, the captain let the two be for now; as long as they were in his sights they couldn't be getting into some kind of trouble. Law kept drinking from his bottle in silence, ignoring the rowdy bunch around him. However, every now and then his piercing gaze would glance at the fidgeting mechanics who seemed to still be discussing something. _

_A grandfather clock chimed, slowly counting down 8 o'clock. Suddenly, the mechanics nodded to each other before standing up and proceeded to try and sneak out of the inn while the others were still busy. However the movement didn't go unnoticed by a certain perceptive captain, who followed the mechanics' with his gaze as they walked out of the building. Taking the last sip of his rum, Law stood up taking the nodachi in one hand as he headed out after them._

_Bepo blinked a few times in confusion, watching as Law suddenly stood up and started leaving. "__Captain?__" His asking expression stayed unanswered just like his question. The bear thought for a while, planning to follow his captain but then decided against it. Law would have called for him if he wanted the bear to follow and since he stayed quiet it only meant Law wanted to do this alone. Whatever it was. _

~…~

Shachi and Penguin looked around at the small town square. It was 10 past 8 but there was no sign of the engineer woman yet. There were only a few people strolling through the streets now, creating quick shadows as they walked under the bright full moon.

"Do you think she'll come?" Penguin sat down on the stone stairs leading towards the big clock tower.

"She better. She was the one who invited _us_ here." Shachi crossed his arms on his chest as he looked around the small town square. There was still no sign of Etella.

The two Heart pirates must've looked like quite a sight; wearing flashy white overalls that stood out even in the middle of the night with their color. Both of them wore colorful hats even though the sun set a long time ago. One of them even wore sunglasses, which only contributed to the weirdness of the whole scene. The two men were definitively the focus of attention for anyone passing by near them.

"What do you think this is all about?" The younger pirate just couldn't contain his curiosity as he fidgeted on, asking question he knew Shachi couldn't answer anyway.

"I know as much as you do…which is pretty much _nothing_." Shachi sighed in annoyance at his friend. This could be a trap for all they knew; the beautiful engineer woman Ettie could be conspiring with the authorities, setting them both up as they speak. Still, Shachi didn't want to think that the fierce but pretty lady like Etella would try and trick them. She looked quite honest. Instead, maybe she wanted to ask them a favor…and who knows what the reward would be. A slight blush appeared on Shachi's cheeks as he smiled at the idea.

"You're thinking of something perverted, aren't you…?" Penguin's voice brought him back to reality, but just as Shachi wanted to argue and deny that statement completely, he noticed Penguin's own blush on the man's cheeks. They were probably thinking of the same thing.

"So you came." A simple statement thankfully broke any more thoughts that could've gone into disturbingly wrong directions. A shadow moved above them on the higher ground level which led to some more streets and houses of the town. The figure swiftly jumped down from the railing and ended up right in front of a surprised Shachi.

"Ettie-chan!" The older mechanic exclaimed in mild surprise.

The woman raised one eyebrow at the informal nickname, but let it slide. She had more important things she needed to discuss with these two.

"What's all this about?" This time it was Penguin who asked, rising his head from the sitting position to look at the woman from under his big hat.

"This." A sound of paper rustling brought Shachi's and Penguin's attention to Etella's hand. She unfolded a paper and showed it to the two mechanics.

Shachi took the paper and read the printed red letters on it, squinting his eyes as he strained to read in the darkness. Penguin appeared instantly by his side, looking over the other's shoulder in an attempt to see what his friend was reading. It seemed to be a flyer to some event taking place in Noir every year. 'An annual competition' it said, 'between our finest engineers on the island,' the leaflet continued.

"It's a chance for all the engineers to show their work to the rest and gain prestige in this occupation. Not only does it show others their work, but also proves who is the best. In a sense; the winner takes it all." Etella explained, tapping to one certain part of the paper with her index finger. "Last year it was a race of aircrafts but…this year the competition is a bit different." A dark scowl crossed Ettie's features as she spat out, "And I'm sure Thorneye had something to do with it."

"Why do you think that?" Penguin couldn't help but scratch his cheek in wonder. Both Etella and her grandfather obviously hated the Viscount since there was some kind of bad history between them. Penguin didn't really know of the Viscount that well but by Thorneye's attitude he could see why they would want to hate him; he was nothing but an arrogant man drunk on his own power and wealth.

Etella sighed and sat down on the stone wall beneath the clock tower. "Once Thorneye got power and made money by creating and selling weapons to both marines and other countries, he put pressure on all the chief engineers here. He wanted to cut down all competition so he bought them and now most of them work for him. They create weaponry under him and he soon gathered both riches and prestige in Noir." The woman scoffed before continuing. "Even though other engineers do most of his work anyway; he's just a showoff. More of a businessman than a _real_ engineer." She nodded towards the leaflet, signaling for the mechanics to look at it once more.

"This year the competition is a kind of battle. It is needed to create a battling machine and compete against each other. That's conveniently right up Thorneye's alley, wouldn't you agree?" The woman chuckled darkly, but there was no real amusement on her features. "I think he's taking precautions in case I decide to compete."

"But why is he so afraid of you?" Penguin questioned with a light shrug of his shoulders.

"The engineers who wouldn't stand beside the Viscount all moved from Noir. They had no choice, since the man was slowly destroying their business with his connections. The only one who stayed was gramps. He didn't want to bend under the Viscount's demands so he opposed him and kept working in his shop. The Bingley family ran it for generations after all, working in the engineering business." A smile crept on Etella's face as she remembered a happier time of her life, while the workshop was running constantly and the store was prosperous. "You've seen the work of my grandfather; he's got both the knowledge and skill to stand against Thorneye with his work all on his own. That's why Thorneye keeps pestering us to just sell our shop and work for him instead." She clenched her fists at the mere thought of working for that insufferable, sleazy man.

Shachi frowned a bit, not understanding one thing about Etella's story. "Even if you say that, you're store is actually already lost…" He didn't want to upset her, but the fact was obvious that they were already losing against Thorneye's power. The old man Bingley said it himself; they hardly had any customers at all.

"Tch. I know." Etella, scowled but didn't get angry openly like the last time they started this topic at the shop. "It all happened five years ago…It was the time when Thorneye was still accumulating his power and buying all the local engineers. But of course the Bingley family refused him. Before, we also participated in the annual competition of the chief engineers, and that year we were especially determined to win and beat Thorneye. My father, gramps and I; the whole family worked together on the project and my father piloted the machinery on the day of the competition." Etella's voice became softer and more solemn as she told the story. "But something went wrong during the competition and suddenly the craft burst into flame and exploded, with my father still inside."

"Ettie-chan…" Penguin started, not sure what to say or how to console the woman. However, Etella's demeanor soon changed back to her serious and harsh one, in no need for consolation. What she wanted was something else.

"After that incident, Thorneye seized the opportunity and declared to the whole town that our products were unsafe. After that everything went downhill…customers stopped coming and the shop slowly withered away while the Viscount rose to the top with his money and popularity. Gramps couldn't forgive himself either…he blames himself for my father's death." She sighed deeply before continuing. "After that competition, he forbade me to partake in them and we haven't since. But we need to win in it now more than ever! That's what I've been trying to tell him right before you entered the store."

"Why do you need to win so much?" Penguin tilted his head, not understanding how the win would save their shop.

"As I already said, the one who wins gets the reputation of the best engineer in Noir. If we can win against Thorneye, we could show everyone that our equipment is better! We could show everyone gramps' skills! And not only that; the prize for the competition isn't just the reputation as the number one engineering team but also money. Enough money to rebuild the shop and then some!" Etella's voice got higher as she got more elated by the thought of success and finally saving their business.

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other, suddenly understanding where this is going. "And you need our help." It came out more of a statement than a question.

Still, Etella nodded firmly. "Whole teams work on these engineering projects but I don't have anyone to hire. Even if we would have the money, Thorneye would just work his influence and pay them more, making it impossible for us to find someone. Gramps is against the whole thing too so I can't count on his help but I just _know_ that we could win if I do this. Gramps thought me everything he knows about this business, I can do it! But I can't do it alone, I need your help."

"We'll do it!" Penguin instantly exclaimed, touched by Etella's story. It also didn't hurt that he would be working alongside this dark beauty.

However, Penguin's hopes and dreams were abruptly cut short by Shachi's hand that slapped him at the back of his head, tilting Penguin's hat in the process. "Don't just agree so easily!" Even though Shachi was also one to want to please a beautiful woman, at least he had a little more sense than his younger friend. As much as he would love to help Etella with this, Shachi still had another person at the back of his mind, reminding him in a cold voice that they couldn't act on their own. It was bad enough they sneaked out and came here behind that person's back. Shachi gulped at the thought of what captain would do if he found out they were talking business here without him.

Seeing doubt on Shachi's face, Etella tried to win him over as she continued to explain. "I wouldn't ask you to help me for free! I heard you in the shop; you said you needed money for new parts. Well, I'm offering you a part of the prize money if you help me build the machine for the competition. Beating Thorneye and restoring our reputation is enough and we only need a portion of the money to rebuild the shop. You can take the rest." Her voice became more assertive as her determination raised to try and talk the mechanics into doing this. "If I had anyone else to ask I would but…Nobody in Noir would help us. You are a neutral party and not under Thorneye's influence, so I'm asking you. " It was hard to say 'no' to Etella's big brown-colored eyes, but remembering icy grey ones made Shachi waver in his helpfulness.

"Look, we really would like to help you but…it's not up to us." The older mechanic started cautiously, trying to let the girl down softly. "I'm sorry Ettie-chan."

The engineer sighed in disappointment, but she wasn't ready to completely back down yet. "Then who is it up to?"

Shachi opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a new voice. "Me." Everyone turned around to see a figure standing there, clouded in the shadows. The person took a few steps closer, moving into the moonlight, so everyone could see their identity.

Law's tanned face came into the light, looking over the three suspicious people conversing in the town's square. He adjusted his nodachi on one shoulder but stayed calm, his demeanor relaxed as usual while his expression stayed an unreadable mask.

"Captain!" Both mechanics exclaimed at the same time in surprise. They're bodies stiffened from tension when they realized they were completely busted.

"W-what are you doing here?" Penguin barely managed to get the words out, stuttering in the process.

"Your conversation sounded so interesting, I decided to join in as well." A slightly mocking tone carried together with Law's words as he watched his two subordinates carefully. He enjoyed how guilty and rigid they looked as they shuffled around nervously. He still kept the same unreadable expression, which only prolonged the mechanics' suffering. They couldn't tell if the captain was angry, disappointed, or something completely different and that only made them even more worried.

"Captain Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates, I presume." Etella on the other hand didn't look scared in the slightest. She walked over to him in a confident manner, sizing him up and down with a dead-serious expression. Law noticed, however, she was cautious and even as she moved towards him she did it prudently. She was decisive, but not a fool; she knew how dangerous the pirate before her could be sine the tales of the Hearts came all the way to the New World. Law liked that, it was obvious she wasn't underestimating him. Still, she stopped right in front of the pirate captain and looked at him right in the eyes, acknowledging his presence and showing a strong character. Even when she said his name, it wasn't spat out in contempt or fear as the civilians usually did when addressing pirates. Even in her shining eyes, Law saw none of the usual distaste. She could be well enough talking to a marine right now and she would look at them in the same way. This woman didn't differentiate between classes or pirates and marines; she differentiated between people and their characters. "My name is Etella Bingley." She held out her hand for the pirate captain.

Law tilted his head ever so slightly, an amused shine gleaming in his eyes for only a second. "Shaking hands with a pirate? People got hanged for less." Even with that comment, Trafalgar took her hand and gave it a squeeze with a proper shake before releasing it.

"Pirates are no strange occurrence here; you must've noticed that after walking the streets. We are already used them here; it is the New World after all. You'll soon see for yourselves, these parts of the world are quite different from what you're used to." Etella never broke eye-contact as she kept her chat with the pirate captain, but the serious tone never left her voice. This wasn't just some light-hearted chat and the tension was clear in the air. She did every move carefully, keeping a watchful eye on the man and his long sword. She might not have anything against pirates but that doesn't mean she would let her guard down around one.

"Captain, we can explain." Shachi started, wanting to clarify the situation before it went out of hand. He didn't want Law to get the wrong idea.

"I'm already aware of the situation Shachi-ya. I've been here from the start. I've heard your entire conversation so I think I understand what this is about." Law brushed off the mechanic's attempts to ease the situation and explain. He didn't need it since he heard most of their conversation and could easily deduce the rest.

"In that case, I don't have to repeat myself. So, are you in?" Etella kept her eyes focused on the Surgeon of Death in expectation of his answer.

Law looked back at his two mechanics who gave him the most pleading looks they could muster with their partially hidden faces. Then his gaze traveled back to Etella as he reached his decision. "Make it all the prize money and we have a deal."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "All of it!? Wait a minute, we also have to rebuild our shop and buy some new parts for the merchandise-" She argued with a raised voice, thinking it was unacceptable to just give away all their prize money to the pirates even if they did help.

However, Law didn't even let her finish as he continued calmly. "You said the win will bring you back your customers; you might slave away for a few months but if the people return, the business will too so you can use that money to repair your shop. If you're thinking this deal isn't _fair_, you should've thought of that before making a deal with pirates. Take it or leave it." His expression left no room to argue or try and bargain.

For a while more Etella kept quiet but then finally sighed deeply in defeat. "Fine."

The pirate captain smirked in victory. This time it was him who reached out his tattooed hand and waited for Etella to shake it and seal their deal. The woman did just that, noticing the tattooed letters of 'death' on it. That only made this whole scene seem more ominous as she made a deal with pirates in the middle of a moonlit night. Law's smirk never disappeared as he spoke. "If shaking hands with a pirate doesn't get you executed, making a deal with one surely will." There was a look mixed with challenge and amusement in his eyes as he pierced hers, almost as if he was mocking her.

It was hard for Etella to tell if that were really true but she had no thoughts of backing out now anyway. "You need to risk some to gain some." Her expression stayed determined as she returned the smirk.

When the intense negotiations were finally over and the dark atmosphere let up a little, the mechanics sighed in relief and grinned instead. "Alright!" Penguin cheered, happy it all ended so well. He didn't know if they'll still get punished for their actions by captain later, but at least they could help Ettie-chan now. Besides, the whole mentioned competition sounded very appealing for two mechanics who loved to tinker anyway. Working on a project with engineers and creating interesting machinery sounded right up their alley and the two pirates couldn't wait to get started. However, now that Shachi thought about it; started on what exactly? Etella mentioned it was a battle competition this year so he presumed they will be building some kind of war machine, but nobody was really clear on the details. And what's more, the competition was tomorrow! They didn't have much time left. How could they build anything on such short notice? The more Shachi thought about it, the more panicked he became.

"But what do we do exactly…?" Before Shachi had time to voice out his concerns, Penguin broke the silence. "And how can we build a whole battling machine from scratch in one night?"

On their surprise, Etella simply smirked, not concerned at all.

"What?" Shachi shrugged looking at Etella's mischievous expression. She still didn't answer though.

"_What_?!" A bit louder, the mechanics tried again, slowly beginning to get freaked out by the woman's smirking face and silent stare.

Law just observed the engineer without a word, wondering what she had in mind. She obviously had a plan already.

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><p>So it's done! The new chapter. Actually I got it back on Friday but just couldn't decide where to cut it off since this Arc will be done in two parts. I'm already working on the other, so hopefully it'll be up in two to three weeks. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm really having fun with this Arc :D A lot of you mentioned the forgotten treasure in your reviews and it's because at that time I was already staring on this Arc and I needed them broke. :P I couldn't say anything though cause I didn't want to spoil the story. XD<p>

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey.<strong>

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><p>As always, I'm answering your reviewers. Thank you for everyone's kind comments and reviews; it means so much to me. ^^<p>

**Kiteria Faye: **Ugh, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't hate the World Nobles. Piercy is my original character that I made, and put into the Tenryuubito family. :) I tried to make him as insufferable as the cannon ones. I'm glad you like the Law/Miyako angst part, I was a bit worried if I did that correctly. ^^' To be honest, I never wrote a lemon so I'm not sure if I'd be so good at it. So yeah, this story won't have one; at least not a completely, described scene. Thank you so much, I'm really happy you like it so much. ^^ I do try to find a balance between the anime (more comical) and more real aspect, since it is about pirates after all. Thank you for all your kind reviews. :)

**Wings-chan: **hehe That's ok, no problem. ^^ Yep, Law is a real manipulator. :P Unfortunately, I didn't put the actual scene after the Hearts saw Miyako's hickies but who knows, maybe I'll add a flashback about it or mention it throughout the story.

**Thunderqueen-nat: **Yeah, Miyako definitively has to go to Punk Hazard. :D It'll be a fun way to do the cannon story, I think. ^^

**Yumi sawamura: **haha Yeah, I heard that joke before. :D There's definitively something there, though I wouldn't call Miyako a masochist. But I think Law fits perfectly in that sadist role (That joke is definitively something he would do, I think. XD) Noooooo! Law, you can't experiment on Yumi-san, or I'll dye your fuzzy hat pink in the next chapter! .

**lucyknight13: **Hehe me too actually. :D

**pharoah999: **hehe Thanks. Yeah, I thought about it and decided she would be too irritating for the crew to put up with anyway. XD Yeah, I'll change some things in PH Arc since I plan to involve Miyako in it, but the cannon plot will remain the same. :)

**aqua-empress: **Oh it's nothing really, it's just those small characters who die off easily, so they don't require a lot of planning for them. ^^' Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! :D

**florachi: **Haha Even Cody can be in a situation where he is at a loss. :D

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Hahaha! 'Retarded Hyena…' XD

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yeah, sucks when you live in a small vessel with 20 other people. There's no privacy. :P I think the only reason Law doesn't get pissed at them for being in Miyako's room is because they're all always in a group so he knows there's nothing going on….well, not counting their everyday shenanigans. :P

**Windheartyuki: **Nah, the woman was too annoying for anyone to stand so Law would only want to kill her anyway. Not much to get jealous over. XD

**TealWarrior: **Thank you! :D

**indescribable music: **Well, I try to make the Heart Pirates a bit more serious and 'evil' than the Strawhats for example. I mean, they're pirates after all and even Kid said he heard some 'pretty bad rumors' about Law, so I want to make him dangerous and more pirate-like. :D

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Yeah, they were on Fishmen Island after all, so I just watched to add more cannon in it, especially some cannon characters. :D hehe I also want to make it a fun game between them. It'll be a real battle I think. XD I also wanted to work more on Law's cool and cold-blooded, evil side in chapter 47. I think it fits him well. ;D

**NightStar85: **haha I'm sure that's pretty much how Law reacted in his head when he heard Cody's name, too. XD

**JustChan: **You noticed it, too! Yeah, I thought something was just lacking in chp 46. ^^' To be honest, I haven't yet decide about Laura's involvement in the future story. I definitively don't want to make them invincible, I always try not to at least, so don't worry. Yes, well, there's always someone stronger. ^^' haha I can't help it, it's fun to see Law irritated. XD About the rest; I have plans, but all in due time, that's all I can say for now. ;)

**Animagirl: **Well it can't be too easy. ;)

**K9Train: **Thank you! :D

**KotoriRod: **Yes, I will get to Punk Hazard and the cannon story, and I already have some plans what to do in it. :)


	49. Chapter 49

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, the OC Suzune Miyako is mine. Rated T for languge, violence and suggestive themes.

Sorry for the wait guys, college is pretty hectic right now. I didn't have time to send this one to my beta since I'm already late with posting and I wanted to post it quickly. I proofread it but I apologize if there are any mistakes I might have overseen. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 49<strong>

"Sailing Master(1)?" Josh asked.

"Jean Bart!" Miyako exclaimed, a smile of victory on her face since she got it right.

"I'm asking you _what_ it is!" Josh yelled back, already irritated. Clearing his throat, the redhead tried again. "Alright, what about a 'bilge rat'(2)?"

"…" Miyako looked at Josh from her position and kept staring at him silently, an unreadable expression on her face.

However, even Josh could tell what she was thinking. "Don't compare me to a rat!"

The samurai girl was lying on the table in the pretty much same position ever since they came to the inn. Josh was also by her side, looking like a strict teacher who has an insufferable student. Cody was already dozing off on the wooden bench near the window, too tired to keep listening to their studies. It was pretty unusual that he could even sleep with so much noise of the Hearts partying around him. Still, that only proved how boring the scene at the far table where they sat, truly was. The rest of the pirates kept on eating and drinking with the last of their personal savings, still in high spirits even though already broke. Perhaps the strong alcohol in the joint helped with their mood, something they will regret the next morning when they wake up with hangovers and empty pockets. But for now; there was a lively party going on, as some of the men even dared to break into song. Their drunk and broken voices made the other Heart Pirates throw glasses and anything they could find in their reach at the singing quartet, yet the singers didn't budge, deciding that the show must go on at any cost.

By now, the girl already had a clear pout on her face. It seemed like everyone was having fun here except her. She looked around, her eyes unconsciously searching for the one she blamed for this whole situation; the only one who could've stopped it and spared her the agony but only shrugged at the whole situation passively. And the bastard wasn't even here! Now that she thought about it, Miyako hadn't seen Law in a while. However, Bepo was still here partying with the rest of the pirates as a few of them linked in a line by grabbing shoulders and were in the middle of doing some ridiculous dance. The bear really stood out, bigger than everyone, dancing in his orange jumpsuit. On better inspection, Miyako noticed Shachi and Penguin were also missing; those two were always the heart of the party so it was easy to notice when they weren't in the room. The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously; there's something going on here.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Josh continued his lesson, not even realizing that Miyako wasn't listening to him anymore. "Alright, what about a-" The medic's words were rudely cut off when the doors of the inn suddenly slammed open. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the entrance with surprised expressions. Those looks soon turned into confused ones when they recognized Shachi who was now standing at the entrance with a grinning face. Right behind him, Penguin had the same dorky expression as the older mechanic.

"We're building a robot!" Shachi announced to a quiet room, only managing to make the Hearts even more confused.

"Hah?" Sam finally pulled himself together enough to break the silence.

~…..~

~Earlier that night~

"_What_?" Shachi put his hands on his hips and tilted his head as he watched Etella's mischievous smirk.

The woman didn't explain anything, only gestured with her hand. "Come with me."

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other uncertainly before looking at Law with nervous expressions, but the captain didn't say anything. Instead he just walked passed them, following the woman silently. Well if even captain Law decided to go, the mechanics' concluded there's no helping it and only shrugged, following Law and Etella.

At first Penguin thought they were heading back to the old man's shop but then they made a sharp turn and walked on to the outskirts of town. It didn't take them long to arrive at the industrial area, filled with factories and vast storage houses. The group stopped in front of a large storehouse.

"This storehouse belongs to my family, but ever since our customers stopped coming and our production decreased, there hasn't been any need for it. It just stands here empty and useless….well, at least that's what my Gramps thinks…" There was a light guilty tone when she added her last statement.

Law and the two mechanics looked at the engineer but she said nothing. Instead, Etella pulled out a large key and unlocked the gates. "Come on, help me." The doors were so big and heavy, Etella could usually barely open them by herself. Shachi and Penguin helped her with the metal sliding gates and they opened them hallway, staring at the gaping darkness on the other side.

Just like Etella said, there was nothing inside. Some old boxes and spare parts along with tables filled with tools. However, as the woman turned on the lights, the pirates noticed one more thing, now towering over them. Whatever it was, it was enormous both in height and width. It was covered in a large white sheet, hiding its true form. Law narrowed his eyes in suspicion, clutching his nodachi just in case. Even his mechanics tensed as they stared up at the mysterious form beneath the white cloth.

"Ettie-chan, what is this?" Penguin couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

Etella smirked once again. "This is our weapon!" With that, she grabbed the heavy sheet and pulled it off to the side, revealing the metal contraption underneath.

However, as soon as Shachi and Penguin got a better look at the mysterious contrivance, they're faces dropped. The form in front of them could be called nothing else but scrap; scraps of metal and iron combined with cooper wiring. They couldn't even tell what it was but it looked like it was barely holding on and some parts even looked charred.

"Junk?" Shachi couldn't help but say his thoughts out loud.

"You're not seriously thinking you'd use that for the competition?" Even Law chimed in this time, tilting his head to the side and staring at the metal heap with distaste.

Etella's attitude quickly turned into a defensive one, adding anger to the mix. "This is just for now of course. This isn't how it's supposed to look in the end! Why do you think I brought you along!?" She tried to hide her embarrassment with her temper.

"I'm sorry Ettie-chan, I don't understand at all…." Penguin started uncertainly, not sure how to address this matter.

The engineer woman sighed deeply and calmed down enough to return her tone back to normal. "These are the remains of the craft my father piloted five years ago. Gramps already forgot about them so they were left here and I thought we could use these plus some extra parts to create out battle machine for the competition. Every now and then I would sneak here to work on them while Gramps was sleeping."

Law walked up to the pile and looked at some of the parts. He took one and tossed it back on the heap with a scowl. "And you are confident we can fix this and transform it into a battle unit in one night."

Shachi sighed. "But we have no choice…The competition is tomorrow at noon sharp."

"Can we really make this work so soon?" Penguin added in a listless tone.

Law looked at Etella who was about to argue with them again, determined to make this work. They _did_ make a deal after all and the Heart Pirates needed the money anyway. He looked back at his two mechanics, who still carried a skeptical and slightly disappointed expression. "We will make it work. That's why you made a deal with us, no? This is where we come in." He pierced his two mechanics with his eyes full of confidence. There was an unspoken challenge in his stare that his long-time friends easily picked up on.

Shachi smirked. "Hey, you're looking at the two future best mechanics in the whole world. There's no way we can back out now."

That statement seemed to fire Penguin up as well. "Yeah, if this beats us we don't deserve to call ourselves mechanics anymore! We'll definitively do it!"

Law was satisfied with the turn of events, seeing his two friends in high spirits again. If anyone could do this in one night, it was them. But Shachi and Penguin didn't have to do it alone either; there was a whole set of mechanics waiting for them at the inn. "It's time to bring the crew together," the captain announced.

~…~

The Heart Pirates looked at their two head mechanics along with the captain who entered soon after them. But soon their stares all turned to an unfamiliar person; a tall dark skinned woman with a fiery expression.

"Building a robot? What are you two talking about? And who's this?" Kai couldn't begin to understand the situation, firing question after question.

Law gave Bepo his nodachi and crossed his arm on his chest. "It seems Shachi and Penguin gave us some trouble this time." He gave the mechanics an unreadable stare, making both of them tense up.

Suddenly Miyako exclaimed behind the group of the Heart Pirates, a shining smile on her face. "It wasn't me this time!" She was proud that this time nobody excused _her_ of making trouble on the island. It was a refreshing change for her, that Law was giving his warning piercing stare to someone else this time.

"You be quiet!" Josh yelled back at her but the girl ignored him completely, too into the situation developing before her.

"But since we'll gain something from it too, I suppose I'll let it slide this time." Law finished, amused by Shachi's and Penguin's reaction who sighed in relief instantly. It was always entertaining to mess with his crew, keeping them on their toes. Law had to hold back a smirk of enjoyment when he saw his two friends squirm nervously.

Penguin cleared his throat and decided to explain this weird turn of events. "We will help Ettie-chan build a battle robot and win this year's Noir engineering competition. If we win, we'll get enough money to restock and buy all the supplies and submarine parts we need." He smiled, gesturing to the woman next to him.

"A battle robot?" Sai looked at Etella with a questioning, slightly suspicious gaze.

"Yes. But we only have till noon tomorrow. My name is Etella Bingley and I'm an engineer in this town." She pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that was the flyer for the annual competition and gave it to Sai. The navigator hummed in thought and passed it on to the rest of the crew.

"Whoa, that's a lot of money!" Josh couldn't help but exclaim when he read the leaflet. His excited eyes almost mirrored two Beli signs in them.

Miyako also looked over his shoulder, reading the paper. "But will we make it in time? The competition is so soon." She looked at Shachi and Penguin, glancing at them with a troubled gaze.

However, the mechanics just grinned, not a worry in sight. "Hey, we have the best team of mechanics here plus a skillful engineer. We can do this!"

The assistant mechanics in the room all started scratching their heads in embarrassment, some fidgeting and some even blushed.

"Haha well if you say it like that, how can we refuse…"

"Yeah, it's nothing special really."

"You're just saying that…"

The other crew members just stared at them silently with sweat drops. Any skepticism in the mechanics was completely gone now. They were so easily persuaded by a few compliments. Everyone thought the same thing in unison. _*So easy to manipulate….*_

Miyako grinned. This meant no more tiring studying for her. *_Lucky_!* She thought before rising a fist in the air. "Alright! I'll help too!"

Josh gave her a surprised glare. "Oy, you still have work to do!" The redhead tried to stop her but the samurai was already out the door.

"Sorry Josh, Shachi and Penguin need our help!" The girl yelled back, not feeling any remorse at all that she was leaving her studies behind. It was already too late to stop her.

The short medic sighed and shook his head in defeat.

"Alright, everyone pack up. We have a competition to win." Law announced and those words were like a signal, indicating for everyone to get fired up and serious.

The Heart Pirates cheered in unity. "Aye Aye Captain!"

~…~

The darkness slowly diminished, the first rays of pale light slowly cutting through the night sky. A moon was replaced by a dawn as the chilly autumn morning signaled the new day. Yet even now, there were loud sounds of drilling, hammering and cutting coming from the old warehouse. The sounds never stopped throughout the whole night as the Heart Pirates worked hastily, noon approaching. Even the non-mechanics of the crew helped out; assisting the others. The whole crew didn't have a wink of sleep the whole night, not wanting to miss their deadline that was just around the corner. If they didn't have the machine done in time, it would all be for naught. They had to finish before the competition started.

A sudden explosion was heard as a part of the machine ruptured. Loud voices and warnings filled the air.

"What was that?!"

"It was the engine. We thought it would work but something went wrong!"

"Is anyone injured!?"

"No, it wasn't that big. It's just bad wiring."

"Damn it, watch it! You just set us back even more!" Etella yelled at the pirates, ignoring their flinching apologetic faces. She rushed to the back of the contraption to look at the engine that was slightly fried now. "Shit!"

"We won't make it at this rate!" Penguin shouted over the sound of the solder.

Meanwhile, Shachi was on the side, discussing some blueprints with Carl. "That isn't an option guys! Step it up! Faster!" He yelled back at the mechanics who were scattered around the large iron contraption, each working on a part.

Miyako came to the guys bringing bottles filled with water. Everyone was dirty with grease and oil, their faces black and dusty. Only the eyes where they kept on their masks still had some skin color. She handed the pirates water bottles. "Sorry that I can't do more." She was helping to hand them some supplies and parts, but she couldn't do anything major. After all, the biggest part was on the mechanics of the Heart Pirates, they were the only ones who could do it now. All Miyako could do is cheer her friends on.

Sam smiled as he took the bottled water and drank almost half of it without taking a breath. With a satisfied sigh, he put the bottle away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Much like all the other Hearts, his boiler suit was anything but white and filled with stains while he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his tattoos. "That's ok Miya-chan, even this is plenty. You just keep cheering us on and we'll be done in no time, you'll see." The young man grinned underneath his hat.

"Oy, Sam, stop flirting with Miyako and get back to work!" Penguin yelled, calling back his assistant mechanic.

Sam laughed nervously and scratched his head, a slight blush on his face. He gave Miyako a V sign with one final grin before jogging back to his post.

Miyako ignored Penguin's embarrassing shout. She was too engulfed with everyone's energy; it could be felt all around the room. The guys were working so hard, but they were having fun at the same time. They were determined to win. The atmosphere reminded her of the times she would watch everyone train in the dojo when she was younger. As a woman she wasn't allowed to train at the same time, with the men, so all she could do was watch them from the distance. Everyone always had the same serious expressions, determination in their eyes. She often regretted that she could only take classes from the Master afterwards, one-on-one, and never join the rest of the group. But now she felt like she was a part of this group, even if she couldn't do anything that required an engineer's skill. Still, she was happy to do whatever she could for them now.

Miyako clenched her fist. *_Do your best, everyone!* _However, a part of her felt frustrated that she couldn't do more than this. If only she could do more for them…

A sudden heavy hand on her head brought Miyako back from her thoughts. She looked up in surprise, only to see Law standing beside her.

"Don't worry so much. There's no way they would lose." There was no wavering in Law's voice, no skepticism on his expression.

Miyako stared at the tall man with surprise but then thought about his words for a second. Law was right. She believed in her friends; if anyone could do it, _they_ could! She looked back at Law with eyes filled with amazement. *_Was he….trying to reassure me, because he saw I was worried?* _A small smile appeared on the girl's face. *_I suppose he's a good guy after all…*_

Suddenly, Law's expression turned into a menacing grin, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "After all, they know what the penalty for failure is."

Miyako's smile quickly disappeared, an expression of almost comical shock replacing it. *_I take it all back!*_

~…..~

"Whaa, where are they!" Bepo was practically hopping in place from anticipation. It was almost noon and the town's people were already filling the main square. Law and his group also went to the meeting place for the competition, leaving his mechanics with Etella in the warehouse. When the Hearts were leaving, the mechanic group was still working, making the final preparations, and even though the big clock on the tower was about to chime noon, Etella and the others were yet to come.

"Are they really going to make it?" Josh mumbled skeptically, scratching his head over his black cap.

"They'll come! They'll definitively be here!" Miyako surprised the redhead with her determined voice, as she stared holes through him. She had a look filled with excitement and anticipation, but there was no uncertainty in it.

Josh sighed but decided not to contradict the girl. Actually, he was a bit moved how strongly she believed in them. "Alright, alright, I get it." He gave her a reassuring smirk. "They'll be here."

Miyako smiled back at the medic and gave him a firm nod. For once they were getting along with each other.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the speaker. "Welcome everyone! Welcome to the annual competition of the chief engineers where you can test your abilities and prove to the whole island that you are the best, the most skillful and most inventive engineer in Noir!" The townspeople cheered in unison. An exploding sound was heard and suddenly colorful confetti filled the air, falling on the crowd. The cheering got even louder. After a while the voices calmed down, allowing the man on the speaker to continue. "This year, our chief engineers will test their abilities into making the best, most powerful and strongest battle machine! Never before did we have such a dangerous event in our tournament!" Once again the townsfolk cheered and Noir's mayor raised his hand to quiet them down. "We would also like to thank Viscount Caffrey Thorneye since he is also the sponsor of this year's competition!" A tall red-haired man walked over to the mayor and bowed slightly lowering his top hat in one fluid motion. Once again, the mayor continued. "And now let us introduce the four daring constants!"

"Only four this year?" A woman next to Miyako commented with slight disappointment. Miyako couldn't help but get curious. She turned to the woman in question.

"Excuse me, is four contestants unusually few?" The samurai girl asked the older woman politely.

The said woman nodded. "Indeed. It's even less than last year. It seems like every year we have less and less contestants in this competition." The woman sighed and shook her head. This competition was the biggest event of the year in Noir, which is mainly an engineering town. The townspeople awaited it with anticipation while the engineers prepared for it throughout the whole year. "It used to be such a big event, but now there is hardly anyone participating."

A man standing close to them overheard their conversation and added his own two cents. "Well most engineers now work for Thorneye or collaborate with him. There are hardly any independent engineering business left in this town. That's why there's no one to compete anymore." The man sounded just as disappointed as the old woman.

"Is Thorneye really such a big force in this town?" Miyako couldn't believe that one man amassed so much power and influence in so little time.

"Mmm, he's business with the marines and other countries also brought prosperity to this town so we can't really complain."

"He is the best. He wins every year, ya' know."

"And this year it's right up his alley, battle machines and all."

The people all spoke the same as they conversed among themselves. In the past there was usually a betting pool going on, where people could bet on contestants and maybe win. But now even that was gone since everyone already knew Thorneye was the sure winner. After all, he was the unbeaten champion five years in a row.

Miyako hummed in thought, then turned back to the old woman who was still standing next to her. "Then what about Mr. Bingley? I heard he's very skilled."

Both man and woman turned towards Miyako in surprise and stared at her as if she just said the most unbelievable thing. Miyako felt nervous sweat on her brown, thinking she offended them somehow. *_Did I say something weird?* _"W-what?" She asked rather cautiously.

A darker expression came over the couple's faces. "It's impossible, Bingley won't participate. He hasn't for the last five years. Besides, I heard his really sick, he can't compete anymore."

"Yeah, not after what happened then….It's for the better. The old man's skill dulled. That's why the mechanism was faulty five years ago and somebody even died. It's already too late for that geezer." The man explained. "He's time has passed."

Somehow Miyako felt her anger rise because of their words. After all, she saw Etella and the Hearts work on that battle robot all night, yet there was someone standing there and ensuring her they couldn't win no matter what. She knew these people didn't know any of Etella's and her grandpa's hardships, nor Shachi's and Penguni's hard work, but it still frustrated Miyako. She had a feeling she had to defend them. "Well I heard Bingley has a granddaughter! She could enter the competition in his stead!"

The man laughed. "Impossible, the old man wouldn't allow that. He's been a recluse ever since those five years ago. He won't even attend these competitions anymore."

The woman nodded in agreement. "Besides, look. All the contestants are already here, and there's no sign of Arthur Bingley or his granddaughter. It's no different than all the other years."

Unfortunately, Miyako couldn't say anything to that. "Well…that's true but…" Indeed, the competition was starting any minute now and there was still no sign of Etella nor the mechanics. The girl looked around, worry clear in her golden eyes now. The speaker has already started announcing the competitors.

Meanwhile, the announcer on the speaker continued as he listed the contestants. "The first is a newcomer in our town Noir who came this year, as there is still not much known about him. He goes by the name of Bill Dalton ladies and gentlemen!" The speaker pointed at a large, bulky man in his forties. The said engineer had similar clothing as the rest of the townspeople in Noir; leather and cotton clothing with a pair of goggles strapped to his forehead. However he had pieces of metal armor on his right shoulder and chest. There was a heavy leather belt crossing from one shoulder to his waist where it connected with his tool belt filled with items. The man had a large blonde beard and same colored scruffy hair that looked more like a mane of an animal. His eyes stayed piercing even as the crowd cheered, and the man only hummed through his lips holding onto a large cigar between the teeth. There was a contraption on his right forearm that looked like a gun. But what got Miyako's attention wasn't the bear-looking man but the thing behind him. It was his battle machine that rose up behind him, looking like a metal tank armored with iron plates. It had all kinds of tubes and copper wires running through it, along with a few see-through pipes where a green and black fluid flowed through them. The engine seemed to already be running as the monstrous vehicle roared and rumbled. "And we can see his battle machine for the competition; Red Sally!" The announcer motioned at the machine behind Dalton.

After waiting for the crowed to calm down a little, the announcer continued. "Next is one even more mysterious competitor. A hermit engineer living on the outskirts of town, one of the rare still-independent engineers, only known by the name of Cyrus!" A silent man stepped forward as he was announced to the crowd. He wore a long black coat that completely hid his clothes and the collar went all the way up to his nose. The rest of the face was also hidden by a pair of metal goggles that gleamed a light shade of orange. Finally, on his head rested an equally black, tall top hat, only adding to the man's mystery. Even his hands were covered in big leather gloves but there seemed to be something like miniature wires on every fingertip of the glove. Miyako blinked in wonder but then her eyes once again traveled behind the contestant and at his battle machine. This time the contraption looked like a cross between a living being and a machine. The robot had a form similar to a small two-legged dragon, though it still reached about 6 meters in size. It had large folded cloth winds set on pipes and wires. It didn't seem to have any arms or at least they weren't visible, but instead it had a large snout and a mouthful of razor-sharp metal teeth inside. Its body consisted of various wheels and gears, along with tubes and plastic pipes that had a liquid flowing through them. Some parts looked biological and soft, like real organs. Even its eye looked like a mixture of machinery and real eyeball, with the retina glowing dark yellow. Meanwhile, the announcer continued, presenting Cyrus and his work. "And here we have an extraordinary specimen of bioengineering; Danzenant!"

"Bio…engineering?" Miyako blinked a few times, repeating the foreign name in wonder.

The one who answered her was Law, as he nonchalantly put his hands back into the pockets of his trousers. He didn't look even remotely surprised by the mechanical dragon. Miyako wasn't really surprised by that fact; this guy read so many books and sailed half across the world already. It was no wonder that he already came across something like this. "It's a type of engineering that combines biological components together with mechanical ones. It's the science that created cyborgs. You've already encountered with it too, remember? Pacifista."

Miyako eyes widened once more, this time in realization. "Ah, that's right! Those big robo-guys were actually cyborgs. So that's how it is…" She turned back to the mechanical being called Danzenant. "Amazing."

However, her expression soon changed into a dissatisfied frown when she saw the next contestant to come. He held himself high and upright proudly, a tall top hat on his red hair and thin curled mustache decorating his pale face. His whole posture screamed royalty, or at least someone who wanted to be one and looked down upon the simple masses. It was clear in his eyes that stared down at the crowd with a look of superiority. However, nobody seemed to notice that small detail as the townspeople still cheered when the man came up on the stage. Only Miyako stayed silent, remembering what Etella told her about the man. Miyako just couldn't bring herself to be as ecstatic as the rest of them when she remembered how the Viscount treated Mr. Bingley and his granddaughter.

"And now, the man who made this all happen as the sponsor of this year's engineering competition, Viscount Caffrey Thorneye!" The crowd seemed to love the man in front of them, the one who accumulated his fortune through the engineering business. But he did it by selling war machines and weapons to other countries, gaining money on wars and power struggles…on other people's deaths. He was nothing but an arms dealer in Miyako's opinion. Once again, the girl's thoughts made her frown. The speaker paid no mind to the cheering crowd as he continued, louder than anyone else. "And here is his exceptional work made by his team of experts engineers; Ironhammer!" A robot that seemed to be crouching until now, rose up to a standing position as if on mark. It showed all its tall and dangerous glory as it rose up, higher than even the clock tower which was the highest building in Noir. The crowd gasped, and even Miyako held her breath. It was huge! Huge and menacing. It had two thin chimneys on its back, puffing out grey smoke. One arm looked ordinary but the other hand had three long fork-like appendages instead of the usual fingers. There were wires and metal bars supporting its weight and making it move. The only likable-looking part about it was that it had a top hat on top of its metal head just like its master and even a monocle on one mechanical, shining eye.

"Whoa, that's…huge…" Josh muttered next to Miyako, staring at the robot.

"So this is what Thorneye's team built…it's insane." Kai commented, standing right next to the short medic.

"And insanely dangerous, I'm certain." Cody added, staring up just like the rest of the Hearts.

"And yet, Etella-ya's team is still nowhere to be seen." Law sighed, feeling skeptical by the second. Where _were_ they?

"I'm sure they'll be here, captain. They have to!" Bepo noted in a raised voice, seeing Law was troubled.

However, the speaker and the judges didn't feel as certain about it as the Heart Pirates. "It seems we have a problem...the fourth competitor is still not here!" The townsfolk looked at the three large machines made by the competitors. There were three different contraptions, large and towering over the townspeople but still turned off and unmoving. However, four were to compete in this year's tournament. One was still missing.

Thorneye, still standing next to the speaker, took hold of the den den mushi serving as the microphone. He made an annoyingly worried face, trying to hide his glee by feigning concern. "Oh, that's too bad….But if the competitor is not here, they will be disqualified! The tournament is about to start after all." He sighed as in disappointment. The crowed all looked at each other, whispering and commenting, trying to find out who the last contestant could be.

Then suddenly a boy yelled out. "Wait, what's that!" He pointed a small finger up to the sky and everyone followed it. A small dot was there, right in front of the sun, nothing more than a blur. "What is that?" The people tried to see what the dot is, as it seemed to get bigger and bigger. "Something is falling down!" Someone screamed in panic and soon the people realized something large was indeed falling from the sky.

The crowd didn't even have time to run away and scatter around the square, as the giant machine landed on an empty spot. As big and tall as it was, it landed perfectly, not harming any citizens standing around the square. However, the sheer blast shook the ground beneath the people's feet, sending clouds of dust in the air along with a strong gust of wind. When the dust cleared, the people observed the fourth battle machine that just arrived. It was only a few meters shorter than Viscount's Ironhammer. The robot had a human looking body, but a giant and iron one with two brightly shining eyes that gleamed a green color. On its torso where there would usually be a heart, a see-through core shone an orange color; a source of power for the robot.

For a while, everything was silent as the announcer forgot about his job along with the crowd of people who just stared at the robot, which made such a dramatic and spectacular entrance. However, the fact that whoever was piloting it managed to land perfectly on a clear spot on the square meant the person was either insanely lucky or a hell of a skilled pilot. Suddenly, the robot moved again as it crouched down and the cockpit in its head opened, showing a single standing person inside. They were tall and had unruly black hair, but a gasmask shielded their face from view. The person jumped down and landed right on the stage, taking off the eerie-looking mask. The view showed a tanned face belonging to none other than Etella Bingley and she smirked at the surprised people with her usual challenging gaze.

Down on the square, Miyako and the others heard a stomping sound of boots as a group of people ran towards them. She looked backwards to see the Heart Pirates mechanics' team running towards them to join with the rest of their crew.

"Shachi! Penguin!" Sai exclaimed in surprise, a hint of relief in his voice. So they made it after all.

The rest of the Heart Pirates looked at the mechanics excited, with wide grins on their faces.

"Don't celebrate yet. We still need to win this thing." Shachi warned, looking at their handy work anxiously.

"Hehe. Did you think we wouldn't make it? Have some faith!" Penguin grinned and put his hands on his hips, bringing out his chest in a proud stance. However that stance soon deflated when he saw Law's look of impatience. "Sorry we're late." Penguin mumbled silently, shrinking.

"We do have a reason, though." Louis added, then continued to explain when all pirates' eyes were on him. "When we were almost done and ready, some goons attacked us and tried to destroy the robot. They tried to stop us from entering the competition. We were almost late and disqualified because of them, the bastards." He spat on the ground with a glare and adjusted his hat.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed as he squeezed the name through his teeth. "Thorneye." He didn't need to think much to realize who was behind that attempt. Etella already said Thorneye considered Bingleys a dangerous competition because of their skills. "What happened to them?" He was referring to the men that were foolish enough to attack the Heart Pirates.

Penguin smirked. "We left them tied down and unconscious in the warehouse...well, the ones that didn't die that is. They won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Law nodded in approval and his gaze traveled back to the stage.

They all looked up where Etella still stood tall and proud in front of the judges and the announcer, glaring at the Viscount. "You're fourth contestant appeared…we had some unexpected problems to deal with." At the end of that statement, she knowingly looked back at Thorneye with a taunting smirk, though there was still some animosity in her gaze. Viscount only shuffled in his spot uncomfortably but stayed silent.

The speaker finally pulled himself together and looked at the three judges, who nodded for him to continue. The man cleared his throat and spoke into the den den muhi again. "And there you have it ladies and gentlemen; the fourth contestant, the most unexpected of them all, Etella Bingley and her robot 'Metal Trooper Galbine!" The announcer looked at the list of the participants in front of him.

Shachi and Penguin sighed. "We wanted to name 'er Iron Lady or Pirate Mistress but Ettie-chan wouldn't let us."

"Save that for your imaginary inflatable girls back at the quarters." Joshua mumbled looking at the two idiot mechanics.

"What was that you lil' shrimp!?" Penguin yelled back and started wrestling with the medic, grabbing him in a headlock.

Cody just looked at the three pirates, sweat dropping but staying quiet, not wanting to add to the fire. *_I'm glad they didn't call it that….*_

Meanwhile, Miyako realized the people of Noir were still very surprised and whispering among themselves. She saw the old lady and the man she talked to before. Once again, they were discussing about the match together.

"I can't believe it…A Bingey is actually competing."

"But I don't see the old man anywhere…is it just the granddaughter?"

"Etella!" A familiar voice suddenly yelled out through the crowd, brining everyone's attention on him. It was the old man Bingley, standing there while trying to catch his breath. He was staring up at his granddaughter in shock and anger. "What are you doing, you foolish girl!? I told you, you can't enter, it's too dangerous! Stop this at once!"

"Old man…" Penguin tried to calm him down but Arthur Bingley only shrugged his hand off of his shoulders.

There was a flash of guilt and doubt on Etella's expression but she bit her lip and stood firm. "I'm sorry gramps. Please, understand, if we don't do this, we'll lose the shop! Everything we worked for…Everything _you_ worked for all your life! That place is my home, I can't stand watching it like this; old and run down!"

"We'll find another way-!" Bingley yelled back but Etella wouldn't give. She was as stubborn as her father.

"There is no other way!" She cut him off with a sharp yell of her own. Seeing his eyes widened, her tone softened along with her demeanor. She didn't want to upset him, but it was too late to go back now anyway. A little softer, she continued. "You already know it too…There is no other way, gramps. This is our only chance now."

"Etella, your father-" Bingley started again but never managed to finish the sentence as another coughing fit attacked him. He shook, coughing widely, and Cody had to help him to steady himself on his feet again.

Feeling even guiltier about pushing her grandfather to this state, Etella tried to jump off the stage and help him but stopped when she saw captain Trafalgar Law walk up to the old man. Bingley also looked up at the young captain when his coughing calmed down.

"Etella-ya made a deal with me, Mister Bingley. She is already bound to our agreement and can't pull back now. You shoud know not to cross a pirate. If you have any problems with that, you'll have to deal with me since she doesn't have a say in it anymore" The captain looked back up at the woman with his usual impassive expression, piercing her with his grey eyes. It was as if he was silently telling her something with that gaze and Etella, who at first seemed angry at Law's words, calmed down and understood. In a way, Law was forcing Etella to go through with this, not giving her the option to back down. That was, there was no reason for her to feel the guilt; it was Law's fault as the villainous pirate who wasn't giving her a choice.

Instead, the woman smirked back and looked at her grandfather. "That's right. And you taught me to always respect my promises, didn't you." She smiled with a determined expression on her face. "Believe in me, gramps! I can do it!"

"Ettie…." Her grandfather couldn't help but feel both proud and in awe by the look his granddaughter was giving him. She had become a strong, independent and determined woman even though she was also stubborn and hot-tempered. The look she was giving him now was enough for Bingley to really believe in her.

A new voice interrupted as Thorneye stepped forwards. "That's all nice and dandy but how about we start the competition already. Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself, dear Ettie. You're forgetting you still have to defeat _my_ robot." He grinned at her and Etella couldn't help but grimace in disgust at the sleazy expression he was giving her.

"Don't worry, Viscount. I will definitively defeat you." She sneered back at him, putting a hand on her pistol strapped to her side to remind him of what will happen if he comes too close to her. Seeing her gesture, the Viscount cleared his throat but made an unconscious step backwards. *_Spineless sleazebag,*_ Etella thought in utter disgust.

Once again, the speaker cleared his throat and the crowd started talking and cheering, filling the previous silence. "Now that all contestants are here, it is time to start this year's competition. A Battle Royle between our respectful engineers and their machines! The pilots will all battle together until the machine is unmoving or in any other way incapable of continuing to fight! "

Miyako bit the nail on her thumb as she thought. "Hey guys, where is this battle supposed to happen? I mean, it can't be here, the buildings would be completely destroyed and the people in danger."

The Heart Pirates looked at each other in wonder and blinked. "You're right."

Just then, the announcer exclaimed; "Prepare the ring!"

The ground started shaking, moving right underneath the people's feet. However, the townspeople didn't look alarmed by this sudden earthquake in the slightest. Instead, they all turned towards large zeppelins which started to land and pick up passengers.

"Eh? Wha-! What's going on?!" Miyako couldn't really feel at ease as the rest of them, while she watched ground disappear around her. Looking deep inside the depths of the island, she noticed countless machines and mechanisms underneath, surging throughout the ground of the island. It seemed the whole Noir, even though small in size, was much deeper than she expected. And the whole inland was made out of machines. What surprised the samurai even more was the sight of buildings and everything else in town sinking slowly underground as if pulled down by quicksand.

"Everyone, please stand in lines to get onboard the airships!" The speaker announced, warning the people who started pushing, impatient to board.

Miyako felt herself being pushed forward by the sudden crowd of people, sending her in the direction of one of the said airships but away from the rest of the Heart Pirates. "Ah! Wait! Please, just a moment." She tried to scramble away from the crowd, frantically looking around for any white overalls that belonged to the crew, but couldn't see any. She lost them. She felt a bit uneasy, overwhelmed by so many people and so many new things she never experienced or even saw before. She was nothing but a simple young rounin from Wanokuni, who never even saw an aircraft before. And now she was about to step into one and fly high in the air. _She was going to fly_. That thought excited her and scared her at the same time. A few years ago she couldn't be able to even imagine such a thing and now she actually had worries about what would happen if that things started falling from the sky suddenly. That thoughts brought chills down her spine. *_Indeed…what if we crash for some reason. What if we fall down…there's so many people, it'll be pretty heavy….*_ Miyako gulped and unconsciously her feet stopped for a second. However, that only made her almost fall forward as the river of people behind her moved along, pulling her along with them. Miyako wasn't sure about this anymore but she had no way of turning back in this crowd. At least she wanted to have someone familiar at a time like this, a friend with her. She would never admit so out loud, but she didn't want to go into this thing alone.

Another push to her side almost sent her flying to the ground. "Um, sorry." She tried to get some more room and stepped back, only to step on someone's foot. "Ah! Very sorry!" She apologized but then yelped in surprise when the crowd pulled her forwards again. The feeling of being overwhelmed and anxious only rose inside of her now. Just then she felt a strong grip on her shoulder, steadying her. At first she was sure she must've be in someone's way again and turned to see what the problem was, but then stopped suddenly when she recognized the face in front of her.

"Come on, let's go." Law stared at the nervous girl with his usual disinterested look but then stopped to examine her face when he noticed Miyako's weird expression. At first she looked awfully anxious, but then her face changed into a relieved one as soon as she saw him. Her golden eyes were wide open and looked a bit wet, almost teary. Even though there were no tears on the girl's face, she looked like she would cry from relief any second now. Law furrowed his eyebrows in a mixture of displeasure and confusion. "What are you crying for?"

The samurai felt her cheeks burn hot, sure she was red in the face. And tears that were indeed in her eyes were now long gone and replaced by pure embarrassment. "I-I'm not crying! There's no way I would be!" Miyako showed Law her crying face only two times; when he was hurt to the point of almost dying and that awful night at the Tenryuubito palace. Both times she showed him such a weak and embarrassing side of her, something she promised herself not to do again so easily. So there was no way she would let him see her so anxious now either. Miyako pulled her lips into a tight line, determination on her face as she willed her legs to move towards the large aircraft.

Law watched her for a second more, then turned around to face the airship as well, hiding a small smirk that appeared beneath his spotted hat. "Come on." Letting go of her shoulder, he grabbed her by the hand so they wouldn't get separated in the crowd and started going towards the craft like the rest of the people.

It took Miyako a few seconds to realize the warmth enveloping her hand, only to look down and almost freeze. *_W-w-what is he doing?! Why is he holding my hand all of a sudden?!* _She looked back up at Law's back questioningly, but he paid her no heed as he carried on forward. A sweat drop appeared on her face as she laughed on the inside, trying to hide her embarrassment. *_A-ah…that's right…it's so we don't get separated. R-right, I knew that….haha….What the hell was I thinking at a time like this! Stupid Miyako!*_

After a short battle with herself, Miyako finally clasped that hand, returning the squeeze and holding onto the tanned tattooed hand. Somehow, she couldn't help staring at it, completely forgetting about the crowd around them and the large machine-ship up ahead. It was almost weird; the way it held her hand with such a firm grip yet it wasn't painful. *_It's warm…* _Miyako blushed, staring at that hand so much bigger than hers. She could even feel some rough callouses on Law's hand from the sword, but she had many of those as well anyway. Somehow it didn't seem unpleasant, but rather familiar. *_It really is….weird.*_

~…~

The buildings were still disappearing into the ground until all that remained of the city Noir was a stone, almost completely flat, surface and it really seemed like a battleground. The only thing left were the war machines and their engineers.

Shachi and Penguin were just about to board the zeppelin as well, when a familiar voice of Etella stopped them. "And where do you think you're going?"

The two mechanics turned to her in confusion. "Eh? What do you mean Ettie-chan? We're boarding onto the airship." Penguin tilted his head to the side slightly, blinking at the woman.

"Yeah, we'll definitively cheer for you Ettie-chan!" Shachi added, excited.

However, the woman just smirked. "You are also one of the main engineers of this fine machine, aren't you? Then you should be piloting it too. Or…you don't want to?" She winked at them tauntingly, knowing full well the mechanics were dying to see the inside of the robot, let alone control it.

"Eh, but….isn't there only room for one?" Shachi asked unsurely, remembering the blueprints of the robot.

Once again, Etella smirked. "I did a little last-minute modifications."

That was all that took for the two mechanics to jump in the air and cheer out loud. "Whoot! Pirate Mistress, here I come!" Penguin yelled in excitement.

"It's Iron Lady!" Shachi argued, warningly.

"It's neither!" Etella countered both of them, not wanting to hear those ridiculous names again.

~…~

In the next moment, the two pirate mechanics and the engineer sat inside the head of the robot where the control room was. They strapped themselves and Shachi pushed a few buttons while Penguin checked all the screens to check on the stats of the machine. Finally, Etella pulled a lever and a loud rumbling noise shook the large robot. "Purrs like a kitten." Etella joked, as she watched the ground kept going further away while the robot stood upright from its crouch. Its eyes shone a color of green while the engines roared on. "Buckle up, boys!"

The rest of the engineer masters also boarded their own war machines, preparing for battle and waiting for the signal from the judges. Once the airships were high in the air and a safe distance from the island where the battle will occur, yet still close enough to enjoy the show, the speaker started once again. Now, only the high clock tower remained as the only building on the whole island. "Once the last strike of noon chimes, the battle will start!" The announcer yelled into his den den mushi and the townspeople cheered again. The said clock tower started chiming slowly, numbering the 12 chimes, while simultaneously sinking into the ground to join the rest of the buildings inside the mechanism of Noir. Once only the black rooftop of the tower remained in sight, the clock chimed for the last time, indicating 12 o'clock sharp, before disappearing into the ground completely.

As soon as the last chime rang throughout the island, all the battle machines moved, some going into defense while others attacking instantly. Meanwhile, the speaker commented on the battle going on beneath them, on his megaphone den den mushi.

And in an instant, the battle began.

~…~

Danzenant was the first to reach the aerial heights as it unfolded its large mechanical wings and pushed off the ground with a few flaps. The weird-looking dragon avoided a few shots aimed at it by Red Sally who already started shooting at it from the ground. The tank moved on large crawler belts, moving the long cannon from which it continuously shot. The dragon's pilot kept avoiding the quick shots but there wasn't much for him to take cover. So instead, Danzanant came into an offensive and flew straight down towards Red Sally.

"It seems Cyrus converted to the offensive! Red Sally has an impressive armor on it, but will it be enough to stop Danzenant's attacks!" The speaker continued to comment on the events, adding to the dramatic effects of the battle.

However, before the cyborg dragon could reach the vehicle, a hit came from the side, hitting it straight on. It was a blast from Ironhammer's handgun. The robot was flying in the air, using thrusters from its feet. The robot flew towards the dragon and tackled it, grabbing one of its wings as it tried to tore it off. Both mechanical beings flew into the ground with a large blast, rocks and dust flying everywhere.

At that moment, Viscount noticed movement on his radar, as it signaled another contestant coming from behind. In the nick of time, Ironhammer jumped up to avoid a spear coming at him from behind. It was Galbine who attacked. Instead, the spear hit the stomach of the unsuspecting Danzenant and the tips flowered into a hook, grappling and clutching into the cyborg. The dragon instantly flew up, trying to get rid of it but it had already hooked itself into the mechanics of its stomach. Where the spear ended, a cable began, just like a fishing hook which just caught its prey. The thick cable was connected to the palm of Galbine's left hand, so as soon as Danzenant started flying, the robot was pulled into the air as well.

Seeing it couldn't get free that easily, Cyrus navigated his dragon to aim at the robot and fired. It was a green, smelly liquid, thick as oil but concreted like acid. As soon as the acid was fired, Galbine swayed to the side with its large legs and avoided the attack. However the next one quickly followed and even though it missed the cable, it hit the robot in the arm. Little by little, the acid started corroding the metal armor, dripping through.

Inside Galbine, a red light started blinking, alarming the pilots. On the screen, Galbine's picture and stats showed a blinking circle on its left shoulder where it was damaged. "Shachi, do it!" Etella shouted, and Shachi opened a lid, showing a lever there. He grabbed it and turned it once with a grunt, before pushing it down with some trouble.

"Oooh, it seems Etella Bingley and the Heart Pirates are in trouble! Danzenant's acid flame isn't one to be taken lately! It can even eat though a diamond!" The commentator continued.

Suddenly, a few sparks appeared where the cable and Galbine's hand connected. A few more sparks and an electrical blue light traveled through the cable until it shocked the very core of the cyborg dragon. It made a screeching sound, like a wounded animal, even though it was mostly mechanical. The electrical current passed through its entire system for a few minutes, before it stopped. There were still electrical sparks coming out here and there form the dragon as it started falling towards the ground, pulling Galbine with it. The compartment holding the cable separated and fell off, freeing Galbine and the robot landed on its feet back on the ground. The dragon was not so lucky to land on its feet but instead crashed down, twitching its long wings now and then.

"What a sight! It seems Galbine used some kind of electrical shock to hurt the cyborg Danzenant!"

"Let's finish it!" Penguin announced and their robot started running towards Danzenant to deal a finishing blow. However, it quickly jumped to the side right in time to avoid a blast from Red Sally's cannon. The robot continued to jump and run, avoiding continues blasts that were enough to destroy the ground and everything around it.

"Above us!" Suddenly Shachi yelled as he looked at their radars. Galbine dodged by jumping backwards right in time as Ironhammer landed from above at the same spot where they stood just seconds ago. The large robot crashed down, creating clouds of dust. However, at the same time as Galbine jumped to dodge, Red Sally's cannon shot another grenade. Since Galbine just dodged, it couldn't dodge so fast again and ended up getting shot at the already damaged left shoulder. Sparks and a few parts fell from the shoulder and it completely lost its function, hanging there loosely.

"Our left shoulder is completely down, we can't use the left hand anymore!" Penguin shouted in alarm from inside their cockpit.

"Shit! Those two obviously joined forces!" Etella cursed, seeing how Caffrey and Dalton didn't attack each other but acted accordingly instead, protecting each other's flanks in the process.

"Is that even allowed?" Shachi commented, gritting his teeth.

Etella just nodded in response. "Still…we won't let them do as they please!" As she said that, she steered the large robot. Galbine jumped backwards to avoid another attack from Ironhammer's enforced punch that created a big hole where they were standing. Once again Red Sally shot at them in that instant but this time Galbine did a backflip while dodging, landing on its good hand and then propelled itself back into the air with it while landing on its feet behind the unmoving Danzenant, using it as a shield.

Ironhammer started running towards them and Galbine aimed with the right hand, shooting out blast after blast of energy just like a pacifista. The robot however kept on running towards Etella and the others, avoiding the blasts in the process. Before they even knew it, Caffrey was already in front of them, preparing for another punch. It aimed for Galbine's head but the smaller robot moved to the side swiftly and avoided it, then did a round kick aimed at Ironhammer's side. Even though Galbine was smaller than Ironhammer, it was faster. The kick hit and Ironhammer slid a few meters to the side from the force, but then stopped.

"No way!" Penguin exclaimed when they saw Ironhammer managed to block with one forearm. It then grabbed Galbine's leg and lifted it, swinging the robot in a circle that kept going faster and faster. And then it released the leg, making Galbine fly back. However, before completely flying off, Galbine aimed at the other robot with its good hand and fired one more blast from its palm, while already flying away. This time, it was close enough to hit and the attack surprised the Viscount who was left unprepared. The pure energy hit Ironhammer in the armored knee of its right leg, smashing the armor and making the large robot stagger for a moment. Meanwhile, Galbine flew away backwards until it hit a hill on the island.

A large puff of smoke came out of the pipes from Ironhammer's back and it lifted its arm towards the dust where Galbine just landed. The forked hand turned into a machinegun and it started firing continuously into the mountain where Galbine landed.

The Viscount laughed loudly inside his control room, continuing to fire. "This is what happens when you defy me!" he yelled, even though it couldn't be heard over the loud noise of the gun. He stopped and stepped forward so he could check out the destroyed robot of Etella Bingley even before the dust cleared. However, the Viscount furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when his robot's leg didn't move. Looking down, Caffrey noticed the cyborg dragon had his ankle in its sharp maws. The viscount narrowed his eyes. "So you were still in the game, huh?"

"Ooooh, Cyrus and his Danzenant are making a comeback! It seems the dragon is still functional and started working again right in time to catch the Viscount unprepared! How will he get out of this one!"

The mouth of the dragon started salivating the same green liquid from before, coating Ironhammer's ankle in acid. The fizzling sound echoed as it ate through the metal armor. Suddenly, an enforced fist came crashing down right onto the dragon's head. At that moment the pilot Cyrus understood why this large robot was called Ironhammer. The fist had brass knuckles with spikes on each knuckle. The large and heavy metal fist left a dent on the dragon's head. The light in the cyborg's eye started flickering, turning off every now and then as the mechanical being started losing power. It was barely functional now, but Ironhammer didn't stop with its attacks. Instead, it brought down another punch to its head, then another and another. Over and over the large robot kept punching at the other machine, with both hands. Metal parts as well as organs kept flying out from the being as it wailed in agony. A dark red liquid splashed from its body, splattering over Ironhammer's fists and body, but still the Viscount kept pounding at it.

Miyako watched from above, standing in the airship. "That's too much, he obviously can't fight anymore! Why is he still doing this!?"

"At this rate the pilot inside will also die!" Bepo commented who finally found Miyako and Law in the crowd of the air vehicle.

"That's a risk they all took when they entered this battle." Law answered without any emotion of sympathy. After all, he didn't expect this competition to be any less brutal as soon as they announced a battle royale and this pilot's life was no concern to his either. At least this meant one less opponent for Shachi and the others. Still, what did worry him was the hole and dust cloud that started settling down at the mountain. Were his mechanics alright in there?

Even the announcer kept quiet, in shock, as they all watched Ironhammer pulling out wires and organs from the dragon robot. In the end, it grabbed one of its wings and ripped it off like paper then proceeded to do the same thing with the other.

Meanwhile, Bill Dalton drove his vehicle to check on Galbine and finish it off. However the dust was clouding his vision and the engineer could only rely on his radar. Even when the dust settled down, there was no sign of Galbine in sight.

"Where'd tha' bastard go!?" The large bearded man inside the tank cursed, looking around but with no luck. Suddenly, a sound came from above. Acting quickly, the cannon of the vehicle rose and shot at the robot that was falling from the sky. It hit the side but didn't stop the heavy machinery coming from above. Galbine had a spear in its hand as it landed on top of the cockpit and pierced it right though, disabling the cannon from moving anymore. However, Dalton had no intention of giving up yet. Suddenly, Red Sally started shifting its parts, changing its form, and the robot had to jump down from the tank. Galbine prepared for a fight as Etella and the others inside looked at the transformation happening in front of them. The tank changed into another form of a vehicle, as it rose up. It almost took a form of another robot, but there were no body parts. Just a structure that now had crawler belts beneath it. On each side a machine gun appeared and it started firing at Galbine. The robot quickly put both hands as a shield in front of it before charging at the new-formed vehicle. The other machine also started moving forward on its crawler belts.

The bullets continued to rain down on Galbine but it didn't slow the robot down in the slightest. Instead, Etella, Shachi and Penguin only looked more determined to win this showdown as they moved forward. When they came close enough for a physical attack, Dalton decided to shoot out of the cannon at them. Even though it couldn't move around, it was still functional. At this distance there was no chance of missing either.

The cannon fired and in the next second, there was no trace of Galbine in front of Red Sally anymore. Confused, Dalton looked at his radar, but even when he realized the situation it was too late. Galbine had jumped right on top of the Red Sally, doing a hand stand on the cockpit of the vehicle. Its one hand started glowing as the energy for another attack filled up inside the container. Without removing the hands, the robot fired, sending a directly blow and its full force down onto the machine below. An attack that could easy make a deep hole in the ground shook Red Sally and the pilot inside as it hit it directly. Red Sally's parts flew all around them and the machine started fuming. Black smoke rose up into the air from the vehicle. However, the pilots of the robot weren't done just yet. Galbine swung its legs downward so it would land behind Red Sally and at the same time grabbed the cannon on top of the cockpit. The weight of Galbine alone as it landed was enough for the Red Sally to be pulled down and onto the ground. With a large smashing sound, the machine crashed down. Still holding onto the cannon, Galbine did the same as what the Viscount did with its leg not too long ago. It started turning around in place, still clutching the cannon, as it swung Red Sally around like a toy.

Etella saw that Caffrey was still busy ruthlessly destroying Cyrus' cyborg and her eyes narrowed. "How distasteful," she commented seeing Ironhammer pounding away into the already unmoving corpse of the robot below its feet. There was no reason to continue destroying it yet Thorneye showed no mercy, obviously trying to finish off even the pilot inside.

"It looked like he forgot about us. How about we remind him?" Shachi smirked, already knowing what Etella was thinking. She looked back at the two pirates who clearly had the same idea as she did. The engineer woman smirked.

~…~

Thorneye was still hitting the unmoving dragon robot, laughing hysterically inside of Ironhammer. However, his fun was soon interrupted when something heavy hit him straight on and shook his whole machine. Even Thorneye himself flew out of his seat and onto the glass of the robot's eye. The force of the impact was so strong it sent Ironhammer crashing down face-first into the ground.

The monstrous robot came back up, stumbling slightly with its heavily damaged ankle. There were also some parts of the body where the shielding material was completely gone due to the previous fight with Galbine.

Turning around the robot, Thoerneye's eyes narrowed viciously. He saw Galbine standing there in front of him, already half beaten and in a worse state than his Ironhammer. Yet he knew Etella Bingley had no intention of giving up. But neither did that Cyrus guy and look how he ended up. The viscount smirked. "I hate relentless people."

"What's our status?" Etella asked Penguin as he looked over the state their robot was in.

"The left arm is completely unusable and our right side's armor is pretty thin too. There are serious cracks in the left eye. Also, the power generators are weakening; they're down to 58% work capacity. We still have the smaller, backing generators, but at this rate we shouldn't use any more shock attacks or it might shut down the whole powering system. In that case it's instantly our loss." Penguin read out the stats showing on the screens of the control panel in front of him. News were grim and the situation was even worse seeing as Ironhammer seemed to be in a better state than they were.

Outside, the speaker was commenting on the development of the situation, while the crowd cheered loudly. "There are only two competitors left! Who would have guessed that Etella Bingley, from an engineering family almost forgotten, would come this far! We are down to two; the final showdown between the great Viscount Caffrey Thorneye piloting his powerful Ironhammer and the engineer Etella Bingley together with the Heart Pirates of all people, in the Metal Trooper Galbine!"

"This is it, Ettie-chan." Shachi warned as he announced the approaching ending of the tournament.

"In that case, let's give him hell! This is for gramps and everyone whose business he destroyed!" Etella's eyes burned with passionate determination as she gripped the steering levers of the robot.

Ironhamer jumped and landed in front of Galbine, a few meters away. The two remaining robots faced each other and for a while, everything was silent. Then both moved. The robots ran towards each other shaking the ground beneath their feet. When they were close enough for contact, Galbine threw the first punch with its one good hand. However, Ironhammer caught it and the two struggled in strength. Since Galbine's left arm wasn't functional anymore, the left side was completely open and weak for attacks. Before Thorneye could use that advantage, Etella steered the robot to attack with a knee kick of its left foot. Still, Ironhammer managed to grab a hold of Galbine's left arm, and had it in a strong clutch. Even when Galbine's knee kicked the side of the other robot, Ironhammer didn't let go. Instead, the larger robot started pulling on Galbine's left arm, trying to rip it apart from the shoulder.

Etella scoffed and continued to send knee kicks into the same place over and over to Ironhammer's side as she tried to break free of the viscount's hold. But its armor was thick and hard to penetrate. On the other hand, red lights and alarms started going off in the pirates' and Etella's control room as the screen showed critical damage on the shoulder. Ironhammer continued to pull the left arm, causing sparks and short circuits to appear. Wires started ripping off of the shoulder like tendons would in a normal human. Meanwhile, Galbine's knee finally broke through the armor and started giving some serious damage to Ironhammer's side, denting the hull further into itself.

"We're losing the left arm! The damage is critical!" Penguin warned, seeing that the arm started to come off in the shoulder.

"No matter! A bit more and the hull on his side will break!" Shachi added, watching as Ironhammer's right side became more and more dented.

With one final kick to its side, the larger robot tipped over and had to brace itself so it wouldn't fall to the ground. There was a deep hole in its right side now, showing large gears turning inside. However, at the same time, with a final pull Galbine's whole arm came off from the shoulder. Wires and cabled ripped, sparks flying now and then as black smoke came from the mechanical wound. Before Etella and the pirates had time to regain their composure, Thorneye was already up and running straight into them. The larger robot crashed straight into them with its enforced shoulder and Galbine fell down on its back with a loud crashing sound. Once again, the earth shook underneath the two robots as they fought. Before the dust had time to clear, Ironhammer was already on them, pinning them down with its body as it raised one fist in the air. Etella and the mechanics could see the spiked brass knuckles clearly from their control room inside Galbine's head. That fist was headed directly at them.

"Ettie-chan!" Penguin yelled in panic, hurrying Etella who was in charge of the steering mechanism of the robot.

In the last second, just as the fist was about to hit, Galbine rolled onto its shoulder and to the side, avoiding the hit. The force of the punch was enough to shatter the ground where Glabine's head was only seconds before.

"Prepare of impact!" Etella warned and guided Galbine to do a head-butt. The force was enough to shake the whole control room and the three people inside were never so glad they had seatbelts on. Unfortunately, the viscount had his on as well, but the surprise and the tremor by the attack was enough for him to lose his composure and confuse him for a while. Taking advantage of that, Etella managed to free the robot's legs and Galbine used both feet to hit Ironhamer in the chest, sending the other robot flying backwards. Ironhammer fell on its back and quickly struggled to get up. The robot stumbled and fell on its knee.

"What?!" Thorneye shouted in surprise, seeing his robot was more difficult to control.

"It seems Danzenant attack wasn't for naught! The acid that corroded through Ironhammer's ankle did some serious damage and now the robot can barely stand on that leg!" The speaker commented the situation through his den den mushi.

The viscount cursed and tried to stand up again, this time succeeding. "That's enough…I'm finishing this." The man growled with an animalistic hatred clear in his dark eyes. "You shall come to me!" With a shout, Thorneye pulled a certain lever. Ironhammer pulled his fist back as if preparing for a punch, and indeed it punched the air even though it was still far away from Galbine. However, as the bigger robot did that, its fist separated from the arm and flew forward, right at Galbine who was still in the process of getting up from the ground. The fist, that was connected to Ironhammer's arm with a thick chain, hit Galbine's chest and the spikes got stuck on the metal there.

"What the-!" Penguin started, when they all felt a forceful pull forward. The chain on the fist started retreating and it pulled Galbine with it, forcing it towards Ironhammer. The smaller robot stumbled and had to keep up with the chain so it wouldn't fall down and get dragged across the ground.

"We have to free ourselves somehow," Shachi pushed buttons and pulled levers, struggling to get free from the chain.

After a while of silence, Etella decided. "No. Let him pull us in. This will be our final attack."

"What do you have in mind?" Shachi's voice sounded more cautious now.

The engineer woman turned to the two mechanics in her seat. "Penguin, how's our power generators?"

"Working on 30%."

"Then prepare the backing ones too. We'll use all the electrical power we can muster."

Penguin thought for a second, then a smirk appeared on his features. "One final shock attack?"

"Let's fry the son of a bitch."

Galbine ignored the chain pulling it, running straight into the awaiting robot. There, Ironhammer already prepared his spiked fist for one final attack aimed at Galbine's head and the people inside. The fist came flying and at the same time Galbine straightened its palm and jabbed Ironhammer's head with it.

"Now!" Etella yelled and Penguin pushed down on a heavy lever, discharging all the electrical power through their arm and into one final attack. At the same time, Ironhammer's fist made contact with Galbine's head and crashed hard into the control room. The people inside yelped in surprise as the fist ripped through metal, ripping open the head right above their heads. Looking up, they could see the bright afternoon sky. However, their attack was already in motion. With all its might, Galbine also managed to pierce through Thorneye's control room in the head and sent a powerful electrical shock into his robot. All that power went through Ironhammer to the point where the other robot started shaking with gears and other materials falling out from high pressure. The pipes on its back exploded with smoke and pressure, sending black thick liquid out. For a while longer the electrical current traveled throughout the large robot until all went silent. Both robots were completely still for a while, the lights in their eyes shut down. Both cockpits were destroyed to the point where Thorneye and the trio could see each other, almost close enough to reach out and punch at each other if necessary. However, there was no point in doing so since the rules clearly stated the fighting could only be done in your machines. Still, Etella felt the urge to do nothing more than rip that ridiculous thin mustache right off of Thorneye's face.

The crowed was completely still and silent, as they waited to see what will happen next, in anticipation. Meanwhile, the announcer continued his commentary. "Hoooo, this is completely unexpected! It seemed both robots are completely still and out of power! Will this be a draw or will one robot manage to start up again and finish this!"

The viscount growled as he desperately tried to start up his robot again but it was no use. The circuits were completely fried. "I will not lose to small fry like you!" The man yelled and glared at the cockpit on the other side, only to stop in surprise. "Where is that woman!?" Etella was gone from the control room and now only Shachi and Penguin were left in their seats. Neither of the mechanics answered, but they both smirked, which made a shiver run down the viscount's spine.

~….~

Etella was running downwards inside of Galbine, going for the core of the robot which was in the place of a human's heart. In her hand, she clutched a heavy item filled with wires. Finally, she reached the room where the core was and looked inside. It was scorching hot and she didn't have much time to do this if she wanted to live to celebrate their victory. She took a thick suit that lay on the side; it gave some protection from the heat, but not much and not for long. Dressing into it, Etella took a deep breath to prepare herself and opened the doors. Hot air puffed into her face, already burning her a little. She kept her head down and walked carefully towards the center of the room where the core was. She was careful not to touch anything or the hot metal would melt her skin in an instant.

Right underneath the core that held a strange orange liquid, a machine stood but it wasn't working. It was out of power. Etella felt the metal of the contraption in her hand getting heated as it burned her skin. The woman looked down at it and nodded to herself. "This is yours gramps, and I believe in your works no matter what the others say! This is for you!" She knelt down and took out her tool belt, starting to work to connect the contraption with the mechanism beneath the core.

Meanwhile, the viscount still kept on trying to restart his engine, not knowing what else to do.

"Problem, Viscount?" Penguin teased, seeing the man getting red in the face from frustration.

On the other hand, the two mechanics seemed completely relaxed, just sitting back in their chairs and waiting. Waiting for what? That's what Thorneye wanted to know the most and what scared and irritated him at the same time. It seemed those two had complete trust in that woman who was off doing something. They were probably also trying to restart the robot but Caffrey couldn't let that happen. He needed to win this, he needed to start this piece of trash before they did!

"It seems you don't really know much about your robot? Aren't you supposed to be an engineer?" Shachi added to the teasing, seeing Caffrey only kept repeating one thing that obviously wasn't working.

Penguin shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I guess that's what happens when you have other people doing your job. Too bad for you."

Thorneye gritted his teeth in pure anger. "Don't get so cocky, pirate scum! This isn't over yet!"

After a while of working on the machine, the engineer woman could already feel the heat burning her skin little by little. It stung and hurt, but she couldn't stop yet. Just a little bit longer for her to connect these wires. Finally, when the last wire was in place, Etella waited. "Please please please please…" She chanted, hoping for the little contraption made by Arthur Bingley a long time ago, to work. Etella knew they might need it so she remembered to bring it along as a last resort and now she was glad she did. Slowly, the contraption sent electrical impulses to the core that was connected to Galbine's engine, like a pacemaker would to a heart. And just like a heart, the core started working little by little, sending that orange fluid to other parts of the robot. The lights in the room lit up, indicating the power was back up. With a grin, Etella stood up and ran back towards the control room, discarding the suit somewhere along the way.

At the rumble of the engine, the two pirates grinned in victory, as if this fight was already over. On the other hand, Thorneye watched wide eyes as the robot once thought to be a goner started to move again. Etella soon came back, jumping into her seat. "Y-you! What did you do!?" The viscount screamed but didn't receive an answer, only a glare from the woman.

"This is for my gramps who you slandered! Whose business you destroyed!" With a shout, the engineer steered Galbine into motion once again. The robot pulled back its one hand, preparing for a punch.

Meanwhile, Thorneye just kept staring at the sight, completely bewildered and wide-eyed. He desperately kept pushing the button for ignition, hoping to restart the engine but with no luck. He kept his wide eyes on the closed fist of the robot that now started coming down at him. "N-No! Wait! Wait! I give up! I yield so have mercy! I yield!" The man screamed, tears of fear welling at the corner of his frightened eyes.

"Heh. You mean the way you showed mercy to that dragon-guy?!" Penguin answered back, not feeling any sympathy for the viscount.

"Noooooo!" Thorneye screamed in dread as the fist of the robot kept closing in on him. There was no escape. From this distance, the weight of the metal fist alone was enough to crush every bone in his body. He shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to see the end of his life. However, after a while, the man realized there was no pain. The end didn't come. He dared to open one eye slowly to see what was going on. His eyes widened when he saw a large fist only inches away from his face. Still, it stopped and was now unmoving. Etella stopped the robot and spared his life at the last second.

He looked up with teary eyes to see the woman standing there with her head held high, unruly black hair dancing on the wind, as she glared down at him. "I'm not scum like you, to hit an opponent who has already lost his will to fight."

The two mechanics sneered at him. Even if most of their faces were hidden, the mocking expressions were clear on them. "Don't piss your pants now." Shachi teased.

The crowed was still silent, not believing what just happened. Bingley won. Etella Bingley won and Viscount Caffrey Thorneye lost. The man who was considered the most powerful engineer in Noir, lost. The one who has a team of engineering experts, lost. The announcer was the first one to regain his composure as she spoke up. "T-there you have it people! The viscount yielded the match and his robot doesn't seem to be working. Etella Bingley and the Heart Pirates won!"

A first clap echoed through the crowed above their heads. Then another and another. Soon, everyone started cheering and clapping, amazed by the fight they just saw.

The viscount sat there in his seat, forgotten. "No….that's…that's…." He could feel his pride crumble, his ego bruised to the point of no return. And the one who was responsible for this? The one who dared to oppose him and shame him in front of the whole Noir? He glared at the back of the woman who was waving her hands at the crowed excitedly. She and those bastard pirates! They did this to him! It was all their fault! Thorneye shouted in anger, slamming his fist on the control panel. As he did, he pushed the engine button and a little spark appeared at the engine this time. The robot suddenly started working as the engine restarted. The man's eyes widened and then narrowed in delight, a vicious sneer on his face.

"You…." Ironhammer rose up from its knees, towering over Etella and the mechanics.

The trio noticed a shadow looming over them and turned around. On their surprise, Ironhammer was once again working and standing over them. The viscount who was controlling it had a shadow over his face, a look of sheer hatred. "What are you doing, the fight is already over. Even if it works now, you already turned in the white flag!"

"Shut up!" Thorneye didn't want to hear this insufferable woman's voice anymore. "This is all your fault!" A flood of hatred along with words came out of him, unable to stop. "How long will you people oppose me!? Don't you know who I am!? I run this town! Both you, and your grandfather, and your father…all standing in my way! Well I won't let it! Just like I didn't let it happen with your father, I won't let it happen with you either! I'll kill you just like I did with him, you little bitch!"

Etella's eyes widened; not because of the man's threats or foul language which was completely different from his usual fake classy demeanor. But because of that last statement. "My father…? What are you saying, my father died in a tournament accident." Suddenly, a dark thought entered her mind. "Don't tell me…."

"Hehehehe…." First silently and then louder and louder did the viscount started to laugh. The laugh sounded weird, as if a madman was laughing hysterically. His voice and expression became even more distorted than before. "Khekhekhekhekhe! Are you that stupid!?" Suddenly, he pulled a lever and a cannon constructed itself on Ironhammer's arm that was directly pointed at the trio now. "I was the one who tempered with the equipment and made it malfunction in the first place!"

"Jump!" Shachi shouted and pulled both Penguin and Etella out of the cockpit. They jumped down and slid on Galbine's back, using the large robot as a shield from the upcoming cannon.

The viscount pulled the trigger, the cannon lit up and…made a strange noise. "Huh?" Those were the last words that the viscount uttered before the cannon exploded. The explosion carried throughout the robot, making the whole metal war machine explode along with the man inside.

Luckily, Galbine acted like a shield perfectly and hid the trio from the explosion. They grabbed at the pipes and anything they could find to stop themselves from falling further down the giant robot. Falling from this height straight onto the paved ground wasn't any better than getting blown up to smithereens.

"Phew. I'm glad that's over with." Penguin commented, hanging from a loose cable.

"Dad…." Etella murmured in sadness as she remembered her deceased father. All this time, she had no idea it was all actually Thorneye's fault. She gritted her teeth in frustration wishing that she killed him when she had the chance.

Shachi and Penguin just looked at each other with troubled looks, but stayed quiet. There was nothing they could really say at a time like this. However, they both knew she was a strong woman; she would get over this just like she did with everything else. She had a strong spirit.

~…~

Miyako couldn't help but gasp when she saw Thorneye was about to kill her friends. Yet she was far away in the air, unable to act. Reflexively, her hand came down onto the hilt of her katana even though she wasn't able to use it. However, already in the next instant, the viscount expertly blew himself up, while her friends remained alive and safe. Miyako remembered to breathe once again, sighing in relief.

Then when her anxiousness disappeared, a devilish grin formed on her face. "Scupper that! Avast with ya', scallywag! (3)" She didn't do it on purpose, but after Josh constantly pestered her for a whole day with pirate terms and lingo, her brain started working on its own and she just blurted the statement out. It sounded downright weird and unusual, such words coming out of Miyako's mouth who usually had a more polite and appropriate speech due to being raised in Wano. It didn't suit her at all. And yet, after the initial shock and silence from the Heart Pirates around her, everyone started laughing and yelling out their own phrases at the already-dead viscount.

Cody chuckled when he looked at the confused Miyako who was still wondering why she blurted out such a phrase all of a sudden. "Heh. Well, she actually got it right."

Josh furrowed his eyebrows skeptically and hummed, assessing the situation. Then finally he sighed and smiled, shaking his head in the process. „Ah hell, whatever, I guess it's good enough."

"What do you mean, 'good enough'!?" Miyako put her hands on her hips, glaring at the short medic.

"Shut up! That sounded totally weird and wrong. Don't ever talk like that again!" Josh shouted back, unable to get used to hearing Miyako using pirate lingo after all. But just openly saying he was wrong was out of the question.

"Haaa!? You're the one who told me to talk like that in the first place!" Miyako countered in anger.

The couple continued to fight, gaining weird and fearful glances from the townsfolk around them. However, the two seemed completely oblivious as they just continued, in their own little world.

Meanwhile, Cody turned from them and looked back down at the remains of Ironhammer, all in pieces around the ground. Little by little, the ground below started shaking again, as buildings rose up again to form the usual town of Noir. There were no other traces of any fight being held, except the remains of the destroyed robots. "But I wonder…it's really lucky that Thorneye's cannon malfunctioned at that moment. That was pretty ironic."

"Hmm…" Beside him, he heard his captain hum in thought. That's when Cody noticed; Law was holding something big and metal in his one hand. At first the tall medic just stared at it in confusion, but then slowly realization hit him and his eyes widened. "Don't tell me you….But when!?" He stared at Law

The captain just smirked evilly as he usually does, not confirming anything but not denying it either. "What are you saying, Cody-ya, it was obviously karma at work."

That explanation was completely untrue and ridiculous; for one, Cody knew very well that his captain didn't even believe in things such as fate or karma. But Cody on the other hand, didn't believe in coincidences. The medic sweat dropped as he looked at Law who feigned ignorance. *_No, it was obviously you using your powers….*_ He couldn't really push the matter any further, so he just sighed and left it at that, pretending he didn't see anything. *_Oh well, as long as everything ended alright.*_

~…~

"Haha We really did it!" Shachi raised his fist high in the air when they joined their group again.

The airships landed and the tournament was over, Etella Bingley getting the prize along with the new title of the best. After the viscount's sudden confession, the townsfolk's opinion of the Bingley business changed. The city of Noir was back in its original state and the town threw a big banquet party for all the participants. The engineer Cyrus was unfortunately too badly injured and had to go to the hospital, but at least he survived. After the fight, Dalton and Etella even exchanged some tips and comments on the fight; with no hard feelings. Suddenly, this afternoon seemed even brighter and louder than before. But now it was because of the laughter, happiness and a promise of the better future for the Bingley family.

"And we're rich!" Sam added happily, since most of the prize money went to the Heart Pirates as planned.

"Let's have a party today. We'll eat and drink all day long until it's time to leave!" Penguin shouted excitedly and everyone followed his example as they all but danced in the middle of the crowded square.

"No more porridge." Josh sighed in relief and happiness, remembering that now they could finally buy some food supplies and have real food. A hard wooden spoon hit him straight on top of the head and made him yelp in surprise and pain.

"An' what be tha pro'lem with me porridge, ey?" Munk crossed his large arms on his chest, eyeing Joshua warningly.

The medic just sweat dropped, laughing nervously, unable to say another bad thing about Munk's food. At least not if he wanted to live.

"Ettie-chan, you should celebrate with us!" Penguin and Shachi ran over to the woman.

She stared at them seriously and stayed quiet, making them go serious as well. "First, there's something I have to give you so you better prepare yourselves."

_*D-did we do something wrong?*_

_*Are we gonna get hit!?* _

Both mechanics stood there completely still like statues, nervously awaiting their fate. Both closed their eyes, not wanting to look at the fist that would probably be coming at them any second now. Instead, they both felt a warm and slightly wet sensation on their cheeks. They opened their eyes wide, realizing that each got a peck on a cheek from Etella. Their faces burned red like ripe tomatoes as they felt the lingering sensation on their cheek.

"Ettie-chan!" Penguin tried to jump and kiss the woman, moved by her actions. However, instead of Etella's lips, his face came in contact with her raised boot as she lifted her leg in front of him to stop his advances. The mechanic fell on the floor, but too much in a daze of happiness to care about the pain.

Shachi just watched Penguin as he stayed there on the floor with a footprint on his face. "You really are an idiot…"

"Ettie." A raspy voice of an old man sounded behind her and the woman turned around, suddenly worried.

"Gramps." She didn't know what to say. She was scared of his reaction since she disobeyed him and betrayed his trust, but a part of her was still proud of what she did. And she knew that she would have done it again.

The old man walked up to her and stayed silent for a while. Then with his index finger, Bingley called her to come closer.

Like a meek child, completely different from before, Etella knelt down in front of him, awaiting her punishment. A light knock upon her head made her close her eyes. However, before she could say anything, it was followed by a tight hug from the old man. There were tears in the corners of his eyes, hidden behind his glasses. "I'm so proud of you, girl. So proud…"

"Sorry, gramps! This was for you too! For everyone. And dad!" Etella bit her lip to not let the sobs escape from her.

"Yeah…I know." Her grandfather let her go with one more ruffle of her hair. She rose up from the ground and both of them looked at Law and his crew. It was Bingley who spoke first. "I am also grateful to all of you. Without your help, we wouldn't make it either. So if there's anything we can do for you before you're on your way again..."

Law's expression stayed silent and cold as always while he spoke, as if he couldn't care less whether he gets thanked or not. After all, he already got what he was aiming for. He lifted the suitcase which contained their share of the prize money. "This was a business deal, nothing more. We don't owe each other anything, now."

Bingley chuckled at Law's words. Even though it sounded pretty harsh along with Law's attitude, the old man didn't find any offense in it.

"Um…" It was Miyako who suddenly spoke and both Arthur and Etella looked at the samurai girl. The girl was looking at the floor, fidgeting with her fingers, just like a nervous child who wanted to ask for something but couldn't bring herself to. "I didn't really do anything but…"

~…..~

"Are you sure this is all you want? I mean, this is pretty simple." Etella asked the samurai girl skeptically.

Miyako was leaning outside of the window in one of the sea train's wagons. "No, no, this is perfect! Thank you very much." Her eyes were shining brightly as she waited expectantly for the train to start moving.

When she asked the two engineers if it was alright to ride on the sea train one time around the island, the Bingleys thought she was joking. But after seeing how her whole face lit up at their approval, it was obvious Miyako was completely serious.

"So? Is it going or what?" Josh mumbled, bored of waiting, as he also leaned out of one of the train's windows.

"Wait a bit will you." Cody sighed, leaning next to the redhead.

Miyako gave Josh a sulky look as she muttered. "Well it's not like you had to come if it's boring…."

"Eh? What are you saying? Speak up, Bakaonna." Josh commented back in annoyance.

"Why you-!" Miyako was just about to say something else when the train's engine started roaring. The chimney puffed out grey smoke and a whistling sound announced the beginning of their trip. The whole ride didn't even last half an hour, since Noir was a small island and the sea train was pretty fast, but Miyako kept gasping and gazing at the sea outside excitedly all the time.

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed while enjoying the sea wind blowing in her face and ruffling her long hair.

Even Cody and Josh who came with her, smiled as they started to enjoy the ride in the sea train.

~…~

"Captain, was it alright to leave them alone?" Bepo jogged after Law, carrying the man's long nodachi.

"It's fine. Everyone's either partying at the banquet or riding that train. Besides, I don't think they can get into trouble more than they already had on this island." Law answered as he suddenly made a stop and looked at the shop across the street.

"Eh…Captain, please don't underestimate Miya-chan's ability to find trouble. She has a talent." Bepo warned.

Law sighed realizing what his first mate said was certainly true.

"But captain Law, how come you're not at the party?" Bepo pressed on with questions, still following after Trafalgar.

Law crossed the busy street and read the blood red letters on the building's window. 'Tattoo and piercing salon.' He stared at his tanned hand, blank from any tattoos. "There's just something I want to do first, Bepo." With that, Law stepped into the shop.

~…~

The Heart Pirates kept dancing and singing, enjoying the banquet to the fullest. Some ate, some drank and the others tried to pick up young Noir ladies. Some even ended up in that shady street where women of very questionable reputation did their business. Jean Bart and Bill Dalton even started a drinking contest, which resulted in making a betting pool for the others who were now cheering for the contestants loudly.

Etella and Miyako were talking together as Etella kept asking question about her mysterious birth country, Wanokuni. With a corner of her eye, Miyako noticed an orange jumpsuit and the polar bear walking to the town square. Not long after, she noticed Law who walked up to them as he returned. He was missing for quite some time now and nobody knew where he went. Even Miyako became interested and thought to even go search for him, but then her pride stopped her as she thought about her intentions and realized what she was about to do. So instead, she stayed there but kept on waiting anxiously, much to her dismay.

"You're back." She stated as soon as Law walked up to them. But that's when she noticed fresh bandages on his left hand. "You're hurt!" Without thinking, Miyako took his hand into her examining the damage. She couldn't really see anything from the bandages but that just made her wonder about it more. *_What exactly did he do to injure himself all of a sudden?*_

The captain just shook his head but didn't attempt to pull his hand away. "It's nothing." Seeing Miyako's confused and asking expression, he added. "You'll see later." However that just made her more curious about the situation and the girl furrowed her thin eyebrows at him.

Etella watched their exchange in silence. At first she was a bit surprised at the sight but then realization came to her and she smiled discreetly. Quietly, the woman excused herself from the couple, leaving them in private.

"Hey, a picture of the winners for Noir Daily, please!" A reporter announced as he dragged a large photo camera on stools.

The engineer woman looked at the photo camera before nodding. She called out for Shachi and Penguin but soon the whole Heart Pirate crew gathered for the picture, along with the old man Bingley and his granddaughter.

"Hey guys, don't you take a picture without me!" Bepo yelled running towards the group and throwing himself into the heap of laughing pirates who then started to complain and shout at the heavy polar bear.

"Hey, Captain, Miya-chan, you too, come on!" Louis called out for the reaming two.

"Ok, coming!" Miyako yelled back and looked at Law with an asking expression.

"It's fine, you go." He stayed behind and watched as Miyako thought for a while about whether to try and persuade him or just leave. Finally, she decided to go alone, joining her friends for the picture.

The cameraman fixed the camera and looked at everyone through the lens. "Alright, get ready now! 3..."

As the man started counting, Miyako looked back at where Law was standing. He was leaning on the side with his hands in the pockets of his trousers, like always. He seemed amused while watching his crew push and shove at each other, trying to get into the frame for the picture. Miyako's expression stayed unreadable as she stepped towards him and out of the picture frame, on impulse. She didn't really know what or why she was doing it, but even so she found herself grabbing Law by the elbow and pulling him into the group before he could even protest.

"1!" The man finished with the count just as Miyako returned with a still-surprised Law.

"Hey, wait, what are you-" the captain started but wasn't able to finish as the powder in the camera lit up and a sound echoed along with a bright flash.

~….~

Rather than a group of people, the better phrase was a heap of people. Some were bickering, while Louis even managed to fall over the first row of the people. Jean Bart was just sweat-dropping as he watched the other men, sitting quietly in the back. Since he was big, it was the only place where he could be to not cover the rest of the group in the picture. Shachi and Penguin were trying to hug Etella from both sides, who stepped to back, which instead made them hug each other just as the picture was taken. Meanwhile, Sam and Kai were behind, making bunny ears with their fingers on their friends' heads. The whole picture was a cluster of people and shenanigans. Only a few Heart Pirates actually stared at the camera when it went off. On the far left side of the group, Miyako and Law stood. The girl was smiling brightly at the camera, totally ignoring Law who stared at her with surprise and complaint written on his face.

Miyako stared at the picture of them all, after she pinned it on the large pin board usually used for maps, on the wall behind Law's desk.

"And? Why are you putting it in my quarters?" The captain asked in a slightly impatient tone as she kept sitting on the chair behind his desk, staring at the book in his hands instead of the girl behind him. This time, both of his hand were tattooed with the ominous word 'death' on them.

Miyako turned around and blinked a few times in wonder. "You're the captain of this crew so isn't it normal that it's here." Her voice sounded matter-of-factly instead of questioning so it was hard for Law to retort to her statement.

Instead, the captain sighed tiredly. They were finally back in the submarine and on their way, leaving Noir and their new-found friends to explore the New World further. Honestly, Trafalgar felt glad that he was back in his submarine and able to relax in silence with his new book. Alas that period didn't last for long as Miyako decided to pay him a visit, or rather pin the photo into his quarters. "Why did you drag me to take that picture anyway?" he was perfectly content with just being at the side, he didn't really find it necessary to get involved in all that.

Miyako turned towards him and met his eyes that were for once focusing directly on her and not the book. She put her index finger on her lips as she hummed in thought. "Hmm…What if I told you that it was because you looked lonely just standing there on the side?"

He couldn't tell whether she was teasing him now or was she serious. Still, he didn't care for it either way. His gaze turned a bit colder as she answered. "I'd say you were being ridiculous."

Miyako chuckled at his fast response and for a moment her expression turned more serene as she talked. "Yeah…that answer was expected." In a more cheerful voice that sounded like her usual teasing one, Miyako continued. "Then, let's just call it punishment." Seeing Law's questioning gaze, she continued with a grin. "For letting Joshua drag me and make me study pirate lingo for a whole day." With that, Miyako suddenly turned away to leave.

Trafalgar watched in silence at the girl's back. "Recently you're…"

"Hm?" Once again, Miyako turned towards him with a questioning expression, her hair dancing behind her as she moved.

"No. Never mind." Law stood up and placed the book back on the bookshelf where it belonged.

Miyako turned around again to leave but then stopped and suddenly turned back, for the second time, surprising Law as she stepped towards him and kissed him abruptly. The captain stayed there for a while, eyes open and slight shock on his features, still not used for the girl to take the initiative. It took him a moment to regain his composure and kiss back, but the girl pulled back sooner than he'd wanted her to.

"What was that?" The man asked, in a somewhat lower tone than usual.

She looked away a bit shyly, with a light blush on her cheeks. Still, there was a look of determination in her eyes mixed with the usual embarrassment. „Weren't you the one who told me to do what I want to do?" She looked back at the captain and her eyes widened in surprise. „What is it, you're face looks red? Are you flushed?"

The man instinctively put a hand on his mouth and nose, covering his face below the stormy eyes. „What are you saying?"

A devilish grin replaced Miyako's previously shocked expression. „Actually, I was just teasing you. But what's with that shocked reaction?" She gave him an amused looked but soon her eyes widened in wonder once more. „Ah, could it be you really were embarrassed?!" The sly grin and piercing stare never faltered as Miyako came closer to inspect Law's still half-hidden face.

The captain had just about enough of it and he lowered his hand, regaining complete control of himself. In only a few seconds, he was once again the same old impassive Law. „Miss Miyako...have you decided to shorten your life perhaps?" There was an obvious threat in his now serious tone.

Miyako took a few steps back and made a mockingly frightened face along with holding her arms in front of her as if to shield herself from his almost murderous, annoyed stare. „Aaah, scary scary. Then I'll better run before I get killed for real~" Her tone was still lighthearted and amused as she took a few quick steps towards the door and disappeared from the room, snickering to herself. In an instant, Miyako was no more.

Law was left standing there, looking at the closed doors of his quarters. Once again he put a hand to shelter his face from view even though he was completely alone now. He gritted his teeth in irritation and his eyes narrowed. „That woman..." But he could only complain to the silence.

* * *

><p>(1).Sailing Master; This is the officer who is in charge of navigation and the sailing of the ship<p>

(2).Bilge rat; An insulting name given by a pirate.

(3)To hell with you, villain!

This is the end of the Noir Arc and I hope you liked it. Next chapter will be more cannon story based (Law still has to become a Shichibukai. Big plans, big plans. :D), so it's time to move onto the original One Piece story little by little. There's still a little over half a year left to do until Punk Hazard though. And I think Miyako won this round of their little game. ;)

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><p><strong>Thedarkdocgirl: <strong>Thank you, I am very grateful for your wonderful comment. I'm always happy to hear when someone enjoys my work. And I would gladly be friends with you. ^^

**JustChan: **hehe And just in time before the new one. :P Good luck with college work!

** **mrslizarde**: **Even if it's nothing critique wise, I appreciate you took the time to review. Thank you very much!

** **MrsWonderlandwitch**: **Thank _you_ for reviewing. :D It's great you're enjoying it so much! When it comes to cannon characters, I'm always a bit paranoid if I went and made them too ooc so I'm glad you think Law is still himself. Ps. You don't need to be so official like calling me Miss. ;) Have a nice day~

**Izzie: **Haha I have the same problem with getting ideas for the story. I have so many but if I don't write them down soon, I just end up forgetting them. XD

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **That's true. Just look at Lion King; the hyenas were the best. :D

**Yumi sawamura: **Yeah, I can't wait until Kid also gets involved with Luffy and the others! (it has to happen sooner or later). :D

Hahah I don't mind. That was actually a pretty good tactic! Ah, but poor Miyako! x_x *Sees Miyako on the floor who fainted from embarrassement.*

Whoa, best author in the world is a bit too much! XD Actually, I have some plans on making a story with Kid but it's nothing concrete yet. If I do make it, it will probably be in the summer when I have more time and when I catch up to the cannon One Piece story for this fanfiction. Right now I have my hands full with just this story. ^^'

**pharoah999: **Well they did have a pretty big argument not too long ago so for now it's more of a peaceful time for them. However, you're feeling isn't completely wrong because I am actually working on a chapter idea that could be the 'something' you're referring to. o.O

**lucyknight13: **Patience young Jedi. All in good time. ;P

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yep, it's Kid. :D haha a big FMA fan here, so I know. XP I think automail would totally agree with this steampunky island atmosphere. :D

**NightStar85: **AHA! This time it wasn't Miyako! XD Yeah, I don't think Miyako would like Monet either.

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **I just love Shachi and Penguin too much to not let them have one arc and since I used steampunk for my inspiration this time, I think it was just perfect for them. :) Actually, watching One Piece episodes is what helps me to write like that. :D

**Kiteria Faye: **Indeed, poor Miyako. They should just give her 'Being pirate for dummies' book. :P heh Yeah, that was expected with Thorneye. Was it hard to write it for the first time? I guess, it gets easier when you get used to it. :)

**Iluvninjas: **Hehe After a while of writing fanfiction, you become a master of cliffhangers. XD Yep, she's going on Punk Hazard (can't wait for her to meet the Straw Hats). True, it's not that far away. I'm going to start directing it towards the cannon story now, maybe an island or two in between that, and then it's Punk Hazard. I'm also excited about it!

**Coco-san: **Yep, it's Kid. :) To be honest I don't have anything like that planned right now but the way the cannon story is going, they might really meet the Kid Pirates and their alliance. In that case, Miyako will meet them too. :)

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I really feel like this island was perfect for Shachi and Penguin so it has to be a story about them. :D Altogether, it was really fun writing this arc.

**aqua-empress: **hehe I really had fun with her character, I like how she turned out. Thanks, I really try to find some balance between a more anime-like and a realistic story. ^^ lol when I was reading your comment, first I read; 'Could you squeeze in a luffy scene between Law and Miyako.' I was like; Wut?! XD Anyway, I don't know if it was fluffy but I think there were some cute Law/Miya scenes in this one. ^^


	50. Chapter 50

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its character. I do own my OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for violence, blood and suggestive themes.

Haya! One more chapter done. Sorry, I didn't make anything special for the fiftieth chapter since I think we need to move along with the story (since the last two chapters were non-cannon-based after all.). I hope you didn't wait long. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 50<strong>

"This is bad," Sai commented as he desperately tried to regain his breath. His usually calm and collected face showed a slightly worried expression, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked around at the dire situation they were currently in.

The yellow submarine slowly rocked on light waves in the middle of the vast sea. Surrounding it from all sides were five marine battleships, twice the size of the pirate vessel. On the deck of the submarine there was already a battle going on between the pirates and the invading marines. At first the marines thought to destroy their ship by attacking them with cannons from all sides, but that soon turned out to be ineffective as captain Law used this powers to switch the cannonballs with some previously cut marine body parts and sent the attack right back at them. Cannonballs that weren't cut or replaced by Law were cut down by Miyako's sword or easily repelled by the crew's kung-fu skills. The Heart pirates were strong; much stronger than before. However, even they were left feeling anxious when they faced countless marines coming from the battleships and the marine captains leading them. Still, even that would only be a bit worrisome for the crew….if it was only that. But what Sai and the rest of the crew was anxious about was the scene before them. The bright light that came from one of the battleships and landed among some of the pirates, forming a tall body. It was admiral Kizaru, standing right in front of Law and towering over the pirate captain.

"Hooo…If it isn't Trafalgar Law….long time no seeee…." The marine admiral talked in his usual slow pace, looking as laid-back as always.

Law gritted his teeth, cursing his bad luck in his mind while he clutched his unsheathed nodachi. They were careful all this time but as soon as they came up for some fresh air, these battleships appeared out of nowhere, surrounding them. For a second, Law's gaze darted at the large coral reefs near their ship. The marines were hiding there, waiting for them; it was a trap from the start. They must've been tracking them down for quite some time now, calculating their current route from previous information and planning this surprise attack to cut off their path. Akainu must've had enough and specifically sent Kizaru to finish them off before the Heart Pirates became an even bigger threat. Still, all that mattered little now since they were already in this pinch whether they liked it or not.

Kizaru moved his leg up and in one swift long motion sent an attack at the pirates surrounding him. At first everything was bright, blinding the pirates, but then the attacks hit them, sending all of the pirates circling him onto the floor of the deck. With a surprised yelp of pain, the pirates crashed onto the ground, unable to dodge the quick attack from such a close distance. It was as fast as the traveling light; the swiftness Borsalino was known for.

Law could only watch as his crew ended on the floor with pained expressions. However he didn't have the time to be distracted as the next attack was already coming at him.

Once again, the tall marine lifted his leg, this time aiming for Law's head. The long leg shone brightly and in the next instant, the logia attacked him. Still, Law wasn't training all this time, developing his haki further, to lose now. The pirate captain's haki surged through his body and finally the sword. He clutched the long nodachi with both hands, blocking the swift attack even though it was a logia type.

"Haki? Haaa…that's scaaary…" Kizaru commented seeing that his attack was countered by Law's sword. However, that didn't stop him from attacking again. He sent a series of kick attacks with his light energy at Trafalgar, so quick that the human eye could barely follow the bright blur that was once his leg. Yet Law managed to hold his own, moving quickly to either dodge or block every one of Kizaru's attacks.

As soon as he found a chance, the pirate captain jumped backward, giving himself more distance from the admiral. Still in his Room, he swung his sword, the attack charged with haki, aiming to slice Borsalino in half. However, the man who was as fast as light, dodged the attack easily. Behind him, one of the battleships creaked and screeched loudly as it split into two. The upper half of it started sliding down into the water, pulling the deck and everyone with it down into the watery depths. Screams and shouts sounded from the ship as marines evacuated by jumping into the sea.

Kizaru watched the large battleship sinking into the sea slowly but even if he felt something seeing some of his more unfortunate men getting pulled into the sea and drowning, he didn't show it. His face remained sleepy-looking as always even as he commented on the sight. "How scaaary….that was unfair, wasn't it…Laaaw…"

The pirate captain smirked bitterly as he kept his eyes trained on Kizaru. Even if he was still holding his ground, he could already feel the fatigue from using his haki and constantly fending off Kizaru's swift and powerful attacks. "If you think it was unfair to your men, then simply don't dodge next time."

Kizaru didn't say anything to Law's snarky remark obviously made to taunt the admiral, but instead he suddenly disappeared and in an instant appeared right in front of Law again. The pirate gritted his teeth and prepared for the next attack, watching Kizaru looming over him dangerously.

~…~

Miyako had her eyes closed, focusing on her next attack and ignoring all the fighting sounds around her. She was currently crouching on one of the tall masts of the marine battleship, holding a hand on her trusted katana that was still sheathed. While the rest of the Heart pirates were defending the submarine with Law's and Bepo's guidance, Shachi, Penguin, Jean Bart and her were sent here to take care of the battleships that still had their cannons aimed at the small submarine, waiting for their chance to destroy it. Now that Law was too focused on fighting Kizaru the marines had a much better chance at using the cannons again. Even if some of other pirates could block the cannonballs, everyone was engrossed into fighting with dozens of marines invading the submarine. That meant Miyako and the others had to act quickly, getting rid of the battleships or at least their weapons. Law managed to destroy one but there were still four more to go.

Miyako could feel the energy surging through her body, focusing in her hands. The marines were now trying to get to her by climbing sail ropes but she just kept crouching completely still on that mast. Then suddenly, the samurai woman opened her completely focused golden eyes that burned with determination. Her hand gripped the hilt of Yawarakai-Te and pulled it out in one swift move. Two slices were all it took. All the ropes tied to the mast and sails that the marines were climbing cut off and the men started swinging in the air and falling down once their grip let up. Not only the ropes but the ship itself got sliced into three pieces and the parts started moving vertically, resembling icebergs, before they started sinking into the water. *_One down, three to go,*_ the girl thought as she jumped down from the falling mast and landed onto the large, thick chain of the battleship next to the one she just cut. The marines on the deck started shooting at her but she ran swiftly along the chain, going for the ship which was her next target.

From the corner of her eye she saw Law being pushed back as he kept blocking Kizaru's attacks. For only a moment she hesitated, thinking if she should come back and help him, but she quickly suppressed that thought. Law could do it; he was strong. She saw the result so of all their training with her own eyes as they traveled across the Grand Line. She had to believe in him as her captain, as Trafalgar Law, a man who certainly wouldn't die so easily. Right now she had her own job to do and that's what she should focus on; if she failed than helping Law would also be meaningless since the whole submarine would be blown up in smithereens. Besides, disregarding captain's orders and even getting involved into what was clearly his fight would be a huge blow for his pride and ego; that guy would make her regret it for sure. At that thought, Miyako's expression changed into a smirk and she focused her gaze back towards the marine battleship, jumping onto the vessel's railing and cutting through the marines and their rifles without stopping.

Landing on the deck of the other ship, Miyako heard loud crashing noises and turned towards their source. It didn't take her long to realize it was Jean Bart, destroying the ship with his bare hands. With just a single swing of his hand, the man was able to wipe out a dozen of marine soldiers, sending them overboard and into the sea. A particularly hard punch created a large hole in the ship, taking out a few marines in the process while others fell through hole and into the darkness of the ship.

The large navigator turned and grabbed a railing with his hands, then started pulling on it. He groaned, a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but soon with a loud shrieking sound the woodwork gave in and ripped off. A few meters of railing came off and stayed in Bart's clutches, who turned around with it and hit another group of marines running towards him. Throwing the piece of wood with all his power, it hit the mast that tipped dangerously. Then as if finishing the work, Bart charged at the mast, completely ignoring all the marines standing in his way as he ran over them and threw them to the sides. With a grunt, the large body collided with the pole and the wood broke off, falling down like a cut down tree and crashing into the deck. A few fearful screams got cut off as it fell on top of a few men, squashing them instantly.

"Thats enough! You won't kill any more of my men." A serious voice full of killing intent sounded itself behind Jean Bart. The navigator turned to see a marine captain in charge of the ship, standing there with a glare. The man might have been considered quite large when compared to an average-sized man, but in comparison with Bart, he was nothing but a somewhat bigger flea waiting to be stomped on.

Without a word of response, Bart lifted his fist high in the air and brought it down onto the man. To Bart's surprise, the marine didn't even try to dodge but instead crossed both forearms in front of his face and prepared to block the attack. "Fool," the navigator only commented before his fist came in contact with the captain's hands.

However, instead of the usual feeling of bones and skin breaking underneath Bart's heavy fist, the navigator felt intense pain in his knuckles. His hand simply recoiled from the marine and the force of his own punch sent him a few steps backwards. Bart gritted his teeth in pain, holding his bruised hand. "What…?" Looking at the marine captain, Bart noticed the guy's arms were completely black as if armor was covering them.

"The only foolish one here is you. You will not get out of this and you will pay for what you did to my men, pirate." The marine still kept the deadly glare towards Jean Bart as he spat the last word with disgust. Before Bart could make a plan, the marine charged at him and jumped high enough in the air to reach the navigator's head. The captain attacked, aiming the punch at Jean Bart who took a step back and blocked with his large forearm so he wouldn't get hit directly in the head. The fist, still coated in that strange black armor, connected with his hand and pushed him back a few steps. The pirate felt surprising pain in his hand and bones, where a large red mark had formed. Being such a large man with a strong body, Jean Bart never had to worry about breaking any bones…that is until now. He wasn't sure if his forearm was broken, but the pain was enough for him to suspect so.

"What is that…a devil fruit power?" Jean Bart asked though it was more of a comment to himself. He wasn't really expecting an answer from the marine captain and he didn't get one either. Instead, the marine charged at him once more, delivering punches with both hands. This time the navigator decided to play it safe and dodge but he wondered how long he could keep that up. The other man wasn't so fast that it was worrisome, but it was still tiring to dodge all his attacks. Jean Bart stepped to the side just in time to avoid another attack that smashed the deck and created a large hole where the fist hit. Suddenly it was a long kick coming from the side, and the leg had the same black armor instead of the arms that were now back to normal. Jean Bart didn't expect such an attack and was too close to avoid a kick attack. Once again he put up his arms, prepared for the hard surface of the armor to hit him. However, it never came.

A katana was glistening right before the pirate's eyes, shaking slightly as the wielder held off the powerful attack of the marine's leg. Looking down, Bart could see Miyako clutching the katana with both hands and gritting her teeth as she fought against the powerful pressure of the kick attack. Usually, the girl's sword would easily cut through a human's leg like knife through butter, but instead it was scrapping at the black substance, creating little sparks. Even Yawarakai-Te didn't cut through the strange armor.

"Miyako…" The navigator called out in apprehension, silently giving his thanks to the girl.

She slightly turned her head to look at the large pirate with the corner of her eyes, still blocking the leg that was lifted and trying to push her away. "Bart-san, are you alright?"

The navigator nodded without a word. Instead, he looked back at the marine who was towering over the girl menacingly. Her lean, small form was in complete contrast to the large, bulky marine. Even with the suit and the captain's long coat covering the man, his strong built was obvious. Yet Miyako managed to stop the man's attack, even if her hands were shaking from the blow to her katana in the process. "He's using some strange armor that can just appear on his body," Jean Bart said. The samurai nodded and looked back at the marine who lowered his leg and glared at the newcomer. "I know. I've seen it once before, at Abney Cove. I fought a man with the same technique." She then turned to look at the marines who were running towards them, circling the pirates. Some were preparing to shoot the cannons again. "Bart-san, this ship is still functional and the marines could shoot at the submarine at any moment. We need to stop them." She looked back at the navigator.

The large man understood what she was trying to say, without her needing to explain anything more. It was obvious she had experience with whatever this marine was using and wanted to deal with him, but somebody still had to stop the cannons. Jean Bart nodded without another word, grasping the situation perfectly. His one arm was still sore but he gritted his teeth and decided what he had to do. With one final nod, the navigator tuned away from the two. "Be careful," was the only thing the usually silent man said before taking off.

The marine captain pierced her with his stare, glaring daggers at the girl. "Burning-eyed Miyako…You will regret this woman. You can't beat my Armament Haki, I will crush you."

Miyako's gaze stayed firm as she put her katana in front of her, preparing for battle. "I heard that once before already. That man also underestimated me."

The marine scoffed and in an instant attacked the pirate girl. "Don't get cocky girl!" His punches armored with haki started raining down on her, one after the other. He wasn't just using haki but was also a strong and large man. His one fist was enough to create a hole in the ship's deck. Still, Miyako kept blocking every hit, stumbling a few times at the sheer force of it, but still managing to keep up somehow.

The samurai blocked one punch, sliding her katana over the man's armored arm as she shifted into attack mode. However before she could hit, he blocked with his other arm than tried to deliver a round kick at her head which she evaded by crouching down. She jumped back once to get some more room and then used her leg to push forward, right as the marine also charged at her with his next punch attack.

Miyako felt the haki surging through her, remembering the feeling when she fought that special forces marine at Abney Cove. She let all that power focus on her hands and weapon, just as the marine captain approached with a fist blackened with armament haki. The fist and the sharp steel collided, making sparks again. For a second it looked like the katana would simply repel from the fist, but then Miyako put more force into the attack and the sword cut through. It slid along, cutting the man's arm horizontally all the way from the knuckles to his inner elbow. The girl slid her katana out while passing the man and finishing her attack by stopping behind the shocked marine. The man fell to his knees from both pain and shock, looking at his split arm with wide, horror-filled eyes. A loud scream of merciless pain echoed throughout the area.

Hearing footsteps approaching him, he looked up to see two golden eyes gazing down at him. A bloodied katana glistened in the sun by the woman's side, foretelling his ominous fate. He's going to die, killed by a young girl. The woman came closer, preparing her weapon as she spoke one final time to him; "We cannot lose here, no matter what. If I can't even defeat you, how can I protect my friends or let them depend on me. That's why, to become strong and protect my friends, I can even cut through you!" Rising the sword high above her head, Miyako sliced one last time at the man looking up at her. With a quick slashing sound, the body fell to the ground limp and lifeless. The blood slowly poured out onto the deck while the man's eyes lost any of their previous brightness, looking just like the murky eyes of a dead fish.

Just then, Miyako felt tremors underneath her feet and realized the ship was slowly sinking. With a smirk, she looked over at Jean Bart who effortlessly pounded a group of marines into the ground with his one good hand. *_He did it.* _

~….~

Law tried to catch his breath, staring at the tall opponent before him. Borsalino once again charged at him and the pirate captain quickly used his powers. "Tact," he announced and shifted his fingers. From one side, a piece of wood floating on the sea from one of the sunken marine ships went flying straight into the admiral. The marine stopped in his advances and swung his leg, slicing the large piece of material into two. The piece of the ship was flung away onto the deck, almost hitting some of Law's men. In the same instant, Trafalgar swung his sword two times at Kizaru who had to turn into light and avoid, moving further away from Law. However that same light then started reflecting itself across the submarine's deck, hitting a few of the Heart Pirates in the process and piercing through them. The men shouted in pain and fell on the floor.

The pirate captain gritted his teeth and once again used Tact; at least there were enough of disposable pieces all around them in the sea from the destroyed battleships. The piece of a metal flew towards Kizaru who had to stop his attack. The man once again formed his body, standing on the submarine's railing with a relaxed expression and both hands inside of his suit's pockets. Law felt himself getting irritated by the man's impassive expression; as if none of this was putting any strain on Kizaru. On the other hand, the captain was struggling just keeping up with Kizaru's speed of light and using so much haki at the same time.

"It seems you improved…Riiiight, Laaaw?" The admiral moved one hand from his pocket, positioning his fingers to form an imaginary gun just like children would do while playing. However, this was much more dangerous as light appeared from Kizaru's index finger. A shot of light came right at Law who fortunately had another piece of metal prepared. Using his powers, Law used the metal as a shield, colliding it with the light attack before it could reach the pirate directly. A large explosion blinded everyone on the deck and the force of the explosion was enough to send some men flying. Even Law was pushed backwards, his back hitting the metal wall of his submarine with force. Pain coursed through his spine but the pirate had no time to even consider such minor problems when he saw Kizaru flying towards him with a newly made sword of light. The two swords collided and the captain felt pain in his hands from just blocking that attack. "Kizaru…." Law commented through gritted teeth but then saw his worried first mate Bepo, from the corner of his eyes, who was also slowly awakening his haki. "Sakazuki always preaches about good or wrong, neeee. But you knooow, before good and bad there is a faaar more important premise...and that is weak and strong." With that, Kizaru once again stepped forward to attack the pirate captain.

"Haya!" The polar bear attacked Kizaru from the side with a kick.

The admiral dodged it and turned to light again, moving away from the two pirates. "Hooo…now even reinforcements are coming…that's quite bad for me…"

"I don't think that's all you have to worry about," Law warned as he glared at the taller man darkly, nodding in the direction behind Borsalino's back.

Kizaru turned to see for himself; the marines on the submarine's deck were all defeated and now Heart Pirates surrounded the admiral. But that wasn't the source of his worry since Kizaru didn't feel threatened by these pirates. However, looking at the battleships he could see all five were slowly sinking, destroyed by the Heart Pirates. The marines were either trying to salvage the ships or have given up and were now desperately trying to save themselves by jumping into the sea. Looking even further back, behind even the battleships was the source of Kizaru's real worry; a storm was coming.

"Too bad the New World is so fickle; it won't go along with your plans," Shachi said, who along with his team assigned to destroy the marine's battleships, was back onto the yellow submarine after a job well done.

"This will be a fierce one, captain," Sai added, looking at the approaching storm. They could already hear the thunder. The ominous black clouds were approaching fast, bringing a big storm with them. They could see a few small twisters forming in the distance and every now and then a lightning would hit the surface of the sea, creating ripples. The cold wind had already changed its direction, blowing more fiercely towards them.

"What will you do? You're men are out there, you're ships barely usable. If you don't hurry and do something, they'll all die. And you are a devil fruit user too, you can't swim…do you have the time to waste here?" For the first time during their fight, Law allowed himself a cocky smirk of victory. Kizaru could still try to beat them, but there was no way he would be able to do so before the storm arrives. Then he and his men would be doomed. The only thing the admiral could do now is pull back and save the marines, hoping to catch up with Law again. But there was little chance for that since the fast submarine could easily maneuver beneath the surface, escaping the stormy waters.

The admiral was silent for a while, looking between the Heart Pirates and the incoming storm. Finally he sighed as if tired of it all. "You're a devious one….Laaaw." He gave the pirate captain one last unreadable look as if planning something, but then turned into his light form and quickly traveled toward the battleships and his men.

Trafalgar could feel the tension leaving his body, making him suddenly feel all the tiredness and pain his body was holding off from adrenalin until now. However, he couldn't relax yet. He scanned the deck and all of his crewmembers, making sure that everyone were accounted for. "Sai-ya, Jean Bart-ya, quickly go to the control room and get us under the surface and out of here! The rest of you, help the injured ones inside. Medical team, prepare everything in the infirmary and start treating the others immediately! We're getting out of here!"

The deck was filled with the sound of loud footsteps running everywhere. Soon the rain started falling down, showering onto the pirates but nobody cared as they prepared everything for emergency escape.

~…..~

Even when they were deep beneath the surface and sailing the dark waters of the sea, Law couldn't relax. His sickbay was filled with groaning or unconscious men, most of them hit by Kizaru's light attacks. Some had high burns while others had parts of their body pierced just like a bullet would do. The number of injured was high and some of them were even medics, so other pirates had to lend a hand to the medical team. Even Jean Bart, his navigator, was in the infirmary so his control room was left with only Sai.

"It's not broken, but the bone is fractured. It will take time to heal so you won't be able to use the left hand much," the Dark Doctor explained to Bart as he fixed to immobilize the large arm.

"But who managed to break even your bones, Jean Bart?" Cody question in slight disbelief that this hard body met something that could actually break it. He had his upper torso bandaged, since he was hit in the shoulder by Kizaru's light attack but as soon as he was fixed up, the blue-haired medic begun helping out with the other injured since they were already so shorthanded.

The large navigator hummed in his low, deep voice, remembering the marine captain. "It was some sort of black armor…It just suddenly appeared on the man's skin."

A few other pirates near them turned round with questioning expressions, interested in the topic. "Eh? Black armor?"

The surgeon's eyes narrowed at that explanation. The face of _that man_ instantly came into his mind, making a disgusting bitter taste fill his mouth. That man covered in black armor all across his large body, towering over Law's beaten form on the ground, as he pierced him with those eyes hidden behind small shades. One thought remained in Law's mind; _Vergo_. "I've seen it before…it's extremely hard."

Jean Bart nodded. He had a fractured bone to vouch for that fact. Then his thoughts traveled back to the samurai in their crew. "But Miyako was able to cut him."

Everyone looked back at the navigator with bewildered expressions. "What?!"

Even the doctor's eyes were wider than usual. "Jean Bart-ya, what do you mean?"

Bart simply repeated his previous statement. "Miyako. She cut him down."

Everyone from the group turned to stare at the young girl at the back of the infirmary, too far away to hear their conversation. She was currently helping Sam by bandaging his wrist.

When Miyako was suddenly called over in front of captain and a few of the men, she wasn't sure what to think. But after standing there awkwardly, while most of them were staring at her silently like she just grew another head, she felt even more nervous than before. Trying to hide her anxiousness, the girl smiled a little, still making a pretty awkward expression. "Um…so, what is this about exactly?"

Law was the one to speak, instantly cutting to the chase. "Miss Miyako, did you fight a marine who could produce black armor on his body, today?"

"- and is it true that you cut it!?" Josh blurted out before Miyako could answer. He was given a reprimanding look from the captain, shrinking back apologetically, but still anxiously awaiting the girl's replay.

The samurai blinked in surprise, not expecting this to be the topic of their conversation. "Ah…yeah. Cause I already fought a guy with the same technique at Abney Cove. Now you know why I was so beat up when you found me." She scratched the back of her head, a bit embarrassed at the memory of Law carrying her in his arms at that time. "I think the guy called it Armament Haki. Apparently it's a type of Busoshoku Haki, so you need to use your own Haki when fighting it."

Bart grunted in understanding. "That's why my attacks weren't enough."

Her captain pulled his lips in a thigh line, hiding his frustration. In a slightly colder tone he addressed the girl. "And you didn't deem it necessary to tell me?" He wasn't sure was the frustration really coming from Miyako not telling him or because he still had Vergo's armament form in his mind's eye.

The comment took Miyako aback for a moment. "Sorry, I didn't really know what to tell." At the time she also wasn't sure about that technique since she didn't have much information about it and they never encountered it again until now. "To be honest, even if I said all that, it's a big problem for me too. Even though I can cut it, I have to concentrate a lot of power so it takes a big toll on me. It's not easy for me at all." She didn't want them to get the wrong idea thinking she was already some kind of expert at dealing with this armament Haki. Actually, she still considered herself to be far too weak especially since they were in the New World now. She had to train even more and become much stronger until cutting through that armored body became as easy as cutting paper. Everything less was unacceptable. Miyako was sure the others in the crew had similar thoughts. She could see it on the faces of all the men here, covered with dark shadows as they all carried grim and serious expressions. Everyone was thinking the same thing; I want to become even stronger. However, it was different than when they faced Sentomaru and Abaddon at that dinosaur island. At that time they went through utter and complete loss, but this time they managed to stand their ground even against five battleships and a marine admiral. This was the result of their everyday training and struggle. Still, nobody was getting overconfident or cocky about it. Instead, it just made them realize they could still move forward, still carry on to become even stronger for their goal of finding One Piece.

Trafalgar nodded but that suffocating feeling of frustration in his chest didn't go away. Instead, he just wanted to conclude the topic for now. "We'll talk about this later. There's still work to do here, everyone return to your duties." There was still a dark shadow cast over him but it was hard for even him to pinpoint why. Was it really only because he remembered Vergo and Doflamingo or was it something else. He glanced at Miyako who returned to helping others in the infirmary. Or was it because as a captain and a leader, as the one supposed to be the strongest in his crew, he felt he was being outdone by his own subordinate? Just like when Miyako first came to his submarine and showed him her Haki skills, able to even fight logia, before he knew anything about it. Now once again she was running in front of him, able to do something he couldn't. Would _she_ be able to beat Vergo that day? Law stifled that thought deep inside his brain as soon as it came out. Thinking something like this was ridiculous. Besides, Miyako came from the New World. Not to mention she was a samurai of Wano, a country said to create the strongest swordsmen. Great swordsmanship skills were to be expected, it's what _Law_ himself expected when he decided for her to join his crew. That's why he wanted to buy her in that slave auction in the first place. Telling himself all these reasons made it all the more ridiculous that he was frustrated because of those same kenjutsu skills she owned. And yet that frustration wouldn't go away, still clawing at him deep from within his chest. The captain knew that thinking more about it would only make it worse so instead he immersed himself into the operation of one of his crew members. Using his surgeon skills always made him feel better, making him forget about the world around him and focus on the interesting specimen he was working on. In the operating room, nothing else mattered. That was how he got rid of any unnecessary feelings while doing jobs with Doflamingo and that is what he needed to do now.

~…~

Law washed his hands in the metal sink situated in the infirmary. After hours of dealing with his hurt crew where some even developed fevers, he was finally done for the day. Speaking of which, he didn't even know what time of the day it was anymore. The unnatural bright lights that shone in the infirmary along with the constant darkness of the deep sea water, didn't give any indication whether it was only the early afternoon or the middle of the night. Usually he would at least know it by Munk's meals but he specifically informed everyone not to bother him, not even with bringing him food. He didn't have time to eat nor sleep at a time like this. With a sigh, Law turned off the water and closed his eyes for a second. He could already see the dark circles under his eyes becoming even darker as his sleep deprivation continued. The doctor exited the sickbay, switching off the lights on his way out, and headed to the lower floor towards his quarters. Right now he didn't even care what time of day it was or the fact that he didn't eat anything since their fight with the marines, he just wanted to lay on his soft bed and fall asleep for as long as he could before another emergency of the New World surprises them.

As she continued to walk down the dark halls illuminated with dim lights, the captain stopped suddenly. *_I thought I heard something.*_ He couldn't really tell what that sound was or if he even heard it. Perhaps he's tired mind was playing tricks on him, alerting Law that it was high time to get some rest. But just as he decided it wasn't anything of interest, the sound was heard again. It was continuous now and it sounded like air itself was being sliced over and over again.

_Whip whip whip whip whip_

Becoming more interested, Law walked towards the sound until he arrived at the room from which the light shone. He could see a shadow on the floor, moving quickly and dancing in the light. The captain soon realized what this room was; it was the large storage they turned into a training room. At the time, Law even used his powers to create some wooden training dummies to polish his haki skills. Miyako and him often sparred here, showing off their swordsmanship skills. *_Somebody must be training here.* _

The man came closer and looked inside, seeing only one person there, training alone. Miyako had her katana out and was swinging with it over her head and down swiftly, practicing the basic head strike in kenjutsu. The wooden poles used for practicing in the room were all already cut up or full of slices and gashes on their bodies. So instead, Miyako was now training her slashes through the air, imagining opponents in front of her. Law leaned against the doorframe, watching the girl's serious, stoic form as she continued to practice, so immersed into it that she didn't even notice him. Her gaze was focused forward. That's when the captain noticed something splashing down every time the girl would strike with her katana. Looking closely, he noticed little droplets of blood were falling onto the floor around the girl. With even closer examination and some greater focus of his currently tired eyes, Law could see blood dripping down from Miyako's palms, soaking into the hilt of the sword or falling onto the ground. The man's eyes opened a little more as he watched the determined girl who either didn't feel the pain anymore or stubbornly ignored it as she continued to practice. *_How long has she been here?* _For her hands, already used to wielding the sword, to become wounded enough to even bleed, Miyako must've been practicing like this for hours.

However, Law didn't try to stop her. In a way, he was too impressed to stop her; to amazed by her sheer determination. Or perhaps it was because the more he watched her, the more that frustration deep inside of him disappeared. *_I was a fool__…__To be irritated by the fact she could do something like cut through armament haki. The only reason she could do it in the first place was because she was giving it her all every day. Because she kept pushing herself forward and training. I was just feeling annoyed on my own.* _He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, but this time the frustration was aimed at himself. This woman…it was this woman who kept pushing him forward with her own hard work and determination. He stared at her clear gaze. There was no doubt there, no uncertainty, just pure wish of wanting to become stronger. And for what? Law found himself interested; what was it that pushed this girl forward? What was it that made her want to become stronger? When it came to fighting in general and using his devil fruit powers, Law was probably stronger than her. But when it came to pure swordsmanship, she was always ahead of him. At first he thought it was frustrating, but after seeing her form now, all those dark thoughts were gone. She always aroused his competitor spirit but he didn't find that hateful; quite the contrary, that's what he loved about her. Law stopped his thoughts at that choice of words; _love_? He never really thought of it that way, was it really love? But looking at her right now; her bright gaze of golden eyes, her serious expression, her whole form with her head held up high, he couldn't help but find it beautiful. It was charming, yet fierce just like her. Whether it was love or not; he didn't know it yet, but even if it was, he couldn't admit it…at least not to her.

'_In the end, you will belong to me.__'_

Those were the words Miyako left him with a few weeks ago, showing him that determined but confidante piercing gaze of hers. That means that whoever admits he has fallen in love, loses. And if Trafalgar Law hated something, then it was losing. Especially losing to her.

Just seeing her determination made Law want to become stronger himself. He didn't want to lose to her whether it was about strength or emotions. The man crossed his tattooed arms on his chest, still leaning on the metal doorframe and watching her. Finally, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he decided to put all those thoughts in the back of his mind for now. Instead, he wanted to focus on what was in front of him right now. He pushed himself off of the door and stepped inside. A few steps later, the sound of his boots across the metal floor brought Miyako back to reality and she finally noticed him. Stopping her ministrations, the girl turned to look at him with wonder in her eyes.

"What are you doing still awake?" She asked remembering it was currently the middle of the night. There were still at least three more hours until dawn.

"So it was that late, huh? I wasn't sure." Law scratched his head adjusting his fuzzy hat and yawned lazily. Now that he was released from his deep thoughts, the body was once again demanding some sleep. He saw the girl's confused frown at his statement but decided to ignore it as he continued. "I could ask you the same thing, though?" He deliberately left the questioning tone in his voice as he stared at the girl with his half-lidded grey eyes.

Miyako's frown deepened and she looked ahead again. "I couldn't sleep," she explained shortly, ready to start swinging her katana again.

She lifted the sword above her head and swiftly brought it down, cutting the air in the process and creating that slicing sound again. However, as soon as she brought the sword down, Law's one hand expertly caught her wrist, quickly preventing her to repeat the strike again. She looked at him with mild irritation mixed with confusion from being rudely hindered.

The questioning look didn't escape Law's gaze, but he simply stared at her, piercing her with his stormy eyes. There was no emotion on his face, or at least nothing clearly visible. It was the same unreadable mask as usual even as he stared straight into her eyes. "Your hands are injured," blunt and to the point as usual, he warned her, trying to stop her from foolishly hurting herself even more.

At first Miyako looked a bit surprised as if she completely forgot about that fact. She looked down at her hands and sighed, closing her eyes for a second. "I know, it's fine. You stop feeling it after a while."

Law just returned her sigh with his own, tired one. This girl could be so thickheaded sometimes. "That's not the point," he simply answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "What good is a samurai if they can't use their sword."

"I can use my sword!" The girl answered instantly, a bit harsher and louder than before, as if he just hit a sore spot. Even Law stayed silent for a while, slightly startled by the girl's suddenly fierce tone.

Nevertheless, he had no intention of letting her continue with this. "Not if you injure your hand any more than this." Still holding her wrist, he made her lower the sword down and after a while the girl complied, letting her katana fall loosely by her side. Law was just about to invite her to the sickbay to take care of those wounds but then remembered he already cleared everything and cleaned all the tools. Dirtying them again and then cleaning everything up would be too troublesome, not to mention they would have to go back up where he just came from. The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a second, before a new idea came to his mind. His quarters always had a first aid kit. Some disinfectant and fresh bandages should be enough for these injuries anyway. "Come with me." He pulled her wrist, leading her out of the room and down the hall towards the quarters area.

Miyako was too tired to even protest so she just sheathed her katana and followed after the captain. It was only when they were already in the room and he switched the lights on that she realized they were in Law's quarters. With a blink she looked around and then stared at him, instantly sobering up from her tired state. "Why did you bring me here?"

"To treat your wounds of course," the captain commented, getting out the first aid kit. The man turned back to the girl and smirked with a sly expression. "Why did you think I brought you here?" Even now he couldn't help but tease the girl.

Miyako stiffened as she tried to hide her shocked embarrassment. Now he was accusing her of having a dirty mind! It wasn't her fault that this guy always sexually harassed her whenever they were alone. "I-I wasn't really thinking of anything," she mumbled looking to the side, obviously guilty and lying.

The pirate still kept his amused expression as he went to sit beside her on his bed, urging her to show him her hands so he could use the disinfectant on the wounds. With a bit of reluctance, the girl opened her palms. Law sighed but all in all, the damage wasn't serious. Some of the skin just got torn from friction with the hilt of the sword. It would soon heal and turn into calluses as long as they don't break again. Law put some disinfectant on the cotton wad and grabbed the thing with long tweezers. "This will sting a little," he warned remembering Miyako's hate towards alcohol on open wounds or anything that stung her. Actually, more than a warning it sounded like a gleeful commented since she couldn't escape from it either way. It was her punishment for getting injured with her own foolishness in the first place.

Miyako frowned but stayed still this time, not wanting to give Law the delight of watching her squirm.

"What made you suddenly start obsessively training like that in the first place?" The doctor gave her enough pity to distract her with casual chit-chat as he worked on her hands.

The samurai shrugged, not sure what to tell him. "I guess just meeting the marine admiral was enough to motivate me…Also, I want to be able to cut through that armament haki without problems the next time I encounter an enemy with it."

Law stayed silent for a while, before starting up the conversation again. "Kizaru told me that what matters most in this world is whether you're strong or weak. I believe he is right. And if we want to survive in the New World, we have to become even stronger; that's a fact. Weaklings will lose everything in this sea." Law finished putting the bandages, looking up at the girl who had a distant, thoughtful expression. With another sigh, he stood up to put away the items. "Alright, you're done. You can-" Turning around again, the captain saw the girl already lying on his bed in a curled up ball just like a cat. She was breathing evenly, indicating she was already deep in sleep. With a few strides, Law sat beside her on the bed, looking at the peaceful girl. She must've been more exhausted than even she realized. He rubbed his eyes with long fingers, thinking of what to do with her now. Truthfully, he was tired as well and it was too troublesome to try and get her back into her own bed now. Deciding it was fine to stay here, Law took off her shoes and pulled her up so her head was resting on the pillow. The girl moaned something incoherent a few times but didn't wake up.

"Master…" The girl worded out in a whisper. Law stopped and looked at the girl, thinking she was waking up now but after that one word, it was once again silence. She didn't even stir anymore, already deep in her dreams. The captain pulled a blanket over her before taking off his own shoes and the yellow hoodie, then lied onto the bed.

Switching off the lights, Law stared at the dark ceiling above him. He was exhausted but there were still many thoughts swirling inside his head, preventing him to fall asleep. _ *We have become quite infamous with big bounties on our heads. Things like today will just keep happening and if we__'__re not prepared, we__'__ll be destroyed. Akainu had obviously had enough and decided to get rid of us before we become an even bigger threat. But if marines keep going after us like today it will only be a hindrance to our future plans. Besides, defeating Doflamingo will get immensely harder if I have to worry about the marines at every step of the way.* _Law pinched the bridge of his nose as he often did while thinking. *_No, I need to get them off my back. There__'__s only one way to do that__…__*_ The pirate captain gritted his teeth in irritation. *_I don__'__t like it. Especially becoming similar to that bastard.* _Law could already see Doflamingo's wide grin full of mocking pride; _'__So you__'__ve decided to follow in my footsteps, Law. What a cute subordinate.__' _Joker's imaginary words echoed inside of Law's head, cutting into him with a feeling of bitterness. He could picture the situation clearly in his mind. Still, Law realized he had no other choice if he wanted to move on with his plan and proceed to sail the seas without any more annoyances. He would do whatever it takes to proceed with his plan, to shake this world to its core; he would even become a dog of the marines for a while.

~…...~

Miyako could feel herself awakening but her still tired eyes refused to open as she was engulfed with the warmth of soft bed sheets. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. Fortunately there was no bright light to invade her eyes since the submarine was still moving underwater so the room still looked dim with minimal lighting, making Miyako feel like it was still nighttime. It made the girl want to simply turn around and sleep some more, but the only thing stopping her from doing so was the realization that she had to help Munk with breakfast as it was her duty on the ship. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting and that's when she realized there was someone else right in front of her. Miyako gasped, startled, as she stared at the tanned face not far away from her own. The girl's eyes widened when she remembered she fell sleep in Law's quarters…again! With a speed of a bullet, she sat up in bed, still staring at Trafalgar. This was already the second time that she let down her guard and just fell asleep right there on the captain's bed. The first time was embarrassing enough, especially when Law confronted her with his teasing remarks about it, but now she once again had to go through that torture. Miyako panicked in her mind, holding her head with both hands as she tried to stop the scream of desperation. But then she stiffened as understanding hit her. She looked back at the man on the bed, seeing his sleeping form. He was still sleeping so at least she could sneak out without being noticed. However, her hope soon burst like a thin bubble of soap when she realized that won't change much; in the end, Law would still know she fell asleep in his quarters. Her head slumped down as she sighed in loss.

The girl's gaze traveled back to the unconscious captain. Law was usually a light sleeper so it was surprising he hadn't awoken yet from all the commotion she was doing in the bed; perhaps he was even more tired than she was. *_That__'__s right, he was taking care of everyone in the infirmary yesterday, he even had three major operations, and all that right after fighting with Kizaru.* _Miyako sighed. Law's exhaustion was perfectly understandable. Even after all that he still had to take care of her injured hands. A pang of guilt hit the samurai as she looked at her neatly bandaged hands. The injuries weren't big or threatening; she was used to such wounds ever since the first time she started wielding the heavy sword in her small, still child's, hands. Usually she would just clean them in cold water afterwards, making the hot, irritated flesh cool down. Her master didn't think much of them either, it was normal for a swordsman to have wounds on their palms from training; her master even said it was a way to see if the katana was being held properly by the position of the callouses on one's palm. This was the first time someone really took the time to treat them and even bandage them afterwards. Miyako smiled gently, still staring at her bandages. *_Well he is a doctor, after all.*_

She looked back down at Law, considering whether to wake him up or leave him to get some more rest until Bepo comes for him. That's when Miyako's breath hitched and her back straightened instantly as a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead from nervousness. She didn't really notice before since she was deep in her thoughts, lamenting her fate after falling asleep here, but now that she looked more closely….was Law half naked!? Miyako gulped as she eyed her captain. His usually covered head was without the fuzzy hat, revealing ruffled mess of black hair. The dark skinned doctor had a peaceful expression as he slept; no scowl or that snide smirk he normally wore. His hoodie was discarded somewhere so Miyako could see his bare chest as it evenly rose and fell while he slept. This was the first time she saw Law's shirtless form and all the tattoos on his body; there were even more than she thought. Both of his hands and arms, but also each shoulder from where the tattoos connected to the large one across his whole chest, which looked like a heart with the familiar grinning smiley in the middle. Now knuckles on both of his hands had the tattooed word 'death' on it, which he added before leaving Noir. Unintentionally, Miyako wondered if he had any tattoos on his back also, but it was impossible to see since he was lying on his back. Realizing what she was thinking about, Miyako felt her cheeks flare in heat. She slapped them with both hands, trying to cool down and shook her head wildly, squeezing her eyes shut in the process. *_Idiot idiot idiot!* _

But even so, her eyes still opened slowly and wandered on, analyzing Law's lean frame. Fortunately he was still wearing the spotted trousers that ended with his bare feet. His whole anatomy didn't really look overly muscular, but rather slim. Even so, his torso showed well-formed muscles gained from training and fights. Surprisingly, he didn't have any visible scars but Miyako presumed it was due to his devil fruit powers that were long ranged and left little chance of him getting hit by the opponent. Most of the time enemies wouldn't even be able to get close to the Surgeon of Death.

Just like last time, Miyako found herself watching the captain as he slept. She didn't really know what does she find so appealing about it, but somehow she liked to watch his sleeping form. Perhaps it was his peaceful and completely different demeanor than usual. She didn't have to feel tense or on guard like she often did around him when he was awake, always challenging her with those piercing grey eyes. Miyako snickered quietly to herself, feeling the need to mess with him somehow while he was sleeping and she still had the chance. At first she wanted to draw on his face but then decided she still wanted to live afterwards so that was out. She didn't really find hanging from the submarine's pole instead of a jolly roger very appealing. Without thinking the girl poked the man's cheek, feeling the squishy softness beneath her finger, and she felt a spark of amusement rise inside of her like a child. She wished she had a camera to take a picture of some ridiculous sleeping pose she would made out of him. Still playing with Law's face, Miyako slightly pulled on his goatee, wanting to at least mess it up, but it was actually pretty groomed and neat.

Suddenly, a hand whipped out and grabbed the wrist of her hand which was still on his face. In the next second, Miyako was pushed down onto the bed with the man's weight on top of her as he pinned her down. The girl could only stare up at him wide eyed, still surprised at the sudden change in their positions, and not clearly understanding what just happened. However realization soon dawned on her when she saw Law's smirking face above her. With a nervous smile, the girl tried to get herself out of the situation by lying. "M-morning captain, I was just about to wake you up."

Law's amused expression never left his face as she continued to stare down at her. "Is that what you were doing? And here I was sure you were playing with my sleeping face."

The girl almost choked at his statement as she realized she was completely busted. _*He was awake?! For how long!? Was he pretending to be asleep all this time?!*_ Panicked questions swirled inside Miyako's mind, screaming one after the other. Still keeping that nervous smile plastered on her face as if it was stuck there, Miyako asked, "H-How long were you awake?"

Law's devilish smirk slowly widened right before her eyes, making him appear even more diabolically mischievous than usual. Indeed, he was enjoying this. "Around the time you started poking at me…is that some kind of new hobby for you…or just a fetish?" He made sure to emphasize the last word, wanting to rattle the shy girl as much as he could.

By now steam was coming from Miyako's ears as her brain overloaded from the heat that came with her bashfulness. She could only hope that her face wasn't as red as she thought it to be, since she could feel her cheeks heating up considerably. "N-No…I wasn't…really…" The girl stuttered aimlessly, losing herself in the awkward moment.

"Hmm?" The captain just hummed in question, teasing her even more as he lowered his head more towards her. His eyes never broke contact with the wide golden orbs of his samurai. They were so close now, the tips of their noses were touching.

All Miyako could see were those grey eyes staring down at her, along with the wide teasing smirk on the captain's features. She could hear her own heart beating loudly, thumping in her ears, as she became unable to catch her breath. The condition just became worse the more she saw Law lowering himself and coming towards her. Unconsciously, she grabbed a pillow lying there beside her and clenched it with one hand. "Noooooo!" She was even able to break her hand from Law's hold since the man didn't expect her to react so wildly, and she pushed the pillow in between them, hiding her blushing expression and stopping Law's advances by shoving the pillow in his surprised face. The doctor was so startled that he fell backwards, sitting on the bed. As soon as he removed the pillow from his face, he noticed the girl was no more. Glancing towards the doors of the room he saw her dashing out, not even bothering to close the doors behind her as she escaped from the quarters while running. At that point, Law didn't even know whether to laugh in satisfaction or get frustrated by her running away. So he opted for sighing deeply. He actually felt like the girl was being more open towards him lately, but it seemed some things would never change.

~…...~

Miyako was sitting behind the counter in the kitchen, her head in her hands, as an especially gloomy atmosphere surrounded her. She looked so depressed that even the other cooks didn't know whether to leave her alone or try and cheer her up. *_I ran away__…__Again. Even though I told myself I won__'__t run anymore. Didn__'__t I declare all that to him about not running away anymore!? I even told him I would make him fall in love with me!* _An especially pained whine escaped her as she remembered those embarrassing declarations. *_But it__'__s just too embarrassing after all!* _

Munk finally had enough of looking at Miyako like that and went up to her, tapping her gently on top of her head with his wooden spoon. "What be th' pro'lem, lass? Those carrots ain't gunna cut 'emselves."

The girl finally lifted her head, showing off a sorrowful expression. "Sorry, Munk. I'll get right on it." Dispirited, the girl stood up and went to the counter, taking a large knife for cutting bones instead of a normal cutting knife. Not even realizing she was holding the thumb right underneath where she meant to cut the carrot, Miyako lifted the large knife and prepared to swing down. Luckily, Munk saw the disaster on time and prevented it by grabbing the sharp knife from the girl's hand right as she started swinging down with it.

"Whoa! Th't be deathly dangerous, lassie!" The large chef stabbed the knife in a cutting board well out of Miyako's reach and sighed, running his fingers through the thick beard. "I not be knowin wha' tha prol'em is, but ya be better takin' some break before ya kill yaself….or any unfortun'te soul."

Miyako sighed, fidgeting now and then. Munk kept looking at her with expectant eyes, awaiting some answer, but she wasn't sure what to tell him. Finally, the girl gathered the courage to voice out some of her concerns. "Munk, do you think a shy person can…just stop being shy and become straightforward. Maybe, if they train really hard-"

However, Munk's hearty laugh stopped Miyako from continuing on. "'s that what be botherin' ya, gal? Bein' shy 'r straightforward be yer personality, you can't train that. 'Tis not a skill of the sword, ya know." He lightly tapped the girl across her cheek, before continuing. "But ya know girly, when you first came aboard 'tis ship, ya weren't shy…ya were blunt, but also cold. Cause then you still not be a apart of this crew. Ya were shut inyarself, not trustin' us. But now, I think ya be much more honest with yarself girl…so I don't think 'ths all a bad thing. Bein yarself and showin' it in front of a person, means you trust that person. So ya just stay d'way ya are!" Another loud laugh came out of the large chef before he ruffled her hair with his big hand.

Miyako stared up at the pirate, thinking about what he just said. *It means I….trust Law…* She looked at Munk's honest and grinning face. "Munk-san…" She trailed off but then squeezed her eyes shut and slapped both hands onto her cheeks as if to wake herself up. *_No, I can__'__t be like this! Now I__'__m even making Munk and the others worried__…__not to mention I__'__m disrupting everyone__'__s work. I need to pull myself together.* _With newfound determination, Miyako looked up at the pirate chef, her eyes more focused than before. "No, I'm alright, sorry Munk. The breakfast will be due soon so you need the help. I can't procrastinate now."

For a while more, Munk kept eyeing her suspiciously, assessing whether she was really alright to handle a knife or hot pans, but decided they really did need any help they could get right now. With a nod, the large man smiled. "Tha' be me girl. Come now, we be havin' work t' do!" The chef turned to his own work, while shaking his large spoon in the air and beginning to mumble another tune in the process. Kai and the other helping chefs also smiled, happy to see Miyako back in high spirits, before they too went back to their work of preparing food for the crew.

~…..~

After helping in the galley, Miyako took a tray of food and sat down on the table where Cody and Josh were already eating along with Shachi, Penguin, Bepo and Sam. The girl took a bite of her onigiri as she watched the pirates who were once again up to no good. It seemed Shachi, Penguin and Josh were teasing Sam, while Cody tried to calm the situation and Bepo simply watched at their strange ministrations. Sam was an assistant mechanic, wearing big, thick glasses that covered most of his face. As everyone else he had a hat that always hid his face even more. Finally, the man had the collar of his white overall completely up, covering his face all the way up to his nose. In the end, nothing of the man's face was actually seen.

"Come on, Sammy, what are you hiding? You're always so covered up like it's the middle of winter." Josh teased, trying to see the man's face.

"Yeah, yeah, could it be you have a really ugly face underneath all that?" Penguin grinned, adding to the taunts.

"Maybe it's a disguise!" Shachi laughed.

"Knock it off you guys." The assistant mechanic grumbled, not amused.

"Oy, oy…Leave him be, will you." Cody sighed, taking out a pack of cigarettes and putting one into his mouth. However, he didn't have time to light it as Bepo gave him a warning stare.

"You can't smoke here, Cody!" The bear tried to take his cigarette away.

"Eehh…gimme a break, Bepo. We've only been on the surface for that fight yesterday and then had to dive back immediately. In the end, we've been staying inside the submarine for days. Just one." Cody all but pleaded, but the first mate wouldn't budge from the rules.

"Don't you think I know that? I've been stuck in this hot prison with all of you." Bepo slumped onto the table with his red, long tongue sticking out. "I'm already melting…"

"Don't call our submarine a prison. And don't sweat onto the table, that's gross!" Penguin angrily shouted at the bear.

The first mate looked even sadder as he apologized, still sweating profoundly. "Sorry…."

"Come on, Sam!" Meanwhile, Joshua and Shachi were still messing with Sam, now even holding him while trying to get rid of all the items clouding his face.

"Whaaa, stop it guys!" The man protested, trying to break free, but now even Penguin joined them once again. The four men kept wrestling together, not even minding that they were still at the galley sitting at the table.

Miyako just watched the men, as they acted like little children. She looked at Cody thinking he might intervene but saw he was still trying to sneak a smoke and lit it up while Bepo's watchful eye wasn't on him. Still, the bear wouldn't give, and so it went on. Finally, feeling sorry for poor Sam she decided to act, trying to stop Josh and the mechanics. "Would you knock it off already! It's not Sam's fault if he's so shy!" For one, she could understand being shy and sympathize with him.

But just as she was about to hit Josh over the head, the redhead managed to take Sam's glasses off while Penguin did the same with the hat and lowered the high collar. Meanwhile, Shachi was still holding the poor guy from behind giving Sam no chance to escape. Everyone at the table stopped, even Cody and Bepo, and looked at Sam with shocked expressions. Bepo didn't really get it, but here had to be something going on since everyone was staring at Sam like that.

Before them was a man in his early twenties, with wavy light brown locks and bright blue eyes with long eyelashes. His facial lines were perfectly symmetrical, and the bridge of his nose just right. All in all, it looked like a face of a model in one of those magazines. Miyako actually blushed as she stared at the prince-looking man before her, not expecting this in the slightest.

"Who….are you?" Shachi was the first one to speak as he asked.

Sam actually blushed even more, trying to grab his glasses and hat back from them. "S-stop it you guys! I can't see anything without my glasses!"

Josh felt himself getting frustrated for a reason he didn't even want to say out loud. A vein popped out on his forehead and he smacked the thick glasses back onto the man's nose. "That's right, wear all this and don't ever take it off, you bastard! And don't you ever wear contacts!" Everyone already had to accept the fact that Law and Cody were lucky with women because of their good looks. But at least the others in the crew had consolation that everyone else were suffering the same as them; unable to get women so easily. But this guy could easily come in par with Trafalgar and the blue-haired medic with his prince-like looks. "That's unfair Sam!" Penguin also complained in a whine.

"Eh!?" Sam didn't seem to understand the sudden animosity and anger his friends were directing at him, not recognizing their jealousy.

Bepo finally reached an epiphany and hit one paw into the palm of the other. "Ah, I get it! They're angry because Sam is more handsome!" He stated matter-of-factly.

"You shut up, nobody asked you!" Joshua yelled at the bear in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Sorry," the bear reflexively answered.

"Hey, don't take it out on him!" Miyako defended the first mate, glaring at the medic and the two mechanics.

"Awww, now even Miya-chan is mad at us. This is all your fault, Sam!" Shachi shouted in desperation.

"Haaaaa?!" Sam was completely lost, not having any idea what was going on, but somehow feeling he was being blamed for ridiculously unreasonable things.

"As always, you lot are the loudest here." Sai suddenly joined them with a tray of food, putting it down at their table. Sitting down, the man looked around at the rowdy bunch.

"Sai? What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be on navigation duty right now?" Cody tilted his head, still holding an unlit cigarette between his teeth.

"I also have to eat sometimes, you know." The young navigator sighed, answering in his usual monotone tone.

Miyako blinked in wonder. "Now that I think about it, even Bepo is here. Don't you usually eat with the captain?" The girl looked at the polar bear in confusion.

"That's because captain Law isn't here yet." Penguin announced the obvious.

"It's because he told everyone to gather in the galley cause he had an announcement to make. The last time I saw him, he was busy in his quarters," the first mate explained.

"An announcement?" Everyone asked in unison. Just then their talk stopped as the man in question entered the galley.

It seemed the whole crew already knew Law was about to talk to them since silence washed over the room. Everyone were waiting for captain's words with expectation. For a while Law kept standing there, looking across the room as if to analyze the atmosphere. Then finally, he spoke up. A few simple words that left everyone stunned and speechless.

"I will be joining the Shichibukai."

It was stated in such a simple, matter-of-fact tone that it would be passed off as a joke if said by anyone else. However, since it was Trafalgar Law, a man who never joked with such plans, the crew knew he was completely serious. That only made the whole situation more unbelievable.

"What do you mean, captain?" One of the crew members asked, finally breaking the silence.

Once the first question was asked, a whole swarm of questions and comments of disbelief followed. Soon, what was at first a light murmur, turned into a chaotic mesh of voices. Law, who was holding his nodachi on his shoulder, hit the ground with it suddenly, creating a loud enough noise to instantly silence everyone in the galley. When all the attention was once again focused on the captain, he continued.

"It's true. I thought about it and I believe this is the best course of action for our plan."

Once again the Heart Pirates started looking at each other, uncertainty clear in their expressions.

A crew member then dared to ask. "But aren't Shichibukai known to be the dogs of the World Government? Why would you want to become something like that?"

Meanwhile, Miyako looked at Shachi, Penguin and Bepo at her table. The three people, though one was a bear, knew Law for the longest but they were surprisingly quiet through all this. Was it because they already knew what he was planning or perhaps knew their friend long enough to know he had a good reason for doing this? Whatever the case, the three didn't seem to doubt him nor try to oppose him on this matter. Even so, Miyako's curiosity was too big to leave it be. Like everyone else, she wanted to know the reasons behind this sudden decision. Even if Law said he thought about it for a while, this was the first time they all heard of this. But will he give them the answers this time or will they just trust in him blindly like he demanded when infiltrating Abney Cove? Honestly, Miyako didn't want to go through all that again. But this was just like Law, planning and deciding everything on his own, then just giving the crew an already formed decision that he made for all of them. Even if he was the captain, Miyako didn't like the way he excluded his crew and shouldered everything by himself. Would it be too much for his pride to actually ask about their opinions first? A pang of frustration appeared in the samurai girl as she continued to think this.

Still, this time Law surprised her by actually explaining everything. "Perhaps…But in this case we are merely using each other for our own benefit." Seeing his men's confused looks, the captain continued. "We still need to become stronger to find the One Piece. However, the marines are constantly standing in our way and it seems Akainu has decided to eliminate us. It's not really surprising, especially after what happened with the Tenryuubito. They are a hindrance to our plans this way but once I become a Shichibukai, the marines will have no choice but to give us all amnesty. That way we will be able to continue sailing in the New World and look for One Piece without the Fleet Admiral constantly on our tail." Trafalgar didn't mention anything about Doflamingo or Kaido. It was true that by becoming a Shichibukai, Law will probably be able to get his hands on some useful information that he couldn't before, and that could help him in his preparation again Joker, but his crew still knew nothing about his plans to destroy Smiley and Joker's plans. For now, it was better it stayed that way.

"Eh? But won't that be just going along with the marines?" Another man asked.

Law smirked as if expecting that question. "I don't intent to be a Warlord for long. However, for now it would be the best course of action to give us more time. Still, nothing is really holding us to keep to that agreement once we won't need it anymore." His smirk widened.

"Heh. So we're just using the World Government for amnesty until we get strong enough." Sai smirked, liking the idea suddenly.

"But how do you intent to become a Shichibukai. Usually, it is something the World Government decides and then sends a proposal to the pirate." Jean Bart chimed in from the back.

Law's smirk now turned into a mischievous grin. A grin that clearly stated he had a plan. "Then we will simply have to give them an offer too appealing to refuse."

The Heart Pirates looked at each other in wonder. Still, there was no man here who didn't believe in captain Trafalgar Law. After all, Law's plans always worked in the end so there was no need to start doubting his judgment now. If captain Law said it was in their best interests, then it had to be true. Now the Heart Pirates only wondered; what did their captain have in mind this time?

~…..~

Sai stared at the wanted poster in his hands one more time before turning to the periscope and looking through it. "It's them. I'm certain, the jolly roger of their crew matches." He turned to his captain as he spoke, showing him the wanted poster.

Law nodded and looked at the pirate captain on the picture. "Andrew Van Horne, captain of the Scurvy Pirates. Bounty of 50,000,000 Beri. I knew I could count to find some big bounty pirates in the New World." Trafalgar smirked as he watched the middle-aged pirate on the picture who was grinning at him with a smile full of golden teeth.

The submarine sailed slowly underwater towards the pirate ship up on the surface, not expecting the attack that will soon come upon them.

"So are we attacking them, Captain?" Bepo asked, blinking with his beady black eyes.

Law nodded and took out the Den Den Mushi in the control room, addressing everyone in the submarine. "Men, we are surfacing in 3 minutes so get ready to attack as soon as we are out of water. We will approach the side and lock onto them to invade the enemy's ship. Remember what we talked about; you studied the wanted posters of the crew, I want everyone with the bounty higher than 500 000 captured alive. Everyone else…you can dispose of." The captain finished, turning off the den den mushi and turning to his two navigators once again. "Sai-ya, Jean Bart-ya, get us level with them and out of waters."

"Aye Aye captain!" The two men nodded and went to work, calculating their speed and approach angle to the other ship.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Miyako suddenly asked. She was standing on the side with her arms crossed on her chest and a serious gaze in her eyes as she watched the sea in front of her from the main window. It seemed there was something she was unhappy about, she had been like this ever since Law announced his plans to the Heart Pirates. He thought she would at least be happy for knowing about the whole plan from the start.

"Is there something you're dissatisfied with, Miss Miyako?" This really wasn't the time nor the place to be discussing it since they were preparing for battle. Besides, Law really didn't want to experience any of her usual stubbornness or insubordination while a part of his crew was watching. Still, ignoring it didn't seem like an option either since there was a clear dark aura of irritation around the girl.

Miyako sighed and closed her eyes but then turned to look at him, staring him right in the eyes with a mild glare of annoyance. "Of course there is. If I remember correctly, I decided to follow _you_, not the marines or the World Government. Why do we have to answer to them all of a sudden?" She still pierced Law with her burning golden eyes, demanding an explanation.

Now it was time for Law to sigh. "You should already be aware of the need to do this…You were there when Kizaru attacked us, you know we need more time. Traps like that one will just keep occurring until we won't be so lucky to meet a storm like last time. We've trained hard to be strong enough for the New World and now we are, but it isn't over yet. Marines keep getting in the way of our plans, they are a hindrance we need to deal with for now."

"Our plans of finding One Piece…?" Miyako asked with a strange expression, still piercing him with her glare. There was something about that question that made Law think she wasn't upset just because of the Shichibukai issue. There was an obvious meaning behind her tone.

Nevertheless, Law didn't let himself be taken in by her pace. He kept the usual straight face, ignoring Miyako's true question in her words. "Of course," he answered simply as if it was obvious.

Miyako didn't say anymore, but instead turned her head to stare outside the window again, still wearing that serious, unsatisfied expression.

Bepo and the navigators looked at each other awkwardly, uncertain how to deal with the tense atmosphere in the room. There was obviously something between their captain and the samurai, but it didn't seem like anybody wanted to address it, including those two.

Jean Bart was first to speak, deciding to direct the topic back to their original goal right now. "We're ready to surface captain," the large navigator warned, looking at Law and awaiting his final order.

Law took the nodachi which was lying against the wall with his one hand, while grabbing the railing for support with the other. He gave a small nod to the navigator, that didn't go unnoticed, and with that signaled the start of their mission.

Bart slowly pulled the helm towards him, leading the submarine out towards the surface. In an instant, a yellow vessel appeared out of the sea right beside the pirate ship, surprising every one of the Scurvy Pirates. Without warning, the large metal doors of the submarine slammed open and pirates in white overalls and colorful hats ran out, charging at the pirate ship and jumping over the railing to reach the deck of the enemy's vessel. Shouts and battle cries filled the air as the battle begun before the captain of the Scurvy pirates could even react.

Andrew Van Horne, a tall man with one wooden leg and a large red beard limped over to his ship's deck and took out a sabre. "Come on ye scurvy dogs! Fight for yer lives against these picaroons!" With a thick accent, the captain yelled, coordinating his crew and holding his own against the Heart Pirates. However, even he couldn't do anything when Law called out his Room and swung the long nodachi. Before captain Van Horne could dodge, slow with his one good leg, the slashes went thorough him, giving him a strange sensation of being cut in pieces yet still alive.

The rest of the Heart Pirates crew with Bepo leading the way throughout the ship, soon took over the enemy vessel. With Bepo kicking their first mate into unconsciousness with a loud cry of 'Aya!' the whole crew of Scurvy Pirates was defeated. The Heart pirates soon gained complete victory. Enemy pirates who weren't dead or drowning overboard all gathered in a group on their ship's deck, which was now dirtied with blood and sweat. They were tied with ropes, sitting on the ground. The Heart Pirates raided the ship, looking for anything valuable and useful to take, while a group of them stayed to circle around and guard the prisoners, waiting for their captain.

"What ye want with us, Rookie of the Worst Generation." The captain Van Horne glared at Trafalgar Law who was examining the prisoners in front of him, comparing them to the wanted posters in his hands. At that question, Law looked up at the captain from underneath his hat, rising one eyebrow at the strange name he was just given. Worst Generation? That was the first Law heard of it. When the other captain noticed Law's questioning look, he smirked, clarifying. "What? Ye don't know? 'Tis what the World Government be calling you lot from Sabaody, more than 18 moons ago."

Law thought about it for a second. *_He must be referring to the day we were all attacked at Sabaody Archipelago by Kizaru and the pacifista. The 11 rookie pirates who the marines failed to capture at that time. So now they__'__re even calling us the Worst Generation?*_ A barely visible smirk appeared on Law's face, hidden underneath his spotted white hat. He turned to Bepo, ignoring Van Horne's glare and handed him the wanted posters of the men in this crew who all had a bounty of half a million or higher. "They will do. I don't need the rest."

The other captain stiffened. "What ye want to do to me and me men?"

Law suddenly grinned darkly, staring right at the other man. "You will find out soon enough. Should I start with you, then?" Trafalgar reached out with his tattooed hand, the word 'death' ominously approaching towards the other captain.

~…..~

Van Horne and some of his men watched in horror at the gaping holes in their chest. Instead, a heap of still-beating hearts kept pulsing before their eyes as they were being transferred into a large bag.

"W-what…be going on here?" The captain of the Scurvy Pirates barely managed to choke out from his dry throat. He watched as the Surgeon of Death put the tips of his fingers over the other captain's chest and mumbled a single word; 'Mes.' In an instant, a blue cube enveloping his own heart was being pushed out of his chest. It hurt like crazy, as if someone was really cutting out his heart and the man couldn't help but scream in pain. But more than pain, now he was just feeling pure shock as his heart continued to beat and he was still alive, yet he could stare at his own heart which was away from his body. "What'd you done 'ere, boy!?"

Trafalgar narrowed his eyes and took Van Horne's heart in his hands. There was no blood, only the preserved heart in a small cube. He presented the organ in front of the one-legged captain's eyes. "This is your heart." Law explained simply before squeezing the said organ. A piercing pain entered Van Horne's chest and coursed throughout his body. He felt as if he was having a heart attack as the pressure in his chest increased. A loud scream came out of his mouth as the captain fell forward, face first onto the deck. Law then released the heart and the pain stopped. He waited for Van Horne to calm down a little as the other captain kept panting on the floor.

"I can easily crush your heart like this. In other words, your life in my hands…literally." Law grinned at his own cruel joke.

He only received a glare from Van Horne, though. "So ye...*pant*..be sayin' *pant* we be yours slaves *pant* now?"

The smirk never left Law's face as he answered. "That's right. You can't attack us, or come after us. I can do with your heart whatever I want at any time."

"Ye….bast-gaaaah!" Van Horne never got to finish the insult as Law squeezed his heart once more. After releasing it, the captain was again left panting, still on the floor. "Then…what ye be wantin' *pant* with us? To be yer *pant* subordinates, yer crew?*"

The dark doctor looked down at the other man, sheer coldness in his grey eyes. "You don't have that worth." Tossing the heart into the bag and onto the pile of a few dozen other hearts, Law added. "I don't want anything further with you and you don't need to know anything more either. Weaklings don't get to ask questions." He turned from the tied up pirates. Before walking back to his submarine, Trafalgar stopped once more and looked over his shoulder at the pirate captain. "If you want to blame something, then blame your own weakness." With that he continued walking, shouting orders to his crew to get ready for departure after restocking supplies taken from the other ship.

The enemy pirates could only watch in shock and silence as the large polar bear took the bag with their beating hearts, tossing it over his shoulder and heading back to follow after Trafalgar. At that moment all of them really were cursing their weakness but they were also cursing the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law.

~…~

"Let's partyyyy!" Penguin yelled, raising a mug of beer high in the air.

The rest of the Heart Pirates cheered and they all bumped mugs and glasses, drinking the alcohol hungrily.

It was already nighttime with the moon high in the sky, shining down onto the currently rowdy submarine. The sea was calm for a change so the pirates decided to celebrate their successful first step towards the new plan they were about to execute, by having a party on the deck of the submarine. They didn't get a lot of chances to enjoy the fresh air and night sky here in the New World, so Law let them indulge for the night. However, it came with the condition that they were all up and ready tomorrow morning sharp, without any excuses of headaches and hangovers.

Even Trafalgar was holding a glass of whiskey in his hands, sipping it now and then while watching Shachi and Penguin make a fool of themselves as usual. They were currently singing and dancing, already drunk. Meanwhile, Bepo was stuffing himself with fresh fish since they found a whole batch in the Scurvy Pirates' pantry this afternoon. Meanwhile Cody was enjoying his cigarette, ignoring Joshua who kept nagging at him about the health issues with smoking. It might be ironic that Cody who was a medic, smoked, but Law didn't mind as long as he didn't do so in the infirmary. Even Jean Bart was enjoying himself, drinking beer form a large mug while chatting with Sai, probably about their course tomorrow. Deep in thought, Law realized his eyes kept searching for one person in particular yet she wasn't to be found. However, his gaze found her soon enough. She was standing on the side, holding onto the railing of the vessel and looking up at the starry night sky. A small frown appeared on the captain's face when he remembered Miyako was probably still bothered about the whole Shichibukai plan. Wanokuni didn't want to get involved with the World Government so they always stayed on the side, neutral as a country. That's why she probably didn't feel so good about the thought of being used by the Government or the Marines. It's not like Law enjoyed that thought either, but there was a deeper meaning to doing this. Then he remembered the strange look she gave him in the control room.

Standing up, Law walked over to the samurai. As she heard his footsteps, Miyako turned a bit to look at him, her big golden orbs gleaming in the night. "Captain," she greeted him rather formally as he stood by her side, also looking up at the stars. On his surprise she didn't try to tune him out but instead continued. "The sky's beautiful tonight, isn't it? And it's so peaceful…you wouldn't think we were really in the New World, the most dangerous place in the world."

Law looked back at his cheerful crew who were still laughing and singing loudly. _*I don__'__t know about peaceful, thou__gh.* _Never the one to beat around the bush, Law decided to ask her straight. "Do you trust me?"

She turned to look at him again, her expression clearly demanding an explanation as she watched him with wonder.

So he continued. "You asked me whether it was really to find One Piece…as if that was only an excuse." Law stared. *_And you may have been right_,* the thought crossed his mind but he left it unsaid. "But this plan really will get us closer to One Piece, that's what I believe. This way I can roam free and do what I please as a pirate. It's true, maybe like this I can even get more information about Joker and the devil fruit maker-gas, Smiley. All in all it's a win-win situation for us. But trust me when I say this; I won't betray my crew." He stared her right in the eyes, locking his grey ones with her golden orbs. "So I will ask you again; do you trust me?"

Miyako stiffened a little, thinking about everything Law just told her. *_I know you wouldn__'__t intentionally betray or hurt your crew. But you are prepared to go this far for Doflamingo__…__Who knows, maybe even sacrifice yourself in the process if need be. These guys don__'__t know anything about Joker, if you just decide to leave and handle him on your own__…__.leaving them behind, isn__'__t that a kind of betrayal too?* _However, Miyako couldn't say anything of what she was thinking right now. Besides, Law never told her he would go that far to take down Joker so she didn't have any proof. But the animosity in his glare, the way he spoke that day in the infirmary when he admitted his past with Doflamingo…that aura of his was enough for Miyako to suspect something. He was serious, dead serious, and Miyako wondered how far he would take it. With a sigh, the girl closed her eyes. "I understand. I trust you. But-" Opening her eyes, she gave Law a serious, warning look. "-if the marines ask of us to do something I am completely opposed to, I won't do it."

Trafalgar Law actually chuckled at the girl's serious but slightly pouty look, making her seem like a sulky child. "Fair enough." He nodded in approval, before gazing back at the sky.

"But is it really ok with you? I mean, the Government may give you orders to do missions for them. Don't you hate being ordered around?" Miyako raised one eyebrow in suspicion.

However, the captain just smirked at her question. "Actually, the Shichibukai are rarely called to take action for the marines. I don't plan on being a warlord for that long anyway. Only until I get what I want, which reminds me…" He looked right at Miyako again, silently staring at her for a while. The girl looked back, awaiting. "Teach me how to cut through armament Haki armor."

Miyako stayed silent for a while, but then simply smiled without a word. The smile wasn't arrogant since her captain just asked her for a favor. It was just a small, but genuine smile; Law could tell because it reached her eyes, making them shine even brighter. Standing there in the darkness with a gentle smile in the moonlight with the starry sky above and the vast dark see behind her, the girl looked like a scene from a painting. It awoke a sudden urge inside Law and he stepped forward, towards her. One hand covered her own smaller one placed on the railing while the other cupped her cheek, holding her head in place. He noticed the girl's nervous glances towards the Heart Pirates who were still laughing and talking in a group. "They won't see, they're all drunk and too busy with their party," he assured her smoothly right before his lips covered her own. He felt her coming closer as she returned the kiss, placing one of her hands on his chest but not pushing him away.

In the darkness of the night, two shadows leaned closer to each other until they became of one shape, completely unnoticed by the people behind them.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed it! So as I said before, it's time to move on with the plot towards the cannon one. That doesn't mean I won't be making some original plot twists, because you know me; I just have to put some of my own story parts in it. :P There will still be some new islands on their way. It just means the plot will now slowly progress towards Punk Hazard and through it, I will try to explain some of the cannon parts of the story that happened. However, right now there is still little known about the Heart Pirates and their adventures. We know Law gave 100 hearts to the Navy to become a Shichibukai, but how did he get them? What is the Rocky Port incident? Since these parts of the story are unknown, unfortunately I will have to write my own original plots for them as explanations. It might be completely different from the original, so bear with me. :

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><p>Special thanks to <strong>MsStripey10 <strong>for beta reading this chapter.

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><p>I was in a bit of a rush, so I answered the reviews that had a question, suggestion, or something like that. However, I'd like to thank all the others who commented as well. Thank you everyone for all of your lovely and supportive reviews. You always give me the energy to carry on writing, even when my life is hectic. :)<p>

**Koshuu: **Yep, Miyako will get even stronger. Right now I'm thinking of a new attack for her. :)

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **hehe To Law, it only matters what's necessary to _him_. :P But you're right, it just wouldn't be right without the captain in it. ^^

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **I like her too; she was feisty but kind. :) Yep, I'm looking forward to writing it too!

**JustChan: **That's too bad. :( Hopefully, you'll enjoy the new ones more. The Heart Pirates have a silent agreement; Miyako belongs to the captain so nobody is allowed to try anything. Cause they'd rather not die… :P But somehow, just robbing a bank seemed a bit…plain? :/ They can rob people any day, this was a one-time opportunity for Shachi and Penguin. XD

**Lawismyhusband: **Thank you~ It will evolve more, they're not quite there yet.

**Izzie: **To be honest I'm always thinking whether I should make a special chapter for days like Valentines, Halloween and so on, but somehow I don't find the time. ^^' I might do some one shot special as I did for Christmas, though. I'll see how things go.

**Yumi sawamura: **Actually**, **I already have some ideas for the Kid pirates story. I know I'd have enough inspiration, so the only problem is time. That's why I didn't start it yet. I mean, I still have my Death Note story on hiatus! x_x

Hahah it worked! XD I can totally imagine Law's black aura right now. XD Uh-oh. At times like these, there's only one thing we can do…Luuuufyyy heeeelp!

**NightStar85: **aaah, I can totally imagine the irritated Law. :D Well, we'll see what happens with Miyako and him until then, though. ;)

**Thunderqueen-nat: **There will still be some original plots and islands (I will try to keep it shorter), but I will also go through the cannon plots of how Law became a Shichibukai and what not. There is still a lot I need to write before Punk Hazard. ^^'


	51. Chapter 51

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for violence, language and suggestive themes.

Author's note: Greetings everyone, I'm finally back! Sorry for the wait but I had exams until now so I wasn't able to work on the new chapter much. My summer finally starts now so hopefully I'll speed things along and update more frequently during summer vacation. Originally I wanted to do the whole island arc in one chapter but that would take a lot more time to complete and I figured I owed you guys an update already so I'll split it into two chapters and start writing the next one immediately. Also, I didn't have time to send this one to my beat reader but I proofread it myself, so I'm sorry if I neglected to see some mistakes. In any case, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and have fun! :)

*Thank you everyone for your lovely and supportive reviews! You are all awesome!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 51<strong>

Josh checked the list one more time, reading the names of the pirates from it. „That's 20 hearts so far," he commented, turning around to look at his captain who was scribbling something at the desk in the infirmary. Meanwhile, Joshua had to store all the hearts away and check on them, reading the list of the names from the wanted posters of all the pirates whose heart they possessed so far. Putting them all back in their place, Josh closed the doors of the fridge where they were stored, even though it was unnecessary to keep them there; Law's little Room cube around each heart seemed to work perfectly, preserving them. "80 more to go. Still, are you sure this will be enough to persuade the marines to let you join the Shichibukai?" Josh was still a bit skeptical about the whole plan. In the end, if they travel to the Marine Headquarters, one of the most dangerous places for a pirate to be, and Law doesn't get the title of Warlord, they will all be screwed. The marines would surround them and capture them in a second, throwing them all in Impel Down or possibly even execute them. However, captain Law seemed strangely confident in his plan, certain that the marines won't decline their offer.

The captain put down his pen and leaned back into his seat for a second, looking at the redheaded medic who was making a list of all their medication at the moment. „There is a reason why I am only after the pirates who have more than 500 000 Beri bounty, and why I'm not simply killing them and taking their hearts, Joshua-ya. The marines will be given the hearts of 100 pirates, that means they will have means to control pirates of at least 500 000 bounty or higher; those aren't just some small fry either. This deal is better than any head a bounty hunter could give them. When captured, a pirate could either be executed or imprisoned for life. But like this, the Government will actually be able to control those 100 pirates since they will be holding the lives of those men in their hands. Whether they will capture them or use them as they please, it's up to the Marines. Don't you think that deal is something the government definitively won't refuse?" Law grinned in complete satisfaction, already knowing the answer to that question.

Josh thought about Law's words for a while, before showing a smirk of his own. "Yeah, that's a pretty sweet deal for them. They'd be idiots to refuse. As expected of captain Law."

Trafalgar put his hands at the back of his head, staring at the bright ceiling in thought. They raided two more pirate ships since his plan begun, but they still needed about four times as much as they already had. Law was never an impatient man, but the process of taking 100 hearts seemed a bit too slow for his liking; especially when he had to mind their bounty. After all, the marines could attack again at any moment and they might not be as lucky as last time when fending off Kizaru. He needed that amnesty and he needed it fast. Law had to do something more drastic to get the remaining hearts; possibly all in one go. But how?

The doctor was brought out of his deep musings when Josh continued. "That fox girl didn't seem to take it very well, though." The redhead sighed, mumbling the next comment as if he was talking to himself instead of Law. "Is she still sulking?"

Law's eyebrow rose at Joshua's word. _Fox girl?_ At first he didn't have a clue who the medic was talking about, but than a thought hit him, or rather a picture of a certain girl formed in his mind. Miyako was smiling with that sly smirk and slightly narrowed eyes as she always would when she would get a devious idea. Many times when she was planning something, she really did look like a fox, only lacking the animal's ears twitching on her head. '_Fufufu'_ The girl's laugh echoed in his mind when she was pleased with her plan, one hand hiding her mouth while she chuckled. Law had to refrain himself from sweat dropping. At those times, she really did seem like a sly fox; Joshua might have unconsciously hit it right on the mark with that statement. Remembering the shorter man's question, his captain stared back at the ceiling while thinking. "No, I think that is settled for now." With Miyako, though, you never knew when a new disaster could arise. The girl's knack for trouble constantly kept him on his toes.

~…..~

Somewhere in the other part of the submarine, on the second floor where the pirates' quarters were, Miyako sneezed. Brushing her nose with her index finger, the girl took a breath thinking she will sneeze again. Luckily, the urge stopped and she calmed down. "Honestly, I can't stop sneezing…" The girl suddenly remembered that old saying and frowned. "That shorty better not be talking bad about me."

~…..~

However, it seemed today Trafalgar just wasn't allowed to have some time to think by himself, because once again he was rudely interrupted by the doors of the infirmary slamming open. Stepping in hurriedly, his first mate ran towards him, waving today's newspapers in his paw.

"Captain!" Bepo called out, rushing towards Law and almost bumping into Josh in the process.

"Oy, watch it!" The temperamental redhead exclaimed, moving out of the way of the large polar bear.

Forgetting why he even came in the infirmary, Bepo stopped what he was doing and stood in place, bowing his head in sudden depression. "Sorry."

The Dark Doctor, already used to the bear's antics, simply ignored the gloomy state of his first mate and instead reminded Bepo of his actual aim. "Bepo, what happened?"

"Ah, that's right!" The bear suddenly lifted his head up, completely forgetting his depression from a while ago, and came up to Law. "Look at this captain, I found this while reading the ads in the newspaper." Bepo opened the large papers on Law's desk and pointed at one small add. It was in the far corner of the paper, without a signature or any other information. Only the plain black text on wrinkled, white paper.

_Until night turns back into a day again, sail on, sail on. _

_After 45 long strides towards the Y is where you stop_

_Only 24 minutes you can wait_

_It is Z that marks the spot when you look 10 strides towards the North Blue sky_

_Only 36 minutes you can wait_

_The X is only visible from the mountain top where the seagulls fly high_

_Look down into the Hell's abyss, there is where we'll lie._

Law read the small text out loud, already mulling over the meaning behind those words. Before he had the chance to voice out his opinions, Bepo started.

"Captain, could it be _that_?" The bear looked at his captain and longtime friend with wide, expectant black eyes.

"That?" This time it was Josh who asked as he got interested in all the commotion and joined the other two pirates. The redhead tilted his head to the side, looking between the newspaper and the two Heart Pirates.

The doctor looked at the advert again before nodding, as if confirming his own theory inside his mind. "Occasionally, the pirates of the world will communicate like this. Marines can sometimes intersect den den mushi conversations and messages, so sometimes it's too dangerous to use them. Instead, to make sure it is kept top secret, pirates will communicate like this; they'll put hidden coded messages in everyday newspapers where the marines wouldn't suspect to look. I believe this is one of those messages." The captain tapped onto the papers before continuing. "A few days ago I called my informant and got some interesting information; it seems one of the Yonkou is on the move, recruiting more forces. They must be preparing for the World Government and Blackbeard."

"Kaido." Bepo explained, earning himself a strange look from Josh who was shocked the bear would know such a thing. He obviously knew what was going on, which wasn't strange since Law specifically told him to keep a sharp eye for any messages or articles like this while reading the newspapers.

"It seems they finally decided to make their move," Trafalgar added, piercing the text before him with his cold eyes. He already knew Kaido was building an army full of devil fruit zoan type users, so to achieve that he needed a lot of men under his rule.

"So Kaido is getting even more power? This was sent by him?!" The redhead was obviously surprised by the realization, staring at the papers with wide eyes underneath his cap. After accepting the idea, the man's shocked expression turned into a frown. "But what does it mean?"

Law's keen eyes were already examining the text, trying to decipher it. "I think this is a place…perhaps a meeting place for their summit where the pirates will join." He tapped the advert with his index finger, sliding it over the letters as if that will help him to understand the meaning behind this seemingly jumble of words. "I presume it will be somewhere in the New World." Then suddenly his eyes narrowed as the doctor got an interesting idea. Standing up abruptly, Law took the newspapers and headed out of the infirmary in a mild rush.

"Captain?" Both Bepo and Josh called out after him in confusion, seeing as their captain just up and left. The two looked at each other in wonder before both decided to go after him.

Taking long strides, Law was in front of the submarine's control room in no time. Opening the doors he was greeted by his two navigators who were currently relaxing. They were deep down in the sea waters and there were no dangers or underwater twisters in sight, so the navigators could relax for a change, riding on some slow sea currents. That relaxation didn't last for long when Law came in suddenly, putting the newspapers in front of Sai on his control panel. "Get me a map of a globe and all the New World maps we have."

"What's going on?" Sai asked, already getting up and walking towards the metal cabinets where all their maps were stored. Retrieving the needed ones, the navigator came back with his hands full, letting them all fall down onto the control panel. Even Jean Bart got interested, eyeing the papers behind Sai's back.

Soon Bepo and Josh came, followed by Shachi and Penguin who they met on the way. "What's all this ruckus about? Bepo says it's urgent?" Shachi called out seeing a mess of maps on Sai's control panel.

Law didn't say anything but instead opened the map of the world globe. Without even being asked, Sai held the map open while Trafalgar examined it.

"Captain found Kaido's message in the newspapers," Bepo explained bluntly, with a matter-of-fact tone, completely missing the fact that such an explanation only confused the rest of the pirates more.

"He found what where?" Penguin blinked underneath his hat, unable to understand the situation. Meanwhile, Josh took the papers and showed it to the two mechanics, briefly clarifying the situation. He told them everything Law said in the infirmary. Shachi's and Penguin's expressions changed from shock, to understanding and then confusion again, just like his had a while ago.

"But this message makes no sense; 10 strides towards the North Blue sky? How can you walk towards the sky anyway?" Penguin tilted his head and put his hands on his hips, a slightly irritated tone in his voice. He hated riddles since he was never very good at them.

"I think 'strides' are actually a name for something else." Law explained absent mindedly, motioning for them to bring the newspaper back to him so he could examine the text one more time.

"Like a code name!" Bepo exclaimed, excitedly.

"That's not a code name, idiot!" Penguin corrected him, unusually high-spirited about all this. "Code name is like...you know…when I have a secret name like 'Handsome Pirate Mecha' or something."

Shachi looked at his friend mechanic with a suspicious stare. "You actually call yourself that...? That's so lame."

The younger mechanic blushed and became flustered all of a sudden, straightening his back. "I-I'm not! That was just an example, an example!" The pirate defended himself but it seemed his friend didn't believe him at all, as Shachi still stared at him with a dejected expression.

"What's going on here?" Another new voice filled the control room as Cody peaked his head inside. Next to him, sharing the same interested expression, Miyako stood watching the group of pirates inside the room. Shachi and Penguin were still having their discussing while Josh and Bepo simply watched them both, looking from one to the other as the mechanics kept fighting, exchanging insults now and then. Every now and again, Bepo would jump in with his own remark on the matter of the code name, joining in the argument. However, that would soon be over when both mechanics would yell at the bear to shut up before returning to their own quarrel. Meanwhile, Sai was helping Law analyze the various map while Jean Bart stood behind the smaller navigator, watching them with interest.

Miyako and Cody looked at each other, stepping into the room uncertainly.

"Um…guys?" Cody called out trying to get someone's attention.

"It's really loud in here," Miyako frowned, watching the group. Then again, Heart Pirates were always a rowdy bunch, but at least in the control room with the ever-silent Jean Bart and always calm Sai, it was usually peace and quiet in here. This scene was already far above unusual.

Trafalgar's eyebrow twitched as he furrowed them, trying to concentrate on the riddle before him. However, it was impossible with the loud atmosphere in the room. Everyone were fighting or talking and now even more people were entering the not-so-big control room. It was becoming way too crowded in here. Finally having enough, the captain raised his voice. "Everyone, silence!" With just two words, the whole room suddenly became quiet. Everyone stared at the man who lost his temper. Law was still leaning over the maps with both his hands on the panel, looking at the map of the world before him. This one wasn't detailed, only having continents on it, showing grand line going through the middle and the longitude and latitude lines going throughout the globe.

Finally having some peace and quiet, the captain turned back to his work. "The first one is quite obvious; 'Until night turns back into a day again.' It must mean East. When going East, you are getting time back, going towards the sun and where night is here, there it is day." Law explained, pointing at the eastern hemisphere of the world.

Sai nodded, but then frowned after reading the next few passages. "But the rest is more complicated…'Strides.' What are these strides they're talking about?"

"Then what about x, y, and z?" Jean Bart chimed in from the back.

"x…y…z…" the smaller navigator mumbled, repeating the letters. Then his eyes lit up in realization. After all, they already deducted this is a riddle to find the location, then this text must be showing them the coordinates to the meeting point. If that's the case…"Do you know about Cartesian coordinates?" Suddenly, the light-haired navigator asked.

Everyone who crowded around the maps and the control panel looked up at Sai with questioning expressions. "Huh?" Almost in unison everyone asked, except for Law who just waited for his navigator's explanation in anticipating silence. There was a serious, almost hungry look in the captain's eyes as he yearned for any information that could decipher this message.

Sai kept silent for a while, as if enjoying everyone's impatient stares, but then decided to explain. "A Cartesian coordinate system uses x, y and z to calculate the distance, going from the center of the earth. Z-axis goes along the axis of the ellipsoid, northward. Meanwhile x-axis goes toward in 0 degrees while y-axis goes vertically on the globe, 90 degrees east." Sai drew the lines on the map as he talked and proceeded to name them with x,y, and z, while explaining further. "So 'towards Y' is referring to the y-axis on the east. The same goes with Z part."

"But what about the 45 strides?" Miyako huffed, suddenly appearing next to them with a troubled expression.

The group almost jumped in surprise. "When did you get here?" Penguin asked in bewilderment.

The girl just scowled, looking at the mechanic. "I've been here all along!"

"Longitudes and Latitudes." Law suddenly spoke up, startling everyone.

Jean Bart and Sai widened their eyes as understanding hit them. "Of course, it's referred to 45 and 10 degrees used to calculate coordinates. Then the minutes to wait are actually minutes in coordinates as well." Jean Bart explained, talking more than usual since even he was enveloped in the riddle now.

"So the X is our final destination. How appropriate." Cody commented with a smirk.

"44° 24', 10° 36'. Those must be the coordinates for the meeting point. Everything else will probably be clear when we get there." Their captain finally deducted.

"Um….so….where are we going exactly?" Miyako was the first to ask the obvious since she and Cody still had no idea what was going on here.

Sai took out one of the maps that charted the eastern part of the New World. After a while of calculating and drawing lines, he finally put an X on a small piece of land there. "This is it captain, Rocky Port." The navigator announced, showing the small island on the map.

Law's eyes narrowed as they glinted dangerously. "So this is where they will meet. It is still unclear if Kaido himself will be there or only his subordinates, doing the recruiting, but the summit will definitively be here." He tapped the location on the map with his tattooed index finger. Certainly, a lot of pirates will come there, wanting to gain power by sailing under one of the Yonkou. Now that the new era has started, pirates swarmed even the New World, looking for treasures and One Piece, so this would be a perfect opportunity for many of them to join forces with another pirate crew. The gears started turning in Law's brain as a new plan started to form, along with a devious smirk on the man's features. Indeed, there will be a lot of pirates there.

~…..~

"Let me get this straight…you want to go to Rocky Port where a pirate gathering will occur for joining Kaido's crew?" Miyako asked, eyeing the captain suspiciously.

The whole Heart Pirate crew was currently out on the deck of the yellow submarine, staring at Law who was leaning against the vessel's railing with his arms crossed. His head was slightly bowed down, the eyes hidden behind the rim of his white, fuzzy hat. He was wearing his long black coat with the yellow smiley of their jolly roger, since the weather was colder now, with the first flakes of snow slowly starting to fall from the grey sky above them. Beside him, Bepo was sitting down, already asleep as the bear enjoyed some fresh cold air, still holding onto the man's nodachi.

"That's right," Trafalgar simply answered.

"But why are we going there, captain? We don't want to join Kaido, right? Didn't you want to become a Shichibukai?" One of the pirates in the group inquired. The whole crew seemed confused by Law's plans as the situation just kept changing rapidly; first it was the title of Shichibukai and now it was one of the Yonkou.

Law smirked, unfazed by the question. "We're not going to join them, our plan hasn't changed. We're simply going there to execute it," the captain explained, as his gaze traveled from one crewmember to the other, eyeing their confused reactions.

"I still don't get it," Penguin admitted, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

The captain sighed. Sometimes it was tiring to explain every detail of his plan to his crew, yet he knew it was necessary to give them something so that they could act according to the strategy. "It's simple really; we need 80 hearts of at least somewhat known pirates with a bounty, and at Rocky Port, there will be plenty of such pirates." Law's usually cold eyes had a mischievous glint in them while he spoke.

The Heart Pirates looked at each other, wearily. "But…won't Kaido be there? Not to mention, we will be heavily outnumbered."

"It is still unclear whether Kaido will really be there or not; but it is more likely that he won't risk going to the meeting spot in case marines get a wind of this summit. Instead, he will most likely send an executive in his place," the doctor continued, seemingly unworried that they might come across one of the Yonkuo. However, Trafalgar was a man who usually played it safe; making a detailed strategy for his every move. There was no person here who suspected the captain would do any of this without a proper plan. With that said, there was really only one question they had to ask right now.

"So, what's the plan?"

Law grinned, his grey eyes shining as dangerously as sharp steel. "We will change our course to Rocky Port." The man then stepped away from the railing, standing tall before his whole crew. "In the meantime, I have some preparations to make. We will take all those 80 hearts in one go." The captain stated with confidence before his men.

The Heart Pirates seemed to be pumped up completely as they grinned at Trafalgar, with eyes full of amazement for their captain. "That's right! We'll show them all!" In the end, the men cheered, thinking what a cool guy their captain really is.

"I'll help too!" Bepo suddenly announced, still asleep and snoring softly.

Law glanced at the polar bear with a smirk. In the end, no matter what, he could always count on Bepo and his crew to go along with his plans.

"He's answering in his sleep again!" The crew exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm sorry…." The bear mumbled.

"Don't apologize either!" The crew yelled back.

~…~

"Are you sure about this, Law?"A man's voice came from the other side of the den den mushi.

There was a silence for a while, before the said captain answered. "Yes, it's fine. Just do what I told you. Besides, it's not like this information is false so you don't have anything to complain about." Trafalgar answered, a serious expression replaced by a slight smirk on his features as he spoke into the transponder snail.

A sigh was heard on the other line, before the man spoke up again. "Fine, but you know what this could create. I hope you understand the consequences of what you're doing."

Law's lips pulled back even further, into a dark smile. "Understand the consequences…? I'm counting on them. In the New World, there is only two ways for the pirate to live; work under one of the Yonkou, or continually challenge them. That is what I'm aiming for."

"Tch. You really are a crazy bastard, Law." The man on the other side mumbled. "I understand. Leave the rest to me." With that, the line disconnected and the transponder snail fell into silence. Law's quarters were eerily quiet as the tall man stood there for a second more, pondering on his move. For now, everything was going according to plan, but the real battle was yet to come. Yet there was an excited gleam in Law's grey eyes, making them look like a real storm ready to swallow everything in its way. Trafalgar Law was always a man who found new challenges exciting; the harder it seemed, the sweeter the taste after his victory. He could feel the time approaching in every fiber of his being, as the wind of change started to blow, turning the gears of the New World. And soon, the monotonous gears were about to break completely. This mechanism called order was about to collapse; and the one tipping over this house of cards will be none else but Law himself. He could almost feel it within his reach.

_*Just a little bit more, Cora-san.*_

~…~

Miyako lay in bed, silently staring at the metal ceiling of her small room. Outside, the fishes were swimming along the submarine, seen through the only porthole in the quarters. Once again, they were underwater, sailing full speed ahead with their new destination.

"Rocky Port," the girl mumbled in a whisper, letting the word roll off her tongue slowly. What will await them there, she had no idea, but the samurai just couldn't dispose of the nervous feeling deep in her gut. Was it really just that; a gut feeling, or was there a genuine reason for concern? She trusted Law but sometimes it was impossible to understand what he was thinking. Swirling inside her mind, came all the information the girl concluded about the pirate captain until now. He was a pirate captain after the One Piece, but also one of Doflamingo's subordinates, yet he worked to take that man down. And right now he was trying to collect 100 hearts of the pirates with bounties bigger than 500 000 to ensure his Shichibukai title that will give him freedom to sail where he wanted and act as he pleased. Indeed, it sounded like an appealing deal but at what cost? Becoming a Government's dog. Law, known for his strong distaste for orders and authority over him, is willing to work for someone else. Was he willing to go that far for finding One Piece or defeating Joker? Miyako just couldn't tell anymore. She could feel the frustration rising inside her stomach from the thought of not knowing what that man was really planning. What was his one final goal? The girl realized how little she actually knew about Trafalgar Law. She knew the man had a willful and strong attitude, hating to be ordered around, while expecting full obedience from his subordinates. He was serious and analytical, never acting without a proper strategy and always thinking of consequences. He was careful when acting out his plans, yet never intimidated even when facing strong opponents. Even though always having a thorough strategy, his plans were often so dangerous and risky you could call them down-right crazy. Miyako had a feeling this was one of them too. He could be a complete sadist and that smile of his could really give her goosebumps of nervousness sometimes. But as creepy, cold or just a plain jerk as he might sometimes be, he was actually quite considerate when it came to his crew. He was protective of them as their captain and that's why Miyako knew she could trust him not to betray them. But could she always trust his judgment? Sometimes it felt like his mind was being clouded by thoughts of revenge, so strong that they were pulling the man deeper into the darkness.

*_Revenge can never bring anything good. It will just pull you in deeper and give you more despair.* _The girl exhaled deeply, feeling exasperated by her own thoughts.

In the end, when it came to Law's past, she knew nothing about him. Even his connection with the Donquixote family was still a complete mystery to her. That irritated the girl but Miyako knew she couldn't do anything about it yet; Law said he will explain everything in due time and she decided to trust him until then. After such a decision, it was a matter of pride for the girl to keep to her word and wait patiently for the man.

The girl suddenly sat up in bed, crossing her legs and straightening her back. She needed to let go of all those frustrating thoughts, clear her mind and focus on their upcoming battles instead. She still needed to work on become stronger; that should be her priority now. Miyako closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. She tried to clear her thoughts completely, making her mind blank and her body relaxed, meditating in complete silence. Meditation would always give her a peace of mind, calming her body and soul. However, not even 20 minutes later, the girl's peace was rudely interrupted by a loud sound of her doors suddenly opening. Reopening her golden eyes, she looked at the two pirates in white overalls standing there before her.

Cody and Josh were both grinning as the medics stared at the girl from the entrance. "Come on slowpoke, we're at a new island!" Josh called out, adjusting his hat.

"It's a spring one." Cody added with a smile.

With that, both of them disappeared as quickly as they appeared, leaving the girl alone and blinking in surprise. Not wasting any more time, she stood up from the bed and changed into her kimono. The familiar feeling of the fabric brought on a nostalgic feeling within her, reminding her of Wano. How long has it been since she even wore her kimono? It felt good to be enveloped into something so simple, yet known. She gladly embraced the security right now. The girl let her bare feet slip into the wooden sandals, before retying the red ribbon around her hair and securing the katana on her waist. Finally she was ready, looking just as she did in the beginning of her journey when leaving to become a ronin. At that thought Miyako stopped for a second, freezing in mid step. Now that she thought about it, there was also a lot Law didn't know about her either. For instance, the reason she threw her old and familiar life away, deciding to become a ronin instead. In the end, their pasts were still a mystery to one another.

~…..~

Still in though, the girl walked out on the deck and gazed around at the scenery. The island was on their way to Rocky Port so they stopped for supplies. Jean Bart calculated that it will take a couple of weeks to Rocky Port so they needed to prepare. Luckily it seems there will be some islands on the way, this being the first one. Not far from the small port where they were docked, a simple village with white houses and smoking chimneys spread before her. It was small and peaceful, just a charming little place with children laughing and playing around while their elders reprimanded them to be careful. It was a nice change from the usual perilous places where the Heart Pirates often ended up, fighting for their lives. For once, Miyako was actually hopeful that she'll be able to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet.

"Aaaalright, where is the bar!?" Penguin's loud voice behind her cut through that peaceful air.

"Ooh, I wonder if this place has some beauties," Shachi added, excitement in his tone.

"Pft, like you'd be able to get some anyway," Josh commented with a snort.

"What'd you say, shripmy!?" The older mechanic shouted at the redhead and the two started a quarrel. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Meanwhile, Miyako's eyebrow was already twitching as she quietly felt her patience disappearing with every shout and scream behind her back. Now even the other members of the pirate crew joined the argument, with everyone shouting on the submarine's deck.

Perhaps having some peace and quiet near this rowdy bunch was impossible after all. The girl sighed in defeat. The people behind her just went on with their antics, everyone talking and creating a mass of loud voices. They all seemed excited to get some fresh air and reach a new island, perhaps even spoil themselves with real beds for the night. Still, they were becoming a bit too rambunctious as they started drawing attention to themselves by the locals. Some of the townspeople even hurriedly walked away with fearful gazes, pulling their children with them. Miyako's thin eyebrows furrowed in rising irritation.

Finally, the girl turned around, the last straw of her patience being snapped into two. "WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

With such a display of anger, the Heart Pirates stopped in their tracks instantly and closed their mouths at the same time.

Cody sweatdropped, as he was stopped right in the middle of arguing with Josh and Shachi to calm them down. "S-sorry, Miya-chan."

Once again, the samurai girl let out an exasperated breath. And here she was really looking forward to some peace and quiet in this small village. It appeared nice enough and the people, although not overly friendly, didn't seem scared out of their wits by the pirates. She didn't want that ruined as soon as the Hearts arrived. However, before Miyako could say anymore to the men before her, Bepo stepped out holding the long nodachi and Law was right behind him.

Stepping out on the deck, the captain instantly started giving orders to his crew. "We have work to do, so don't forget that fact before you start playing around," Trafalgar reminded them in a serious tone. He wanted to make sure everyone does their duty before they're off chasing skirts.

"Aw, man…" The crowd of pirates groaned in displeasure, remembering their upcoming duties.

Yet when the captain gave them a serious stare, they all stiffened and instantly fell into order, forgetting any more complaints they might have had.

Satisfied with their full and unwavering attention, Trafalgar continued. "Alright men, the village looks harmless enough, but this is the New World so don't let your guard down. We never know what we can expect here." The skeptical captain warned his crew, who gave him a firm nod in return. "Shachi-ya, you are in charge of the mechanics' team in case you need to buy some new parts. Peguin-ya, you'll help with food supplies this time. Take enough men because there's a lot to restock. Sai-ya, find out how long it takes for the log pose to reset and report to me immediately, we won't be wasting any more time here than necessary; it's a long way to Rocky Port. Also, try to find out more about this area and the islands around it. The more information of the New World we can get, the better. Miss Miyako, Munk-ya wants to see you. Bepo, you're with me."

"Aye Aye captain!" Everyone cheered loudly and soon the sound of running footsteps filled the deck as the pirates rushed around, preparing for their tasks.

Miyako was just about to run to the galley when the large, bearded chef came out on deck. "Ah, lassie! Good, I though ya left al'rady." Munk spoke to her with a cheerful smile, running his fingers through the thick brown beard. "I thought if ya can do me a lil' favour, ey?"

The girl smiled. She would gladly help the old pirate anyway she could. After all, he was always there for her when she needed some good guidance or reassuring. He wasn't just her boss in the galley; he was a nakama, her friend. "Of course, what is it Munk?"

The man gave her a piece of paper; it appeared miniature between his large fingers, but at better inspection Miyako noticed it was a list.

Munk continued to explain before she could ask anything. "Tis' be some spices an' ingredients, more rare than tha rest for tha stockin.' So if ya find any'n tha village, pick' em up for me, yah?"

Miyako smiled and took the list, putting the piece of paper securely in the long sleeve of her kimono. "No problem." With a final nod from Munk, the girl turned around and stepped down the metal plank onto the small wooden pier. She could already see Bepo and Law up ahead, heading for the village. "Hey, wait up!" The girl called out, hoping to catch up with the bear and the pirate captain as she ran towards the pair.

~….~

Miyako walked side by side with Law while Bepo trotted not far behind them, still holding the captain's long sword. The streets were narrow and paved with stone blocks, all connected with one another like a net that went through the small village.

They walked without a word, in silence, but every now and then, the girl would glance at Law's face.

_Clack clack clack_

The sounds of her wooden sandals hitting the paved ground was the only noise that could be heard between them. They all seemed in thought as they walked on. Miyako presumed Law was still mulling over that text in the papers along with his new plan. He was even busier than usual these days, with going after the title of the Shichibukai along with the 100 pirate hearts. And now even the pirate summit with Kaido's fleet. The samurai wasn't surprised her captain was so silent and in thought; he had a lot to think about indeed. It even showed on his face as she noticed the circles around his eyes, which were darker than usual. Miyako sighed almost unconsciously; he was skipping sleep again.

But Law wasn't the only one in thought; Miyako also has her own worries. She had been with the pirates for more than a year now. For more than a year she had lived with this man; argued with him but also fought alongside with him, laughed with the crew and even cried in front of them.

Once again, Miyako glanced up at her captain. _Her captain._ At first the word was nothing more than a sarcastic remark she used to ironically call Law with, taunting him further. But slowly, that word actually gained a new meaning for her. A word of proper respect for Trafalgar Law. Miyako didn't always agree with him, but she respected him…and she knew she could trust him.

Yet right now, even though they were walking so close to each other, she felt there was a certain distance between them. She didn't know what this man was thinking; his plans, his actions, his future…everything was happening so fast and Miyako didn't know what to expect anymore. It seemed like every time she found out something new about Law that would only lead to more mystery. There was so much unknown he was clouded with. So much Miyako wanted to know but just couldn't ask. What was his connection to Doflamingo? What was Law really planning to do after achieving his Shichibukai title?

Miyako's golden eyes darkened barely visibly as she gazed at Law walking beside her. They were supposed to be getting closer but she felt they were slowly drifting apart with every new plan Law made. Why was that? Was it just a bad feeling, her ominous dread, or was it intuition?

She had a strong urge to say something to him right now. Or touch him…stop him in his tracks and…And what? She didn't even know herself. She almost chuckled at her own insecurity. Right now even she didn't know what she wanted. She glanced down at his tattooed dark hand, swaying casually at his side as he walked through the village. A sudden scene came back to her mind; a scene of Law leading her through the crowd by her hand, back at Noir. He held it firmly yet gently, never letting her go even when they were pushing through dozens of people. It felt secure and warm.

The fingers of Miyako's hand twitched as it swayed by her own side, so close to Law's yet unable to reach out and just grab him as he did to her that day. She just couldn't. Silently, the girl cursed her own shyness. A pink hue crept on her cheeks and the girl looked up. Her breath stopped halfway when their eyes met. Law noticed her staring and was now looking down at her, their eyes locking. Golden orbs widened in shock but were unable to look away from the steely grey ones. The samurai's mind was rushing, trying to find a clever line to break the silence. However, just as she opened her mouth, Bepo forestalled her, still walking behind the two.

"This is just like a first date," the bear stated bluntly, with a joyful smile.

Both Miyako's and Law's eyes widened and the pair turned towards the bear. "It is not!" Both all but shouted at the same time; Miyako looking flustered while Law just seemed agitated. The two happened to surprise even each other with the sudden exclaim in perfect unison, and both turned to look at one another again, unease in their expressions.

Miyao blinked a few times, surprised that Law, who usually teases her like that anyway, would also be bothered by Bepo's innocent comment. Perhaps he was feeling anxious just like she was. Somehow, the thought made Miyako relax a little; as if it was comforting to know she wasn't the only one feeling tense right now. Suddenly the girl chuckled, unable to help herself. That took Trafalgar by surprise and the man stared at her as if she has gone mad. She couldn't blame him since she usually never reacts like that to teasing, but she just couldn't help it. Relief about the situation hit her and she found herself laughing before she could stop herself.

Bepo and Law stared at her in silence, then looked at each other with the same look of questioning confusion.

Finally Law's eyes narrowed, a slight annoyance creeping up in him when the girl wouldn't stop laughing. Was she laughing at him? "What's so funny?" His tone stayed calm but edgy as he asked.

Miyako panted a few times, trying hard to stop her chuckles and control herself. The people around her were starting to give her strange looks. "S-sorry…I just…" She tried to catch her breath, realizing she wasn't really sure why she was laughing either. She just felt so relieved after that tension that she couldn't help herself. How was she supposed to explain that to them? "Bepo just took me by surprise, that's all." Well technically that wasn't a lie…

"Sorry." The bear instantly apologized, thinking he has done something wrong.

"Oh, no, no, no. There's nothing to apologize, Bepo. You didn't do anything." Calm again but still smiling, the girl waved her hands before her, trying to stop Bepo from falling into one of his guilty moods. "I think I even surprised myself there for a moment," she chuckled.

Law stared at the girl with a skeptical look, still unsure what to make of her strange outburst. Finally he sighed, giving up; it was no use, the girl was sometimes just too weird even for his understanding. "Honestly, you…I really don't understand you sometimes," the captain mumbled, shaking his head.

The comment made Miyako grin. "Ooh, even the clever Trafalgar Law has trouble understanding little ol' me?" The grin never left her face as she took a few steps ahead of them and then turned on her heel playfully to face the captain, her hands behind her back. As she spun, her long pony tail whipped around her. The grin was now accompanied by a teasing glint in her golden eyes as she stared at Law.

He had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Figures; the girl never missed an opportunity to taunt him when possible. However, he could see there was no real vileness behind her words, only innocent teasing. Staring at her sly smile once again reminded him of Joshua's words; _Fox girl_, indeed. Wanting to change the subject quickly, Law continued, "More importantly, shouldn't you take care of the task Munk-ya instructed to you?" He almost sounded like a teacher reprimanding his mischievous student, reminded her of her duties.

Miyako sighed overdramatically and closed her eyes. She didn't feel like getting lectured right now. "Yes, yes, I have the list right here. I'll search for the stuff. It'll be a nice way to take a look around the village any-" The samurai was interrupted by a scream and all three pirates quickly turned towards the source of it.

They were on the outskirts of the small town now so there weren't many people here. That's why it didn't take long for them to catch a certain commotion in a nearby alleyway; it was narrow and mostly out of sight, perfect for running some shady business. On further inspection they could see a young girl, around Miyako's age, surrounded by three bulky older men. They were cornering her, not letting her get away from them and one of them had a firm hold on her hand. By the big grins the men had on their face it was obvious what was going on there. The poor girl looked scared out of her mind.

"Captain!" Bepo warned of the situation but before they could react, Miyako was the first one to act. Seeing the situation, the samurai girl frowned and ran up to the alleyway.

"Oy!" Law called after her but was unable to stop her. She was already in front of the men.

When Miyako approached with a few quick steps, the man holding the young girl blinked in surprise towards the newcomer. "Eh?" That was all he had time to say before the hilt of Miyako's still sheathed sword slammed upwards right underneath his chin, giving him a hard blow that traveled up all the way to his brain and shook it. He could even hear his own teeth rattling as something snapped inside his jaw. With a large thud, the man fell onto his back and stayed unmoving, unconscious from the blow.

"Wha?!" Other two men turned around in sheer shock, seeing one of their friends on the ground in seconds and a strange girl who was now standing protectively in front of the local girl with her hand on a still-sheathed katana. The men stood still, uncertain whether to proceed and attack the newcomer or just run away. The girl was standing before them with a cold dark look on her features, all brightness gone from her golden eyes. Instead, she just kept piercing them with her glare, still holding one hand on the hilt, ready to pull out the sword at any moment if necessary. It was obvious from her whole demeanor that she wasn't bluffing. The men noticed a large polar bear and a dark-skinned man holding a long nodachi, slowly approaching behind her. Whoever these people were, they weren't just normal thugs, that's for sure. Glancing once more at each other, the two men took a few uncertain steps back and then turned to run, seeing as the samurai didn't follow after them. "We'll remember this, you bitch!" One of them shouted while they ran through the streets, leaving their third friend behind.

"Hmpf, all talk and no action. They're just cowards." Miyako commented, putting her katana back in place and puffing away some strands of hair that fell on her face. Turning around, she smiled at the frightened girl, all hostility gone from her all of a sudden. "Are you alright?"

The girl looked in too much shock to even speak at first, so she just kept staring at the exotic samurai before her. Her lips trembled and Miyako had to strain herself to hear anything coming from the girl, but before she could, Law and Bepo came to join them.

"Tch, why do you always have to act so rash?" The dark captain commented bitterly as soon as they came near the two girls.

"Are you ok? That must've been scary?" Bepo on the other hand turned to the town's girl, looking her over for any injuries. However that seemed to scare the girl even more as she saw a large polar bear tower over her.

Finally a sound came out of the girl's mouth; a shriek. She jumped backwards and cowered against the wall of the alley as she stared at the polar bear with wide eyes. "Hyaaa! A-A b-bear!?"

Bepo became tense all of a sudden and pulled back quickly as he realized he was frightening the girl. "Sorry…," he mumbled, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

Law just stared there at the situation not really caring whether the girl was frightened or not. He didn't really view Bepo as a threat so he didn't care to consider whether others would be frightened by a large polar bear. Besides, to him Bepo seemed very tame and friendly anyway. He was even wearing human clothes and was usually quite meek towards strangers.

On the other hand, Miyako tried to defuse the situation and calm the girl, quickly stepping in front of Bepo to get some room between the girl and the bear. "Ah, it's ok! Don't worry, we won't hurt you." She put her hands in front of her as if to prove her point.

The girl still trembled but calmed herself a little. She was still glancing warily from Miyako, to Bepo, then Law and back to the large bear again. "A…talking bear?" Only then did the girl realize that the bear dressed in boots and an orange jumpsuit actually spoke a while ago.

She noticed it only now? "She's a bit slow, this one…" Law commented in his usual blunt tone, completely ignoring the reprimanding scowl Miyako was giving him.

"Anyway…." Miyako tried to change the subject and show the girl there was nothing to worry about…Well, perhaps that's not completely true since they were all pirates with high bounties on their heads, but the girl definitively didn't need to know that right now. "What's your name?" She looked over the young girl; indeed she looked around Miyako's age with long black hair and large green eyes. She was quite pretty with her pale skin and silky hair, almost as long as Miyako's. No wonder those guys were after her.

"Mayumi." Finally, the girl answered in a silent voice. She slowly let go of the wall behind her and took a step before Miyako, her eyes less scared and more curious now. "Thank you…for what you did. That was amazing." A small smile appeared on Mayumi's lips as she stared up at her savior.

Grinning slightly, the samurai girl just shook her head in slight embarrassment. There was a sheepish smile on her face when she scratched the back of her head. "No, it's really nothing. I just can't stand guys like that so…I did it more for myself really."

"Even so, I'm saved because of you." Mayumi's smile never faded. She then glanced at the two other members of the group. She still seemed a bit wary of Bepo so she mostly kept her eyes on Law. "You don't look like you're from around here. Where are you from?"

And here's the awkward but inevitable question. Now, how to tell someone you're a pirate and not freak them out? Miyako froze, not sure how to respond.

On the other hand, Bepo had no problem with dealing with this dilemma. "We're pirates," he stated bluntly, without any tact or worry.

The samurai couldn't help but close her eyes and face palm. _*Here we go…now they'll start with the screaming and running…*_ From her usual experience, dealing with people who found out they were a part of a pirate crew, Miyako was already expecting some calls for help or threats to call the marines. Surprisingly for her, that never came. Actually, Mayumi's response was completely opposite of what she was expecting.

The girl's eyes widened but in wonder instead of freight and there was a genuine shine of admiration in them. It was as if suddenly the girl completely transformed from her scared self into an energetic fan. "Pirates!? The real thing? With a jolly roger and everything?!" She was staring from one pirate to the other, glancing at the trio.

"Uh, yeah? I even have a bounty to prove it…" Miyako mumbled, sounding much less excited than the girl. She was still not completely used to being thought of as a criminal and a scoundrel and never liked the idea of a bounty on her head. She was still perplexed every time she saw the rest of the Hearts cheering when someone's bounty would rise in their crew. How is that a good thing?! Yet the guys all took pride in it, even congratulating her every time when her own bounty got higher.

"We are the Heart Pirates and this is Captain Law! And I'm the first mate!" Bepo was already exclaiming proudly, when he realized the girl liked them for being pirates. She was even less wary of him now, watching him with the same excited eyes as the other two.

"Oh wow, you mean….captain Trafalgar Law! One of the Worst Generation? You're famous in all the newspapers, you know?!" Mayumi grinned at the dark-skinned doctor who didn't really look so impressed by her adoration. Perhaps she was lucky to run into these three. If it were Penguin, Shachi or someone else from the Heart Pirates, they'd probably be all over her already, trying to impress her by being pirates and hitting onto her, using the fact that she's obviously so into it.

"I'm aware." Law simply answered, showing a slight smirk. "Does everyone in this town take so kindly to pirates?" Well since he was here already, he could at least get some information about this island from the girl. She seemed so eager to talk anyway.

Mayumi was still smiling but it seemed more troubled. "No, I'm afraid I'm the only one enthusiastic about it. I always wanted to become one, you know. A pirate." She looked back at Miyako with wide, excited eyes as she said that. "Still, this is the New World after all, so people are pretty much used to pirates. However, there's a marine base nearby on the next island so try not to make any trouble."

Law's lips pulled back into a thigh line. _*A marine base nearby…it's good we were warned. After leaving this island, it'd be better to sail underwater just in case of any marine ships.* _

"Ah, I know!" Mayumi clapped her hands suddenly as she got an interesting idea. How about I repay you by showing you around the village. I can answer any question about the island you might have. Like a guide." It seemed her previous fear completely vanished. Once again she stared right at Miyako, piercing her with her large green eyes and the samurai felt a bit uncomfortable from the intense gaze. However, she quickly put the tense feeling behind her, writing it off as embarrassment from being so adored by the girl. She just wasn't used to such treatment; none of them were.

"Then, how long does it take for the log pose to set for the new island?" Law took advantage of that offer, already beginning to ask for more information. He took out his log pose that currently had three needles all spinning in their own direction. It didn't really matter since they already inputted set coordinates for Rocky Port where they were headed but using the log pose they can find islands that are on their way and resupply during their sailing.

"Three days." The girl answered instantly as if she got asked that question a lot by travelers.

Law grimaced, feeling dissatisfied.

However, Bepo commented what his captain was thinking. "Hm, that's pretty long…do we have that much time?" He looked at Law with a questioning stare of his black, small eyes.

His captain seemed in thought at the moment as he stared at the ground from under his hat. _*Indeed, three days is a lot of time to waste. We need to get to Rocky Port as soon as possible; before the summit happens. And Kizaru could still be on our tail or close by, searching for us. We shouldn't stay long in one place. On the other hand, if we leave before the log pose sets it'll be hard to find another island on our way to Rocky Port. If something happens and we need to dock the submarine quickly, we won't know where to go.*_ The dark scowl never left Law's face as he kept thinking. What brought him out of his musings was Mayumi's voice. It wasn't soft and unsure like before, instead she spoke loud and clear now that she wasn't afraid anymore.

"Hmm…to be honest this is a big village, could almost be called a town, but there isn't much to do here. It's pretty boring." She put her index finger on her lips as if thinking, mulling over how to help them. "But for now, how about I show you around?" She looked back at Law but the captain didn't answer anything. He was still skeptical about the overly helpful and enthusiastic girl, which wasn't that strange considering last time the townspeople gave them a warm welcome at Windmill Hill, it turned out to be a trap.

Instead, Bepo answered, clapping his paws together and smiling gratefully. "That would be great! Right captain?!" He turned towards Trafalgar to make sure they have his consent on the matter.

Law stared back at the expectant girl with a serious look, before shrugging casually. "I suppose it can't hurt. Lead the way."

"Ah!" Just as they were about to go, Miyako stopped them with an exclaim, remembering something. She took out a piece of paper from the sleeve of her kimono and handed it to Mayumi. "When we're already looking around…do you know where I can buy these?"

Mayumi furrowed her brows together as she read over the list. "Hmm…some of them are pretty rare and exotic so I doubt our shops will have them but…I think you can get the others here. I'll show you the places on the way, come on." She smiled and walked on.

Miyako just glanced at Law but then shrugged seeing as he didn't intend to stop them. _*I guess he figures this is the fastest way to get info and explore the village anyway. Besides, if it is a trap I'm sure him, Bepo and I will be enough to fend for ourselves.*_

They walked down the streets for a while, when Miyako started noticing the people avoiding them. They would bow their faces down when walking passed them or simply try to avoid getting in their way. One girl wasn't looking where she was going and almost bumped into Miyako. She looked up at the group and her eyes widened in a frightened expression. No, it wasn't just fear, she was terrified. The young girl gasped in shock before mumbling an apology and running passed them with her head bowed down like the rest. _*Well I guess it's to be expected, we are pirates after all. Still, the people didn't seem so frightened when we first docked in the port. They were wary of us and kept out of our way but I didn't feel such high tension before.*_ Miyako's musings were interrupted by Mayumi's cheerful voice. It seems she didn't notice any of the weird behavior around her or she simply chose to ignore it.

"Hey, that's quite a strange outfit, Miyako-san. That's a kimono right? I've seen them in pictures before but never in real life." Mayumi stared at the samurai, eyeing her up and down while marveling her outfit. To Miyako something like this wasn't anything extravagant or special, though. The kimono was of simple design and slightly rough fabric. It was also old and worn out with a few patched up holes on it. It wasn't surprising, since she wore it ever since leaving her hometown and becoming a ronin.

"That's because Miya-chan is from Wanokuni." Bepo exclaimed before Miyako had the chance to answer. Somehow he seemed more talkative than usual; perhaps he liked the positive attention Mayumi was giving them. It was a nice change from the usual norm of hating pirates so even Bepo couldn't resist. Miyako could only imagine how the other Heart Pirates would react then.

On the other hand, Law seemed strangely quiet. He was never a man who talked just for the sake of it, unless he actually had something reasonable to say. He would rather stay quiet and observe the situation. But still, he just kept walking alongside them silently. Miyako glanced at her captain but was interrupted when Mayumi's smiling face came into view again. The girl leaned a bit and stared at Miyako's face that was mostly hidden by her long bangs. She'll have to ask Sam to cut them for her; he was the best with scissors in the crew so everyone came to him when needing a haircut.

"You have really pretty eyes. It's just like gold, what an unusual color." The local girl stared right at her large eyes, piercing her with her own green ones.

"T-thanks." Miyako didn't know how to respond so she just smiled at the girl shyly, moving her face away. Was it just her or was this girl somehow too pushy. Miyako didn't particularly like people in her comfort zone and this girl was a bit too close and too clingy for her taste. Besides, she really didn't need all these compliments. She wasn't used to it, especially since she was living and traveling with a group of pirate men who pretty much treated her as their equal; which meant, like a guy. They would sometimes give her a compliment, but pretty much gave up on trying to pursue her as a girl the moment they realized there was something going on between her and Law. Nobody really wanted to get on the captain's bad side, though most seemed to just feel like they don't stand a chance competing again Trafalgar Law anyway.

Luckily, the awkward situation was interrupted when familiar voices called out to them. "Captain! Bepo! Miya-chan!" Penguin's voice sounded across the street, not caring that he was yelling in public. He jogged after them and Miyako could see Josh and Cody carrying some boxes and bags, while Sam and Ari carried a large wooden crate. They must be taking care of supplies. The pirates put down their items when they came up to the captain's group. Sam met up with some other group of Hearts, carrying some of the crates while the rest stayed with Law, intrigued by the newcomer.

The young new girl in the group didn't go unnoticed and Penguin addressed it as soon as he spotted her glinting green eyes. "Who's this?" There was a slight smile on his face as he suddenly became more friendly than usual.

"Mayumi-ya offered to be our guide on the island. She's showing us around," Law answered in a seemingly uninterested tone. At the moment, the pirate captain simply looked bored.

"Mayu-chan~" Penguin repeated in a lighthearted tone as if her name was some beautiful melody.

The said young girl turned to Bepo, her fear of the bear long forgotten by now. "Are these also your crewmembers? Pirates?" She already had a grin on her face as she clapped her hands together. The girl wasn't even trying to hide her excitement.

Bepo simply nodded but then gave a scowl towards the newcomer pirates as if silently telling them; '_Hey, don't steal my thunder_!'

The men either saw the stare and ignored it or simply didn't catch it. Whichever it was, they didn't even spare a glance at Bepo, focusing all their attention on Mayumi instead. This time it was Ari who spoke as he adjusted his wool hat. "Then, maybe Mayumi-chi could show us a good place to have fun around here?" A sly smile he wore slightly froze when he glanced at the captain who was silently staring at him. With a less cool voice, the pirate added; "I-I mean, after we do our work here…of course." One cold drop of sweat fell from the man's brow.

The explosives expert made a grunting noise when a painful jab in the ribs hit him straight on. It was Penguin, giving Ari an irritated stare from beneath his hat. "Stop hitting on her you idiot." The mechanic grumbled in a low tone. "You'll scare her away."

Ari only sneered back and pushed his shoulder against Penguin's which was pushing back. "Who's the idiot calling other people idiot, you idiot!?" In a low growl, the other pirate bit back.

"You're both idiots…" Miyako added as she stared at them from behind while the two men begun wresting.

"I think that's the first time I actually agree with you." Josh chimed in as he also walked up to the group with Cody right behind him.

"I didn't think you were capable." Miyako responded to the short medic with an obviously fake shocked expression on her face.

Cody just sighed. "Don't you two start too. As you said; two idiots are enough." With that he walked up to Penguin and Ari who were still pushing and jabbing at each other's ribs. Rolling up the large sleeves of his white overall and showing his tattoos in the process, the blue-haired medic came up to both pirates, clenched both his fists and raised them in the air. "And as for you two…" Ari and Penguin only saw it when it was already too late. "-cut it out already!"

_Whack, whack_

The head mechanic and his companion stood there silently like two pouty kids who were just scolded. They were both holding their heads, nursing the large red bumps on top of them.

The scene alone was enough for everyone else to freeze and quiet down instantly. Both Josh and Miyako looked with wide eyes at Penguin and Ari holding their swollen heads.

"Scary…" Josh muttered despite himself, still shocked at Cody's quick but strong punch that was enough to completely pacify the two pirates.

Miyako just nodded in agreement, still staring at the scene.

Nobody noticed a small smirk of amusement that tugged at Law's lips at that time.

~…..~

A loud laughter rang through the mildly crowded streets as the group walked on. In front, Mayumi was smiling up at Cody, clinging to his arms as they strolled. They almost looked like a normal couple, if there wasn't the white overall with the Jolly Roger of the Heart Pirates showing proudly on the man's back. The girl didn't seem to mind though, as she clung to Cody's side, ignoring the weary looks they were given by the by-passers.

The rest of the group of pirates walked behind the two, watching at the odd scene before them.

Penguin and Ari were biting their lip in frustration, silent curses flowing from their mouths, as they glared at the medic's back. If stares could burn, Cody would already have a hole right in the middle of his back. "Dammit…that bastard…How does he do it?" Penguin couldn't keep it in anymore, as he muttered in clear jealousy.

"How come he always gets the girl?!" Ari added in annoyance.

"Well…at least they're not fighting with each other anymore." Bepo commented while looking at the mechanic and his friend.

Josh just sighed, almost looking sorry for Penguin and Ari. They didn't even stand a chance. "I pity you guys, really…But you should already be used to it. I mean, it's not like Cody fooling around with girls is anything new." The red head simply shrugged his shoulders, completely used to the scene before him where yet another girl was swooning over the blue-haired pirate.

The only girl in the group couldn't help but frown. "It just doesn't go with his personality. Cody is usually the reasonable one among you guys, but when it comes to girls he's so loose. He's gonna get stabbed one day with all that playing around."

"I know…Lucky bastard." Penguin whined, not noticing the strange looks his friends gave him. Then he suddenly whipped his head back to glare at Miyako, as if just remembering something. "And what do you mean by _you guys_?! You get scolded by Cody all the time!"

The samurai just looked away with a huff, pretending to ignore the mechanic as she played innocent.

"Look at him….He's not even trying!" Ari commented again, pointing a hand at the show in front. Indeed, the girl was clinging to the medic of her own violation. They were currently talking about something, too far for the rest of the group to hear.

"Tch, just give up." Josh rolled his eyes, already bored with this subject.

"Oh yeah, like you're not jealous shorty! You can't get a girl any more than we can!" Penguin kicked Josh from behind, with his hands still in the pockets of his overall.

The redhead stumbled and turned to glare at the mechanic, barely keeping from falling on his face. "Shut up! It's not like I'm looking! I have more important things to worry about!" The medic argued back with a shout. However there was a fait blush on the man's cheeks, as he tried to hide it away by pulling his hat lower.

"Haa, I guess it's impossible. I mean, you blush like this just thinking of girls." Now even Miyako joined the teasing as she leaned her elbow on the medic's shoulder. "Isn't that just adorable~?" Her voice rang in a slight tune as she continued on.

"I don't want to hear that from _you, _you blushing virgin!" Josh retaliated with a shout accompanied by a kick, but the samurai dodged it easily with a turn on her heel.

However, her face was now even redder than his a while ago. "V-virgin….?" She muttered, unable to even say it aloud. Yet Josh just yelled it out on a busy street. "You…." She clenched her fist, rising it up in the air, and with it swirled the dark aura of killing intent.

Penguin, Ari and Bepo all stepped back with a wince, but Josh just bumped his head with Miyako's, a wide grin on his face. "Bring it on, Bakaonna!"

"Tch. Useless…" A cold voice from the only person that was silent throughout this whole situation arose. And just with a click of his tongue in an annoyed manner and one word filled with impatience, he managed to stop all the shenanigans of his crew in front of him.

"What is it captain?" It was Bepo who dared to ask even after seeing that Law was somewhat irritated, losing his patience as they walked on. The others didn't even notice until now, lost in their own little world of quarrel.

"Yeah, don't be like that captain. Didn't you used to fool around with women too before?" As usual, Penguin's tongue was faster than his wit.

The mechanic froze when he felt that tense aura behind him again. "Hmmm? Is that so?" In a seemingly cheerful and nonchalant, but obviously faked tone, Miyako asked. She was standing right behind him now, with her arms crossed and burning a hole in his back. Obviously she was interested in the topic and had an issue with the new information even if she would never admit it. In front was no better as he saw his captain pierce him with a silent but deadly stare. The poor pirate felt like a prey between two predators ready to jump at him at any moment.

"You're really an idiot," Josh muttered beside him as if sealing Penguin's fate with those words.

And what is the man to do in this situation? Well try to get out of it by any means necessary of course! Penguin started stuttering as he frantically searched for best words to explain. "A-ah, no I mean...ugh, you _used to_ but…it's not like you play around anymore so….I mean…ugh…" The mechanic was frantically gesticulating with his hands in front of him as if to protect himself as he tried to explain, only getting more nervous as his eyes met with Law's sharp ones. The captain didn't seem to even twitch a muscle in his face, as he stared Penguin down. At this point the mechanic didn't know if Law was really mad or was just curious to see how flustered Penguin could get by pushing him on with that stare.

Finally, it seemed the captain let him slide, having watched him squirm under his gaze for long enough. Law seemed to completely brush off this whole situation and their conversation so far, finding it completely irrelevant as he explained. "I'm talking about the girl, Mayumi-ya. She was supposed to be our guide through the village and tell us any important information about this island or the area around it, but she hasn't proven useful at all despite her keen admiration and coaxing to help us." The doctor explained, watching the back of the girl who smiling so carefree only a few feet away.

Suddenly Miyako bumped her fist into the palm of her other hand. "Ah! That's right! She said she'd show me where I can buy some of the things from Munk's list." The girl absentmindedly searched for the paper in the long sleeve of the kimono while hurrying over to Cody and Mayumi. "Mayumi-san!"

The girl instantly turned around and smiled at Miyako. Before the samurai could react, the girl suddenly let go of Cody's arm and grabbed one of Miyako's instead. The local girl laughed. "What is it Miyako-san?"

Said samurai stayed tense and a bit frozen as the girl clung to her as if they've known each other forever. Honestly, Miyako didn't really enjoy the clingy touch of the stranger girl but she couldn't just push her away. So instead, she just stood there while her brain processed all options she could come up with to take her arm back from the imposing girl. "Um…about the grocery list…the ingredients and spices?"

"Ah, of course. Sorry, sorry, I was having so much fun with everyone I completely forgot about that." Mayumi laughed, all the while staring right at Miyako's golden eyes as if she was examining something in them. It only made the Wano girl more anxious and ready to step back and give herself some space.

*_Weren't you only having fun with Cody, though?* _The quick passed through Miyako's mind as she corrected the girl. Still, she held back the sweat-drop and took a step back instead, casually pulling back her kidnapped arm in the process. "Then, shall we?" She looked at the girl, who was still staring intently at her face, golden eyes in level with green ones. That's when Miyako blinked in slight confusion. *_Level? We're the same height but I could've sworn when we first met she had to look up at me. Wasn't she shorter before?*_

Before Miyako had time confirm anything, Mayumi moved away and started walking ahead. Turning around she smiled at the samurai again. "Let's go?"

A bit uncertainly, Miyako nodded. "Yeah." She chased the thought away. *_Must be my imagination, there's no way after all.* _She turned around to wave back at the pirates. "Then I'll meet with you guys later!" She saw her friends wave back. Her eyes unconsciously searched for Law at the back of the group and when their eyes met he gave her one simple nod as goodbye. With that, the girl turned around again and followed the cheerful local.

~…..~

Miyako thanked the clerk as they left the shop. "Well that's two things off the list. Let's see what else we need." Holding small bags of spices and balancing them in one hand, Miyako used the other to search for the paper Munk gave her. "Where did I put that damn list?" She muttered underneath her breath, searching the sleeve of her kimono but with no avail. _*I didn't lose it, did I?*_ The thought made her heart skip a beat and not in the good way.

"Hmm, maybe it fell out? After all, the kimono sleeves are pretty big so it's hard to notice if a piece of paper slips out." Mayumi explained with a dramatically troubled expression, but it soon changed into a bright smile. "But that ok, because I remember everything on the list anyway, so I'll just come with you." Once again her hands clutched the side of Miyako's arm, taking her by surprise and almost throwing her off balance.

"You…" The samurai girl really didn't want to be mean to this girl since she was so helpful but the cheerful clinginess was getting on Miyako's nerves, and fast. "Do you have a problem with your legs or something?"

"Eh? No, why?" Mayumi's head tilted in confusion and she looked like a curious puppy with those wonder-filled, large green eyes.

"Then walk on your own! Don't cling to me." Miyako, however, didn't find it so endearing to let her be all over her all the time. She pulled her arm away harshly, and freed herself from Mayumi's hold. However, her annoyed gaze softened and filled with regret as soon as she saw Mayumi's dejected look. Stiffening a bit in anxiousness and not sure what to do now, Miyako stayed silent for a while.

"Ah…sorry. I can be a bit annoying sometimes, huh?" The girl gave her a troubled but kind smile in return. "I don't want to be in your way…But….since Miyako-san lost the list and I remember it, it would be better if I just help you search for those supplies."

"I didn't los-!" Miyako wanted to defend herself but stopped midway when she realized the girl was right. *_Who am I kidding, I can't find it. I lost it. Even though Munk entrusted this simple task to me and I wouldn't even be able to do it if Mayumi here didn't remember the things on it. That's some great memory though, I only showed it to her once…Eh, now that I think about it; didn't Mayumi take it in her hands then?*_ "Mayumi, are you sure you don't have my paper?" Miyako tilted her head in askance, hoping maybe the girl just took it by mistake. Unfortunately, Miyako wasn't paying much attention at the time so she couldn't tell for sure.

The girl just blinked a few times with confused green eyes, before shaking her head. "No, I don't have it." As if proving her point she opened her palms, showing that they were empty.

_*Well so much for that hope.* _Miyako sighed in disappointment. Still, there was nothing she could do but face the fact that she lost it. Mayumi was her saving hand here and she treated her so rudely. Another pang of guilt hit Miyako's chest. "Sorry for yelling at you Mayumi. Thanks, you're really helping me out here." The samurai smiled kindly to the black haired girl.

The girl just smiled back and put her hands behind her. "No problem. We're friends, right? Come on, let's go to the next one, it's not far away." The girl's happy tone returned as she headed on, humming a melody on the way.

*_Friends, huh?* _Miyako couldn't help but repeat the word in her head before she started walking after the other girl.

~…~

Miyako was swaying from side to side as she finally stepped back onto the deck of the yellow submarine. She felt drained of energy; more tired than after her haki training. She understood full well where this fatigue came from; Mayumi. It's not like the girl was deliberately annoying her; she was nice enough. But Miyako never thought that the sheer cheerfulness and energetic behavior in a person could weaken her own state so much. Ever since they went looking for Munk's supplies together, Mayumi kept talking, laughing loudly, or clinging to Miyako's arm the whole time. And the clinging…oh the _clinging_. It was like Mayumi's fingers were a death trap, once grabbing a hold of you they'll never let go, and just kept draining the force out of the samurai and feeding off of her energy. At least that's what it felt like to Miyako; the more tired she felt from Mayumi's behavior, the more energetic Mayumi became, and thus it went on in a circle. After a while, Miyako didn't have the energy to even scold her for sticking so close so she just gave up on it. Besides, she didn't want to yell at the girl again like last time. Mayumi was trying to be so helpful after all and she was really nice. It wasn't her fault that she was just too damn bright and cheerful for the samurai girl. Miyako felt bad to step all over Mayumi's kind gesture so she just went along with the it.

"We're back." Miyako barely managed to mutter with a beat tone. She was balancing two large paper bags of groceries and exotic spices that Munk asked for.

Meanwhile, the deck was busy with pirates walking around, rearranging creates, tying ropes and carrying the new supplies inside the submarine. She saw Cody holding a clipboard and checking all the new medical items off of the list of supplies they needed. Meanwhile, Shachi was giving instruction and orders to his mechanics as he signaled where to put their boxes full of mechanical parts. A loud crash was heard and she could see Penguin yelling and scolding Sam and Cal who just dropped what seemed to be a part of an engine onto the floor of the deck.

"Oh, Miya-chan, you brought Mayumi with you." Bepo called out for her in a cheerful voice.

Miyako's eyebrow twitched and a simple sweat drop appeared on Miyako's forehead. _*It's not that I brought her along, more like I couldn't get rid of her.* _But something else made her even more irritated;Not even a hello for her yet he noticed Mayumi instantly?Even if Miyako found the girl to be somewhat tiring, it seems she was loved by everyone else. And yet as they were walking through the town, people kept giving them suspicious and wary gazes or simply looked away in nervousness. Even though Miyako had her kimono and didn't even look like a pirate; so what was their deal? Then again, she's armed and news travel fast through a small town such as this so perhaps all the residents already knew who she was. Besides, her wanted poster is out there for all to see; every now and then she could see her face in the newspapers when they would write about the Heart Pirates or their clashes with the marines. After all, Miyako was now one of them. *_With that being said, a simple 'welcome back Miyako' would be nice,* _the samurai girl frowned as she came up the deck, looking at the polar bear.

"Ah, welcome back Mayumi-chi!" Ari shouted from his position somewhere above on the highest deck of the vessel as he was taking care of the metal mast.

Once again Miyako's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. *_Are you messing with me on purpose!?*_ She knew there was no way Ari was doing it just to tick her off, he couldn't read her mind, but he was still doing a pretty good job at it even unconsciously.

"Hello Ari-san! Be careful up there." Mayumi shouted back in a sweet voice and gave the pirate a wave.

"Oh, who's that, who's that?" Soon the rest of the crew who didn't yet have the pleasure to meet the pretty local girl stopped their work and all huddled up around the newcomer with smiles and interested stares.

"Oy, guys don't stop your work all of a sudden!" Bepo scolded them but was completely ignored by the crew. Swinging his arms angrily he ran up to them, still complaining. "Hey, I'm the first mate, so listen to me!"

Up until now the bear was leaning against the railing of the submarine, overseeing what the other pirates were doings since he _was_ their first mate after all. That's when Miyako noticed Law's nodachi against the wall near the entrance of the submarine. Beside it, Law was sitting on one of the crates and leaning his body against the wall with his legs crossed. His arms were also crossed and resting on his chest, that rose up and down evenly as he breathed which emphasized the big yellow smiley on it. His head was bowed down so the large hat hid his tanned face from view. He looked like he was also overseeing the crew's work but to Miyako it appeared more like he was simply resting with his face hidden like that. Perhaps he was actually taking a nap. The thought of her walking around the village with that chatterbox while he was resting his eyes peacefully somehow made her irritated. Perhaps it was because she was annoyed to begin with, but whatever the case, a dissatisfied frown appeared on her usually calm features.

"What's wrong Miya-chan; you look like Bepo after he's been in the sun for too long, are you ok?" Cody walked up to her and chuckled after seeing her pale and tired face, now mixed with a dark scowl.

Miyako's annoyance dissolved almost instantly after seeing her friend. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired." She tried to force a small smile but the medic wasn't convinced at all.

"Uh-hu…?" He stared suspiciously, rising an eyebrow at her. After a while of watching her like a parent waiting for their child to confess, he finally sighed and closed his eyes for a second. It seemed he didn't really want to push her. "Well if you don't want to say what happened I won't make you…But seriously, you should get some rest, you look exhausted."

"Yeah…" once again she glanced at the large group forming around Mayumi, before returning her uncertain gaze to Cody. There was a slightly annoyed tone when she spoke again. "Aren't you going to say hello to her too? You two seemed pretty close before…" She didn't really want to sound so accusing but her annoyance from before made her tone a bit harsher than she wanted it. She regretted saying anything the second it left her mouth, but it was too late now.

The tall pirate blinked in slight surprise but then his face turned into a smirk. "What, are you jealous?" That won't do Miya-chan, don't you already have captain-?" He barely finished the sentence in a jokingly scolding tone when the girl shouted out, completely flustered.

"I'm _not_!" She was completely red, a face of shock, embarrassment and anger mixed together.

The medic was taken aback by her forceful response. He put his hands up defensively and tried to calm the girl down with a nervous smile and a sweat drop. "S-sorry, I know, know. I was just joking so calm down." He wasn't really trying to piss her off, only tease her a little, but she reacted more fiercely than usual. It seems there really was something wrong with her today. He saw a seriously angry Miyako when Josh would go too far with his teasing; it's not something Cody wanted to experience. Cody was lucky it was him and not the short medic. If it were Joshua who said this right now, the poor redhead would probably already be beaten to a pulp without any warning or response. At least Cody got a verbal attack instead of a sheathed sword in the head.

However, it seemed Miyako understood she was overreacting and calmed down instantly. The feelings were clearly written on her face as they went from anger to realization and finally guilt. She looked down with a sorry expression that only made Cody feel worse for teasing her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you…it seems I'm doing that a lot today. I'm just a bit annoyed and tired, that's all." She looked up at him with a small smile. "You're right, I just need some rest, doctor," she added jokingly, meaning to lighten the mood.

The blue haired medic chuckled, feeling a bit relieved himself. "Well if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." He saw her nod in understanding and gave her one more smile before heading back into the submarine to finish his work in the infirmary. There was still a lightly worried streak on his features as he was leaving, but there was no point in pushing the girl even more to see what's wrong. *_Well I suppose if it's something really important, she'll ask for help…well that's what I'd like to say but knowing Miyako, she'll just pretend it's fine and try to deal with it herself.* _Cody sighed, exasperated. _*I wonder if all samurai are like that…?* _

~…~

Miyako watched her friend leave, still having that awful bitter taste in her mouth._ *I can't believe I snapped at Cody like that, because of a stupid joke. What's wrong with me?!*_ She turned around, still deep in thought, only to bump into something as hard as a brick wall. With a frown, she fought the urge to make a nasty remark and instead looked up at the hard surface. Squinting her eyes because of the sun and still rubbing her sore nose, Miyako noticed it was the large body of the head chef that stood before her. That's when she remembered she was still holding onto the paper bags with Munk's requests in them.

"Ya back ar'ready girley? Didya find any of tha stuff fer meh?" The large pirate grinned, showing white teeth surrounded by that scruffy, thick beard of his.

"I found some of them." She handed him the bag and the man peered inside, looking pleased. "Nay, nay, it be a strike of pure luck ye find anythin' of it at all."

"Miyako-san, is that the large chef you were talking about? The one who gave you the ingredients list you lost?" Out of nowhere, Mayumi appeared right beside Miyako, looking up in wonder at the large pirate with her green eyes.

*_Wha! When did she get here!? Wasn't she trapped in that group of Heart Pirates just a while ago?*_ The pirate girl almost jump in surprise, as Mayumi appeared next to her. Once again she was too close, leaning on Miyako's shoulder like a burden on her back that she just couldn't get rid of.

"Ya lost tha list?" Munk repeated in surprise.

Only then did Miyako realize what Mayumi said exactly; she rat her out right in front of Munk! Her body tensed as feelings of quilt, nervousness and anger washed over her. _*Why did she have to go and say that! Now Munk will think I'm irresponsible! Not to mention he always has to take care of me in the kitchen or listen to my problems…Aaah, this is the worst.* _She looked up at Munk with a guilty expression. "W-well…..yeah, it seems so…Sorry, I should've taken better care of it." She was probably looking like a beat dog with its ears down as she looked up at Munk with large golden eyes of regret. It looked like Munk was about to say something but Mayumi's still cheerful voice cut him off.

"Don't worry. I saw and remembered all of it so I helped Miyako-san buy everything you needed. Well almost…There's no poppy seed, wolf's bane flower or meat of sea rabbits selling on our island." She put her hands together as if apologizing, yet by the smile on her face she didn't really look apologetic at all. It was just a simple pleasantry, for show.

Munk shook his head. "Nah, it be fine. Ya had mo'a than I'd expect to begin with. 'Tis be enough." He then looked back at Miyako who still had her head bowed down and looking at the floor. Her eyes were hidden behind long bangs of her dark blue hair and only her mouth that was pulled into a thigh line could be visible. It was obvious she was completely sullen, hiding her dark expression underneath her hair. Munk sighed and put a large, heavy hand on top of her bowed head, ruffling her hair a bit. "And ye hav' nothin' to fret about, girl. Everythin' worked out for tha best, so this be fine. Stop rufflin' ya feathers over nothin'." The girl didn't respond, only nodded weakly. She was still looking down with a serious expression on her face. Munk sighed, seeing there was no helping it right now and walked away, back to the kitchen.

*_Seriously, what's wrong with me today….I can't do anything right. I'm just fighting with everyone or snapping at them. And now I'm sure even Munk thinks I'm a burden. Even though he always supports me and helps me out...I couldn't even do one simple thing for him properly, on my own.*_

Mayumi's face became more serious and worried as she tried to peak at Miyako's expression. "Miyako-san, are you alright? You shouldn't worry about it, even Munk-san said so."

_*Why did she have to go any say that in front of Munk? No, well…I know it's not her fault. She didn't lie or anything. It's not her fault and yet…yet…* _Miyako's thoughts were racing through her mind, in complete turmoil along with her emotions.

"Miyako-san?" Mayumi, still sticking close to the samurai, reached out for Miyako seeing as the samurai girl was still tense and silent.

Just as Mayumi was about to touch the pirate girl, her hand was harshly slapped away by the samurai. "Don't touch me!" The shout was loud enough for the whole deck to hear, making interested heads turn in the direction of the two girls. "Why do you keep clinging to me?! You're so annoying! Just leave me alone already!" Miyako couldn't stop herself as the rush of loud words came out along with her emotions. All the anxiety turned into anger that was now directed solely at Mayumi. The pirate glared at the local girl, her rage suddenly spent and left her breathing shallowly. Once again Miyako could see that hurt gaze in Mayumi's eyes as the girl took a step backwards from Miyako's surprising outburst. But before any of the two could say a thing, the other members of the crew stepped in.

"Oy, oy Miya-chan what are you saying all of a sudden? Wasn't Mayumi nice enough to help you with your duties for Munk?" Penguin came over with his hands resting on his hips.

"Yeah, don't you think that was a bit rude to Mayumi-chan?" Shachi also added, his tone a bit scolding.

"Miyako can be so temperamental…Sorry, Mayumi-chi!" Ari yelled from somewhere above them.

"That was rude Miyako, Mayumi was just trying to help. You should apologize." Even Bepo joined the crowd, reprimanding the samurai girl.

For once Miyako was at a loss of words. It seemed everyone was taking Mayumi's side and scolding her. Well why wouldn't they? Mayumi didn't do anything wrong, she was nice and cheerful and helpful since the moment they met. Miyako already knew it was only her own fault for snapping like that; just as she did with Cody before. She really should just apologize. But even so, words wouldn't come out. As much as her logical brain could assess the situation and rationalize that it was indeed her fault, her heart was saying the complete opposite. Those were _her_ friends, _her_ crewmembers…so why were they all ganging up on her and taking Mayumi's side? She felt intense pain in her chest and a stinging sensation in her eyes. It was as if there was a large lump in her throat that she just couldn't swallow and no words would come out because of it. Her fists clenched at her sides, strong enough for her fingernails to prick at the soft skin. She knew she was acting like a child yet only one thought swirled inside her mind, refusing to leave. *_It's not fair.*_

Suddenly Miyako turned around harshly, with her pony tail whipping around with her. She slammed the doors of the submarine open and ran inside, disappearing down the steps without another word.

"Miyako!" Bepo and the others called after her, more worried than angry, but she was already gone.

~…~

"What's going on here?" A sharp voice cut through the atmosphere as it sounded somewhat harsher than usual. Everyone turned around to look at their captain who was standing behind the group with narrow eyes of cold steel, silently demanding an explanation. It seemed he finally decided to intervene since the situation was becoming a bit too tense for his liking. Trafalgar wasn't a one to tolerate any problems between crewmembers on his ship. When the Hearts had a serious fight between them, he always demanded for them to settle it among themselves. If not, then he would solve the problem by himself and usually nobody wanted _him_ to interfere because the situation wouldn't be favorable for either party. Nothing good came out of an irritated Trafalgar Law getting involved.

"Captain, Miyako is acting strange. She just ran inside after yelling at Mayumi," Bepo explained the best he could.

"Not that Mayumi-chi did anything wrong!" Ari yelled from the upper deck again.

"Would ya stop yellin' from over there? Come down or stay out of it!" Eli yelled back, irritated by Ari's constant shouts on the matter.

"Mmm, maybe I should go talk to her and make amends? We shouldn't fight, I really like Miyako-san." Mayumi looked troubled as she put a finger to her lips, seemingly deep in thought.

"Would you take a hint, she doesn't want you close," Josh sighed in slight annoyance at the clingy girl. "She obviously needs her space so just let her be." He didn't look happy about the whole scene himself, but Joshua was probably right in this case. Letting her have some space would be for the best right now. Luckily, the others nodded in agreement, realizing that to be the best option as well.

Law stared at the local girl in silence for a while. Nevertheless, his stare never lost its edge as he pierced her with those cold eyes. "It's best for you to leave, Mayumi-ya."

"Eeeh?" The crew wasn't very happy with that decision but one look from Law in their direction and everyone fell silent, not another complaint to be heard.

Mayumi smiled at the captain as if completely missing the harsh look he was giving her. Right now as far as he was concerned she was nothing more than a distraction on his ship, which hindered his crew's work. He had no time nor patience for those. The girl, however, seemed oblivious of that fact herself as she just remained her usual cheerful self.

"That's alright captain Law. I won't bother you guys anymore since you're busy. If you need any more help, please don't hesitate to ask." With those words the girl left the deck, waving to the Heart pirates who eagerly waved back.

"Mmm, I kinda feel bad for Mayumi-chan…" Shachi was still somewhat troubled over the whole matter as he watched the girl while she walked away.

"I hope her and Miya-chan would get along better. Weren't they together for a long time before coming here…so what happened all of a sudden?" Bepo muttered in an equally troubled tone as the mechanic.

"Say, maybe we should do something to help them reconcile!" Penguin suddenly suggested with a mischievous smirk. He already had an idea.

"And what would that be?" Shachi had to enquire seeing as his friend was practically waiting for someone to ask about his brilliant plan.

"I'm glad you asked!" The pirate mechanic started. "I think we should have a party tonight on the deck and invite Mayumi-chan!" He finished with a raised index finger high in the air.

"You just want to have a party, don't you!?" Eli asked bluntly, already knowing the answer.

"Well…that's actually not a bad idea." Shachi scratched his chin in thought. "Maybe that would bring them a bit closer."

"We can always get them drunk!" Ari suggested, thinking that alcohol can bring anyone together.

The rest of the crew instantly opposed in a hurried voice. "No!" Did that idiot forget what Miyako was like when drunk? Nobody wants to experience _that_ again.

"Captain, what say you?" Bepo turned to look at Law who was silently contemplating things on his own.

Law was quiet for a while longer, thinking about it. He didn't really care whether Miyako and that girl got along or not. However, he didn't want any problems on his submarine either and he didn't like the tense atmosphere that came out of it. Besides, he didn't usually care whether the Hearts organize a party or not; they had drinking parties all the time anyway. Since they weren't shipping out for two more days, they didn't have to be prepared for setting sail first thing in the morning tomorrow and most of their job considering restocking was done. There was no harm in letting them have fun some tonight. "Hm…well I'd like to ask that local girl a few more question about the island anyway, so why not." He finally agreed, shrugging his shoulders. His face stayed calm and bored as before, not showing any enthusiasm for the upcoming party.

On the other hand, the crew instantly raised their voices in a cheer and started talking about preparations for tonight.

The only one beside the captain who didn't look excited was Joshua. The redhead had an unreadable expression as he watched his friends continue their work while chatting about the upcoming party. With a loud sigh he shook his head and picked up a box filled with new syringes. He was the only one who didn't think it was a good idea to meddle between Miyako's and that girl's affairs, but even if he said something, nobody would listen. They were all acting like excited fools not even considering what the samurai girl would actually want in this situation. He bit his lip annoyed at himself for being the one to actually consider the girl's _feelings_; seriously what is happening to this world when _he_ cares about that troublesome samurai. With another shake of his head, the medic let those thoughts fall to the back of his mind while he continued to work.

~…..~

Seeing as the situation seemed once again peaceful, Law turned to leave. Before going through the large metal doors he took his nodachi and gave Bepo a final glance. "Bepo, stay here and make sure there aren't any more problems."

"Aye aye, captain!" The polar bear saluted and went back to doing his duty.

The sound of Law's steps echoed throughout dimly lit corridors. Sometimes, some of his crewmembers would pass by, saluting at him, but he hardly noticed as he was still deep in thought from before.

He was sitting on the deck in a peaceful atmosphere just a while ago, hoping to rest his eyes for a while, when the commotion started. At first he didn't really care nor react since there wasn't anything odd about the Hearts being raucous but after a while even he found the atmosphere a little too tense. It seemed to escalate quite quickly and suddenly, as Miyako just snapped without warning or reason. Well at least that's how it looked but even Law had to admit he wasn't sure what exactly happened. _*However, as her captain, I'll have to have a talk with her about it. I can't let her go around causing problems on the submarine, even if it's her.* _Law wasn't one to let his crew cut corners and he definitively didn't play favorites. If you did something wrong, you answered to him, no matter who it was. The pirate captain sighed at the unpleasant talk with Miyako that awaited him; he could tell it will be tough to deal with her on this matter since she was so upset about it. *_I don't remember ever seeing her that emotionally out of control since-*_ A scene from the Tenryuubito's palace came to Law's mind as he saw Miyako with tears streaming down her eyes and a hurt stare she was piercing him with at that time. Well, this wasn't as bad as _that_. More than hurt, Miyako just seemed angry right now. At least that will make it a bit easier for Law since, in his opinion, it was easier to deal with an angry Miyako than a sad one. At that time he was really at a loss of words for a moment. With another sigh he shook his head lightly, as if trying to put that whole night at the back of his mind. He didn't need to think about that right now, since he had more important things to worry about.

Finally arriving at his quarters, Law suddenly stopped along with all his thoughts. He looked down at the small lump of fabric situated right in front of his doors. His eyes were already adjusted to the darkness so it was easy to recognize it was none other than his samurai, even in her unusual state. She was sitting on the cold metal floor hugging her knees close to her chest. Her kimono was pooling around her body, making her look like a shrunk mess of cloth. Her head was bowed down with her forehead resting on her knees, almost as if she was simply sleeping there. Her hair was covering most of her face, flowing down like a curtain and touching the floor where the dark blue strands mixed with the pink cloth.

Law's eyes narrowed more in confusion than actual discontent. "What are you doing here?" It was hard to find the right question from all the ones currently invading his mind because of the dark, pitiful sight before him.

The girl didn't answer but she stirred and her body squirmed nervously. She obviously heard him come even before he spoke and probably even sensed him with her Kenbunshoku Haki before he approached her. Yet she still kept silent as if purposely stalling. The realization made Law a little irate. *_Don't waste my time…Just say it clearly already.*_ Just as he was about to voice out that thought, the girl spoke.

Miyako moved her head to face him just a bit, though most of it was still lowered and hidden behind that mass of hair. "I…" She started softly as if unsure how to proceed. She squirmed nervously again and even the bare toes in her wooden sandals curled in tension. "I guess I…came to…grumble…for a bit…"

Her mumbled words were so hard to understand, Law had to strain himself to actually make out what the girl was saying. She only said one sentence, if that could even be called a proper sentence, and then clamed up again. Even in the darkness he could see a slight pink blush on her cheeks from saying something like that out loud. Although, even after hearing it, Law had to think for a second to actually understand what those words meant. *_Grumble?* _After a second more the pirate thought he got a hold of what she was talking about. He sighed, feeling slightly more tired all of a sudden. "You want to make a complaint to your captain? About what happened before?" Well this isn't an administrative office for legal issues or anything, what does she expect from him exactly?

"That's not it." A bit firmly, Miyako cut him off and once again brought confusion back into his mind. He was just about to ask what _was_ it then exactly, but the girl continued to explain. She was now playing with the hem of her kimono sleeve and drawing lines on the metal floor with her one index finger. She looked just like a sulky child. "I mean…not…to my captain exactly…" For the first time she looked at him and made eye content, although it was sideway and only one of her eyes was visible now. He could see her eye glint in the darkness, shining its golden color. He knew she looked up at him to see if he would understand her meaning but honestly he was still in the dark and not only literally.

Law's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stayed silent. Then his features slowly changed into mild surprise as an idea popped to his head. Finally, when he was sure he understood the girl's meaning and the reason behind her strange actions at the moment, his one eyebrow rose in wonder and disappeared underneath his hat. A small smirk tugged on his lips and he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. The pirate captain walked towards the doors of his quarters without sparing Miyako another glance. "Come on."

The girl stood up and moved away so he could open the doors, then followed him inside silently. She took out her katana from the sash of her waist and leaned it against Law's desk, sitting in her usual chair right across Law's own chair where the man planted himself.

"So...? What happened?" Law leaned back in his chair and rested the elbows on the arms of it, interweaving his long fingers together. He thought it would be troublesome to get Miyako to talk about her outburst but the girl actually surprised him by coming to him by herself. Perhaps it won't be such a hell of a task after all.

Miyako was silent for a while longer, fidgeting in her seat and playing with the fabric of her kimono. It seemed she did that a lot when nervous, but somehow it actually helped to calm her down and get her mind off of things. Every now and then she would glance at the man before her but would instantly look away, unable to keep eye contact with him. But for the first time it wasn't out of embarrassment over something he did, but rather the guilty feeling she still had churning in her gut.

Usually Law would lose his patience quickly when seeing people were deliberately avoiding to talk and would stall for time. He would only feel irritation, seeing them fidget like this in front of him while he had to wait for them to finally open their mouth. But this time, seeing Miyako so nervous and lost before him, he actually felt amused. That's why he didn't push her on in annoyance but rather just kept staring her down with his silent gaze, probably making her even more self-conscious. Her nervous glances towards him before she quickly looked down, her almost puppy-dog eyes of guilt with its ears down, the slight flustered expression and a pink hue in her blushing cheeks, even her fingers which were constantly playing with the fabric in her lap, along with her whole body fidgeting nervously; seeing the girl so flustered, Law just couldn't help and think she was, well…cute. More than that, it just made him want to bully her more. So he decided to press her on. "It's not like you to be so emotional in front of others, especially not like you were on the deck just now."

Miyako tensed and stopped fidgeting, biting her lip in the process and looked up at Law. Finally she spoke, in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "Yeah, I was really annoyed. It's not like I want to be like that, I just snapped. She…made me snap." Then she shook her head violently as if arguing with herself. "No, that's not it. I know it wasn't her fault. But…I just felt like an idiot…with what happened with Munk and she just _wouldn't_ _stop_ clinging to me…" As Miyako went on she was more and more relaxed, completely forgetting she was talking to the captain of the ship and just letting it all out. No, she didn't intend to talk to Law as her captain, from the start. Instead, she just wanted to talk to _Law_ himself, as they often did in his quarters when she would bring him his meals. As someone who she trusted and believed to understand her. As someone…important to her on a different level.

While talking to him, she relaxed completely, telling him everything. Everything that made her so annoyed today since the moment they met that girl. It was as if she completely forgot her previous nervousness and just wanted to get it all off of her chest in front of him. In front of someone who she knew won't just dismiss her and say; '_But Mayumi-chan was so cute and nice to you, how could you?'_ as the rest of the guys probably would. Perhaps that was way she came to Law. She didn't know why she headed to quarters when she did, she just felt at that moment that he was the only one who she could talk to. More than solving her problems or giving her advice, Miyako just needed someone to listen to her grumble for a while about everything. "-and you know…I just feel like there's something strange about that girl and that she's making everyone else in the crew strange, too. It might just be my imagination because I'm bias and a part of me knows I don't have a reason not to like her, but still…I just don't." She paused, unsure that she should say the next part. The girl tucked the fallen strands of her hair behind her ear and looked sideway, not meeting Law's gaze again. "Besides…I know it's selfish of me but…I thought at least the guys would be on my side…at least a little. I know I was the one to snap but still…we're supposed to be friends." She frowned feeling that obnoxious feeling in the pit of her stomach return; even though she was finally feeling better. As she was done, she looked up at her captain. He still had the same calm, unreadable expression on his face not showing whether he agreed or disagreed with her in the slightest. However, he didn't look bored as usual, either.

Miyako stared at him for a while and then opened her mouth again, but the tone that came out wasn't her usual one. She playfully talked as if reading a line from a script; "And? What do you expect me to do about it?" She saw the barely visible twitch in Law's eyebrow and his eyes narrowing a little. Usually a person wouldn't even notice the change in his demeanor, but Miyako's keen eyes picked up on it, never-the-less. *_Right on the mark, huh?*_ She grinned teasingly, some of her old self returning in her attitude. "That's what you were about to say, no?"

It seemed Law was a bit annoyed that the girl just snatched the words out of his mouth, as if she knew him so well already. So he stayed quiet, neither confirming nor denying it. Miyako didn't mind, though. She was expecting even that, because she _did_ know him well; at least when it involved his reactions. She smiled gently and looked down, her expression becoming calmer. "It's fine, I don't expect you to do anything. I know that it was my fault in the end, so I'll take care of my own mess. At the very least I'll go apologize to those idiots up there…eh, I mean the crew." She corrected herself with a playful wink. "You don't have to say or do anything; I told you, didn't I? I just wanted to grumble for a bit." Her faint smile was still there as she finally faced Law, looking him right in the eye.

Law tilted his head and raised an eyebrow to her statement. "Then why did you come to me? You could've gone to Joshua-ya or Cody-ya instead?" He pretty much already knew the answer to that question; he just wanted to hear it directly from Miyako's lips, though the girl would probably never admit the reason even under torture. But that still didn't stop Law from teasing her about it as he pressed the question anyway.

The samurai appeared taken aback by the question and quickly looked away with a deep blush. "T-that's because…" She was unable to finish the sentence, so she just kept her lips tightly shut. Then after a while, still avoiding eye contact, she mumbled. "I don't know, it just happened that way."

Law casually stood up and walked around the table, standing next to the girl and looking down at her. "It just happened? So do you often unconsciously walk up to wait in front of my quarters? Should I interpret that as I see fit?" He put one hand on the back of her chair and leaned next to her ear as he whispered the question into it. He could only see her profile, but her ears and cheeks were obviously red.

"That's not it!" She got flustered and frantically searched for right words to explain.

"Then what is it?" Law pushed on.

"…" Miyako stubbornly stayed quiet, avoiding his gaze all the while.

"Look at me," he commanded.

She instantly turned her head towards him and stared right into his eyes. Not because she was so obedient, but because she didn't want to run away from him. She wanted to take him straight on and accept the challenge he was giving her. It was obvious from her firm gaze, which suddenly lost all embarrassment and was replaced by sheer mental fighting spirit. Law couldn't help but smirk at the sight, but stayed quiet to see if she'll really go through with it and give him an honest answer regarding her feelings for once.

"I just…felt like it. I felt like I could talk to you about it because…well, I…trust you…" At the end she had to avert her gaze to the side after all. Even so, she could see Law's satisfied smirk from the corner of her eyes. That only made her want to frown. *_Sly bastard. Even though I'm sure he already knows it, he made me say it anyway.* _

"See, that wasn't so hard. Even though you can't even keep eye contact with me…" He teased her seeing as she wasn't strong enough to say something embarrassing right at his face while looking at him clearly.

Miyako returned her strong gaze onto the doctor, sporting a frown with it. "I'll be the one to decide where my gaze goes…or doesn't."

That bold statement only made Law's smirk widen even more. Well if she wasn't feisty like this, it wouldn't be fun. He didn't mind that about her at all; quite the contrary, that was part of her appeal. "Is that so? Well since you were so honest today, I'll let this little insubordination slide." With an unreadable expression, he continued in a completely serious tone along with an even more serious stare. "But I won't let you look away from me…ever." Before she could protest he took her chin in his one hand, the other still holding the back of the chair. He pushed his lips against hers, shutting up any complaints she might have had. He felt her tense up from surprise and it was a bit awkward, kissing sideways like this, but that didn't stop him. The doctor just deepened the kiss by lightly biting the girl's lower lip. She gasped at the slight prick of pain, allowing his tongue excess inside her cavern.

"hm…nh…" She let out something between a moan and a gasp, though it was hard to tell was it out of pleasure or protest. Even so, she raised her one hand and clutched his hoodie with it. As if to make her point of not running away even more, she let her own tongue slide over Law's, battling for dominance with him.

Law smirked in the kiss glad to see she wasn't trying to back out this time. But that smug face turned into surprise when he felt her bite his tongue playfully before sucking on it. He felt pleasure pooling to his stomach and lower at the surprising act from his usually shy girl. Where did she even learn that? *_Don't tell me she's copying what I did to her before?* _Law couldn't help but be a little impressed by her dedication not to lose to him. He opened his eyes just a little to see her blushing face right in front of him. Her eyes were closed, long eyelashes caressing her red cheeks. Every now and then, her eyebrows would twitch or furrow when Law would tease her with his tongue, coiling it around her own or sliding it over her gums. He pulled slightly away to lick her lower lip, still staring intently at her face in front of him, feeling drawn to the sight.

She must've felt something was off since her eyes fluttered open a little, but then completely opened wide when she noticed Law's grey eyes looking a bit darker than usual, were examining her face all the while. "Hya!" With a shriek she stood up from the chair and pulled away, making enough distance between them with the chair in the middle. She had both her hands covering the lower part of her face and only her wide, golden eyes were visible. "Y-you…how long were you staring at my face like that?!"

Trafalgar simply tilted his head with half-lidded eyes and licked his lips from some remaining saliva on it. The sexy looking scene he made only made the girl blush harder. "What does it matter?"

"B-because, I must've looked so strange." Still hiding most of her face, Miyako admitted in a soft voice. Who knows what kind of embarrassing expression she was making during the kiss and he just kept silently watching like that. The thought alone was just too much.

However, the pirate captain only grinned in amusement. "Not at all." He then removed the chair and took a step forward, looking like a predator cornering his prey. He almost expected for Miyako to take a step back but surprisingly she stayed in place. The girl was full of surprises today. "More importantly, you became pretty open haven't you? You're quite bold today." Waiting for him and even telling him she trusted him enough to show him her upset side, being all cute and fidgety in front of him and then even returning his kiss with such lewd actions. For the usually coy Miyako this was quite a big step forward. She was slowly warming up to him whether she would admit it or not.

The samurai girl just looked away with a pouty scowl and crossed her arms on her chest. "Hn, aren't you the one acting different than usual? You're somehow…more patient." She looked back at Law with a smirk of her own, trying to push his buttons deliberately, as she finished. "Could it be you're trying to console me?"

Suddenly Law appeared right before her, pushing her body back into the wall a bit harder than necessary, as he trapped her between both arms that he rested against the wall by her sides. "Don't push your luck, Miss Miyako," he teasingly responded, his breath tickling her lips since he was only inches away.

Miyako turned her head to the side, and put both arms on his chest to try and give herself some room, but the strong pirate wouldn't budge. The smirk was still on her face, but now it looked forced and there was troubled nervousness that she tried to mask under her laid-back features. Her eye twitched as she continued to try and push him away but he was pushing her right back into the wall with his whole body, proving she was no match for him in strength in their current position. "Aren't you the one doing the pushing? Get…off." She was straining to keep him away now.

On the other hand Law had his usual amused smirk, seemingly unfazed by any of it. "Hmm...No, I don't think I will." He pretended to think for a while only to voice out the obvious answer.

"Sexual…harassment, jerk." Miyako growled out through clenched teeth as she used all her force to keep Law's body from pinning her completely against the wall.

"Hn…" Humming in thought and looking down at her, Law finally became bored with this play and decided to end it. Unfortunately for Miyako, he had no intention of backing away. Instead, he leaned down and stared at her exposed neck since she still had her head turned to the side. He let his tongue slide from the base of her neck all the way to the jaw, following the main artery there.

The sudden wet feeling on her neck made Miyako jump and lose concentration, but only a second of weakness was enough for Law to take the lead. In one quick motion he overpowered her; grabbed both of her wrists with his hands and pinned them on the wall beside her head.

"Eh!?" The girl screamed in surprise and horror, seeing that she was completely unable to escape now. Still, she continued to struggle, trying to set her hands free, but to no avail. Law's clutches were far too strong and she couldn't move her arms from the wall at all. "Let go!" So all she could do was try and settle this verbally even though she was well aware it had no impact on her captain.

Law smirked and leaned into her ear, licking the earlobe before whispering into it. "Don't give me orders." He could feel her body tremble from the wet sensation, which only made him want to do it more.

Miyako was still trying to struggle relentlessly, furrowing her eyebrows. "How did this happen…? Even though I only came here to talk." It was more of a question to herself, really. But Law still answered.

"You say that but you should've known something like this would happen if you come to my quarters alone and then proceed to entice me. It's your own fault. You should've learned already; you consciously keep returning to the wolf's den." He bit her ear lightly as if to prove his point.

"Hn…" A muffled gasp escaped her closed lips. "E-entice you…who did?"

"Even if you're not aware of it-" He started nipping up and down her neck, licking the bite marks every now and then. He could feel her whole body shiver from time to time and she wasn't struggling anymore. She must've lost the strength to fight back under his administrations. Law smirked with pure satisfaction as he continued talking in a low and husky tone. "-that's no excuse. Take responsibility."

Miyako squirmed under Law's actions, trying to escape the sensations on her neck. However, none of it was working even as she tried her best to only focus on their conversation and not the hot feeling slowly traveling down her neck. But even hearing Law's deep voice laced with lust whispering in her ear, was too much for her. Unfortunately, Law had no intention of letting het escape and to prove his point, he only assaulted harder. Without warning, the captain leaned into her, resting his one leg right between her own. He put slight pressure there with his thigh, enough to tease her and make her lose all strength from the sudden hotness she felt from it. "Yah!" Miyako screamed in shock, surprising even herself by the voice that escaped her. It was something between a gasp, shriek and a moan and the sound of it made her want to bite her own tongue to keep herself from making any more noises. It was just too disturbing, hearing herself make such embarrassing noises.

Trying to focus on something else than the warmth spreading all over her body, Miyako returned to answering Law again. "I don't-ah! I don't…know what you're talking…about…idiot! Let…go…" The last part sounded more like a whine than a real demand since she seemed to lose all will to seriously fight him. She only heard a low chuckle from the pirate captain, that tickled her ear and made her squirm some more. "Sexual harassment….bastard," she somehow panted out, biting back a moan.

"Tch, you're pretty foul mouthed today." The captain muttered, slight annoyance in his tone. However, that displeased expression soon turned into a devious grin. "Better to shut you up then." He leaned back to look at the deliciously flustered girl before diving back in and kissing her on the lips again.

"Mn? Mh hm!" Miyako tensed and struggled to break free but he wouldn't let so. She could feel her air quickly disappearing from her lungs but under Law's administration she completely forgot to use her nose to breathe. Her gasps for breath became more frequent as she now urgently tried to escape and take a breath.

Realizing this, Law slowly pulled away, enough to lick her lips and give her some room to breathe. He smirked again, amused by the girl who was panting hard and trying to catch her breath. "Breathe through your nose." It was the only warning she got before he pulled her into another kiss, taking the air right out of her mouth once more.

Miyako could only shut her eyes tightly and feel her face getting hotter by the second. But as Law continued to lightly nip her lips, run his tongue over her own and playfully suck at it, she was starting to get hotter in other places as well. She wanted to cling desperately onto something, even Law himself or his hoodie, _anything_, but couldn't because he was still pinning her hands to the wall. His leg moved even more against her and his hard chest pressed into hers almost painfully. But more than any pain, she felt pleasure from his every move. She was so conscious of him now, every feeling she felt by him felt heightened. Miyako forgot herself for a moment and kissed him back almost desperately. Once he pulled away again she couldn't help but feel disappointment from loss of contact. She became so into it, her golden eyes glazed with pleasure while panting, she forgot even their surroundings. Realizing that fact the girl's expression turned into a bewildered one, unable to accept that she would just succumb to him like that.

The doctor's smirk never disappeared as he commented in an amused tone. "And here I thought you would be defiant until the very end." He tilted his head again and looked down at her with those stormy, grey eyes. His gaze really seemed like a predator looking down on his small prey; but instead of just finishing it, he was mercilessly playing with her.

Law's teasing words brought her back to reality and Miyako was finally able to get some strength back into her, enough to free his hands and push him away. Of course it was mostly because Law weakened his hold on purpose, giving her a chance to finally move. "Honestly…that was a dirty move even for you. Even though I said to stop…." She frowned and looked away with a slight pout on her features. There was still a red hue on her usually pale cheeks, betraying her true emotions.

"That's because when you look like you don't want it, I only want to do it more." His answer was so blunt and straight to the point that it even took Miyako by surprise.

She almost fell down from the shock, as a sweat drop formed on her head. But instead she just looked back and him with a straightforward glare and yelled; "Isn't that just bullying!?"

Trafalgar, however, still had that completely calm demeanor as if nothing was wrong about what he said. He didn't look sorry at all. Actually, he only looked amused even more as an evil-looking grin suddenly spread across his face. It gave Miyako goosebumps as a foreboding feeling left her chills. "Yes, because bullying you is always interesting," the man simply said in a factual, flat tone. He didn't even blink as he answered.

*_I knew it!* _ Miyako screamed in her head . She could completely see it coming; that jerk was really messing with her on purpose. She trembled with hidden rage as her lips pulled up in a smile that only looked annoyed and masked her anger. "Don't joke with me, you…." Before her killing aura could take over completely, Law interrupted her.

He didn't seem fazed or worried by her growing anger at all, as if it didn't concern him, or rather, it didn't bother him. He just shrugged it off as he continued, "Still, it's meaningless to do it by force."

"Huh?" Miyako's rage was transformed into confusion after hearing Law's words. Her mind turned and twisted to understand what he meant by that exactly.

Her confusion created an opening for Law to lean forward, putting one arm on the wall again and leaning next to her so he can whisper in the girl's ear. "You are going to give yourself to me willingly. That way you won't be able to make any excuses afterwards."

The girl's golden eyes widened in an instant as she realized exactly what he meant by that. Despite herself, her face turned beat red from her ears down and she could already feel herself getting flustered. She was trying so hard to remain in control up until now, using up all her self-control, yet all that flew right out of the window in an instant with Law's sudden, ever-so-confident words. "G-g-go drown in the ocean, baka!" She pushed him away with an embarrassed shout and ran towards the doors of the quarters without looking back, grabbing her katana in the process. However, as she opened the doors of the room, Miyako stopped, facing the doors for a while longer. Just when Law was about to ask what happened as he stared at the motionless girl's back in confusion, she suddenly turned around and pointed her finger at him. She was still red in the face, but besides sheer embarrassment there was something more in her features; resolution. "That's not gonna happen because I already decided that _you_ will fall for _me_! I definitively won't lose to you so just you wait!" She announced her challenge in a confident tone before suddenly turning again and slamming the doors behind her as she left.

Law blinked in silent astonishment as he stared at the metal doors of his room. _*For someone so shy, you can really say some embarrassing things sometimes.* _Honestly, it was good that she left because the girl left him speechless and dumbfounded. Just as he thought he figured her out, her personality turned around by 180 degrees and suddenly she says something like that without any warning. A small smirk appeared on Law's features. _*Damn, this might actually be dangerous. At this point she'll really….* _A low chuckle was heard in the quiet room.

~…~

Miyako was standing in the barely lit corridor, breathing hard. It really took her all to say something so embarrassing out loud; rather it just came out all of a sudden before she could stop herself. But now after everything was said and done, she was completely feeling the consequences as every fiber of her being trembled with adrenalin. The rush and the heat of the moment passed and only then did the realization of her actions hit her. Miyako whined in a small voice, putting her head in her hands. "Am I an idiot….?" Then another understanding came to mind. Through this whole ordeal with Law, the samurai realized she has completely forgotten about her previous troubles with the crew, Mayumi and everything else. In the end, talking to Law really did help her get her mind off of things. _*No way…There's no way I'm ever admitting that what he did actually helped me forget about my troubles. Never! Definitively never! And I'm never going in his quarters again!* _With that firm decision, Miyako stomped away towards the galley where her work awaited.

~…~

"Come on already."

"I know, so stop pushing me!"

"Now, now, there's nothing to worry about."

Voices echoed from the dark depths of the corridor that led outside on the deck. Everyone else was already there, carrying out food and preparing drinks; getting ready for tonight's party. But three pirates were yet to come out; two medics pushing and urging on towards the exit an unwilling girl.

It's not that Miyako was really unwilling to face everybody; but the thought of it after that humiliating situation this afternoon made it quite more difficult for her to do so. How will they react? Will they be mad? Will they stare down at her with those ostracizing eyes? The girl gulped and once again her legs stopped working on her own. Dark thoughts and doubts swirled inside her, making her feel even more anxious. What suddenly brought her out of her fearful state was a hand on her head that pushed her down as it ruffled her hair. Miyako blinked and followed to whom it belonged, seeing Josh staring at her with his sharp green eyes underneath his cap. The medic was shorter than her so after reaching for her, he needed to push her head down slightly to be able to ruffle her hair. He looked like a younger brother, messing with his taller sister. But his face was serious, as he kept staring at her.

"Oy, what's the problem now? You had the courage to face everyone after what happened with the Tenryuubito and at that time you messed up much more than this. So what are you getting all anxious about over a stupid fight like this?" Joshua scolded her, still keeping that serious tone in his voice.

However, instead of feeling annoyed, the statement actually made Miyako relax a little. He was right; what happened at Sabaody was much more serious than this. If they forgave her at that time, there's no reason to fret now. They're all good guys in the end and not ones to hold a grudge. Even if she acted childish, all she had to do was apologize to them sincerely. Then her features turned darker as another thought crossed her mind. *_Though I still definitively don't want to apologize to Mayumi.*_ But even with those feelings she knew she couldn't keep up this childish, stubborn act. She had to step up and take responsibility for her actions just like Master always taught her. She was in the wrong and she needed to make it right despite her personal feelings in the matter. Resolving herself , Miyako stood upright again with new determination in her expression "Yeah, let's go."

Cody smiled beside her and nodded to urge her on. "We're right behind you."

Miyako stepped out on the deck, looking around at the Heart Pirates who were laughing and chatting with each other. Shachi and Penguin already made a whole gambling group where people seemed to be losing all their assets fast. On the other end, Jean Bart was having a drinking contest with some of the other pirates but nobody could stand a chance against the former captain. Sai was talking with Law, showing him some maps and probably calculating their course from here. Bepo was stuffing himself with meat and fish, two plates already emptied and the third on its way to meet the same fate.

Sam was first to notice the three newcomers on the deck and he smiled brightly at them behind all his clothes that kept his face hidden. Even now he had those thick glasses hiding his eyes from view. "Cody, Josh, Miya-chan, you came!"

After the mechanic's exclamation, the others noticed them too and turned around with grins and waving hands, beckoning them to join the party. It looked like nobody held a grudge about what happened earlier today, as if it was already forgotten.

*_Why was I so nervous!*_ Miyako felt relieved and even more tense at the same time as she realized all her worrying has been completely unnecessary.

Eli walked over to the two medics and the samurai. "Yo, Miyako. You ok now? Gave us a start this afternoon, ey?" In his rough accent the master gunner greeted the girl, slapping her on the back with a smile.

The girl's breath hitched from the harsh treatment and she had to stop herself from falling forward. That's when she noticed the others were rounding around them too, asking about her. Guilt returned to the depths of her stomach again. _*I made everyone worry about me.* _She bit her lip for a second, still wearing that forlorn expression, before bowing down to the men before her. "I'm sorry everyone! Sorry for causing you all trouble!"

"What are you talking about?" Ari walked over, scratching the back of his head. "S' fine, s' fine. I was a bit surprised and I still think you were kinda rude but we all have our bad days, right?"

Miyako looked up and saw him grinning at her, his unruly black hair framing his face. She looked at the rest of the Heart Pirates and they all shared similar expression. "Everyone…"

"Come on, don't worry about it anymore. It's already history. Did you think we'd be mad at you or somethin'?" Penguin came and ruffled her hair with a smile.

"Besides…I think angry Miyako is also kinda cute." Shachi chuckled, lost in his own world of fantasy.

"Creepy…." Miyako couldn't help but comment with a frown, though she only did it jokingly.

"Eeh?!" Shachi's jaw slackened with shock. "That's mean, Miya-chaaan~" He whined. The laughter from the other pirates once again filled the air.

"Well I don't think you did anything wrong. If someone gets on your nerves, it can't be helped. Just get rid of them." Sai shrugged speaking in that monotone, calm voice as always. Even while saying something like that he still wore the usual sleepy and emotionless expression. Even his low voice didn't change from the usual. Meanwhile, the pirates just stared back at him with disturbed and slightly fearful expressions.

"What are you, mafia!?" Penguin yelled back, finally pulling out of the atmosphere that Sai created. That navigator really did everything by his own pace but the only one who didn't seem to notice that fact was Sai himself.

"Anyway, let's get this party started!" Cal raised his voice along with one fist that cut through the air. The rest of the pirates cheered and were soon dragging Miyako along with them toward the food and drink that they set up earlier.

The girl laughed and smiled, completely forgetting her nervousness from before. With the corner of her eyes she glanced at her captain, noticing he was staring right back at her. As usual he had that half-bored, unreadable expression but something in his stare told her that he already knew this is how things would turn out from the start, as if she was a fool for worrying so much about it. Well, he _was_ the captain after all, he knew his own crew the best, whereas Miyako still had much to learn about the people around her. She smiled, though it was hard to tell if it was at him or at that though, perhaps it was both. The captain only gave her a nod of recognition before taking a sip out of his bottle of liquor and turning away to lean against the sub's railing.

"Miyako-san!" A new voice brought the samurai back to reality and she looked up from her glass to see a young girl standing before her.

She stood up from the ground and acknowledged the local girl. "Mayumi-san."

The Heart Pirates around them tensed but still pretended to do whatever they were doing at the time, as if the girls wouldn't notice they were actually awaiting what will happen next. Penguin walked up to the girls with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah, yeah, we invited Mayumi-chan too. We thought maybe you could make up and get along? The party was for this reason too." He laughed nervously, awaiting Miyako's reaction.

"Didn't you just want to have a party?" Bepo cut the mechanic off, correcting him.

"You be quiet!" Penguin bit back.

"Sorry," The polar bear bowed down his head in depression.

"Don't yell at him," Miyako scolded the mechanic.

"Sorry," Penguin bowed his head down as well.

"…" For a while everything was enveloped in awkward silence. Mayumi greeted the rest of the pirates but finally faced Miyako, awaiting the samurai's reaction to her coming here.

The Wano girl stepped towards Mayumi with a serious expression. Then without warning she held out her hand to the other girl. "I'm sorry for being so rude to you earlier, Mayumi-san. I was wrong." She awaited Mayumi's response still holding out her hand.

The local girl blinked in surprise a few times but then held out her own hand and held onto Miyako's, shaking it lightly. A smile graced her features once again. "Don't worry about it."

At that moment the tense atmosphere seemed to completely dissolve and the pirates sighed in relief, able to enjoy their party again.

"I'm glad it all worked out ok between those two." Bepo smiled in relief, watching the two girls.

"Yeah…" Joshua, who was silently drinking beside him, commented without any enthusiasm. He watched the two girls chat for a while, examining Miyako's face. She was smiling but it still looked tense and forced even now. She really didn't get along with that Mayumi girl after all.

~…~

As the night went on, so did the party. Gradually the pirates got drunker and rowdier. Sometimes, local village people would walk by through the port, giving them strange glances but nobody dared to approach the vessel of the Heart Pirates and the infamous captain Trafalgar Law. Luckily, the port was somewhat away from the residential area so nobody could see that the fearsome pirates were actually acting like idiots; completely drunk, singing and dancing, getting into fights and arguments over gambling or already passed out from trying to beat Jean Bart in a drinking game.

Law was sitting on another crate at the deck, on his fifth bottle of rum as he sipped the hot liquor slowly. He was watching his foolhardy crew with amusement, letting them have their way for tonight. Bepo would step in if the arguments got a bit too heated, so Trafalgar could for once relax and enjoy his drink. Be it his luck or misfortune, it was always hard for him to get drunk, but the alcohol still relaxed his body. At least tonight he won't have a problem with falling asleep as it is usually the case. His slightly dulled senses picked up on an aura behind him, due to his Kenbunshoku haki. He didn't feel any ill intent from it; actually it was fairly familiar. He knew this presence well.

"Miss Miyako, what are you ho-" He turned around, ready to address the girl behind him, but stopped mid-sentence from surprise. He expected to see Miyako's sly smile thinking she was up to something, sneaking like that behind him. He expected to see a pair of golden big eyes looking at him, but instead it was a pair of deep green ones. Instead of Miyako, it was Mayumi, the girl from the village. Rather than being surprised by how close she was, Law was surprised that he made such a mistake. He's haki was already pretty good and Miyako's presence was so known to him, he could never confuse her aura for someone else's. Yet here she was, not his samurai, but the ever-so-cheerful village girl. Was he drunk after all?

However, his thoughts didn't leak through as his expression soon returned into his usual, composed one. Only for a second did his eyes widen in surprise, but his fuzzy hat hid even that much. "Mayumi-ya, is there something you need from me?"

The girl sat down next to him on the large crate without even asking. His eyes narrowed from the sudden intrusion in his comfort zone, as the space between them was far too small for his liking. The crate was large, but not that large; two people on it just felt cramped and he never liked having random people too close to him anyway. However, his interest won over so he decided to see what the girl wanted before scaring her away.

"Actually, I was just about to ask the same thing." Mayumi answered with a mischievous smile and enjoyed Law's confused expression for a while, before explaining herself. "Penguin-san told me you wanted to ask me some questions?"

Oh, so that was the reason. The captain's expression turned to understanding and he gave the girl a short nod. "I wanted to know more about the area around this island. Perhaps if you know the islands around yours? Also, I want you to tell us more about the marine base around here. If we can pinpoint its exact location, it'll be easier to avoid it on our way." His words sounded more like a demand than any sort of question or inquiry for a favor. Well, she was the one to offer her help to them, so he might as well take her up on that offer. "We'll talk to my navigator later so he can draw a map around the island and find the location of the marine base."

"Oh, you mean Sai-san. Eeh, I tried to talk to him before but he said my cheerfulness makes him tired and left. He was a bit rude." The girl pouted as she complained to the pirate captain without a second thought.

_*And I should care because….?* _He didn't ask her to be friends with Sai, personal feelings didn't matter in business anyway. She just needed to convey that information to them. The doctor sighed as a sudden fatigue hit him. "Jean Bart-ya is our main navigator, you can talk to him," he proposed an alternative. Perhaps this rum really _was_ making him softer.

"But Bart-san hardly speaks." Again, the girl complained in a whiny voice. Her attitude didn't show any concern for her safety even though she was slowly but surely provoking the captain of the pirate ship, known for cutting up people into small pieces.

Was she messing with him or just dense; Law just couldn't decide. Still, he had enough of the girl's bothersome behavior and his expression suddenly darkened. His deep grey eyes narrowed, piercing the girl as he stared right into her own eyes with a darkened look. The stare was a warning one that said he was close to losing his patience completely, challenging her to voice out _one_ more complaint and push him over the edge.

Luckily, it appeared she finally took a hint as she quieted down, not an objection to be heard. Unfortunately that silence didn't last for long. "I get it, sorry sorry. I'm just really excited to be here with such a famous and cool pirate captain." By her happy tone, Law couldn't tell was she sarcastic or serious. In the end it didn't matter since the girl just carried on talking. She smiled and took a large breath. "Alright, I'll tell you all I know…."

~…~

Miyako sat down next to Bepo with a glass of juice in hand. She was looking at the laughing bunch around her. Most of them were already passed out from alcohol while the others steadily went towards that goal.

"Ah, Miya-chan, you're not drinking sake? That's good, at least there's someone still sane around here." Bepo nodded, approvingly.

However, the girl beside him just tensed with a sweat drop. After seeing that look of trust and appreciation in the polar bear's eyes she just couldn't tell him the truth; that she actually wanted to try some but something always prevented her from doing so. Her glass would suddenly disappear while she wasn't paying attention or someone would distract her whenever she would try and take a sip and afterwards she would find her glass empty. It's like someone way deliberately trying to keep her away from having any alcohol all night.

"R-right…" Unable to voice out the truth after seeing Bepo's smiling face, she just nodded in agreement and took a sip from her glass of juice, avoiding the bear's gaze. Wanting to change the subject, she looked around. "Anyway, where's Law?" By now, the party was slowly dying out, the reason mostly being that the pirates themselves were dropping like flies into unconsciousness.

"The captain's over there with Mayumi-chan." Bepo nodded in the direction of two people, sitting closely together and talking about something.

It was too far away to hear what they were talking about but they were sitting together on one crate, which appeared way too cozy. Miyako found it strange that Law would allow that since he usually wasn't a type to want to have a lot of physical contact with people, especially ones he didn't know or trust yet. She was wondering what he looked like right now; was he annoyed or did it not even bother him? However, Mayumi was in the way and his hat was covering most of his face from Miyako's prying eyes anyway. A strange feeling hit her chest and made her uncomfortable at the sight of them. That feeling only stung more when she heard Mayumi laugh in that cheerful voice of hers. Unconsciously, Miyako bit her lip. But that's when another thing caught her eye as she watched Mayumi fling back her hair, almost in a flirty manner. The samurai girl blinked a few times just to make sure. The color of the village girl's hair seemed different. Miyako distinctly remembered the girl's hair was raven before, but now it looked of a bit lighter color. To be exact it appeared to be a deep blue color, rather than black. Almost like Miyako's…no, not almost, _just like hers_. Also, the hair seemed different; the length was longer than before, the same as Miyako's, even though the girl's hair was somewhat shorter than hers before. Even the straight cut at the ends was the same and there were shorter strands framing her face on the sides. *_Did she get a haircut? But the style looks way too similar to mine! Did she copy my hair style and even dyed it the same color?! What is she thinking?! Still, that doesn't explain how her hair looks longer now…*_

The peaceful atmosphere around Miyako soon dissolved and was once again replaced by a deeply irate feeling and suspicion. She just stared at Mayumi with wide eyes, unable to completely comprehend what she was seeing. Was it just the lighting? It was already dark and the submarine's lighting was pretty dim after all. Was it her imagination?

She felt that stinging in the chest shift and evolve into a burning hot mass, as if a ball of fire was residing there. The emotions were slowly burning away even her reason. She watched the girl, sitting so close to her captain, laughing alluringly, innocently, kindly, annoyingly, aggravatingly, grudgingly, disgustingly! Without Miyako even realizing it, her teeth already chewed through her lower lip, drawing blood. Her free hand balled into a tight fist while the other gripped the glass so tightly it shook and her fingers turned white.

Even if Miyako herself didn't notice the change in her demeanor, Bepo did. "Miya-chan, what's wrong? Are you feeling ill?"

The voice of their first mate brought her back to reality, suddenly cutting through her thoughts. Miyako almost jumped from surprise, then blinked a few time. *_Just now...what was I…?*_ She felt confused by her own thoughts as for a second there she wasn't able to control her emotions at all. She was always a logical person, putting her reason before her feelings, especially when in a fight or a tight situation. She trained her own mind through mediation to stay calm and collected, even when unnerved. So what was that just now? How could she almost let her emotions get the best of her? Just like she did earlier today with Mayumi. *_That's right…it only happens when Mayumi's around. There's something strange with that girl after all!*_

_Crack_

Miyako blinked and looked down in confusion. A cracking sound came from her hand just now. Her eyes widened when she noticed the glass she was holding broke down, cutting into her skin. The juice spilled over her hand and the floor, pieces of glass falling from her palm. A few drops of blood ran down her hand and fell on the messy floor by her feet. *_Ah…it broke…*_ The pain only registered later, after she realized what has happened. She didn't even notice she was still gripping the glass tightly while thinking and it couldn't stand the pressure.

"Whaa, Miya-chan, are you alright! You're bleeding!" Beside her Bepo fell into a panicked frenzy from seeing her bloodied left hand. "The glass broke!? Quickly, you need to go to the infirmary and get the glass out."

The girl grimaced, the pain finally kicking in. She even had shards of glass stuck into her palm and fingers. How will she train with her sword now? Miyako cursed her own foolishness as she stared down at her bloodied hand.

"Miyako." A low voice suddenly brought her attention and she looked up to see Law coming over to her. Unfortunately Mayumi was right behind him with a worried expression.

The samurai looked up at Law and flinched when he touched her hurt hand. It wasn't from the pain though; just that her heart still hadn't caught up with her mind, so she was still feeling anxious from seeing Law with Mayumi not long ago. Still, the larger hand enveloped hers and she relaxed after a while, letting Law examine her. His dark tattooed hand was actually gentle, careful not to touch her wounds as he moved to examine her palm. She looked up at him to see a frowning expression with his eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't happy about this.

"We'll have to take the shards of glass out first. Come on, I'm taking you to the infirmary." Without even waiting for her response he dragged her back with him to the entrance of the submarine.

"I'll go with you!" Mayumi exclaimed and started following but Law cut her off as he responded without even turning towards her or stopping.

"The party's already over, go home." He heard a complaining whine behind him but ignored it, as he went into the submarine with Miyako.

~…~

The samurai girl watched as the doctor carefully plucked out every piece of glass shard from her palm with surgical tweezers. Every now and then she would flinch from pain but luckily not a lot of shards went in. Law carefully worked on each one, disinfecting the wounds afterwards. That stung even more but Law's darkened expression sent a perfect message so Miyako didn't even dare to complain. He was mad. At her? The thought made Miyako feel even worse. Honestly, since she sat foot on this island it was nothing but trouble for her. And here she thought she'd finally have some relaxation time on this one. She sighed unconsciously, bringing attention to herself.

"You actually went and hurt your hand….how clumsy can you be?" Law commented in his usual flat tone, not even taking his eyes off of her palm while he worked.

"It's not my fault." She instantly exclaimed but the raised eyebrow Law gave her said it all. "I mean it is…actually…but…it's not that I…." She started mumbling, looking to the side and avoiding his gaze, with an obvious guilty expression. How was she supposed to explain to him that Mayumi angered her so much that she broke a glass she was holding like a complete idiot. For starters, the thing that fueled up her anger was seeing Law and Mayumi talking and sitting so cozily. There's no way she could admit something like that to him! More importantly, she couldn't even admit to herself that what she was feeling was jealously. She never felt that feeling before; it was foreign, scary and unnerving. She hated it. *_Why do I have to feel like this? This is really the worst!*_

This time it was the doctor who sighed as he read her sorry expression. "If you're going to feel so bad about it, then be more careful from the start. You're a swordsman aren't you? Aren't your hands your most important tool?"

Miyako flinched and looked at him with wide, stunned eyes. Somehow she didn't expect him to say something like that. Calming down, she stared at him with glazed eyes and an unreadable expression. He was right, completely right. Yet here she was acting like a complete fool and overreacting. She bowed her head, feeling even more depressed now. "I know…I'm sorry…" It sounded more like a whine than anything else.

"What are you, Bepo now?" Law looked at her with his usual calm expression, not even flinching at her sorry state. "If you understand that much, then take care of yourself better." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Once again, Miyako could only stare at him in astonishment. *Is he actually…worrying about me?* It's hard to say with Law, but if he ever expressed his worry for someone it might sound like this. Though, to any other person this might've just sounded like annoyed scolding from a doctor, Miyako knew that in a way this was Law's way of worrying for her. A sudden warmness filled her chest, disabling her from even answering him.

"There. All done." Law concluded the session with that statement, bringing the girl back from her thoughts.

She looked down at her hand, which was now bandaged neatly. "Thank you." It was all she could say in a soft voice.

Law didn't acknowledge her thanks but instead stood up from the chair and went over to a cabinet, taking out a bottle of pills and a glass that he filled with water. He walked over back to the bed and handed her one pill and the water.

The samurai frowned. She didn't really like taking medicine and drugs, especially since most drugs here were something they don't even have in her homeland. Back in Wanokuni most medicine is still herbal based, hence being much less potent. Law's medicine was stronger so it always made her drowsy or ill. "Pain killers." It was all the explanation the doctor gave her.

"You know I don't like these," she complained anyway though they both knew in the end he'll make her drink this.

"But you _will_ take them nonetheless." Law's tone was still as calm as usual, but the piercing gaze he was giving her warned her not to push his patience. He wasn't even giving her the right to refuse.

"Fine," she groaned in annoyance and took the pill, taking a few gulps of water with it.

"You'll have to take care of that hand; it'll take some time to heal. The cuts weren't that deep so you didn't need stiches but try not using it too much. I don't even have to tell you that practicing with your katana is out of the question for a while." Just like any other doctor, Trafalgar gave her firm instructions about the dos and don'ts with her hurt left hand. It'll be a pain to work in the galley with this as well.

As Law talked, Miyako could feel her mind becoming hazy as drowsiness overtook her. She was getting sleepier as minutes passed by and despite herself she ended up lying on one of the infirmary beds. Law's voice seemed to only soothe her more into unconsciousness. Her eyes felt heavy and hard to keep open so she just gave up and closed them. "La…w…?" She mumbled with the last of her strength.

"I'm here." Even Law's voice sounded fuzzy now. Those must've been stronger pain killers than she even suspected.

"What did you talk….with Mayumi about…?" She mumbled softly.

For a while it was silent and Miyako somehow willed herself to open one of her eyes slightly. With a half-lidded eye she looked up at Law, seeing he was making a barely noticeable suspicious expression mixed with confusion.

"Information about island and its surroundings," he finally answered still looking like he couldn't understand why she'd ask about something like that now.

Miyako's eyes closed again, unable to keep them open any longer. She chuckled quietly after hearing his answer; what was she even worried about? *_I'm really a fool.*_

* * *

><p>*coughs up blood* I did it…even the steamy scene between Miyako and Law. I wrote it within the best of my ability…*half dead.* In any case, this chapter actually seemed pretty short to me even though it was about 70 pages in Word, but I guess you'll be a judge of that. Not much action right now; only intrigue and preparations for Rocky Port. I hate writing about cannon story parts completely blind on what the situation is but it can't be helped. -.-' Anyway, the next chapter should be longer since it's two more days on this island (whoops, I didn't name it). Any thoughts on Mayumi so far?<p>

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **Thank _you_ for reading it. Also, I think there are other good LawxOC fanfiction out there even if they are a bit hard to find. Don't give up! :D

**angryHarlequin: **wow, 50 chapters in three days; that's impressive!

**NoName: **Well they're not a burden, but I hope I'll be able to live up to these expectations. Besides, it's fine since I'm also excited to write about PH and other cannon story parts. :D

**Blinkblank: **Oh wow, Wanokuni or Law, that's a hard question. ^^' She loves her homeland very much but given the choice to go back to Wano or keep sailing with Law and the Heart Pirates, Miyako chose the pirates (chp 44). Actually, marriage isn't even on her mind yet. Right now she just wants to be a better swordsman and be with the Heart Pirates. :)

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **Thanks, I'm glad you think so. ^^ Haha Cause it's Law, so it's just can't be simple. ;P I think he's starting to realize it but won't admit it yet, even to himself.

**Guest: **lol I really didn't even think of that. To be honest I didn't watch Titanic for year, so I don't remember that scene. :3

**Wicken25: **wow, that means a lot…Thank you. .

**Yumi sawamura: **hehe Yes, Munk really should get his moment. I feel I left out him and Sai a bit so I need to work on that. As for Law, well both of them are falling for each other I think :3

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan:** She worried for Law yes, but also for the crew who will get dragged along with him if something goes wrong. They are all her friends after all. Miyako can't reproduce it, but she has a strong enough haki to cut through it. So even if Law won't know how to make it either, he can still train with her to get strong enough to cut through it. :)

**Zecrea: **Defintively! It just wouldn't be fun to write about PH and Dresrossa, without Miyako in it.

**Arrow-chan3: **haha not at all. :P Though I would be scared of pissed off fangirls. ;P

**NightStar85: **Yep, Law and I have a lot to work on; he on his training and I on writing it. ^^' I'll get him ready before Punk Hazard comes. :D

**Iluvninjas: **Nah, he was just born pretty. :)

**FloraChi: **Whoot, congratz on finishing your finals! :D

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Hey, I've read some of your work and your writing is great. Plus you have 15 stories and I have only one ongoing so I'd say props to you.

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Thank you. :D As always, your reviews bring a smile to my face, I'm happy that you liked the chapter. I hope it will be the same with the upcoming ones as well.


	52. Chapter 52

**'I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako! This story is rated T for violence, blood, language and suggestive themes.

Note: Ok guys, the last chapter of this Arc/island is here and I hope you like it! I tried to finish it as soon as possible for you guys. Thank you everyone for your awesome reviews! Have fun! :)

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 52<strong>

„Uuugh.." Penguin groaned, holding his head as he finally managed to sit up without feeling a splitting headache hit his temples. He was currently on the deck of the submarine along with the rest of waking Heart Pirates. Looking around, he could see his comrades in a similar state to his, holding their heads and groaning from being hangover. Only a few, such as Jean Bart and the captain, survived the party without the nasty consequences of being drunk that came the next morning.

"That was one helluva party." Eli mumbled, slurring words as if still drunk.

"Well at least Miyako and Mayumi-chan managed to work things out." Bepo nodded. He was one of the rare few who wasn't sporting a headache due to excessive partying last night.

"Yeah, and the operation 'Get-Miya-chan-away-from-all-alcohol' was also a success. Though I slightly regret it now." Penguin held the palm of his hand on his forehead, shutting his eyes tightly to protect them from the bright morning light. "How many of her glasses did I drink?"

"Hey, it was tough for me too; I had to distract her every time and she was getting suspicious. I thought she'll figure it out and beat us all." Shachi muttered, not in any better condition than his mechanic friend.

Jean Bart suddenly came into view, his big body enough to cloud over them and conceal the sun.

"Aah, Jean Bart, stay like that…It's nice and dark like that…" Ari yawned, relaxing his eyes now that the sunrays weren't hitting them anymore.

"Don't use me as a sunshade." Bart sighed, looking at the sorry state most of his comrades were in. "More importantly, Captain has a message for you all; Whoever isn't on his station in half an hour will be spending the rest of the day scrubbing the decks...all of them." With that message, Jean Bart grabbed Penguin's hand and helped him up, but still giving them all a warning stare to hurry up if they don't want to be left out here burning under the sun with a mop in their hands.

~…..~

Miyako turned around in bed with a groan, before opening her eyes slowly. At first she only felt confusion, unable to recognize where she was and why wasn't she in her own quarters. However, it didn't take her long to realize she was in a dimly lit infirmary. The girl tried to get up, but felt a stinging pain in her left hand. She looked down, realizing she leaned on her left hand, which was bandaged tightly. That's when all the memories from last night returned to her.

*_That's right. I broke the glass and hurt my hand. Law helped me take care of it, he gave me pain killers.*_ The thought brought her mind back to the local girl, Mayumi, and Miyako felt a bitter taste fill her mouth. The reason why Miyako lost her composure yesterday was because of that girl. A suspicious feeling arose inside of her and a shiver ran down her spine at the memory of seeing Mayumi's changed, dark blue hair. _*There's something wrong with that girl. I better stay away from her for the rest of the stay on this island.*_

A metal sound brought back her attention and Miyako looked up. That's when she realized she wasn't alone in the infirmary. Still a bit drowsy, she sat up and looked at the other person with her. "Josh?" She blinked a few times, getting rid of the sluggish feeling in her head.

"You finally awake?" He barely gave her a glance as he kept on restocking the medical cabinets with their new supplies. "I see you managed to hurt yourself again…Bakaonna." He couldn't help but comment on her new wound, emphasizing her foolishness.

Miyako frowned but couldn't really argue with him since even she admitted it was a stupid way to get hurt. Especially knowing how important her left hand was for the sword. Speaking of which…The samurai girl looked around, unable to see Yawarakai-Te anywhere. "Where is my katana?"

The redhead turned around the room, searching for it with his eyes, but then shrugged in defeat. "I have no idea, haven't see it."

The girl's frown only deepened after hearing that. *_Did Law take it with him yesterday? I know he told me I can't use my sword until my hand heals but isn't confiscating it a bit too excessive?*_ She fixed her kimono in a hurry and stood up, hissing when her bare feet touched the cold metal floor beneath. Putting them back into her wooden sandals, the girl stormed out of the room without sparing it a glance.

"Oy, where are you going?" Josh called after her in surprise. He was supposed to check on her palm when she wakes up but before he could stop her, the unpredictable girl already flew out the doors.

Ignoring the medic's shout, Miyako headed directly for Law's quarters, expecting to find the captain there. She had to get her sword back; that's all she could think about now. She felt unsafe without it, as if being incomplete. Before even thinking of washing her face or readying herself for a new day, she wanted to get Yawarakai-Te back, it was her priority.

Finally arriving in front of the captain's quarters, Miyako quickly knocked on the doors and walked in before even waiting for a response. Unfortunately, soon she stopped in disappointment. The room way empty and the captain nowhere to be seen. With an annoyed click of her tongue, she slammed the doors shut and thought about where Law could be at this hour.

_*The navigation room!* _Hurrying her step, the girl walked to the control room, her wooden sandals loudly clacking against the metal floor.

Coming inside, she could see Law towering over a map along with Sai and Jean Bart as the navigators discussed something with their captain. Jean Bart was the first to notice her and nod as a greeting. His gesture alarmed the other two of her presence and they all turned around to see what was going on.

"Miss Miyako?" Law's tone sounded more like a question than the usual greeting as he saw her disordered form. She was still looking drowsy from sleep, her kimono wrinkled and half of her hair escaping the red ribbon and falling around her; showing obvious bed hair. Miyako herself was breathing quickly as if she ran all the way here. That's what made the captain suspect they encountered some trouble; perhaps the marines? However, what came out of the girl's mouth was completely unexpected.

"My katana, Yawarakai-Te, did you take it?" Miyako caught her breath again, enough to inquire about her precious sword.

Trafalgar's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Your sword? What need would I have for it?" He looked back at the navigators, but the two of them seemed just as confused.

Now it was Miyako's turn to furrow her eyebrows in a frown. "But it wasn't in the infirmary when I woke up and Josh hadn't seen it either. I distinctly remember putting it down next to the bed before you started working on my palm." As if to prove her point, Miyako showed him the bandaged left hand from yesterday.

"Indeed, I remember it being next to the bed when you fell asleep," the doctor nodded with a mutter. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "A sword doesn't just simply disappear."

But Miyako was far beyond just having a bad feeling. She was starting to panic; it was her precious katana, the one Muso entrusted to her in Kyonin village. Not only that, but that katana had both historic and symbolic value as it was one of the rare remaining swords of Masamune. The sword that could either cut or not, depending on its master's will. Muso entrusted this katana to her; she couldn't lose it. She just _couldn't_!

"Did you check your quarters?" Jean Bart asked, trying to be helpful as well.

The girl bit her lip and without another word turned around, storming out of the control room. She ran down the stairs, towards her quarters and slammed the doors open when she finally arrived. Luckily, her room was small and simple so there wasn't many places a katana could be. Unfortunately, even after completely overturning it, there was no sword to be seen. She went through her closet, throwing clothes around. Flipped the mattress and looked underneath the bed. She looked everywhere, but with no avail.

"Where is it?!" Miyako exclaimed in frustration. Finally dealing with the fact it obviously wasn't there, she ran out again.

She ran throughout the submarine, even in places she knew she wouldn't find her sword, but she looked anyway. The galley, the engine room, the kitchen…She asked everyone but they all just gave her the same confused looks and shrugged their shoulders. Nobody knew anything.

Once again the girl found herself exactly where she started; in the infirmary. If she was to find her katana, it's best to start at the place where she last saw it. Miyako was already out of breath and out of mind from worry. She looked around every nook and cranny of the sickbay but with no luck. That's when she noticed Joshua was still there, working.

"What's going on with you, you look horrible?" The redhead asked, scratching his head and adjusted his hat. He was staring at Miyako as if she was crazy while she ran around the infirmary.

"I-I can't find it...I can't find it anywhere!" The girl took a few deep breaths to calm down but she could still feel the anxiousness consuming her more with every passing second.

"Find what?" Finally Josh had enough. He walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to calm her down and make her stay in place. Her gaze was darting around the room as if she was still searching for something. "Calm down, you're starting to freak me out."

Miyako sighed and finally looked right at the medic. Her gaze looked mostly worried and scared now. "My katana. I can't find Yawarakai-Te anyway, Josh." She shook her head and stared at him as if silently asking for his help.

"Look…it has to be somewhere. Just calm down, we'll find it. I'll ask Cody and the others to help look with us." He nodded at her, piercing her with his own eyes and trying to keep eye contact with her until she calmed down.

However, Miyako's thoughts were still racing though her mind as she calculated where her sword could be. It just didn't make sense; it was in the infirmary with her when she went to sleep. So who could've taken it? Was somebody here? She finally looked at Josh again and a thought crossed her mind. Josh was the only one here when she woke up. It couldn't be, could it? He wouldn't take it. Miyako knew the two of them had their differences and yes, sometimes they even pulled pranks on each other just like the rest of the crew did, but he wouldn't go so far as to take her sword, would he? "Josh…was anyone else at the infirmary while I slept?"

The redhead gave her a puzzled frown. "No, I came first, early in the morning. I've been working here ever since."

Indeed, when she asked Cody before while running throughout the submarine, he said Josh came first in the infirmary since the rest of them were still hangover or sleeping. Josh was the only normal one in the medical team right now. Even Cody drank too much, sleeping longer than usual.

"Joshua…did you take it?" She couldn't believe she was even asking it but she just had to make sure. Everything was pointing to him, after all. No matter how hard they fought and teased each other, Miyako still considered the medic her friend, a nakama who she trusted. But if this was one of his stupid pranks…

The redhead was completely taken aback and he let go of her instantly, looking at her in confusion. "What? No!"

She bit her lip, feeling guilty but determined to get the truth out of him if he was indeed the one who took it. "You were the only one in the infirmary with me since morning. Look, if this is some kind of a prank, I get it, but it's enough. Return it to me." She was feeling her nervousness returning.

A twitch appeared on Joshua's forehead and his gaze became a bit harder than before. "I'm telling you I didn't take it! Why are you blaming me, all of a sudden!?"

"Because you were the only one with me and could have taken it! Tell me I won't find my katana if I go into your quarters now?" Miyako's voice became a tone louder than before as her irritation grew.

Still, Josh's annoyance was growing just as fast. "Don't go making a mess out of my room! I hope you didn't just go through my stuff without asking!" Even his voice was louder than usual now.

"Why don't you want me to look then!? Don't change the subject!" They were all but yelling now.

"You're crazy! I didn't take your stupid sword!" The medic retaliated just as harshly.

Suddenly the doors of the infirmary opened with Cody entering and Ben right behind him. There were other Heart Pirates also peeking in with interest. "What's going on here? I can hear you guys yelling from the hallway." The tall medic reprimanded both of them in a stern tone. Both Miyako and Josh instantly quieted down and shut their mouth, still glaring at each other.

"I still can't find Yawarakai-Te." Miyako growled through gritted teeth, never taking her eyes off of Joshua.

" ' .it." The redhead spelled every word through a dangerous hiss. They were both on edge already.

Ben and Cody looked at each other with worry before deciding to intervene. "Alright, that's enough. First, you guys need to calm down. This won't solve anything." Cody tried to calm both parties and Ben stepped between the two.

"If you want, we can go look into Josh's room if you really think he took it." Ben suggested, looking at Miyako.

"Wha-? But I didn't-" Josh was about to protest but Cody interrupted him. "And that way you can see that Josh didn't take it and can put all this behind us. We're gonna help you find your katana, Miyako, don't worry. Josh will help too, I'm sure." He gave a pleading gaze to his medic comrade, silently suggesting for Josh to play along.

The redhead huffed in annoyance and stared to the side, avoiding both Miyako's and Cody's gaze. "Fine" He finally muttered. "Go ahead and search, but you won't find it in my quarters, because I didn't take it."

The switch in the situation made Miyako calm down a little and cool off her head. Josh was right; she was starting to act crazy. The redhead wouldn't push a prank so far and since he's willing to get his room searched he obviously didn't do it. She overreacted and even suspected her friend. What was wrong with her? He was even kind enough to help her search, trying to calm her down and reassure her, yet she attacked him like that. Miyako closed her eyes shut and gripped her head with one hand. "No…I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry Joshua, I didn't mean to suspect you. I'm just…I really need to find Yawarakai-Te. To me it's more than just any weapon…it's special. I worked so hard with it and evolved both as a person and a samurai. And now I lost it." Her voice was getting softer, almost a mere whisper now as she spoke in despair.

The Heart Pirates all looked at each other with sorry eyes. They saw Miyako's angry side, smiling side, anxious side and drunken side, which pretty much turned into anger anyway, but never have they seen her in such despair. Without a word and only with their glances at each other, the pirates decided to help the girl however they could.

Seeing her in such state, Cody couldn't help but give her a tight hug. "Don't worry, Miya-chan, we'll find it."

"Yeah, let's ask Bepo and Captain. I'm sure they'll help us too and organize the search for it," Ben agreed with a small smile.

Miyako tensed a little when Cody hugged her, not expecting the close contact. However, soon she relaxed into it, feeling that the reassuring arms of her comrade calmed her down. She hugged the medic back before stepping away and nodding in agreement. "Yeah…Thank you all."

~….~

"Your sword?" Trafalgar questioned the girl as he sat down in the captain's chair at the control room.

Miyako nodded in response. "Yes, I can't find it anywhere. But I don't believe that someone from the submarine would take it." She didn't want to accuse anyone from the Heart Pirates again; she trusted them and they had no reason to do this anyway.

"It's good that you came to us Miyako, we'll definitively find it," Bepo was uncharacteristically positive as he tried to cheer her up.

"Where did all that confidence come from?" Shachi raised his eyebrow, looking at the first mate.

"You're right…we probably won't find it…" The bear suddenly turned 180 degrees as he bowed his head in depression.

"Don't make it worse!" Penguin scolded, putting the polar bear in his place.

Miyako sighed, feeling a little less agitated than before. Seeing the Hearts bickering like usually actually relaxed her. It was a strange way to feel while seeing them argue but she had a feeling she could rely on them after all.

"Let's think back to what happened yesterday; both you and I remember seeing Yawarakai-Te in the infirmary, next to the bed. None of the crewmembers had seen it or taken it but it couldn't have disappeared otherwise," Law summarized the situation in brief notes.

"So either somebody is lying or someone else snuck in the submarine and took it?" Cody concluded, gaining a nod from the rest of the pirates.

"We were all pretty drunk yesterday…it's possible somebody came in." Joshua added.

"But not everyone was drunk; I was fine and I watched out for anything suspicious just like captain requested," Bepo reminded them.

"Jean Bart, me and captain weren't that drunk either," once again Josh chimed in.

Law turned to the large navigator standing in the back. "Jean Bart-ya, did you see anyone suspicious enter?"

The ever-so-silent Bart simply shook his head. "No, captain, there wasn't anyone suspicious on the deck. However, I did return back to my quarters to sleep later."

"I was passed out on the deck the whole time," Penguin added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Then don't say anything; what good is that information to us!" Shachi yelled at the younger mechanic, scolding him.

"I didn't see anything either!" Bepo commented, just like Penguin.

"Then who cares!" Once again Shachi lost it as people started listing things they _didn't _see. Are they just messing around now? Then suddenly he remembered something; "I was mostly passed out too but…when I went to take a piss I saw Miya-chan entering the submarine in the middle of night. Now that I think about it, where were you coming back from?"

All eyes were suddenly turned towards Miyako with questioning stares. The girl, however, could only blink in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean; after hurting my hand I was taken to the infirmary and didn't wake up till morning." She explained.

"I saw her fall asleep but after a while I left and there was none beside you in the infirmary. Even if you woke up and left, nobody would have noticed," Law talked in a flat tone, not suspecting her but simply relaying the facts.

The girl felt like being under the magnifier with all those stares piercing her. She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Wait…you don't think I took the katana and hid it while sleepwalking? That's preposterous!" She didn't know if she should laugh or get angry at them from even bringing up such a ludicrous idea.

"But nobody of the Hearts took it and Bepo didn't see anyone suspicious come near our submarine. Also it would explain the reason why you don't remember doing it," Josh explained with a shrug.

"That's great! So we just need to make Miyako remember!" Penguin clapped his hands with a satisfied grin.

"Wait, let's not be hasty. We have no actual evidence that such a thing actually happened. We need to investigate the circumstances some more." The captain put down a break on the rising atmosphere where half of the group already decided what happened without any proof.

"That's right; I don't find that idea plausible at all," Miyako strongly disagreed. She never sleepwalked before, so why now?

However, after putting that thought into words the redhead simply answered with a shrug. "But you've been acting strange lately anyway. Maybe this is also a part of it."

No, that wasn't right. Miyako just knew it; she knew why she was acting strange and those two things were completely different. "You're wrong, the reason I was acting strange was because-!" That's when she suddenly stopped as another idea hit her. _Mayumi_. It had to be her doing; she was acting suspicious and after what Miyako saw with Mayumi's unusual change... True, Miyako had no proof and it was dark so her friends would just write it off as her eyes playing tricks on her in the darkness, but her gut feeling told her there was something going on with that girl. And her instincts were rarely wrong. "Mayumi…it had to be her." She finally said it.

The Heart Pirates looked at each other; their gazes were a mixture of confusion and uneasiness. After all, they saw firsthand that Miyako didn't like Mayumi but blaming even this on the local girl was a bit…

The girl noticed their unsure gazes but proceeded on. "There's something wrong with that girl, I tell you! And now my katana is missing? Who else could it be? She was even at the party yesterday, she could've easily slipped in the submarine." Her voice became feverish as she spoke. Why didn't anyone believe her? Was it really such a preposterous idea that Mayumi took it? Was Miyako sleepwalking a better explanation than Mayumi betraying them?

"When I took you to the infirmary, I sent the girl home. She shouldn't have still been there," the Dark Doctor explained. It seemed he was also thinking over the possibility of Mayumi being the culprit but knowing Law he had no intention of acting without getting clear evidence. After all, if they just go in and make chaos in town by hunting a villager down, the rest could call the marines. The marine base was close-by and they had to wait almost two more days to get off this island if they wanted to proceed with their plan. Usually, Law wouldn't care much about the marine threat but it was different now that Kizaru was on their track, trying to find them. One wrong move and they'll meet the admiral again, if not more than one. They might not be as lucky as last time. Trafalgar just couldn't risk their plan going off tracks; not with Akainu wanting them all dead, Rocky Port and his title of the Shichibukai on the line.

Bepo nodded in agreement. "I watched Mayumi-chan leave, myself."

"She could've snuck back in! You were all sleeping at one point, weren't you?" Miyako wasn't about to give up so easily.

Bepo scratched the back of his ear with a claw. "Well…I suppose that's true. Sorry." His ears twitched and then lowered as if he was a dog which was just scolded.

"Bepo's instincts are pretty good, even when he's napping. He could've smelled a stranger on board, especially Mayumi who wasn't supposed to be there." Penguin shrugged, staying unconvinced by Miyako story.

"Or he would have heard the unfamiliar steps on the deck." Shachi added, agreeing with the other mechanic.

"Does nobody believe me?" She looked around the control room, from one pirate to the next until her gaze stopped on the last one; her captain. "I'm certain it was her." Her eyes were begging for someone to believe her but everyone simply stayed quiet, needing more evidence.

"Fine. I'll find her by myself," she finally gave up and turned to leave.

"You will not." Law's voice stopped her and she turned around to face him with a puzzled gaze. He could see her gaze was asking for an explanation so he continued. "We didn't say we didn't necessarily believe you; we just need to find more proof to confirm your theory. But we need to do it wisely and not act on impulse. We need a plan to find her and bring her back here without alerting the locals. You said yourself they fear us; I don't want anyone calling the marines on us because we're kidnapping people." The captain explained in a reasonable voice, trying to calm the edgy girl. Before waiting to hear the girl's response, he turned to Joshua and Shachi. "You two go into the village and bring Mayumi-ya back. Don't let her suspect anything; just tell her I have more questions about the island. We'll question her here." He gave orders to the two pirates.

"Aye aye captain." Shachi nodded and Josh saluted.

"Wait…and I'm just supposed to sit here and wait? This is my katana we're talking about, so it's also my problem. I should be the one to go with them!" Miyako argued in disbelief. Besides, she wanted to find out Mayumi's secret and whether she was really mimicking her or something. There was something suspicious going on around here and as much as she trusted her nakama, she knew how Hearts reacted to pretty girls; they were too bias and easy to fool by any girl who bats her eyes at them. Also, everyone already liked Mayumi so she could lead them right into a trap.

"You're being too personal about this; you're getting too emotional and it's a risk I can't take," Law bluntly answered piercing her with his eyes without batting an eye. "If Mayumi-ya sees you she might suspect something and run."

Miyako couldn't even believe what she was hearing. How could he just isolate her like this when this was her problem more than anyone else's. She ground her teeth as she stared right back at Law, stepping closer to him. "I'm not being _too emotional_, I'm pissed and just the right amount if I may add," The samurai answered coldly though gritted teeth.

Law was intent on staring her down as he glared with his dark eyes. "Don't question my decisions," it was a warning.

Nonetheless, Miyako had no intention of backing down. Neither of them had. The atmosphere was slowly turning from simply awkward to tense with every new word they spoke. "Then don't make senseless decisions," she bit back without worrying about the consequences.

The atmosphere shifted into a dangerously cold one as Law stayed silent, piercing her with the darkest look she saw in a long time. One of the things Law hated the most was people question his judgment; especially his own subordinates. He didn't have time for this insubordination to deal with.

"Captain…" Bepo all but whined behind them, feeling the dark aura rise around his captain.

Suddenly Law lifted his own hand. "Room." Everyone gasped as the whole submarine was enveloped in a thin film of Law's power. Thinking she was about to get attacked, Miyako instinctively reached for the katana on her waist but then realized with despair that it was nothing but air there. She gasped, grabbing at nothing but had no time to think what comes next as Law took advantage of her little mistake and moved his fingers. In a second, Miyako was standing in his quarters instead of the control room. She was disoriented for a while, unable to comprehend what just happened but soon the realization came to her; Law teleported her. Not only her, but himself as well, as he stood right beside the metal doors with something in his hand.

Suddenly Miyako got a bad feeling about this and she quickly headed for the exit but it was too late. Law stepped outside, slamming the doors shut into her face. She grabbed the doorknob but already heard the clicking sound from the other side. He looked her in. He looked her into his quarters. Miyako slammed her fist into the doors angrily, pounding on the metal doors, which was of no use besides making even her unharmed hand hurt.

"Dammit Law, let me out this instance!" She shouted furiously, banging on the doors with her good hand balled into a fist.

She could feel his muffled voice from the other side. "You're hurt and emotional; you haven't been yourself since we came to this island. Now stay here obediently and let us take care of it." His voice didn't sound angry or annoyed, but it was definitively fierce. It was a direct order from the captain, no doubt about it.

Miyako gritted her teeth. "Law, get back here! Law!" However, there was no answer. He was already gone, left her alone in his locked quarters. She sighed and stepped away from the doors, realizing there was nothing she could do about them at this point. If she had Yawarakai-Te she could cut them open but that was all just wishful thinking because her katana wasn't here in the end. Miyako clenched her fists and hissed in pain when she was harshly reminded of her wounded left palm. She looked at the bandages Law carefully put on it; how come he could act so careful one moment yet like a caveman the next? _*I can't believe he just locked me in here! Well I did challenge his authority but still! He could have had a bit more tact.* _She scowled at her own thoughts. *_No, this is just like Law. Now they're all searching for Mayumi and I'm stuck in here. It's my katana, so I should be out there!* _

With a frown, Miyako walked over to his desk, sitting on it with her arms crossed on her chest. So what was she supposed to do now? Just wait for him obediently like he asked? She looked over some papers that were scattered on Law's desk. It's not like she was really looking for something, they were just simply there and she just felt bored and irritated; at least she could try and focus on something else while being trapped here.

That's when one particular document caught her eye and Miyako took the paper in her hand, examining it with a suspicious expression. Her thin eyebrows furrowed as she read it. It was a letter to one of Law's connections in the underground that helped them buy some needed equipment or weapons. But this was a request for much more than a few torpedoes for the submarine or some guns; this was request for enough bombs and gunpowder to blow up a building as large as a whole marine base. What was Law planning to do with so much firepower? *_Must be for the pirates at Rocky Port…I knew he wanted to take their hearts, but if he blows them up how will he collect their hearts? What exactly is he planning?* _She tried to look for some more papers and details but nothing important caught her eye again. Finally, Miyako turned around and jumped off the desk with a sigh, unable to find anything to keep her interest while she waits. How long has it been since he locked her inside anyway?

The girl walked around when another thing flashed before her, glinting in the sunlight. The glass of the only porthole in Law's quarters. She hastily walked over to it, looking at the sealed metal. It was screwed shut but at better inspection Miyako realized it could be open. An impish smirk formed on her lips when an idea hit her. At first she tried using her good hand but the screws around the metal were too tightly screwed. Trying with both hands only brought back the stinging pain from the glass wounds that were still fresh. Even trying to do it with her nails, didn't work, it wouldn't budge. She needed to use something harder. With a click of her tongue, she stopped, nursing her left hand. *_There has to be something I could use.*_ The girl started looking around, rummaging through Law's possessions to find anything she could use to unscrew the porthole. She looked for a knife, but to no avail. However, going through Law's drawers she found something else; a few Beli coins in a box. Probably some leftover change. Miyako smiled to herself. Taking one of the Beli coins, she returned to the porthole and tried to fit the coin into the slit of the screw. When it went in, the girl's smile only got wider. Working metal with metal, Miyako carefully started turning the coin, trying not to break it. At first the screw resisted, but after a while it started slowly turning, squeaking now and then; it was obvious Law hadn't opened that porthole in a long time. *_I am so getting out of here.* _Silently celebrating her little victory, Miyako continued to work on the screws one by one, unscrewing the sealed porthole.

The final screw fell loose and the girl grabbed the knob on the window. She pulled as hard as she could, but the porthole wouldn't budge at all. Putting her foot against the wall as support, she used it as leverage to try again, pulling hard. Finally, the old metal shrieked and started moving until the porthole was open. She could feel the light breeze and smell the salty air from outside. "Yes!" With a bight cheer the girl examined her handiwork; now as all she had to do was squeeze through and jump into the water. Thankfully she was slim enough and the porthole was big, so with a little moving around she should be able to make it. With one last look outside, Miyako sighed. "Alright….let's go."

~…~

"We can't find her anywhere captain," Bepo trotted back to Trafalgar who was standing on the submarine's deck. The sun which was already high in the sky was replaced by grey, stormy clouds that slowly started to gather. The sky darkened, warning of a spring shower to come.

Law clicked his tongue in annoyance. "So Mayumi-ya is nowhere to be find. Did you ask the villagers?"

The pirates looked at each other with expressions of uncomf before turning back to their captain. Penguin spoke first. "Actually, the villagers are avoiding us or simply pretending they don't know anything. They say she lives outside of the village, in that forest. Shachi and Josh went to check it out." The mechanic pointed at the thick forest on the North of the island, near the cliffs. The sea was already starting to flounce, first waves rising and splashing against the island shore.

"There is a storm coming captain," Sai warned as he walked out on the deck.

"How big?" Law walked over to the railing and looked at the horizon where the stormy clouds were coming from. This was a spring island after all, so sudden storms weren't that surprising.

The navigator watched the clouds move, assessing the situation. "By the looks of it I'd say the submarine is safe; the sea won't get so strong to sink or topple it, but it's better if we're all inside when it hits," the navigator concluded. There was no worry in his tone but then again, Sai was never one to show his emotions openly.

Law nodded and turned to his crew. "Men, tie additional ropes to steady the submarine. Jean Bart-ya, check the main and secondary anchor. When the storm comes, I want everyone inside!" Trafalgar gave out orders, peering at the sky; it won't be long before the first drops of rain fall.

"What about Shachi and Joshua who went to Mayu-chan's house?" Bepo already had his anxious gaze set on Law, unable to contain his worry. The storm was coming and they were still out there.

"It's fine, we're back." Suddenly Josh's voice made them all spin around, startled.

"Did you find anything?" Penguin walked up to his friends, after checking on the ropes tying down the submarine.

The other mechanic simply shook his head. "She lives in a house near the outskirts of the village, in the forest. One man took us there but didn't know where she was. The house looked unattended and there was nobody there, including Mayumi." Shachi sighed in disappointment.

"Maybe Miya-chan was right…There's something suspicious in this village. Do these villagers really know nothing or are they just pretending?" Bepo commented, asking himself in a mutter.

"Well Mayumi-chi is missing but we don't know if she's guilty of anything yet…We don't know what happened," Ari chimed in feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. "All we know is that Miyako was seen returning to the sub late last night and she can't remember anything about it. Now her katana is gone and so is Mayu-chi. We know Miyako didn't like Mayumi-chi from the start…."

"Wait, wait, wait! You're not actually saying that you think Miyako did something to Mayumi and hid her body!?" Josh was completely in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"Miya-chan would never do such a thing!" Bepo also protested instantly.

Ari seemed in discomfort, guilt pooling in after hearing his nakama. "I know! I don't believe she would do such a thing either. But she's been acting so strange and on edge ever since we met Mayumi-chi. No…you're right, my bad. She wouldn't do that."

"Hell right, she wouldn't!" Josh growled back at the explosives' expert.

In the meantime the first rain started to fall on them, wetting the ground beneath. It was gradually getting stronger, along with the blowing wind and rising waves. The group all looked at Trafalgar uncertainly, as if needing reassurance.

The captain stayed silent, looking at them all. Then he sighed. "We'll think about it when we get to the bottom of this and understand the situation. Right now, our priority is keeping the submarine and everyone in the crew safe from this storm so make yourselves useful and deal with that first." He turned away from them, ready to go deal with the other crewmembers. Before leaving he turned back to the group, "Besides, we're pirates. Killing isn't something we aren't used to so even if Miss Miyako killed that girl, it shouldn't be so surprising since she is also a pirate. Perhaps it is different from her usual behavior and I'm also interested why that is, but between a random local girl and a swordsman from my crew, I'd rather have the swordsman. That Mayumi girl has no use anymore."

Suddenly, Cody ran out on the deck with a key in his hand. "Captain! We have another problem…"

Law narrowed his eyes already feeling like he won't like what was coming next. Things just got worse by the second around here. He stayed silent but his gaze urged the medic to speak on.

"I went to check on Miya-chan like you asked me to but when I unlocked the door, your quarters were empty. Also, the porthole was opened. She's out there somewhere." He looked back at the island and the village ahead. The streets appeared deserted since everyone already hurried inside to get away from the storm, yet there is still a samurai roaming those streets.

Trafalgar gritted his teeth in annoyance bordering with frustration. _*Honestly, can't that woman listen for once!* _

"We should go after her," Shachi announced already ready to leave.

"Wait." Everyone was stopped by Law's voice. He was calm once again as he quickly collected himself. His tone didn't even have the sharp edge in it as he thought through the situation rationally. "You heard Sai-ya, it's too dangerous to go out there now. We need to wait out the storm until it passes."

"But what about Miya-chan?" Unlike Law's, Bepo's tone sounded completely uncertain.

"It can't be helped. She's smart enough to know she needs to take cover from the storm too. We'll look for her once the sky is clear again." Trafalgar stood firm in his decision even as he saw some wavering looks among his crew. But it couldn't be helped; the safety of the crew was essential and he couldn't risk even more men sending them out there. He turned to his crew again. "Bepo, get my coat and Kikoku. I'm going alone."

"Captain, you said it yourself; it's too dangerous!" Bepo exclaimed instantly, worried for his captain's wellbeing. He's forbidding the crew from stepping out, yet he'll go out and risk getting caught up in that storm himself.

Trafalgar's raised hand silenced all the complaints instantly. He could see the worry in his crew's eyes but he weighed the situation and concluded this was the best option after all. Miyako was still out there probably searching for Mayumi who was still missing; the samurai girl has been acting strange for a while now and she's even hurt and unarmed. Letting her spend the night during this storm was too dangerous but the crew had themselves and the submarine to look out for. As the captain of this vessel he had to be the one to go out; Miyako was his subordinate after all. So as much as he wanted to kill the girl for disobeying him at the moment, he also couldn't let something happen to her.

While Law was still deep in his thoughts, contemplating on his next plan of action, Bepo returned with his things; the nodachi and the long black coat. Law put it on in one swift motion, adjusted the hat which was covering him from the falling rain and placed his nodachi on his shoulder.

"Be careful captain!" Penguin called out, looking at Trafalgar's back.

The captain half turned to look at them and nodded once before walking off the deck and towards the village. First, he'll go through the village and then go up the hill and into the forest where Mayumi's house should be. As he walked, he could feel the first roars of thunder in the distance, gaining closer. With one last look in the sky, he shook his head with an irritated sigh. *_She's going to pay for this one.*_

~…..~

After Miyako managed to get herself to the shoreline unnoticed, she climbed onto the wooden docks, pulling herself up. She gasped taking a few deep breaths, finally reaching dry land. Her kimono was completely wet and her long hair was sticking to her face and eyes. She brushed it away, rubbing the water out of her eyes. Looking back at the submarine in the distance, she could see a few Heart Pirates working there but none seemed to notice that she was gone yet. The girl looked at the sky where grey clouds were slowly starting to gather above the island. It won't be long before rain falls.

She ignored the strange looks people were giving her since she was dripping wet, but still walked on as if nothing happened. It's not like she had time to light a fire and get dry anyway; the Hearts could realize she's gone at any moment and notify Law. She knew how he would react knowing she purposely disobeyed his direct orders, yet she couldn't just sit there locked up while someone, presumably Mayumi, had her important katana. Yawarakai-Te was her responsibility and she needed to get it back herself. Otherwise she'd just feel as if she isn't even worthy of the said word.

The girl checked the sky again where she saw thick, grey clouds slowly flowing their way towards the village. *_There's a storm coming. I better find that girl before it gets hectic out here.*_

She saw an old woman walking down the street, hurrying back home before the storm hits. "Excuse me!" Miyako called out but instantly remembered the scared looks people of the village gave her before. She was already sure that the woman will simply get frightened and try to run away but that didn't exactly happen; the old woman turned and looked at Miyako, awaiting for the girl to speak. There was still some anxiousness on the woman's face but it was nothing like before when she was walking through the village with Mayumi. Why was that? "You're…not afraid of me?" Despite herself, Miyako just had to ask.

The woman looked a bit stunned by the question, before looking away uncomfortably. "You are one of the Heart Pirates, aren't you? What do you want child? Be quick."

"The young girl from your village; Mayumi. Have you seen it?" After that question, Miyako could see woman's demeanor change drastically. She became fidgety and avoided eye contact with the samurai girl. "What's wrong? Why are you so afraid? I won't hurt you." Miyako tried to come closer, but the woman instantly stepped back.

"You are…the new one. I-I'm sorry…I can't help you! Just leave as soon as you can!" Leave this village!" The old woman warned before hurrying passed the pirate girl and disappearing around the corner.

"Wait!" The girl called after her but got no response. She looked around for someone else but people were scarce now that the storm was coming. Everyone was already inside their houses, preparing for the incoming storm. What's more, the ones left outside, ignored Miyako or just answered with shaking their heads, knowing nothing or simply refusing to talk. The samurai gritted her teeth in frustration. What was going on here?!

"Nobody will say anything." Suddenly a voice came from behind her and Miyako swiftly turned around, looking at the newcomer suspiciously. It took her a moment to recognize the familiar face but then remembered; it was the girl that accidentally bumped into Miyako yesterday when she shopped with Mayumi. She was a petite looking young girl with shoulder-length brown hair and large glasses hiding her eyes. She looked timid as the rest of the villagers but still approached the pirate girl.

"You…" Miyako started but then quieted down when the girl beckoned her to follow.

The villager girl walked on while Miyako silently followed. They stopped at a small house. "I live here, come on. I'll tell you what's going on in this village." She stared at Miyako with completely serious eyes gazing behind those glasses. At first the samurai only stood there, suspiciously staring at the new girl but her curiosity finally won over and the girl followed the local with a sigh.

The house was dark and small, with walls from which the paint was already falling off. In the corner was a large bookcase with numerous books and at the other side of the room Miyako could see a small fireplace.

The local girl lit a candle, before walking up to the fireplace and lighting the wood inside. The fire was warm and inviting, casting shadows on the walls as it flickered. "My name is Sara. Come here and dry yourself a bit; it's warmer by the fire."

Miyako came over cautiously to sit beside the fireplace, but she was still unconvinced of the girl's intentions. "Why are you helping me? I thought you people here were completely scared of pirates," Miyako could still recall the frightened gazes they wore yesterday.

"It's not you who we were afraid of…it's who you were with." Sara explained with a soft tone. Taking off her glasses, she cleaned them with her shirt and put them back on before sitting next to Miyako.

At first the pirate girl thought Sara meant Trafalgar Law since he was usually the reason for people's fear when they came to an island, but then it hit her. "Mayumi," she spoke the name in realization with some venom in her voice.

Sara simply nodded. "That girl is….strange. Something's wrong with her."

"What do you mean?"

The young girl sighed and started to explain the story. "Actually Mayumi is not a part of this village; she just…appeared. But nobody knows when or even where she came from. Even the old-timers in the village had no idea; she was just always there. She's probably much older than she looks." She saw Miyako's questioning stare and continued. "But what's disturbing is that…you might not believe this, but she has an ability."

"What kind of ability? Like a devil fruit?" Miyako scooted closer to the fire, trying to dry her kimono while listening.

Sara noticed this and smiled a little. "Wait here, I have some clothes that might fit you. You're drenched, you'll catch a cold like this." The local girl stood up, walking towards another room, probably where her closet was.

"Thank you." Miyako smiled when she was done changing and looked herself over in a small mirror. Sara was smaller than her so it was hard to find something that fit her. In the end she had to do with some clothes Sara's boyfriend left there; baggy pants that she had to buckle up tightly and roll up, along with an oversized button-up shirt. Her kimono was laid on the chair near the fire to dry. Even her hair was released from the red ribbon which was now tied on her wrist and her long hair flowed down her shoulders. "Are you sure your boyfriend won't mind, though?"

"It's fine…it's the least I can do after…" The girl started talking but suddenly stopped with a troubled expression. There was clear gilt in her eyes. "Somebody should've warned you sooner but everyone is already so scared."

Miyako's mouth pulled in a tight line and her golden eyes pierced Sara. "Tell me. Why is everyone so afraid of Mayumi? Who…_what_ is she?"

Nodding, Sara went to finish her story. "As I said before; Mayumi has an ability. She's like a shapeshifter or something; the longer she's next to someone, the more like them she becomes. Their appearance, even their personality, their whole identity; she takes everything for herself. She did it to a lot of others; and then she deals with the original."

"Deals? How?" Miyako was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

"If they oppose her, they get hurt. Some even disappeared, never to be found again." Sara looked right at the pirate's eyes as she continued in a scared voice. "I think she killed them all."

The samurai gulped from the tense atmosphere but it was nothing she wasn't expecting. She knew there was something shifty with that Mayumi girl and now she finally had her answer.

"She's very good at what she does too. She lies all the time and manipulates others; turning them against the originals or messing with their mind. My late grandmother told me a story that happened when she was young; the villagers finally had enough of the mysterious girl and wanted to get rid of her. They knew what she looked like at the time and cornered her on one stormy night such as this. They caught her and killed her, finally throwing her body into the sea from the cliffs. The next day, the same girl appeared as if nothing happened. That's when they realized that the girl they killed was actually the original. But the doppelganger was so good that she made everyone believe the other girl was the fake one. After that all the villagers were so scared they started believing that if you try to hurt the shapeshifter, she will curse you and you will certainly die. So nobody wants to even go near her." Once again Sara looked at Miyako with an intense gaze. "Be careful. I know you have one more day on this island but I suggest you all go now. It's not safe for _you_."

The samurai realized, the girl was specifically warning Miyako. This doppelganger was after _her_. She wanted to take Miyako's identity and was slowly turning everyone else against her, isolating her. It was only a matter of time before Mayumi decides to finish the job and get rid of Miyako. The girl narrowed her eyes at the thought. *_Well I'm not one to take lightly either. She's messing with me and she'll regret it.* _Miyako stood up with clenched fists, looking down at Sara. "I'm going to find her and take back everything she took from me; including my identity." There was nothing but confidence in the samurai's words. She wasn't going down without a fight even if she had to go at it all alone with everyone else doubting her.

Sara widened her eyes in shock. "Didn't you just hear what I said? She's after you and she won't stop at nothing to get what she wants. I've seen it before."

"That may be so, but I'm just as determined to take her down. Tell me where I can find her." Miyako had no intention of backing down as she pierced Sara with a resolved look.

The local village girl was quiet for a while longer, thinking, but soon realized the pirate before her had no intention of giving up either way. She might at least help her as much as she can. Finally, Sara nodded. "I'll tell you where she is."

~…..~

It was already raining when Miyako started going up the hill and into the forest, towards Mayumi's house. She was still wearing borrowed clothing while her kimono dried at Sara's. She promised to go back for them after she's done dealing with Mayumi. Her gaze didn't lose any resolution while she struggled on slippery soil, going through the thick woods.

She just moved away some shrubbery away when something passing by quickly caught her eye. Miyako instantly realized it was Mayumi who just walked and disappeared behind some trees. Quickening her step while still careful of the soft mud on the ground, Miyako ran up towards the place where she saw the other girl. However, as soon as she arrived, there was no one there anymore. As she looked around, searching for the young girl, she once again saw Mayumi in the distance. Miyako bit her lip in annoyance. *_She's probably leading me in a trap. But if I stop now I'll never find her.* _Deciding to play Mayumi's game, the pirate girl followed until she finally stopped before a large wooden house. *_This must be where Mayumi lives.*_

Clenching her fists again, Miyako felt stinging pain and remembered her hurt left hand. She looked down at the soaking wet bandages and ignored the pain. Looking back up at the house, Miyako's eyes hardened into a cold stare and she stepped forward, opening the sliding doors and going inside.

The first thing she noticed inside was the smell of dampness and dust. The air was stale, making Miyako scrunch up her nose in discontent. She looked around at what looked like a hallway leading to a large living room. The inside was simple and made entirely of wood. Even though the room was big, the only thing inside was a wooden table with two wooden chairs. There was an old carpet on the floor and a small bookcase against the wall. The whole room was simply decorated and without any feeling that an actual person lived here. Everything was depersonalized, without any pictures or decorations that would show the tastes of the owner. As if the occupant himself was blank just like the room. As Miyako moved on, she noticed the rest of the house was the same. Big rooms with little furniture and no photographs or decorations anywhere. Not even some plants to brighten up the dark house.

She searched around, examining every room to try and find Mayumi but with no luck. Not even a sound other than the blowing wind, which was getting stronger as the storm moved closer. What felt particularly strange was that Miyako couldn't even feel anything with her haki; as if she was the only living being in here. But her gut told her that wasn't right; Mayumi was here somewhere, she just knew it.

After a while, she arrived in a room that appeared to still be under construction. The ground was all soil, with no wooden boards on the floor like the rest of the house, only walls were wooden. A small slope was going from the entrance down but it was too dark to see what was down there. On the far side of the room there was a contraption, which looked like a mechanism for a well, used to collect water. Miyako felt a draft coming from there as if there was something more down there. Mindful of her step she went down the slope and peered into the dark hole beneath. It was hard to say how deep it was considering she couldn't see anything.

That's when a cracking sound came right from behind her. Miyako's eyes widened and she turned around instantly, but it was already too late. She could see her world turning upside down as she started falling, pushed by someone behind her. Just before falling into the darkness, Miyako saw something that made her even more stunned than her fall. Mayumi had the same hairstyle as Miyako, right down to the color. As girl stared right at Miyako, the samurai could see the strange face before her; half of it was the same as always with a large green eye but the other had completely different features and one golden eye stared back at Miyako's stumbling form. The sight of two separate faces molding into one made Mayumi look completely disfigured. Miyako only had time to gasp before she felt herself fall down. She gripped at the thin air and anything she could find but it was too late. The soil was too soft and she couldn't get a good hold on it. As she used both her hands to try and grab at the muddy ground, the red ribbon on her wrist unwrapped and fell, just before she slid down into the old well and disappeared into the darkness. The fall was so painful and sudden, it knocked the breath right out of her lungs, making her gape. As she fell onto her back, her head jerked backwards and hit a rock on the ground, rendering her unconscious. She could see some light from above as he eyesight blurred and a moving silhouette above her, just standing there and staring at her. The last she saw was Mayumi crouching down and taking a red piece of fabric in her hand, before turning to leave. Miyako's eyes went hazy and soon everything turned into darkness as she fell into unconsciousness.

~…~

The rain was already pouring, thunder roaring every now and then, echoing loudly in Law's ears. Even with his waterproof black coat and the fuzzy hat, he was getting completely drenched. A lightning flashed through the darkening sky somewhere near the island, disappearing into the sea. It was so close by, he could even hear the electrical noise behind it.

He was still walking through the village, heading for the forest on the small hill where Mayumi's house should be. In his hand he held a paper with a badly-drawn map on it, showing him where to go; curtsy of Shachi. He put it back into the safety of his pocket, so it wouldn't get wet and torn on the way.

By now there was no one of the villagers on the streets, everyone already hiding away from the storm. The wind was blowing hard, sending droplet of rain into Law's blinking eyes. Still, he continued on. The captain stood under eaves of one house, taking shelter from the rain as he closed his eyes and focused. He ignored the sound of falling rain and even the strong wind. The thunder in the distance was gradually muffled and disappeared while Trafalgar used all his concentration. He was evoking his Kenbunshoku Haki, so he could pick up on any moving living beings around the village. His haki was now strong enough to envelope all the village and he could feel the people inside the houses, families around the fireplaces, even stray cats and dogs searching for shelter in the rain. The captain focused even harder, targeting one aura in particular; Miyako's. He searched for the samurai's presence in the village, from streets to houses, even rooftops. If she wasn't here than the only place left would be the forest and probably Mayumi-ya's house.

For once Law seemed to be in luck. His dark eyes opened quickly when he felt her presence. What's more, she was actually nearby. Adjusting the nodachi on his shoulder, the captain turned around and ran a few blocks, quickly turning around the corner. There, he almost collided with his samurai who looked as drenched as he was. She was just as the last time he saw her; in her pink kimono, her hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail by her red ribbon and even the katana on her waist. Law's eyes stayed on Miyako's sword. "You found it. Where?" He had to speak louder than usual to be heard over the blowing wind.

Miyako had a strange look in her golden eyes, which seemed darker than her usual gaze. "At Mayumi's…but she won't bother us again." The message behind those words were crystal clear even without Miyako having to explain it.

Law was silent for a while before grabbing her wrist silently. "We'll talk about what you did back at the submarine. Now come, hurry." Without waiting for a response, he dragged her with him back to the pirate vessel. By his tight grip it was obvious he was still mad, but getting them back on board was his priority.

~…..~

"Aaah, that felt good." The samurai girl almost sang in contentment after she was safely back at the submarine. She took a hot shower, changed out of her wet clothes and retied her long hair with the red ribbon. Yawarakai-Te was once again securely tied at her waist.

When she arrived, everyone from the Heart Pirates huddled around her, crowding the poor girl as they questioned her all at the same time. Everyone wanted to know what happened with Mayumi while Miyako was away, seeing that she had her katana back. The girl barely managed to answer some of the questions saying Mayumi attacked her and indeed had stolen her katana so Miyako had to kill her to save her own life. She explained the girl pushed her into some old well at the house in the forest but Miyako managed to climb back up and battled the girl until Mayumi fell into the hole and died from the fall.

"_So you say Mayumi had some strange shapeshifter power and was slowly changing into you?" Penguin asked in disbelief. Everyone else also seemed stunned. _

_Miyako nodded, explaining Mayumi was slowly changing her appearance into Miyako's but didn't have time to finish the transformation before Miyako attacked her. "In the end, unlike her I already have fighting skills even without my sword. She was a monster but not a fighter. She didn't stand a chance," Miyako smiled in confidence. _

_Joshua sighed. "It's good that's all over." _

"_But I can't believe Mayumi-chi was actually such a villain…I'm sorry for doubting you Miya-chan," Ari really looked sorry as he apologized._

"_Yah, she manipulated us all." Eli agreed with a nod._

"_It's not like we didn't believe you Miyako-chan, we just needed more proof before acting. Just like captain said; we can't draw marines' attention right now," Bepo added._

_Miyako shook her head with a small smile. "That's fine, guys. I understand and I'm not mad. In the end, we're all nakama, I know you wouldn't turn your backs on me." _

At the time, Heart Pirates cheered, happy that it was all over. However, the happy atmosphere didn't last for long when Law appeared, still very much upset at Miyako's escape. He ordered her to clean herself up and then meet him in his quarters to explain everything that happened in detail. "_After that I'll decided how severely I want to punish you," _he said in a cold tone while piercing her with dark grey eyes. It was enough to bring chills to the rest of the pirates, as they quickly went back to their duties.

So now after she was clean and in her dried kimono with the katana on her waist, Miyako was once again in Law's quarters. She was standing before him as he sat in his chair with entwined fingers while staring at her silently. A sweat drop appeared on her forehead and the girl fidgeted uncomfortably. "Um…am I in trouble?"

The captain was still silent as he stood up slowly from his chair and paced towards her, all the while piercing her with his eyes. "I don't know, you tell me; does disobeying my, your captain's, _direct_ orders mean you're in trouble?"

Miyako looked as if she was thinking for a while, giving him a sheepish smile. "I'd say…yes?" She jokingly answered.

However there was no smile on Trafalgar Law's face. "Do you find this amusing? I had to go out there on a storm looking for you, abandoning my submarine and crew at a most inconvenient time when we had to prepare the vessel for the storm." As if on cue, the submarine swayed lightly while waves outside crashed at its side. The storm was still raging outside. "You are lucky things ended so favorably for us all. What part of '_stay here until I get back'_ didn't you understand?" The man closed in on the girl, only inches away from her as he glared and hissed out the question. He was mad; there was no doubt about it.

"I'm sorry…I…wasn't thinking." Miyako looked completely apologetic but she still kept her eyes on his own, not wanting to be stared down by him and seem weak.

"No, you weren't. Let this be the _last_ time you disobey my direct ordered…not matter _what_ reason." He bit back at her, almost in a growl.

The girl nodded without a word, still looking at him.

"Next time you simply disappear like that pray I don't find you." He narrowed his eyes, staring into her golden ones. In a way, he could understand Miyako's attachment to her katana and wanting to find it by herself, but her behavior was too hasty and could have cost both her life and the lives of the other Heart Pirates. She was panicked and wasn't thinking straight; not to mention she was acting strange and more emotional than usual even before today and she was hurt and weaponless. If she had only listened to him, they would have found Mayumi and get to the bottom of it all. It's not like Law didn't believe Miyako or didn't intend to get Yawarakai-Te. He just wanted to do it on his terms and his way which included a proper plan. Once they had sufficient information he would've talked to the girl and devise a plan of action to get her sword back. He never intended to shut her out, but she had to cool her head before anything could be done. Yet instead of trusting him, Miyako decided to do things on her own as if this was all simply her problem to deal with. That's what pissed Law off the most; once again she wanted to do things on her own instead of relying on her comrades and on _him_.

"I really am sorry." Miyako bowed down a bit and that's when a piece of paper fell down on the floor.

Law noticed it first and picked it up, looking over it.

"Well if that's all I should-" The girl already turned around, ready to leave.

"Wait." Trafalgar's voice stopped her in her tracks.

She turned around to see what happened and noticed Law holding a piece of paper.

"You dropped this." The captain simply explained and handed her back the paper.

Miyako sighed and smiled. "Oh right." She looked over the piece of paper; it was the list of ingredients Munk gave her.

"I thought you lost that list?" Law looked down, his expression hidden from view by the rim of his hat.

"Oh, I found it. Silly me, it was in my kimono the whole time. Just in a different place than where I looked before," the girl chuckled hitting herself lightly on the head with her knuckles.

"Is that so…?" Law muttered, his face still in the shadow. Then suddenly his hand darted out and in an instant he grabbed Miyako by the throat, squeezing her windpipe dangerously.

The girl gasped and grabbed his wrist with both hands, but the captain was just too strong. She couldn't pry his hand away and the grip only tightened the more she struggled. With stunned eyes of bewilderment, the girl looked at him with fear and shock. "C-captain…Law, what are you….doing?" She barely squeezed out while coughing and gasping for air.

"I just find it strange considering Mayumi-ya had that list all along." His eyes narrowed as they pierced the girl in front of him. "I thought you seemed different than usual but now I am sure…So how about we stop playing this game and you tell me who you are exactly, hm?" The atmosphere in the room turned deadly in an instant as Law's mood darkened along with his killing intent.

For a while the girl still looked nothing but scared but then suddenly a wide grin spread on her face. "How did you know?"

Even though the girl shared the same face, she didn't seem like Miyako at all anymore. Her personality and even the way she talked was the same just a second ago, but now her demeanor changed little by little. Yet the appearance stayed identical to that of the samurai. However, Law could see past that mask; the moment he looked Miyako right in the eyes they seemed different than her usual self. He glared deep into her eyes; the same golden eyes as the samurai girl had, yet the glint in them was completely different. They were darker and colder; no usual burning inside of them, no wonder or excitement that Miyako had. These were the eyes of a dead fish, nothing more. But what made Law certain was Munk's list that was surprisingly with Miyako again. He knew from the start that Mayumi took it; he saw her take it the first day when she was looking at it. At that time he didn't think anything of it, thinking she took it without thinking but later when she didn't give it back even when Miyako was upset about losing it, he knew she was doing it on purpose. Law stayed silent then, wanting to see what Mayumi was actually planning. He didn't want to out her and make her suspicious, which would make her pull back. So he stayed quiet and observed, analyzing her move and wanting to see what she'll do next. Then when Miyako's sword suddenly disappeared, that suspicion was only proven further. Seeing Miyako so emotional made him understand he had to deal with the samurai girl and calm her before going after Mayumi. Yet the foolish girl went by herself and now this imposter is on his submarine while the real samurai is missing. "You're eyes…they might be the same color but they're completely different. I knew you were up to something from the start, Mayumi-ya, if that is even your real name. I presume everything you said was a lie and you are the one with shapeshifting powers just like you said." He suddenly grabbed the girl's bandaged left hand, squeezing it tightly. She didn't have much of a reaction, as expected; even though the hand was bandaged there were probably no wounds underneath. The final proof this wasn't Miyako. His grey eyes turned even more deadly as he continued. "Now…tell me where my samurai is?"

The imposter girl chuckled but it sounded more like a cackle since she couldn't breathe freely. "You wouldn't hurt a woman, would you? Especially someone who helped you with information so much? Who told you about the marine base? Why not take me instead of that girl to sea? She didn't look like she wanted to be a pirate anyway, on the other hand I'd be more than happy to sail under you. I'm already done with this island; it's become too small for me and I've already copied all the interesting faces here."

Trafalgar was silent for a long time, then suddenly his expression changed into a wide evil grin; his eyes shone in a sadistic manner. He seemed like he was swallowed by insanity, ready to turn into a killer any second now. "I won't hurt you because you are a woman?" He repeated the girl's naïve words, the grin never leaving his features. "It seems you don't know about me very well after all. You're underestimating me." His grip slowly begun to tighten, crushing the girl's windpipe. "Now I'll ask you one last time before I start skinning you alive; where is Suzune Miyako?"

The confident smirk instantly left Mayumi's face when she saw Law's sadistic smile; he was serious and she just realized it. This man wasn't bluffing; he'll really skin her alive if he has to. Suddenly she paled, realizing how much in trouble she actually was. She coughed and struggled, trying to get away from his crushing grip but with no use. "I-if…you kill me…*_cough_* You'll never…find *_cough_* her again." Mayumi barely let her voice out. "How do I know _*cough_* you won't kill me*_cough_* once I tell you?"

Law's eyes narrowed. "You don't know, but if you don't tell me in the next five seconds, then I'll kill you for sure." The captain explained and started counting down from five.

When he was already on three, the girl spoke up again. "She's in my house!" She felt the captain slightly relaxed his grip to let her speak. "The one in the forest," she sighed in relief when his hand gave her more room to breathe, still dangerously lingering on her throat.

The dark doctor pierced her with his stare, promising hell with only his glare. "If she's not there, I will make sure your death is slow and painful." He gripped her shoulder so tightly the girl winced in pain and then turned her around, practically shoving her out of his quarters.

They ran into Bepo in the hallway, who looked puzzled at Law's harsh treatment of the samurai girl. "Captain, what happened?"

"Bepo, this is the imposter, not Miss Miyako. Take her into custody and notify Joshua-ya, Sai-ya and Shachi-ya, we're going to find her." Law ordered before turning back to the girl and shoving her into Bepo who caught her with his large paws easily. "You'll be going with us, just in case you're lying," he gave her one final dark glare before taking away her sword and giving it to Bepo. "Hold onto this as well."

The bear still looked somewhat confused by the situation but nodded anyway, taking the girl and the sword. "Aye, captain." He turned around and went towards the exit. The storm was still right above the island but they had no choice; they'll have to go out there and bring their samurai back.

Law stepped out onto the drenched deck with his nodachi on one shoulder. Behind him the navigator, mechanic, the medic and his first mate stood, all wearing black jackets with the Hearts' yellow Jolly Roger, except for Bepo who didn't mind the cold wind blowing nor the rain. The first mate was still holding onto Miyako's sword and the imposter girl. The captain gritted his teeth as he looked at the hill where the deep forest stood. This doppelganger has Miyako's kimono and all the things the girl was wearing when she disappeared. How did the imposter get even her clothes? In what condition was Miyako right now? As much as he was angry, he was equally worried for the samurai. They had to find her and she had to be ok…no matter what. That's what Law told himself for reassurance as he strengthened his resolve and stepped off the submarine.

~…~

As soon as Miyako opened her eyes, the harsh headache started. Not just her head, but she could feel the ache throughout her whole body. Her left shoulder felt like it was burning and there was a numbing pain in her right ankle. She could only hope that none of her bones were broken. At first as she tried to move, none of the muscles would listen so for a while she just lay there on the wet ground in the darkness. After a while, she tried again, starting from her right arm. Her fingers twitched and she managed to lift it, feeling for the bump at the back of her head where she hit it. There, she could feel a wet substance, probably blood, but it was too dark to even see her own hand in front of her. With a painful groan she tried to sit up and finally managed to after the second try, sliding towards the wall of the well so she could lean against it.

It took her a while to remember what exactly happened, but when she finally did, her eyes darted open which brought an even worse headache. Wincing, she held her head in her hands as scenes from before started coming back to her. *_Mayumi pushed me in here.*_ At that thought, she remembered the half disfigured face of the local girl; Mayumi was changing into her. What surprised her even more was the fact that she didn't feel Mayumi's presence behind her at all; how was she able to sneak up on her and come so close? *_The girl took me by surprise, but how? I should have sensed her with my haki long before she was near me. Why didn't I feel her presence?*_ The questions swirling around her mind along with the headache were frustrating, making Miyako grit her teeth. Soon enough, an even more worrisome thought came across her mind. *_She must be trying to take my identity completely. What if she goes after the crew? Or if she tricks them into believing she was me?! Am I going to be left behind to rot in this well while she takes away everything and leaves with them?!* _A sudden anxiety started welling up inside of Miyako. *_No…I can't die here. I can't die like this! Not when I'm finally starting to realize my purpose, the purpose for my sword. I finally have something to fight for and she's taking it all away!*_ The samurai gritted her teeth in determination. "I won't die like this!"

Holding onto the wall, she slowly tried to stand up but stumbled instantly. Her ankle was probably twisted as she had problems putting any weight onto it. The good side was that at least nothing seemed broken. Miyako took deep breaths before trying again. "Come on, you can do this," she encouraged herself before trying again. Putting all the weight on her left leg, the girl managed to stand up, leaning against the wall. She looked around but there was nothing but darkness, so black that she couldn't see anything. She could only feel the bumps and cracks on the well's wall. Peering up she noticed a small light, probably from the burning candles in the room above. That light was her only guidance, the small flicker of hope to where she has to come no matter what.

Feeling the cracks on the walls, Miyako used them as leverage to climb up. Her shoulder was hurting badly since she sprained that too and her right ankle barely worked. On top of it all, her left hand was still bandaged and hurt from the glass shards. Yet Miyako gritted her teeth and took a step higher, pulling her body up by her hands. Finding more holes in the old well, she put her foot there and used it as leverage to climb. She felt the wall blindly with her hands trying her best to keep herself up. The well was almost 10 meters deep, but still she climbed on. Taking another step, the rock she put her foot on crumbled along with a piece of wall. She lost her foothold and slipped, only holding herself by her hands. But with her hurt shoulder and hand she couldn't keep her weight up with only her arms, so Miyako slid down desperately trying to hold onto something. Her fingers burned as skin and nails tore from the friction and she fell down with a gasp, ending up right where she started.

The girl coughed and groaned, turning on her back in pain. For a while all she could do was bare the pain while lying with closed eyes. Even when she opened her eyes the darkness around her didn't disappear. "No…can't end like this," she mumbled, weakly shaking her head. *_Are you really going to let her win like this? How pathetic are you; you can't even climb this well! Aren't you supposed to be getting stronger; enough to protect the crew, your captain, yourself!? How are you strong enough for the New World when you'll let some doppelganger bitch cross you like this?!* _The voice echoed in her mind, taunting her but also harsh and serious; the samurai recognized that voice. Even in near death he just wouldn't leave her off the hook, he just had to push her limits; Law. It made the girl want to laugh and shout in anger at the same time; just from the irony of it. The fact that in this moment, it would be _his_ words that pushed her forward, giving her strength to continue. Miyako gritted her teeth in anger and stood up, yelling in pain in the process. She leaned against the wall, panting hard but there was sheer determination burning in her golden eyes. "You take away my sword…" She took a step on the wall, propping herself up. "My friends." Another step, groaning as she pulled herself up by her hurt arms. "Even my captain." Another step higher, as she carefully checked her foothold before stepping on the rocks. "My identity." Her voice echoed stronger now as she felt rage and confidence fill her. She was moving on, climbing up the well slowly but surely. She gritted her teeth, hissing words and endured the pain in her whole body that seeped into her. "You just wait until I get out of here." Another growl escaped her as she bit down on the pain and continued climbing.

~…..~

Trafalgar and his group walked up the hill through the forest, led by Mayumi who was still held captive in Bepo's grip. The ground beneath their feet was completely turned into mud, soaked from the rain, so every step they took had to be careful unless they wanted to end up in live mud or slip on the eroded, wet ground. The ground was corroding beneath their feet while the wind blew strongly in their face, yet the pirates continued on.

"It should be around here," Shachi notified them remembering the path from when he was here earlier. It was already night outside, making it even harder to see the area around them. The storm, the darkness and the muddy ground was making the whole journey even more dangerous; especially as nobody knew what to expect. Law let Mayumi walk fist; in case there were any traps out there she might be thinking of leading them in, she'll be the first to get caught in them.

The wind blew especially hard, making the pirates hold onto their hats and stop to wait it out. A blinding light flashed before them, followed by deafening noise as if the sky was ripping apart. The lightning hit a nearby tree, setting it on fire. Luckily, the rain was so strong, the fire didn't have a chance to spread. However, it proved to be a good distraction as everyone turned towards the loud noise, suddenly on guard. It gave Mayumi a perfect opportunity; she grabbed the katana out of Bepo's paw and pushed him with all her force. Since the ground was already so slippery, the bear who was caught by surprise stumbled sideways, letting her go. She didn't wait to watch as Bepo fell into a pit of mud. She ran into some shrubbery and disappeared into the night.

"Dammit!" Law cursed and went after her, stopping in his tracks when he realized there was a cliff there. He almost fell from it, barely noticing in the darkness. *_So where did she go?* _

"Captain!" Joshua's voice pulled Trafalgar back to reality and he turned around to see his crew carefully circling the pit where Bepo was. "It's live mud, he can't get out!" The pirates were holding onto Bepo, trying to pull him out but it wasn't a simple thing to pull a large polar bear from the sucking, sticky substance. The more Bepo struggled, the more he sunk into it.

Law gritted his teeth in frustration, walking over to them to help them out. The girl tricked them; she knew this terrain better than anyone and used it to her advantage. Luckily, they weren't far from the house now so they won't get lost; he still had Shachi's map anyway. Still, the pirate captain was determined on one thing; once they found Miyako, he'll make that imposter pay.

When they finally managed to get the first mate out of the dangerous mud, the pirates were all drenched, muddy and panting from exhaustion. Yet they had no time to rest and this place was far too dangerous anyway. They needed to at least find shelter in Mayumi's house. The group was sitting down on the ground, trying to catch their breath. The captain propped himself with his nodachi and stood up. He knew they needed rest but this was no place for it. "Come on, we need to continue. Let's go." He heard a few groans from the pirates as they struggled to get up.

"You heard the captain, let's go," Bepo encouraged them, giving one paw to Shachi and the other to Josh as he easily lifted them up to their feet. Sai used his rifle to help himself up before putting it back on his shoulder.

When the pirate group finally arrived in front of the imposter's house, they were drenched and panting slightly. The large wooden facility looked like a ghost mansion, casting strange shadows every time lightning flashed, shining over it.

"We're finally here…" Sai commented, walking closer to the large sliding doors. He opened them carefully, expecting a trap. However, nothing happened and the group walked safely inside; finally taking shelter from the rain. The house and furniture inside seemed old. Walls were already starting to rot from dampness and mold. A few candles were lit, braking through the darkness but most of the house was still dim and cold. It was barely furnished as if nobody was actually living here.

"Stay in pairs and search the house." The captain commended, examining what appeared to be the bedroom. It only consisted of one small bed and a closet for clothes, nothing more. There was another candle, flickering on the windowsill. Outside, Law could see trees waving their branches and bending from the strong wind.

"C-captain!" Shachi's panicked call brought everyone back together in one of the rooms. It was completely empty and the floorboards were taken out of the ground. On their place, a shallow hole was freshly dug up. Beside it was a shovel and a hump of dirt from digging. There's when the pirates noticed something in the corner of the dark room; a body.

When Law arrived the rest moved to the side, allowing his some room to inspect the dead person. He came over and crouched next to the still fresh corpse. "A woman. Can't be dead for more than a couple of hours, judging by the decomposition process. I'd say she was killed by a head trauma; she was hit in the head repeatedly by a blunt, hard object." He couldn't get much from observing the body like this, but at least these signs were obvious. He observed the girl more carefully; she was petite and short, with shoulder-length light brown hair. Something glinted beside her and Law noticed a pair of large glasses by the corpse. It was hard to see her face since a lot of her head was smashed in, covered with the red sticky substance that tangled her hair in a mess.

The captain heard a sound behind him and turned around to see Joshua holding a shovel and digging up some of the dirt from that hole.

"What are you doing?" Shachi came towards him and peered inside.

Sai, who was standing next to Joshua answered in his usual monotone tone. "There seems to be another body in here," he just commented flatly.

"These bodies were here before when we checked the house. Actually this whole room looked different with floorboard on the ground. Whaa, this is creeping me out. Can't we just find Miyako and go already?" Shachi whined, feeling shivers running down his spine. This place was too eerie for his taste.

"Wait." Josh muttered and moved some of the dirt, revealing a skeleton. It still had some mummified skin on its bones, and some strands of long black hair.

Trafalgar examined the skeleton. By his approximate estimations the girl looked exactly like Mayumi; same height and long black hair of the same length. Her teeth were similar too even though Law never spent much time observing the girl's jaw. *_So after she turned completely into that girl, she killed her and buried her here.* _An ominous feeling hit Law's gut and his jaw clenched. "We need to find Miyako, now. Split up." Before even finishing he's command, the captain turned and went back to searching the house.

They found nothing strange until Bepo called out from somewhere at the back of the vast house. "Captain!" Law hastily followed his friend's voice until everyone stepped into a room where there weren't even floorboards but muddy soil. A small slope led to a large hole that seemed to be a remnant of an old well. Law and Sai carefully lowered down the slope, looking into the gaping darkness.

"Hello!? Miyako?!" The navigator's voice echoed, bouncing against the walls, but there was no answer.

"Maybe she's not down there," Shachi commented hopefully but his own tone betrayed that even he didn't think so.

"Maybe she's unconscious," Josh proposed another, more frightening, option.

"Maybe she's already dead," Sai added to their comments.

"Shut up you idiot! Don't say freaky stuff like that!" Both Shachi and Josh yelled at the navigator in unison.

"Miya-chaaaan~" Bepo started to panic, holding his big head with furry paws.

"Don't you start too, Bepo. She'll be fine," The medic's voice was confident and firm, willing himself to believe that the samurai was alive and well.

Meanwhile, Law ignored his panicking subordinates and searched around the room, looking for something to help them down there. Finally he saw the old well's mechanism that used rope and a bucket to collect water. The mechanism didn't really look safe but it was the only thing they could use right now; hopefully the rope will at least hold out. The doctor went over and took the rope from the mud, gazing back at his crew. "We'll use this."

After preparations, it was decided that Josh will be the one to go down there as the lightest. Shachi tied the rope tightly around the medic's waist, pulling on it a few times to make sure it was secure. The redhead had a candle in one hand, helping him to peer into the darkness and shine some light at it. He stepped on the edge of the dark pit, looking down into nothing but blackness. "Ok, guys, I'm ready." The medic looked behind him where Bepo and Shachi were holding the rope, giving it some slack slowly as Josh leaned over the well and started taking steps downwards, slowly heading into the hole. He had his back turned to the dark in his position so he had to look over his shoulder, clutching the rope tightly. He held onto the rope with one hand while trying to keep the candle steady in the other, shining at the stone walls of the well. "Give me some more slack, I have to go deeper!" He yelled back up where he could see Sai leaning over the edge and keeping track of the situation that was going on in the well. For now, everything was going according to plan; now if only Miyako was really down there, alive. Josh bit his lip, not wanting to think any more depressing thoughts. They didn't know anything yet, it was too early to panic. As he told himself that, the medic continued on, walking against the wall slowly.

"Joshua-ya, what's the situation?" Josh heard his captain's voice echo all the way down to him. He felt the rope moving again as he was lowered down some more. They had to keep it slow and careful for the rope not to break.

"Nothing for now, captain. But I didn't hit the bottom yet," The medic yelled back, looking over his shoulder in hope he'll see the end of this creepy well. All he could see was darkness below him. "Get me down, more," he yelled again to Bepo and Shachi. It was good they brought Bepo with them; with the bear's strength there wasn't a problem with only two of them handling the line and his weight on it. Bepo could probably easily take on Joshua's entire weight by himself. The floorboards above him shrieked as the pirates moved. He could hear the sound of the rope slipping through the mud.

What nobody noticed was how the rope would go over a rock next to the well's edge every time the pirates would slacken it. As it slid on the edge of the rock, it would slowly but steadily cut through it; making the cord thinner and thinner. When Joshua yelled for them to slacken it one more time, the line was pressed onto the rock by his weight and finally snapped.

At first, Josh didn't notice anything. Then he heard panicked yells above him, just before the rope holding him slackened completely and he quickly started falling down into the darkness. He gasped and his eyes widened in shock and realization, when the light above him started furthering away from him. *_How high am I above the ground_?* That was the first and only question the redhead had time to ask himself, knowing that fact can decide between his life and death. Just as he was about to hit the ground with his back, the rope suddenly tightened again and his whole body jerked before stopping.

Just before the rope snapped, Law's sharp eyes noticed it started to fray and that it was about to break. „The rope!" It was all the captain had time to say as a warning as he jumped just a second before it tore. He grabbed the cord with both hand, feeling the burning sensation as it chafed his palms and the friction burned his skin. Josh's weight pulled him forward, but Trafalgar stopped both of their falls by putting a foot on the side of the well's edge. Even so, holding the complete weight of one person singlehandedly was no easy task and he knew his hands won't hold out for long. The captain grit his teeth, thinking at that moment that sending Josh, the lightest and smallest of them, was indeed the right decision he made. Thankfully, his pains stopped soon when the other pirates reacted only a few seconds later even though to Law it felt much longer while straining to keep Josh from falling. Sai, Shachi and Bepo all grabbed the rope, dividing the work among themselves.

"Josh, are you alright?" Sai yelled down, trying to peer at the small, flickering light of the candle that miraculously didn't go out during this ordeal. Perhaps at least there was some luck left on their side.

"Y-Yeah…" The medic gulped, looking around. "That was close, though." He looked around noticing he was only a few meters above the ground now. He shone at the ground of the well and his eyes widened in despair.

"Joshua-ya, what do you see?" Law called out noticing the redhead went uncharacteristically silent all of a sudden. He had a bad feeling about all this.

The medic licked his dry lips and gulped down his saliva. He was still staring at the well's muddy floor when he answered. "It's empty captain….She's not here. This was the last place to look but….Miyako isn't in here."

Still holding the old rope, the Heart Pirates looked at each other with anxious stares before looking back at their captain with uncertainty. If she wasn't here then where was that girl? They could see a darkening look in their captain's eyes, one they haven't seen in a long time now.

_*So that imposter lied and led us into a trap…*_ Law thought, thinking of Mayumi. Along with his bad feeling about Miyako, there was a killing intent so strong he would probably strangle the imposter girl with bare hands if she was there. No, that would be too easy. He'll do much worse when he finally finds that cunning vixen. Yet before that, he still had to find his samurai. The captain managed to control his anger at the moment, remembering his priorities. He looked back at Bepo and the others with the usual collected expression; but the darkness in his eyes remained. "Let's pull Joshua-ya back up. I'll contact the submarine to see if there are any changes on their part."

After a while, the redhead was back up having a similar dejected look in his eyes as everyone else in the badly-lit room. They were all hoping to find Miyako here, but now they were back to square one. No Miyako and no sign of the only person who knew where she was; Mayumi. "So what now?" Josh asked, staring at the empty well.

Suddenly Law stood up, putting a den den mushi back into his coat and taking his nodachi. Everyone looked at him in wonder. "I will pursue Mayumi-ya and try to find Miss Miyako. You stay here until the storm passes, then go back to the submarine. I was just in contact with Jean Bart but he said the situation is still the same; the submarine is safe from the storm and there were no suspicious people around."

"You want us to stay here? But Miya-chan is still out there, we should continue to-" Shachi tried to protest but his captain cut him off.

"It's too dangerous with this storm. There's no need to risk any more people than this. I'll go and you'll wait until the storm passes. I'll come at the submarine when I find Miss Miyako so don't worry. I'll contact you via den den mushi if there's any trouble." There was no reason for others to risk their lives on this stormy night. Bepo already fell into live mud once and who knows what traps Mayumi set for them in the woods. They'll never see it coming with all this rain and mud; it was too dangerous. Not to mention; just being in the woods while there was thunder and lightning outside was completely unsafe. It'll be easier for Law if he only had to worry about himself.

"But if you're going, then I will too-" Bepo also tried to protest, at least convincing the captain to let the first mate go with him but Trafalgar simply shook his head.

"If I need backup, there are still other crewmembers at the submarine. You lot just listen and wait here until the storm quiets down." He turned to leave, giving them one last look and a nod before walking out of the room.

Josh had his head bowed down, hiding his expression with his hat, but with his whole body trembling and his clenched fists it was obvious what he was thinking. *_Shit…are we really this useless right now? Is there nothing else we can do?! Miyako…where the hell are you?* _A sudden hand on his shoulder made his head jerk up and look back, to see Shachi standing behind him with a determined demeanor.

"Don't worry, Captain will get her back for sure." The mechanic tried to reassure the redhead with an encouraging tone.

"Besides, Miya-chan faced danger before too but she always managed to overcome it and get out alive. So have faith in both Miyako and captain." Bepo added, not completely panicky and depressed for once.

"Also, he'll definitively make that Mayumi girl pay." Sai smirked.

~….~

"So Miyako's imposter got away from captain's group and Miya-chan is still missing?" Penguin summarized the information he just heard from Jean Bart after the navigator talked to captain Law via den den mushi.

The large navigator simply nodded with a grunt.

"So what do we do? Just sit here and wait for captain or if Miyako shows up?" Cody shrugged his shoulders, feeling stressed that all they could do is wait.

"What else can we do?" Ari sighed.

"Search the village one more time, I recon?" Eli proposed.

"The captain said we should stay here and take care of the submarine," Jean Bart reminded them. He could see everyone was feeling nervous and on edge, wanting to do more than just take care of the vessel, but captain gave them clear orders not to go out into the storm. "The storm will probably pass soon," he added, hoping it would calm the impatient pirates. Bart wanted to find the samurai just like everyone else but as a former captain he knew Law also had a responsibility to keep his crew and the submarine safe from harm. Right now it was dangerous outside and there was at least one enemy who can shapeshift; they couldn't act recklessly.

Cody suddenly stood up and walked over to the large window in the control room. "The wind is slowly dying out, I think." He was itching to take out a cigarette and light it but knew it wasn't allowed to smoke inside the submarine. Still he kept playing with his lighter, to calm some of the frustration. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, as his yearning for nicotine to calm him down in this situation overpowered him. "I'll be at the back door."

"Oy, you can't go outside." Penguin protested, clicking his tongue in disagreement.

The medic sighed in annoyance, scratching the stub of hair on his chin. "It's fine, I'll only go for a quick smoke. I'll stay close to the doors." He was already walking out of the control room, taking a pack of cigarettes out of his overall pocket. The medic sighed one more time, putting a smoke in his mouth as he walked towards the back entrance where the higher but smaller deck of the submarine was. He opened the doors, taking a breath of fresh air in his lungs before it is replaced by the smoke and nicotine. He closed the doors and stayed under the small eaves above the metal doors as he lit up his cigarette. The rain was still falling and the wind was howling, making it necessary for him to cover the lighter with one hand in order to protect the fire while lighting the cigarette. The medic inhaled for the first time, instantly feeling calmer from doing his everyday routine. That was the first smoke he had ever since the damn storm started. A bit calmer from the fresh air and the cigarette, the medic's thoughts returned to the missing samurai. *_Where could she be? She wasn't at Mayumi's house and not in the village. Damn it, if only I had Kenbunshoku Haki, I could check the village again.*_ The man bit down on his cigarette, taking another smoke.

"Cody!" A familiar woman's voice brought the medic out of his musings. At first he was sure the howling wind was just playing tricks on him, but as he listened harder, the voice continued. "Cody! Help!"

Without thinking the medic ran across the small deck towards the source of the voice, looking down. He leaned over the railing but saw no one. Cody's eyebrows furrowed as he instantly suspected it was a trap. Feeling someone behind him he turned around and grabbed the woman's hand, his eyes widening in surprise. The well-known kimono, the sword at her waist, even the large golden eyes; everything looked exactly like Miyako down to her red ribbon. But Cody knew this wasn't the Miyako of his crew. He squeezed the girl's hand as she probably tried to sneak behind him and push him over the railing. "Mayumi I presume." He had to yell to overpower the strong wind and splashing rain.

The imposter gritted her teeth as she was caught, but her other hand was still free and hiding behind her back. Without a second thought, the girl quickly pulled out her other hand and the medic noticed something flashed in her hand. A knife. She was so close to him it was hard to dodge and the knife was heading right for his throat. Shocked but acting on impulse, he took a step back to avoid the knife only to hit the railing and stumble over it. The girl pushed him and he lost his balance, falling on the beck below. Luckily, the height wasn't deadly but he could still feel even his teeth rattle as he hit the wooden floor harshly.

As he was about to stand up, the imposter Miyako was already jumping down with the knife in her hands and stood over him. "Sorry Cody-san…I really did like you." Even as she said that, her facial expressed stayed emotionless and her golden eyes dead. She swung her sword down at the laying medic, but before it could hit, the girl was forcefully pushed away as someone rammed into her from the side. All Cody could see was a blur as the two figures disappeared over the railing and fell onto the main deck with a strong thud.

The knife fell out of Mayumi's hand and slid away in a puddle of water. The imposter looked around with wild eyes, searching for whatever just attacked her. She found the form struggling to stand up with her sprained ankle and shoulder and bandaged left hand. "Miyako-san." The girl narrowed her eyes, glaring at the samurai before her.

Miyako was completely muddy in borrowed, baggy and drenched clothes. Her hair was flowing everywhere, sticking to her pale face. She looked tired, barely standing with her hurting body. However, her eyes were burning with anger and determination. Usually when Miyako fought an opponent she was calm and cold, which made it easy for her to assess the situation. Yet her appearance now was completely different; her eyes weren't cold fire as usual, but burning brightly in rage.

"How did you get out of that well?" Mayumi ignored the rain showering on her as she stared at the muddy girl before her.

"I climbed out and saved myself," Miyako simply said glaring at the other girl all the while.

Mayumi's golden eyes widened in surprise. "Impossible, you're lying! That well was too deep for someone to climb out of it on their own! Especially someone this hurt!"

Miyako narrowed her eyes and put both hands up so Mayumi could see. The bandages on her left hand were mostly ripped and fingers on both hands were bloody and cut. Her nails were mostly destroyed as well. "What would I gain from lying now? Well it doesn't matter if you believe me or not anyway, it won't change your situation." She slowly started limping towards Mayumi, her anger only increasing by the step. "I do have one question, though." She saw the girl's questioning stare and continued. "What did you do to me exactly? Why was I acting so emotional and why couldn't I feel your presence in the house?"

Mayumi smirked. "That's more than one question." She saw Miyako narrowed her eyes but shrugged it off and continued. "My power isn't so simple that I just teal your face. Oh no, it's much more than that. I can copy your attitude, personality, way of speech….everything. That's why this power is so handy." The girl grinned before continuing. "And that goes for your presence too. It's not that you couldn't feel me; it's just that right now I even have the same aura as you so you just couldn't recognize the difference. We're the same." The girl hissed the last words, taunting Miyako on purpose.

The samurai glared at the girl. Indeed, she looked exactly like her; as if watching herself in the mirror. But the two of them were nothing alike; Miyako would never do what Mayumi did to her. "Hardly," Miyako hissed back. After she managed to get out of the well she walked back down to the village to meet Sara and take back her things. The first thing she noticed was that the doors weren't locked, while the fireplace inside was still burning. Miyako didn't find any of her things and couldn't find Sara anywhere but her keen eyes did notice remaining droplets of blood on the floor. In addition, here was Mayumi wearing all of the clothes Miyako left behind at Sara's. At this moment Miyako knew that Sara probably wasn't alive anymore. The samurai girl gritted her teeth at that thought. Mayumi was probably tailing her, watching her every move and waiting for the right time to strike and completely take over her life. But Miyako had no intention of giving it away so easily.

"However, the emotional aspect of which you speak wasn't done by me at all…well maybe that's not exactly true. I'm sure turning your friends against you and making you irate on purpose with my actions pushed your mental state a bit too far. Not to mention the constant paranoia that you had about me but wasn't able to prove anything…even when I first started changing into you." The girl grinned widely. "But as much as I purposely messed with your mental state, you were the one who reacted like that…I don't have the power to control your emotions unfortunately." Mayumi shrugged then added with a grin. "Why, Miyako-san, don't tell me you were jealous? Perhaps because I was stealing your friends away and poor Miyako felt all alone." Her tone was completely mocking but then turned venomous as she continued. "Or was it because I was stealing your precious captain away? Were you jealous that night when I was so close to Trafalgar and there was nothing you could do about it?" She sang, porously taunting the girl. "So agitated you were even stupid enough to hurt yourself with the glass!?" Mayumi laughed in loudly while screaming her taunting words at Miyako.

The samurai girl gritted her teeth in anger and started slowly moving towards the girl again. "You tried to hurt my friends. You hurt me. You tricked and lied to us the whole time. You even stole my sword and now you're even trying to steal my life. There's no way I'll let you get away with this." She moved closer to Mayumi.

The local girl suddenly unsheathed Yawarakai-Te from her waist. "I really like this sword, I'm definitively keeping it." She giggled and aimed it towards Miyako. "What can you do in your condition? You're hurt and unarmed, while I have a sword."

On her surprise, Miyako just grinned never stopping as she limped forward. "You're right. You might be armed…" she cracked her knuckles in preparation. "-but I'm angrier." The girl rushed forward suddenly, stepping to the side to avoid a sudden slice from Mayumi. She had to put her weight on her sprained ankle, making her grit her teeth in pain. Still, Miyako endured it and tried to attack Mayumi from the side. Even if Miyako was primarily a samurai and not much of a hand-to-hand fighter, she still had some basic knowledge in cases she finds herself unarmed just like in these kinds of situations. Her master made sure that she was prepared for anything. She tried to get into Mayumi's area but the girl quickly sliced sideways, making Miyako jump back to avoid it. Mayumi was surprisingly fast even if she didn't know how to correctly fight with a sword; or perhaps Miyako was slower because of her injuries. *_Whatever the case, it seems I'll need to disarm her first.* _

Without waiting for Miyako's next attack the other girl rushed forward with the sword aiming for Miyako's head. The samurai dodged swiftly when the katana slashed the air just above her head, then stepped backwards as the tip of the sword passed inches beneath her eye. Miyako was trying to save her remaining strength and her hurt ankle, not putting too much stress onto it, until she devised a good plan. However, it was hard with Mayumi swinging at her constantly, deliberately not giving her any room to act. _*She'll tire eventually; katana is a heavy weapon and she doesn't have any training in it.*_ Shockingly, Mayumi continued on, slicing and slashing faster and faster. The katana was closer to Miyako every time she dodged and the samurai realized Mayumi had much more strength and energy than her right now. If they're talking endurance, Mayumi definitively has the advantage here. _*Of course…with my body she also has my arm strength and constitution.* _Miyako cursed at her realization.

"Hahahahaha!" The local girl laughed manically as she continued to slice at Miyako. Her dead eyes were open wide and she was grinning widely, but most of all she looked like she was having fun.

_*I have to stall her until I find an opening to disarm her.*_ Miyako's mouth pulled into a tight line as she thought of her plan in her head. "I don't get it; why do you want my life anyway?"

Mayumi laughed again, her voice echoing through the storm. A quick flash blinded them for a second and a loud thunder filled the sky sounding dangerously close. From the forest, there was a sound of a tree falling. "Do you know what it's like to live in this small town? Nah, you can't even call it a town! I want to see the outside world too you know! There are no more interesting faces to take here anyway." The girl panted slightly as she continued to swing while talking.

Miyako clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Then why not just be yourself? Or is it that you hate your true self so much you'd rather hide behind different faces and your lies?" She smirked, taunting the girl. Perhaps if she can rattle her emotionally, the girl will get angry and attack, leaving herself open.

The imposter suddenly stopped with the katana in front of her. Her head was bowed as wet bangs fell down, hiding her face. "It can't be helped you know." Her voice was eerily calm. "I can't control this, it happens either way; so at the very least I can pick the faces I like and change into them. It's been so long I don't even remember what I truly look like." She slowly lifted her face up, showing a crazed look of wide eyes and that wide grin. Using Miyako's own face to make such an expression creeped the samurai out even more. "But it doesn't matter; I can look anyway I want with just being close to the person. If I go out at sea, travel to different islands, who knows what other interesting faces and lives I could steal." She suddenly ran at Miyako full speed, swinging with the katana.

This time Miyako didn't pull back but rushed forward as well. She avoided a sidelong attack by stepping to the side and forward, standing side by side with Mayumi now. She grabbed the girl's shoulder and punched her in the face hard, making her own hurt hand burn in pain.

Mayumi screamed in surprise and pain and clutched the katana, swinging diagonally at Miyako. The samurai had to let go at the girl, stepping backwards but slipped on the wet ground and fell hard on the wooden floor. Mayumi also stumbled backwards but stayed on her feet.

"You're lucky Miyako-san…You get to go anywhere you want, with your little friends…isn't your life just perfect." The girl mocked sarcastically. "How the hell would you know how I feel anyway?" She screamed and slashed at the ground but missed as Miyako rolled to the side.

The samurai gritted her teeth realizing she didn't have time to get up. If she tried, Mayumi would instantly use that opportunity to slice her. _*What is this psycho even saying?* _She talked like she knew what Miyako's life was like; yes, now she sailed with her friends and had the opportunity to see the world, but she grew up in a village just like Mayumi did. In a country where women had to act appropriately, where her whole life was already set for her to marry, bear children and take care of the household. Where she was a deviant just because she chose the sword over the norm. She didn't have her parents, she didn't have close friends and at the end, even her master died. She could feel her frustration growing as she listened to Mayumi's drabble while she put a label on Miyako's life.

Miyako rolled on the floor to avoid another stab, than kicked at Mauymi's hand to try and disarm her. The imposter stepped backwards which gave Miyako enough time to quickly get up. She clenched her fists. "So what? You think you have it bad because you live on a small island and nobody likes you? Get over yourself, you psycho. You're the only one to blame for everybody treating you like a monster; you did that with your lies and by hurting others. You even killed Sara-san." The samurai glared, piercing Mayumi with burning golden eyes. They were completely different from Mayumi's shining ones that were glazed over as if the local girl was drowning in her own insanity. "You made your choice on how to live your life and now that you're not satisfied with the consequences, you want mine. Well screw you." Miyako spit out the words. "I'm not handing my life so easily to you. You want it? Come and get it." She hissed preparing for Mayumi's attack by tanking a stance.

"Yooooouuuuu!" Mayumi's eyes widened and her expression twisted in rage as she ran through the rain and wind, towards Miyako.

The samurai took a deep breath, preparing herself. She watched the tip of the katana, following its arch as it moved, while Mayumi swung to attack again. _'Sudenoryuu: Sayawokaesu!' _Miyako's hand started moving upwards, as she bent her knees until she was kneeling down on one knee resting on the ground. She watched the tip as it fell down towards her head but before it could connect, she clapped her hands with the katana between her palms.

Mayumi's eyes widened as she stared down at the sight before her. Miyako was kneeling down with her hands clasped together above her head and the upper part of the katana in between them. The imposter tried to move the katana but it didn't budge, as Miyako held it tightly between her hands. Suddenly the samurai's eyes opened and she moved her clasped hands to the side and the katana followed making Mayumi's hands twist to the side as well. The samurai quickly stood up, still holding the katana on the side. She spun around, letting go of the katana in the process and thus breaking through Mayumi's defense. Gaining more speed and power from the turn, Miyako punched the girl with her left fist. She ignored the pain knowing she had to act fast and continue to attack until Mayumi let go of the sword. As the imposter started stumbling backwards, Miyako grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back in, elbowing her in the process. Turning towards her so that they are face to face, the samurai used the palm of her hand to strike Mayumi's chin with all she got. The imposter gritted her teeth in pain and finally fell down, letting go of the sword. The katana slid away from them on the slippery deck.

Miyako followed the sword with her eyes and turned to get it but a hand on her bad ankle pulled her and made her fall forward. The girl landed on both her hands feeling pain in her palms. She looked back to see a bloody version of her own face glare at her with so much hate and rage that Mayumi's whole expression looked twisted. "Where do you think you're going?!" Miyako clicked her tongue in annoyance and pulled back her leg to hit Mayumi in the face. However, the imposter dodged and knelt on her knees, pulling Miyako towards her by the ankle. The wet floor made it easy to slide on but it was hard to get up. "I'll scratch your eyes out!" The village girl screamed in anger.

"Get off me you whacko!" Miyako screamed back, hitting Mayumi on her side. The local girl retaliated by punching Miyako's sprained shoulder and the samurai yelped in pain. She felt Mayumi land another punch on her cheek which now burned from the hit. As they struggled and wrestled to get to the katana, another flash filled the sky along with a clasp of thunder. It shone on Mayumi's bloodied face where the color red slid down from her forehead and nose, making an eerie mask of blood. Miyako managed to wriggle a foot between them and pushed Mayumi off of her, quickly turning around to try and crawl towards her sword. She felt a weight on her as Mayumi came back and pulled a fistful of her hair with a vengeance.

Suddenly, a different sound echoed through the stormy night other than thunder. It was a gunshot. Both girls stopped and looked in the direction of the shot, seeing a group of men in white overalls standing on the main deck. Penguin was standing in front with a pistol aiming at the air.

"That be enough!" Munk roared in his powerful, deep voice, easily overcoming the sound of the storm.

Both girls stared at the Heart pirates with wide eyes. "Guys, you-" Miyako stared but her imposter suddenly cut her off with a smirk.

"Took you long enough, guys." The happy smirk looked exactly like the ones Miyako would make in similar situations. Indeed, Mayumi had her down all the way to the personality. All the craziness in her was suddenly gone as she played her part perfectly.

Miyako's eyes widened when she realized what Mayumi was trying to do. "Wait, don't listen to her. I'm-"

Once again, Mayumi cut her off speaking louder and with more confidence now. "I managed to disarm and overpower her." She stood up, letting go of Miyako. "I'm letting you guys handle the rest."

"Are you really Miyako?" Cody walked forward, helped by Ben. He didn't get a good look at the girl who attacked him before and both Miyakos seemed identical.

"Of course. See?" Mayumi smiled and showed him the red ribbon tying her wet, dark blue hair.

Miyako managed to get up, feeling her whole body ache in protest. "Guys, don't be fooled by her! I'm the real one!" She felt her anxiousness from before return. What if they don't believe her again? What if they take Mayumi's side again? The imposter girl was so good at lying; she didn't even have any tell-tale sign that she wasn't telling the truth.

Ari put his hands on his head and ruffled his head in frustration. "Aaah, I can't tell which one is the real Miyako at all! This is so confusing!"

"Please believe me, I was trapped inside the well in Mayumi's house until now!" The imposter gave them eyes of despair, as she pleadingly gazed at the pirates.

"Don't listen to her, Penguin! It's me!" Miyako responded, her mind racing to find something to prove her identity.

"Alright, then let's ask questions t'see which one's the real one!" Eli proposed suddenly.

"Tha' be a swell idea, laddie!" Munk grinned and nodded approvingly. Next to him, Jean Bart did the same silently.

"Alright, then…what color are your panties!?" Penguin suddenly asked in a loud and clear voice.

Cody's fist connected with Penguin's head in an instant. "How the hell are you going to learn anything useful from that?!" He asked in a cold voice, preparing to hit the mechanic again if necessary. Meanwhile, both girls gaped silently, their eyes wide and faces completely red.

Penguin cradled his sore head with a whine. "I just thought we'd figure it out seeing Miya-chan's reaction since she'll get all embarrassed."

"Well both of them reacted the same, just like any other girl would if you ask them that, you idiot!" Garry yelled at the mechanic.

Munk walked over to the two girls who stiffened in front of the large chef. "Let we be serious now, men." He observed both girls, dragging fingers through his thick beard. "Indeed, ye be completely alike," he commented in an impressed tone.

"Munk…it's me." One of the girls said.

"Don't trust her Munk!" The other yelled back.

"Perhaps, I can help in this situation," a new voice suddenly sounded behind them and everyone looked back at the figure slowly climbing onto the deck.

"Captain!" The crew exclaimed with great relief in their voices.

"What about the others?" Cody asked seeing that the others from the group weren't with Trafalgar.

"They'll stay up there until the storm passes, it's safer." Law explained, nodding his head in the direction of Mayumi's house. "I hope you don't mind us using your house, Mayumi-ya." The captain added sarcastically. He didn't appear grateful nor sorry at all. Instead, there was still that dark, murderous look in his grey eyes.

Neither of the girls answered but they glared at each other.

"Law…let's just tie her up somewhere to rot and get it over with," one of Miyako's said in a calm tone.

"That should be my line, you copycat!" The other responded with a growl.

"Enough." The pirate captain stopped the squabble instantly with his low but powerful tone. "Nobody's going anywhere until we figure out which one of you is the real one."

Cody sweat dropped observing the captain's irate expression. "I don't think neither of them will want to be Suzune when captain's done with them." he whispered towards Penguin who nodded.

"Soon, both of them will be screaming the opposite I think." One of the crewmembers added.

Indeed, Law didn't look happy at all as he walked closer to the two girls. The captain stood before them and grabbed the left hand of the girl in the baggy clothing. He saw the wet bandages there and ripped them apart easily. "Only one Miyako was hurt with the glass shards." He commented and looked at the revealed palm, seeing cut wounds all over. Some on her fingers were fresh but the ones on her palm from the glass were already closing, obviously a bit older and treated. The captain looked with deadly eyes at the girl in the kimono

That Miyako looked back at him and furrowed her eyebrows. She unrevealed the bandages of her left hand and showed it to Law; both he and the other Miyako widened their eyes in surprise. There were treated cuts on the left palm of the other Miyako as well.

"No way…" The girl in men's clothes gasped in surprise and despair. Did Mayumi really go that far to recreate Miyako's wounds and cut her own palm? Was she really that crazy and set on taking over Miyako's life?

"Eeeh, even that!?" The rest of the crew exclaimed in disbelief.

"Seriously, this is making my head hurt!" Penguin shouted in annoyance.

"So any physical appearances are a no go, huh?" Cody sighed in disappointment.

"But their personality is completely the same too…Then how about memories?" Garry suggested and the others awed in agreement of the idea.

The true Miyako smirked in satisfaction and confidence. "There's no way you have my memories as well. You're charade stops now."

The imposter just narrowed her eyes without a word.

"Alright then…Where did Miyako first join the crew?" Penguin asked loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're going to answer at the same time."

Law stood still, resting a hand on the hilt of his nodachi just in case one of the girls tried to run away.

The mechanic counted down and both girls opened their mouths at the same time. "At Sabaody Archipelago," both Miyakos answered in perfect unison.

Once again the crew gaped in shocked silence. "H-how...even memories?" One of the men asked in a stutter. How will they ever figure this out now?!

"Now that I think about it, Mayumi was always asking a lot of questions about Miyako when talking to everybody. Don't tell me she was actually collecting information?!" Ari exclaimed with wide eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat.

Both girls looked at each other with the same bewildered expression. The girl wearing baggy clothes gritted her teeth in frustration. "You….how far will you go to take my life away? You hurt my friends, me, everyone, and for what!? It's enough already, I'm finishing this!" She clenched her fist and grabbed the collar of the girl's kimono, aiming the raised fist at her already bloodied face. However, a strong hand grabbing her by the forearms stopped her instantly. Miyako looked at her side to see her captain holding her back silently. She gritted her teeth but calmed down a little, letting her hand fall loosely at her side. He's expression was obvious; telling her she won't gain anything with that move whether she was the true Miyako or not.

That's when the head chef got an idea. "Then, one more quest'an for ya two." He looked at both girls before gazing at his captain. "Tell me, whachya think of our capn' heea?" The question seemed to surprise the crew, both girls and even the captain himself as he stood there. His gaze was silently asking Munk what he intended to pull with that question but the chef just nodded at Law, asking him to be patient.

Both Miyako's were silent for a long time, glancing at Trafalgar with uncertain gazes. Finally, one of Miyako answered; "W-well he's a…good captain and a smart man. I mean, he's an infamous pirate but rather than being scared, I respect him and trust him. He's…very important to me. I…I like….him…" Her face went bright red as she barely managed to explain her opinion.

Law stayed silent, his face completely unreadable.

The crew stayed quiet as well and turned their stare towards the other girl. That Miyako had a straight face as she looked back at them. "A sadistic maniac," she simply answered in a flat-out tone. It was the Miyako in men clothing.

"Ah, it's that one." Everyone pointed at the true Miyako in baggy clothes, with the same straight expression the girl wore.

"Whaaat?!" The fake Miyako screamed in bewilderment. "T-that can't be all…I mean, that can't be the only thing you think of him! Why would you travel with him all this time then!?" Mayumi still stared at Miyako wide-eyes in disbelief, completely exposing herself. "I copied your personality perfectly, I know what you think of that man!"

"Of course it's not all." Miyako answered, putting her hands on her hips. "But like I'll ever say so much embarrassing things in front of the whole crew, as you did. I'd never do that. Never! Not even if I die!" She answered bluntly with confidence.

"Yep…it's definitively her." The Heart Pirates commented in unison, wearing sweatdrops on their faces.

"What kind of reasoning is that!?" Mayumi yelled with wide eyes.

Miyako just stood upright with pride, pointing her thumb at her chest. "My reasoning," she answered without a second thought.

Trafalgar just silently stared at her, unable to say anything. Well he could, but he would definitively just call her an idiot.

"Are you an idiot!?" Mayumi screamed almost falling to the ground.

A sound of an unsheathing sword brought them all back to their senses and everyone turned to Law who was pulling out his nodachi. "Now that that is settled…I hope you're not very attached to your limbs, Mayumi-ya." The captain commented, glaring darkly at the local girl.

Mayumi grimaced in fear and stepped back. With the corner of her eye she noticed her knife still lying there on the ground nearby. She leapt for it and grabbed it, spinning around suddenly and throwing it at Miyako. "Go to hell!" She surprised everyone with her actions so nobody reacted on time.

The knife flew through the air at Miyako, who was the only one who started going after the girl as soon as Mayumi leapt away. The samurai stepped to the side while running forward and avoided the knife barely as it grazed the side of her neck. It flew away behind her at Law who easily deflected it with his nodachi. "I'm not letting you escape again," her anger already spent, Miyako was back to her cold and rational self as her tone sounded like sharp steel. She appeared before the girl in a few steps, still bearing the pain, and grabbed Mayumi's hand that tried to punch her. Miyako was suddenly behind Mayumi, twisting her hand and hit her in the knees. The girl lost her balance and fell onto the hard ground with Miyako kneeling over her, still twisting her arm behind her back. One knee was on her back, keeping her from standing up again. "Now just stay like this quietly."

Mayumi struggled but with no use since Miyako would just twist her hand harder and make her growl in pain. She was completely immobilized like this. The girl heard slow steps of Law's shoes as he walked towards her with his unsheathed sword. As she looked up, she could see a clear killing intent in his dark gaze. He will show her no mercy, that's for sure. The girl started breathing heavily while her heart beat so loudly she could hear it in her eardrums even in this storm. Realization hit her as she understood she was about to die. Just as Law was about to cut her head off, a voice stopped him.

"Wait," Miyako stopped him, still holding onto Mayumi to not let her escape. She was panting even harder than Mayumi. Now that everything was over and her adrenaline was down, she could feel all the pain and exhaustion hit her at the same time. She could see Trafalgar's skeptical and questioning gaze. "I know she deserves to die for what she did, but she's already harmless now. Just executing an unarmed person…leaves me with a bad feeling in my mouth."

Law narrowed his eyes. "So what do you propose we do with her? She _will_ pay for what she did," the captain emphasized his point, making himself clear.

Miyako nodded. "She will. Let's lock her up and keep an eye on her until the storm passes. Then tomorrow, I'll let her suffer the same fate she wanted for me." Miyako answered and looked up at Trafalgar.

He stayed silent for a while but then finally nodded after considering it and sheathed back his nodachi. "Very well. I think you deserve revenge the most so I'll let you handle it." He turned and then gave Miyako a warning gaze. "However if she escapes, I will personally hunt her down and I won't care whether she's armed or not." Finishing the threat he stared down at Mayumi with wide, deadly eyes promising her a horrible death. The imposter could only gulp silently.

~…..~

_Achoo! _Miyako sneezed loudly as she pulled the blanket closer around her. She was currently sitting on the infirmary bed, being treated yet again for even more wounds. Beside her, neatly folded was her kimono with the red ribbon on top and the katana leaning against the bed by her side. Miyako personally made Mayumi change from her clothes, giving her the old muddy and baggy clothes of Sara's boyfriend. The thought of the young village girl Sara made Miyako bite her lip; she died because she was helping her, killed by Mayumi. Law told her his group found two bodies there and one was certainly Sara by the description of it. Tomorrow when they go back to Mayumi's house, Miyako will make sure that both bodies be properly buried and the village notified. The petite girl deserved at least that much.

"Don't tell me you even caught a cold?" Cody said as he handed Law some more bandages while the doctor worked on patching the girl up.

"I wouldn't be *_achoo_!* surprised." The girl answered, lying down on the bed as Law instructed her to do so.

"You're shoulder is dislocated, we need to readjust it," he simply said, giving her a towel to grab with her left hand. "Hold onto this tightly. Keep holding it." He commanded, as he slowly started moving her arm towards the level of her shoulder.

The girl groaned and winced a few times, taking deep breaths to try and withstand the pain.

"Tch, didn't I just told you yesterday to take care of your body?" The doctor commented in annoyance as he continued.

"Well it's not…ngh…like I ah! had a..ugh…choice!" Miyako barely grunted out between labored breaths and the pain. She felt something cold on her forehead and noticed it was Cody, carefully cleaning her sweaty and muddy face with a wet towel. She gave him an appreciative smile in response and her friend smiled back.

"You had the choice of not running off on your own. You could've chose to wait for us so we can deal with the issue together," the captain answered harshly as if piercing her with his words while he put her shoulder back in place with a final move. He jerked her arm one final time a bit more harshly and Miyako wondered was it really necessary or was it because he was just taking out his cold anger on her.

Cody helped her to sit up again and she moved her shoulder to test it. "All better," she joked sarcastically, still feeling the numbing pain inside. Well it was at least usable now.

"You'll feel sore for a few more days, though." The blue-haired medic warned.

Miyako tuned back to Law again, continuing their conversation. "You didn't believe me. You just wanted to lock me up so I couldn't act on my own, but what about my sword? If it was your nodachi, Kikoku, would you have just stayed put while others go search for it instead of you?" There was a bit of irritation in Miyako's voice as she argued on.

Suddenly Law turned back to look at her and pierced her with his grey eyes, staring at her seriously. "Did anyone say we didn't believe you?"

Miyako stayed silent, gazing at him puzzled. The captain continued. "I locked you in there because you were acting out on your emotions instead of reason, you were panicking. You needed to calm down before we could make our next move but you never waited, instead as always, you acted on your own, thinking you need to bear all of your problems on your own back. I isolated you to calm you down exactly because I didn't want this kind of situation to happen, and yet you stubbornly proceeded and ended up in a well with a broken body. What good did that do you?" Law kept his eyes fixed on Miyako's as his serious stare never vanished. He was examining her reactions but also making sure she realizes what he was telling her.

The samurai's breath caught in her lungs as understanding hit her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jerked her head to look up at its owner, Cody. The medic had a sad smile on his features. "You should trust us more, Miya-chan. Aren't we your nakama? Didn't we already tell you to count on us more? You can be selfish sometimes and ask for help, you know?"

Miyako's wide golden eyes traveled between Cody and Law. They both stared down at her seriously and she finally understood her mistake. She bowed her head with a guilty conscience. "I'm sorry. I understand now…I really was acting strange and too emotional. I was so concerned that you would keep taking Mayumi's side so I thought it was my own duty to get back Yawarakai-Te. It's not that I don't trust you!" She added, looking back up at Cody with pleading eyes.

The medic chuckled at her expression. "Yeah, I know. But _you_ are our comrade not Mayumi. No matter what, I'm sure even those love-sick fools would take your side in the end," Cody explained.

_*Weren't you one of those love-sick fools too?* _Miyako sweat dropped as the thought crossed her mind, remembering Cody laughing and smiling while he walked hand-in-hand with Mayumi. Leaving that memory behind, the samurai turned back to Law who was now sitting down and bandaging her sprained ankle so it would stay immobilized. "I was wrong, I should've trusted you. I apologize for all the troubles my foolish actions caused you," she formally apologized bowing her head down as they did in Wano, to the best of her ability.

She looked back up to see Trafalgar staring back at her silently. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed in fatigue. "Just take care of yourself from now on if you want to be of any use to me at Rocky Port. We'll all have to be at full power once we get there."

Miyako smiled and nodded. "Sure." She sneezed again, rubbing her red nose. You're pretty lenient today," she commented in joking surprise.

"….do you want me to punish you severely instead?" Law's irate gaze looked up at her again, sensing that she was teasing him.

The girl put her hands in front of her defensively. "No, no, I'm good!" She smiled sheepishly and answered in haste.

"Besides, I already reprimanded you for going against my orders." He muttered and noticed Miyako's perplexed expression. "Well, it was the other you but I am in no mood to repeat myself. As long as you understand your mistake, I'll let you off this time. You have enough bruises and injuries to prove my point anyway." He sighed remembering he almost got fooled by that doppelganger witch himself. "Still, if you ever challenge me like that and disobey my direct order, you'll get a much worse treatment than a lock down." The captain warned, his tone suddenly icy cold.

Miyako sweatdropped nervously. *_He must be thinking about challenging his authority when I called his decisions stupid…I was out of line then, I know. I wasn't really thinking straight.*_ Suddenly, something hit her. "Eeh, is that the real reason you locked me up? Revenge?"

"No...well, partly. You annoyed me and you deserved it." The doctor shrugged back, answering with a straight face and a laid-back tone.

The samurai girl sweat dropped again. *_I knew it.*_ She decided to change the subject quickly. "So Mayumi got the reprimanding talk instead of me? Guess there's a silver lining even in this story."

Trafalgar's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She was really pushing it. He looked back up with a dark grin on his face, suddenly looking more sadistic than before. "Well we can talk about other things; for example maybe you'd like to explain to me why you're wearing some man's clothing? Or what exactly did you mean by 'a sadistic maniac,' hmm?" He put slight pressure on Miyako's hurt ankle, making shivers of pain go up her leg.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Miyako winced but relaxed when he removed his fingers from her ankle but his stare was still as piercing as before. The girl smiled sheepishly, a drop of sweat falling from her forehead. "Ah…haha…" The girl could only laugh nervously.

_*Well then, I'll be taking my leave…*_ The blue-haired medic felt the dangerous change in the atmosphere coming from Law and begun to sneak out of the infirmary before he gets caught up in this too.

~….~

Miyako sneezed again as they walked up the hill and once again found themselves in front of the large wooden mansion that was slowly rotting away.

"Sheesh, how can anyone live in this dump," Penguin rested his hands on his hips as he looked over the building up and down. That's when he remembered who it belonged to and turned to Mayumi; "Ugh, sorry about that…Mayumi-chan"

"Tch, don't aft friendly wif fhaf impofer," Mayumi commented in a nasally voice since her nose was completely stuffed. She blew her nose again with a tissue but it didn't help much. She sneezed again, surrounded by cold morning air. Everything was still wet from the yesterday's storm and there was cold dampness in the air.

Cody sighed as he gazed at her with worried eyes. "You caught a cold after all. You should've stayed in bed, Miyako, you'll get a fever."

The girl simply waved his worries away with her hand. "Don't woffy, I'm fine. It'sf juft a liffle cold." She sneezed again and ignored Cody's worried gaze towards her.

"Miyakoooo!" Shachi suddenly ran out of the house with Bepo, Josh and Sai right behind him. He latched onto Mayumi who was being held by Jean Bart so she couldn't escape. Even she couldn't push away that mountain of a man. The mechanic hugged the girl who still looked like Miyako, crying tears of joy. Mayumi grimaced as if in pain though it was more out of disgust as he sniveled all over her.

"I'm ofer here!" The real Miyako yelled in annoyance as she was once again reminded of Mayumi stealing her identity and looking exactly like her.

"Oh no Miyako, what happened to you, you look pale and you're talking funny? Did Mayumi somehow mess up your speech?" Bepo put a paw to his mouth, looking over the samurai girl.

The girl just swatdropped. "It'sf a colfd, Bepo. It'll pasf."

All of the pirates were once again in the muddy room, standing around the deep well.

"W-what will you do to me?" Mayumi's gaze nervously jumped from one pirate to the next. It stopped on Miyako who stared at the imposter silently.

"I tolfd you, didn'f I? I'll juft gife you the same fate you pfreparfed for me." Miyako was hardly intimidating with her nasal voice and stuffed nose but the sly grin along with narrowed, amused eyes that made her seem like a cunning fox, made Mayumi very worried.

The rest of the pirates had similar evil grins and Law just stared at her with a dark, unreadable expression. Josh and Cody tied the girl by the arms with the remaining rope near the well, taking the cord.

"You think she'll stay on this appearance of Miyako forever?" Sai asked as he led Mayumi towards the edge of the well.

"Who knows, maybe the isolation will make her change back to her original self," Cody proposed as he watched the girl go.

"But it doesn't matter anyway," Josh finally concluded as they started slowly lowering the girl down into the well by the cord.

Mayumi started turning and struggling, flaying her legs in the air, but it was no use. She was slowly but surely being lowered into the gaping darkness of the well. "N-No….No! You can't! I'll starve to death! It's the same as killing me!"

Trafalgar narrowed his eyes and a merciless smirk appeared on his face. "Well, not exactly…technically, starvation will kill you," he shrugged, not caring about Mayumi's protests and screams. He then turned back to Miyako who just silently watched Mayumi disappear into the darkness with an expressionless face. "You're becoming quite cruel," he gave her a taunting smirk. "Am I rubbing off on you?"

Miyako shrugged while her expression stayed emotionless. "Shfe left me fo die in tfhis wfell…wfhat mercfy didf she showf mfe?" She walked closer and stepped on the edge while the pirates continued to lower the rope down and Mayumi together with it. "If you wfant fo live than climb back up juft like I had to!" She yelled down into the gaping hole where she could barely see the silhouette of the girl anymore. Miyako sighed and turned around, starting to walk out of the room. "Aaah, anf here I hoped thif island wfill bwe a peacefull one for a changfe!" The samurai sighed in disappointment, letting some of her frustration leave her. The protesting voice of the shapeshifter girl still continued to echo from the bottom of the well even when the Heart Pirates started walking away and headed back to their submarine. Who Mayumi really is was likely to stay a mystery forever.

~…..~

Trafalgar Law stood in the center of the training room with his nodachi unsheathed and in clear view. It has already been two days since the whole Mayumi ordeal and a day since they left that island. At that time, Miyako talked to the village elder and notified him of the situation in which they left Mayumi and the two corpses in her mansion. The villagers took care of burying the dead and left the pirates alone for their remaining day on the island. They didn't scrutinize them for taking care of the doppelganger, nor did they thank them. The rest is now the villager's concern.

The Hearts carefully sailed underwater, avoiding the marine base or any other unnecessary trouble. The things got back to normal and they were once again headed for Rocky Port. The captain turned his head as he heard steps on metal floors of the training room. He saw Miyako wrapped around in a blanket with her nose red. She was still limping and her hands, left shoulder and right ankle were covered in bandages. There was a slight blush on her cheeks indicating she still had a fever. Thankfully it was only a cold and not pneumonia, but in her weakened state her cold could easily transfer into something more dangerous.

Law narrowed his eyes at the sight of her. "What are you doing out of bed?" His tone was harsh, just like a doctor whose instructions aren't being followed.

The girl smiled in amusement as if noticing that doctor's tone. "So you've been training here alone?" She ignored his question and countered with one of her own.

"There's not much I can do though. Any harsher training would endanger damaging the submarine. I can't do much until we get to another island," the captain explained with a cold tone but there was some frustration behind it. He was training any chance he got ever since they started sailing for Rocky Port and usually Miyako would help him too but right now that was out of the question with her current state.

Miyako chuckled as if it was the answer she was expecting. Indeed, the training Law required right now would be a danger to the sub. It would be quite bad if he accidentally slashed the submarine and let all the water inside. They'd be goners in and instant so deep under the sea. In addition, Miyako who was supposed to help him was in no condition to train with his right now. "Yes, but I did promise to help, didn't I?"

Law tilted his head. "What can you do in your sorry state?" It wasn't meant as an insult, but the bluntness of it still made Miyako annoyed a little.

Her eyebrow twitched but she decided to let his comment slide and continue the explanation instead. A slight cough stopped her for a while and it took some time for her to catch her breath again. She felt weak and horrible, but there was at least one thing she could give him before returning to being able to train with him again. "True, I can't help you with my own power right now but there is still something you can do even in here. Right now your Busoshoku Haki is stronger than what your body can handle so you get tired easily and can't use it for long. Moreover, your haki is not yet powerful enough to take down someone covered in armament haki, which is your goal."

Now it was Law's time to get annoyed by Miyako's straightforward tone that kept counting all of his weaknesses. Still, deep inside he knew she was right and that he had to improve himself to get strong enough if he ever wanted to go against the Yonkou…or Doflamingo."

Miyako started coughing again before clearing her throat and continuing again. "So what you need to do is train not only your haki but also your body's constitution. I can't use Armament haki so I can't teach you that, but I can cut it because my haki is powerful enough along with the sheer strength of my cutting power. That is what you need."

"So what do you propose for me to do?" Trafalgar asked flatly, waiting for the end of Miyako's explanation. There was a reason why she came here and it wasn't to simply boast about her strength.

The girl walked over to one of the wooden poles with thick rope curled around it which made it harder to cut through the training pole as the rope always absorbed some of the cutting blow. It appeared Law added even more contraptions, patching up metal and even stone contraptions with his fruit power to get various materials and shapes he could train on. She saw the cutting marks on each training contraption where Law cut them numerous times but patched them back together with his ope ope devil fruit power. She trailed some of the cuts to feel how deep into the pole they went then looked back at the captain who was still staring at her questioningly. Finally she pulled something out from underneath her blanket, dangling it in front of Law's eyes.

The captain's grey eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Is this a joke? Why are you showing me sea stone cuffs?" Indeed, what Miyako was dangling on the chain in front of him was a pair of sea stone cuffs.

The smile never left the girl's face as she shook her head. "I assure you, I'm deadly serious…well, also a bit amused," she admitted with a mischievous grin, shrugging off the glare Law was giving her. "Once you are able to bring out enough power to cut through things and use your haki even with those cuffs on, which are constantly weakening you, you will be ready to cut through anything."

Law still looked skeptical. "But I won't be able to use my powers."

The samurai shook her head again. "You don't need to. The power of haki and the sheer strength of your sword; that doesn't come from your ope ope powers, it comes from you. Of course, with your Room you can easily cut through almost anything but you need to be able to do it even without your devil fruit powers. That's what the handcuffs are for. Put them on and then keep calling on your haki and try cutting all these training contraptions here. Once you are able to cut through anything with sea stone suppressing you…that's when you'll be ready to go against an admiral's own haki even without your devil fruit powers. That's when you'll be able to cut through anything with your haki." The girl smirked, pushing the Kairoseki cuffs in his face.

The captain remained suspicious for a while, mulling over his choices and Miyako's words. Finally he gave her his wrists and let her put the cuffs on him. Instantly, Law felt his energy slowly being drained away and his face paled as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I'll leave the key with you." She handed him over the key which he put in the pocket of his trousers. "Now remember, using haki is also risky and dangerous. If you use it too much without any energy left, you can easily die from exhaustion so know your limits, get plenty of rest between training and don't push yourself too much."

"Tch, don't treat me like a child," the dark doctor glared at her warningly. She was obviously enjoying this.

The samurai simply chuckled. "I'm not, but you should listen to doctor Miyako this time, she's giving you wise advice." The girl joked, winking at the pirate captain.

Trafalgar clicked his tongue in feigned annoyance but a small smirk appeared on his face. "You can't even take care of your own body, what kind of doctor would you make?" He muttered, taunting her purposely.

She coughed a few times as if proving his point. "Say what you want but I'm serious. You have to be careful not to overuse haki or you'll die." She then turned around before he could answer and started walking back towards the exit. "I'll come occasionally to check on you in case you faint," she teasingly added though something told Law she was actually serious about him fainting during this training.

The pirate captain watched the girl go, sighing. "Can't she just stay in bed quietly as she's supposed to?" the man muttered, shaking his head before turning back to the wooden pole. He clutched his nodachi in both hands and took a deep breath, feeling like he was being pulled down by the sea stone restrains on his wrists. He focused all his concentration, trying to evoke haki from the pits of his body but barely any energy came out with the sea stone constantly hindering him. The captain took one more deep breath. *_Alright, I admit this might prove to be slightly more difficult than I originally thought.*_ He swung his sword, feeling like he was dragging a ton of rocks with him and sliced at the pole. The sharp blade cut into the rope all the way to the woodwork but stayed stuck there, not even close to slicing the whole pole in half. Law pulled the nodachi back and tried again. In the training room, the sound of sharp steel cutting the air continued all through the night.

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><p><em>*Sude no Ryuu: Saya wo Kaesu: <em>Bare hands style: Returning the scabbard

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><p>So that's it for this arc, I hope you liked it. I purposely left Mayumi as a little bit of mystery, it seemed more interesting that way. :) Slowly moving towards Rocky Port and also starting up more about Law's training so he can turn into a badass from the anime. :D Also, I want to say one thing; When I started this story I intended it to be an adventure genre and I don't want that to change. I did put romance (mostly for you guys, since I didn't even intend to make it a romance between my OC and Law at first), but I still want it to primarily stay an adventure story. Which means I want to focus more on the plot and their adventures than just the relationship between Law and Miyako. I don't want 'I don't like you!' to turn into a soap opera with constant love drama and mushyjealousy/love triangles whatnot. Also I have my hands full with bringing this to the cannon story and that's what I'll be focusing on most right now. Not that I'm going to ignore their relationship, I'll still make it evolve, but I don't intend to make a love drama out of this, which this story would revolve around, if you get my drift. I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

Anyway, thank you everyone for the reviews. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them. But I won't be telling spoilers~

**izzie: **lol it just made me think; is it good that my chapters are making people angry and annoyed? XD But hey, those are feelings too so I'm glad you can relate with Miyako.

**Cocobear: **hehe You were right! I think Josh was one of the rare ones who didn't go all droopy-eyed for Mayumi. To be honest,I haven't decided yet but definitively not before we join Punk Hazard and the cannon story (cause I'm too short on time since they're already almost at the 2 year period.) But I would like to add it later since it would definitively be interesting to see Hearts/Kidd pirates interact, maybe once the Hearts split from the Straw Hats. Who knows, maybe Oda brings them all together before that anyway. Yep, the scene at Noir was a hint at Kidd.

**JustChan: **Yes it's even more than a year and a half now. Guess I wrote it wrong somewhere and overlooked it. Which chapter was it?

I know they are but honestly I'm more focused on the plot and leading the story to the cannon one right now than the romance. It's not that she doesn't like him, she just didn't say it to him yet. And he didn't admit it yet to her either. It wouldn't be indecent as long as it's T rater as my story is. :P I'll think about it, but I still have other things I need to write.

Haha Nah, he's still alive. He's on Law's medic team, I just didn't put him specifically in the story for a while.

**Yumi sawamura: **:O Can I join your anti-math club? Cause I know exactly how you feel! Hahaha I just pictured an evil copier machine named Mayumi. The people are just never the same after they copy on it.

**NightStar85: **And you would be right; both about Mayumi being doppelganger and totally crazy. XD No problem. ^^ As Miyako said to Law; she wants to return to Wano one day since that is her home after all, but rather than ditch them first chance she got like she planned before, she's fine with sailing with them for now and not hurrying to return to Wano just yet. And one day when they all do go there…well, we'll see what happens. :)

**Nic7C: **Don't worry, I don't plan on letting Law win every time. ;) I'd say the loneliness made her psycho.

**LilPrincess95: **haha I remember Franky's 'super cute', I think it's both in the anime and manga. I know, it'll be such a fun scene to write especially when I get Miyako in there too. No, Luffy never actually saw her so doesn't know who she is…yet. :)

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **haha well that would have been interesting too. Wow, I can, but it would look so weird. o.o and you just wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

**Rawr**: lol Must be her new Taft hairstyle! XD But yeah, that's good idea, but Miyako didn't really get the chance to ask before Law dragged her away into the infirmary and then Mayumi disappeared afterwards.

**Memarvo**: Yes, if there was a reason to suspect something going on. But he wouldn't just because a guy would approach her if it's clearly benign.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Because Mayumi's constant cheerfulness and annoying personality just drained Miyako mentally to exhaustion, but it wasn't like a superpower. :P You know, I agree. I like their quirky conversations and scenes more than their make out sessions and whatnot.

**VodkaThief: **You were pretty much right. :) I don't have a set update time so I just try to write as often as I can and update frequently; especially in periods when I have more time. Also, thanks, I went back and fixed it~

**NoName: **haha well the positive side is; I gave you something to look forward to after school, maybe? (besides the obvious which is the end of school day) :D

**brokenfingers1: **and how will the crew react at Law's plan to take on Doflamingo!? :O haha There's a lot to look forward to related to the cannon story.

**FloraChi: **Theword you want; Suspicious? :) Yeah, every time they are liked it's actually a trap or something. Poor Heart Pirates. :( Thanks, I did. :D I hope you did too~ Let's have a great summer!

**Iluvninjas: **I'm sorry to worry you, I'm fine. ^^' Don't worry, when I don't update for a while it's usually just related to school work and exams.

**Arrow-chan3: **lol yeah, cause at first I wanted all of this to be one chapter, so it looked short to me when I split it. ^^' Don't compare yourself to others, everyone on fanfiction have their own thing and should write how they want to the most. :) If I'd compare myself to all those great authors on this site, I'd get depressed. Yes, it's a kind of power, but she was born like that. It's not a devil fruit.


	53. Chapter 53

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood, language and suggestive themes.

Everyone, thank you for the wonderful reviews and comments as usual. :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Have fun!

***NOTICE**: Also a new, great info; 'I don't like you!' is coming in Spanish now thanks to Kuyen! Big thanks to you for taking your time to translate this story. :) So if there are people who can read it easier in spanish than english, I'll link to the story on my profile page. (It's called; **I don't like you! ESPAÑOL**)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 53<strong>

Penguin was humming a soft tune as he started folding large overalls in the laundry room. It was laundry day and unfortunately the duty fell on him this time. He sighed, scrunching his nose in disgust as he had to go through numerous baskets of men underwear; definitively not something you should start your morning with.

Going through another basket, the mechanic suddenly noticed something that stood out in its pink color from the usual white shirts and underwear. He took it, already grinning at the idea of teasing the guy who wore pink boxers, only to realize those weren't boxers at all. His eyes widened and he choked on his own saliva, gulping painfully. In his hand were pink women's panties, small and soft under his touch with a cute small red ribbon in the front. A pressure appeared inside of Penguin's nose as he felt a nosebleed coming. He sniffed the blood back in, still staring at the panties in his hand, stretching them a little to take a better look as he went completely red in the face.

„This...must belong to Miya-chan..." He barely whispered as if afraid of someone hearing it.

Usually, Miyako did her laundry separately from theirs as she refused to let the guys see her undergarments. At best she would sometimes put in her clothes like shirts or pants with the rest of the laundry, but when it came to her underwear it was strictly forbidden for anyone else to do it but her. To be honest, the guys in the crew didn't really want her to do their laundry either since even they were embarrassed of a girl seeing their undergarments. So instead they made a deal that she would only be on laundry duty on days when the white overalls were washed and nothing else. That way the men and Miyako managed to keep their relationship without any awkwardness from knowing too much about each other. But now the foundations of that relationship were shaken! At least that's what Penguin thought as he stared at the pink undergarment. _*Alright Penguin...you're standing at the crossroads of your life now. These are your choices; you can either leave them here and pretend you didn't see anything or...*_

~…..~

A knock came to the shared quarters of Shachi, Sam, Penguin and Louis. Shachi was the one who opened the doors, tilting his head to the side as he saw Penguin standing there with an unreadable expression.

„What are you doing? Why are you knocking on the doors of your own room?" The mechanic stared at Penguin with a skeptical look but he got no answer. On his surprise, the other pirate didn't say anything but instead stepped into the room, still sporting that same serious expression.

Sam and Louis were on the floor, playing cards and losing to Shachi as usual when the other mechanic entered. They both looked up in wonder, seeing his silent form in front of them.

The tone of Penguin's voice was still serious as he started. „Close the doors Shachi and lock them...I…found gold!" With that statement, right out of the pocket of his white overall, Penguin took out a piece of pink undergarments and stretched it out for all to see. All the men in the room gaped with their mouths open, staring in complete shock at the women's panties in front of them.

After a while of silence, Louis stood up suddenly, letting out a pumped up cry from the top of his lungs. „Hoooooo! I knew you were a real man Penguin, nice going!"

Still on the floor, Sam was sobbing from happiness. „I...I wanted to see them for so long..."

Meanwhile, Shachi was just staring in disbelief; „Eh? How? Where? When!?"

~…..~

The men were all sitting in a circle in the middle of their quarters, staring at the undergarments lying there innocently in the middle. The Heart Pirates finally calmed down from their high but now everyone was at a complete loss about what to do next. They had an amazing thing in their possession but one wrong move and they'll all be dead if Miyako finds out.

„So? What do we do now?" Shachi was the first to break the silence.

„Should we just tell her we found them in the laundry room and give them back?" Louis shrugged his shoulders and scratched his head in thought.

„Are you crazy!? She would be so embarrassed, she would die!" Penguin protested instantly, with a loud voice. "No, first she would kill us for taking them, _then_ she would die from embarrassment!" The mechanic gulped thinking how the scene would unfold.

„Then what do we do!?" Now it was Sam's turn to exclaim in slight panic. The mechanic started feeling nervous all of a sudden.

„Should we call that guy...?" Shachi muttered in thought, looking at his companions in the circle.

Penguin nodded, thinking over Shachi's proposal. „Ah...that sly bastard has the best knowledge and experience when dealing with women. He might know how to handle it." There was a bitter tone in Penguin's voice as he spoke about the one person who always seemed to know what to do.

The mechanics all looked at one another as if reaching a decision.

~…..~

Cody stood in the mechanics' room, staring at the small circle his comrades were forming on the floor and the piece of pink undergarments in the middle. A bead of sweat appeared on his face as he had no idea how to assess the situation. His face remained calm and stoic but there was an obvious glint of perplexity in his eyes. „And...? What is this all about?" He crossed his arms on his chest, a part of him feeling it was better if he didn't even know. His brain was screaming for him to not get involved in the situation and just turn back and leave while he still had the chance. That instinct proved to be completely right when Penguin finally spoke.

"We have Miyako's panties…they're pink," the mechanic answered in a blunt tone.

~…..~

The samurai walked down the dim hallways with a bottle of water in one hand and a bag of onigiri in the other. She was once again visiting the training room just like the past five days since she gave Law the kairoseki cuffs and told him to train his haki while wearing them. It was a dangerous way of improving for a devil fruit user but perfect for someone who needed to quickly get stronger like Trafalgar. He was right; in order to move forward in the New World from now on, they will all need to get a lot stronger. If they wanted to stand against a Navy admiral or Yonkou, Law needed to have haki on par with theirs. So the captain kept diligently training all the while, spending more time in the training room than the control room or his captain's quarters. He still carried out his everyday captain and doctor duties; giving orders to his crew, checking up on the situation of the log pose and their progress while sailing and treating the crewmembers in the infirmary when needed. However, any spare time he had, he would go back to the training room, missing his sleep and meals in the process.

*_Even though I told him to take care while training_.* Miyako sighed, turning around the corner and entering the training room. She wasn't limping anymore as her ankle was mostly healed but she still felt a barely noticeable numbing pain in her shoulder. Her hands were still bandaged but the cuts were all almost healed by now. On the bright side, her cold was completely gone. As she walked towards the room, she couldn't hear the swishing sounds of the sword but the reason soon became clear when she saw Trafalgar lying on the floor, motionless. The girl gasped, running up to the body. "Law!" Thankfully, as she crouched down next to him and turned him on his back, she could see he was still alive and breathing. She laid down the bag and bottle, helping the man to sit up.

Trafalgar groaned in pain and opened his eyes slightly. "Miyako…?" He could see the hazy picture of the girl above him.

"Come on," Miyako helped him up and they both staggered toward the wall where Law slid down the metal surface and sat leaning against it. He was breathing hard but his consciousness was slowly returning.

"Hn…I must have blacked out for a while," he muttered as if it wasn't anything strange. As if that was a reoccurring occasion during his training. When Miyako first told him she'll check up on him just in case he faints, he thought she was joking, but after a day of training he could already feel the sea stone draining his energy to the point of losing consciousness. He wasn't even sure how many times he fainted like this since he started this rigorous practice.

He heard the rattle of the handcuffs and saw Miyako unlock and remove them, before opening a bottle of water and handing it to him. "Here, drink this. You can't do much if you're dehydrated."

The captain silently took the bottle, taking long gulps of water which refreshed his dry throat. At this point, even simple water felt heavenly to him. He only started this training five days ago and he knew this was only the beginning.

Now that the sea stone handcuffs were off and he drank some water, the captain could feel some of his strength return. He was still breathing hard and drenched in cold sweat, feeling unbelievably weak, but at least his vision was returning and his mind clearing.

Miyako rummaged through the bag and brought out three wrapped up onigiri. "Here, I also brought you something to eat. Munk's been complaining that you've been missing your meals again and I know how tiring this trial with kairoseki must be. If you don't eat you won't have energy and that won't do you any good," she didn't really sound like she was reprimanding him, she just simply stated the facts. And she was right.

"Onigiri?" Law commented with askance in his voice, then groaned in pain again when he reached for one of the riceballs and the ache in his joints instantly returned. He ignored the pain he felt in his straining muscles and took the piece of food, unwrapping it.

Miyako smiled at him gently. "Cause you don't like bread, right?"

The captain stared at her for a while, silently observing her face as if searching for something in her expression. "You…" He started, feeling it was even tiring to talk. "You smile more now…then when you first joined the crew," he stated.

The girl seemed surprised by the sudden comment and she looked at him with wide eyes. "Eh?" Her surprised expression was soon replaced by a puzzled frown, hiding her slight embarrassment. "What are you saying? Are you delirious from exhaustion?"

The captain just smirked, ignoring her defensive tone. "Perhaps." He didn't say anything more as he took another bite of his onigiri. Now that he thought about it, Miyako would check up on him every day just like she said she would. Even when she still had a cold and injuries of her own, the girl would occasionally come down to the training room bringing food and water or just helping him when he was too weak to even move. It would result in the fury of the medical team who were treating her as they kept forbidding her from getting out of bed. But even then, Miyako would come at least once, even with an obvious feverish look in her eyes from the cold. At first, Law hated being seen so weak by his crewmembers; the sea stone cuffs were making him look pathetic. Yet, after a while he realized he didn't mind the short company of the girl. She didn't look at him with pity in her eyes because of his weak state, nor did she blabber some encouraging nonsense to make him feel better. She would just come, bringing him a meal to replenish his energy and give him a tip on how to focus his haki better while he's weakened. Since she wasn't fully healed yet, she couldn't spar with him but such a thing was too risky while in the submarine anyway. They had to wait for an island and by then Law wanted to be able to cut through all these training posts here.

While Law ate, Miyako got up and walked towards the wooden pole Law was training on. She inspected the depth of the cut just like she did every time she would come here. Her eyes widened at the sight; the cut went all the way to the middle of the pole. True, it was wooden and Law hadn't even stated training on metal and stone ones, but seeing he only started five days ago, this was truly impressive. Miyako followed the cut with her fingers. _*Even in his weakened state, he improved so much in only five days. Well no wonder when he's pushing himself so hard, training constantly. But still, to get to this point so quickly, it's pretty amazing. This guy…he's really no ordinary person.* _

Miyako looked back at Law who was slowly gaining his strength back while eating. He looked a bit better than before; the color was returning to his pale face and his breathing returned to normal. If nothing else, Miyako was really impressed by the sheer will Trafalgar showed to improve his haki abilities. As usual, he didn't do anything half-assed, especially not when it came to preparing for the New World and getting to One Piece. Even in his fatigued state, Miyako could see steely determination in his sharp eyes as if he was focused solely on his goal, ignoring anything that could hinder him from it. Perhaps that's why he would shut himself in here for hours until he couldn't stand anymore.

She walked back to the captain, observing his state. Her eyes furrowed when she noticed he was unmoving again, the empty wrappers of onigiri on the ground beside him. His head was bowed down with the hat hiding his face from her view so she wasn't sure if he fell unconscious once again or he was simply resting. Kneeling down in front of him, Miyako tilted her head to see under the rim of his hat and noticed his eyes were closed as he took deep, even breaths. *_Ah, he fell asleep.* _Suddenly, his eyes fluttered half-open again and he gazed at her who was still peering underneath his hat and into his face.

Miyako chocked on air and moved away with blushing cheeks. "S-sorry, I thought you were asleep!" She started defensively, trying to avoid an awkward scene.

Law simply rubbed his eyes with his fingers and pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to concentrate. "I must've dozed off…" He muttered, trying to clear his tired mind once more. He tried to stand up, using the wall behind him to prop himself to his feet, but stumbled half-way up.

"Whoa!" Miyako exclaimed, and quickly stood up to help him get some balance. He would have fallen if she didn't grab him in time, steadying him. "There's no need to rush, you should rest for a while longer. You're in no condition to start training again right now," this time she clearly did scold him with a harsh tone as she realized the captain was actually planning on continuing his practice in his state.

At first Law gave her a cold stare, not appreciating that she was telling him what he could and couldn't do. He knew his body and its limits better than anyone. However, knowing those limits, Trafalgar realized the girl was actually right. If he put on the kairoseki cuffs right now, he wouldn't even be able to move. The captain sighed, closing his eyes and sliding back down against the wall. "Fine." He pulled up a knee and rested his hand on it, tilting his head to look at Miyako with a sideways glance. "But I don't need a babysitter. I'll be fine even without you checking up on me every day. I won't die, I'm not that weak."

The samurai sighed as she situated herself beside him, against the wall. "I know that. It's not like I think you'll die…" she looked at him with half-lidded, skeptical eyes. "-though missing your meals and fainting isn't really proving your point either…" She ignored Law's glare and continued. "I promised to help you train but in the end I got hurt and sick and was unable to do anything for you…so the least I can do is watch over your progress and give you some advice when needed," she smirked looking back at her captain again.

The dark doctor only raised an eyebrow. "So it's guilt, huh? And here I thought it was because you liked me." He smirked when he saw her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Did he hit a nerve? He still remembered that whole ordeal with Mayumi-ya; even if she wasn't Miyako, she copied her personality almost perfectly, which meant whatever she said, a part of Miyako must've meant too. Mayumi's answer to Munk's question was a clear '_I like him and he's important to me.' _Well, even without Mayumi saying it, Law already knew Miyako thought that way but the girl never said it. He knew that she would never admit it in front of the crew as Mayumi did, but when they were alone, just the two of them, there might be a chance. Somehow he thought it would be interesting if he could make her say it at least once.

_*Is he messing with me because he's bored?!* _Miyako's mouth pulled back in a tight line. She was quiet for a while, then suddenly she grabbed Law's fuzzy hat and put it on her own head. The hat was too big and fell over her eyes. She held the rim down even more with both hands, staring at the ground without sparing a glance at Law.

"Oy-!" The pirate glared at her, surprised by her actions as he suddenly lost his hat. But before he could protest any further, the girl started talking, all the while staring at the ground in front of her.

"S-something like that…is obvious isn't it?! You already get it, so why do I have to say it…if I didn't like you then I would have killed you a long time ago the first time you laid your hands on me. I mean, if it was anyone else I would have already cut them up but…because it's you I…don't mind…that much…" She started muttering, tripping over her own words. There was an obvious blush on her hot cheeks, even as she tried to hide them from his view with the spotted hat. "I'm telling you this now so you better listen carefully because you won't hear it again!" She suddenly started again but louder as if she was suddenly angry, but once again her voice trailed off into a soft whisper. "I…like you. If I didn't I'd never let you do all those things to me so…you better remember what I'm telling you!" She was still holding the rim of that hat as low as it could go to cover her expression. She couldn't see anything around herself, not even Law. After a while of silence when she finally finished, she realized there was no response. It was too quiet but Miyako felt too afraid to look up at Law and see his expression right now. Still, when Law wasn't answering the girl got angry, furrowing her eyebrows. *_Why isn't he saying anything?!*_ She looked up at him, ready to turn all her embarrassment into rage, but her eyes widened instantly at the sight of him.

The captain was resting his head on his shoulder, his eyes closed and obviously deeply asleep. _*He fell asleep?!*_ Miyako's mind screamed and she almost yelled out the words out loud but managed to control herself in the last second, not wanting to wake him up. *_That jerk…he taunted me to say all this embarrassing stuff and he wasn't even listening!*_ A part of her wanted nothing more but to hit this guy upside the head, but when she noticed his tired expression she just couldn't get the will to follow it through. He was exhausted and needed a good rest more than anything. Miyako's anger subsided as she watched her captain sleep and she sighed, suddenly feeling tired herself. Somehow, she felt as mentally exhausted as Law was physically, curtsy of the pirate doctor himself. He managed to rile her up without even noticing…or being awake for that matter! Suddenly, the girl chuckled, closing her eyes and shaking her head lightly. "Oh, whatever."

~…..~

Cody, Louis, Shachi, Penguin and Sam were now all sitting in a circle with a large piece of paper in front of them. The medic held a pen, drawing over the paper to affirm the plan they devised one more time. "Alright, so Louis and Shachi will distract Miyako and keep her out of her quarters. In the meantime, I will go with Penguin and put the…underwear where it belongs. I will keep watch while you do it," Cody looked at Penguin who gulped in response.

"Why do I have to go there? If she finds me in her room, she'll kill me," the mechanic whined, not finding the prospect of losing his head very appealing.

The medic and the rest simply glared at him. "Because you're the one who got us into this mess in the first place by taking her panties!" The exclaim instantly shut Penguin up but he still continued to grumble underneath his breath.

"Hey, if we're going to go in Miya-chan's underwear drawers, then I want to go too!" Louis was the second one to protest about the plan.

"We're not going there to create more trouble idiot!" Cody glared at the assistant mechanic as well. "Listen, we're going to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible. We'll go in, leave the panties, and get out before anyone can notice. Got it?" He stared at each pirate in the room, making sure they all know what do to.

"What about me?" Sam raised his hand, considering he didn't get a job for this plan yet.

Cody nodded. "Right. Well, besides Miyako, we don't want anyone else to find out about this either…especially captain. Sam, you keep an eye on captain and inform us of the situation in case something goes wrong. If something happens, call me on my den den mushi immediately. And remember; keep captain Law away from this." The medic emphasized every word, along with the importance of them. He didn't like lying to their captain but this time, keeping this awkward truth to themselves might be best, especially when it comes to the underwear of the girl the captain has a thing for. Something told Cody, Trafalgar wouldn't appreciate what Penguin and the rest did. The medic's gaze traveled from one pirate to the other, giving them all a serious stare. "Alright then, operation '_Return Miyako's Panties'_ starts now!"

~…..~

Trafalgar sighed in discomfort even before opening his eyes as he felt his back resting on the hard, metal floor. However, that's when he noticed an anomaly; unlike the rest of his body, his head was propped up on something soft like a pillow. Did Miyako bring him one? Opening his eyes slowly and rubbing them with his fingers, Law noticed he was staring at the familiar ceiling of the large storage that later became the training room. But there was one more thing above him and soon Law realized it was the samurai girl. Miyako was leaning against the wall with her head tilted on her shoulder and her hair pooling down and making a curtain around him. Law blinked a few times and finally understood that his head was resting on Miyako's lap, who seemed to be fast asleep. The pirate captain sat up, still confused as to what happened. _*I was talking to Miyako but I must've dozed off again at some point. I have a feeling I missed something important…*_ He looked back at the sleeping girl. *_More importantly, how did I get into that position? I distinctly remember I was leaning against the wall but…she couldn't have laid me down on her lap…could she?* _He kept silently staring at the girl in wonder, still deep in his thoughts. These days Miyako seemed worried about him more than usual, ever since he started this rigorous training. She was probably feeling a bit guilty since she was unable to help him train as promised. Still, waking up in this position was unexpected as he didn't think the girl would find the courage to go that far…not that Law was complaining though.

With a sigh, he sat up and took one last glance at Miyako before standing up and rolling his sore shoulders. His back felt stiff from sleeping on the hard floor but he had no choice but to ignore it now. *_More importantly, I should check on the control room to make sure everything is still alright with our course._* He picked up his black jacket that he sometimes wore over his yellow hoodie and took his trusted sword. Grabbing the black piece of fabric he looked back at the sleeping girl still leaning on the wall. The captain looked down at his jacket and then at the samurai girl again before sighing. _*Well it's not like I need it now anyway and it'll be bad if she got a cold again right after getting better.*_ He carefully covered the girl with his jacket as to not wake her up, before exiting the training room.

Resting Kikoku on one shoulder while keeping the other hand in the pocket of his spotted trousers, Law climbed up the metal steps of the submarine to the second level as he slowly walked towards the control room on the first floor. On the second level where the pirates' quarters and the galley were, the captain stopped in his tracks, staring in front of him with interest. Cody, Shachi, Louis, Penguin and Sam were sneaking out of their own room, looking all around them. However, it didn't seem like anyone thought of checking behind them so they didn't notice Law standing there and watching them puzzled by their actions.

"Why are you sneaking around idiots, we haven't even gotten to the room yet?" Cody finally asked, noticing the rest were all making suspicious moves.

"You're the one who said to be careful!" Penguin retorted, feeling irritated by the medic's words.

"Just act natural," Louis proposed. It would be good advice if his own actions weren't contrasting it as he kept hiding behind Shachi.

The brown haired mechanic struggled to get Louis off of him as the other clung on his back, hiding there. "Get off, stop pushing me!" In his struggle, he bumped into Sam who stumbled to the side.

"Hey, you're the one who's pushing!" Sam exclaimed, pushing back at Shachi.

Soon, the group fell into chaos as they started pushing in the narrow corridor, arguing with each other. That's why nobody noticed the pirate captain walking towards them casually from behind. That is, nobody noticed until it was too late and Law was right behind them.

"What are you doing?"

The calm, familiar voice of their captain, one person they were definitively trying to avoid, sounded from behind them and surprising each person there.

"Gyaaaaahhh!" The pirates screamed in shock, not expecting to hear the voice of that person all of a sudden. They whipped around quickly, staring at Law with wide, scared eyes.

"C-c-captain!" Shachi exclaimed, not sure what to say.

"Where did you come from?!" Penguin exclaimed, choking on his own words.

"Please don't scare us like that, captain Law," Cody sighed, being the first who was able to calm down and grasp the situation.

After the pirates relaxed a bit, they all looked at their captain in front of them who was staring back at them with a skeptical gaze. "What's going on here?" Law demanded an explanation for his crewmembers' unusual and definitively suspicious behavior. When the pirates opened their mouths but then gaped without a word and glanced at each other, Trafalgar's suspicions were only confirmed. There was definitively something going on here. The Dark Doctor narrowed his eyes when the silence prolonged, warning them to give him an explanation soon. He didn't like to be made to wait and he hated even more when people were hiding things from him; especially his own subordinates.

"W-we…" Penguin started stuttering an explanation in a soft voice, feeling everyone's eyes on him. But the ones which burned the most were Trafalgar's as he pierced the mechanic with his sharp gaze, awaiting Penguin's explanation. "We're going to steal Joshua's porn stash from his room while his away!" The mechanic proclaimed in a loud voice, feeling that he would never get this lie out if he didn't put everything on the line and exclaim it with every fiber of his being. The group around him bulged their eyes in shock as they stared at him without a word.

Even Law's eyes widened as something completely unexpected came out of his mechanic's mouth. Porn stash? It took him a few moments to return back to his collected self and continue this ridiculous conversation. "Porn stash?" He repeated his thoughts out loud, uncertain how to proceed with this. He knew his crew could act like crazy idiots sometimes, so usually he tries to avoid being a part of it. Only when things look like they will get out of hand does he step in and intervene. Yet right now, he wasn't sure how he should intervene or should he just pretend he didn't see or hear anything and just leave them be. It was never a good idea to get sucked into their crazy antics.

The group all looked at Penguin for an explanation since they were as clueless as Law about what was going on right now. The mechanic adjusted his pompon hat and took a deep breath as if preparing for his finishing move. His voice was still loud and full of strength as if he truly believed everything he was saying. "That's right! Because Josh has an awesome porn stash but won't share any of the magazines with us, and that's just not fair! So we rounded up this team and will steal it! It should be a man's duty to share his happiness with other men, especially on a sea vessel with no women around! It's unfair, captain!" Penguin explained everything so quickly, he was panting at end, trying to catch his breath. Every eye was now staring back at Law, awaiting the captain's reaction with complete tension and silence.

The silence seemed to last forever as Law kept staring at Penguin and the group, and the Heart Pirates kept staring silently at their captain. Nobody knew how to act and everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move. However, Law didn't act nor did he say anything; he just kept standing there in silence, observing Cody and the mechanics.

Then suddenly, Law moved. He stepped forward, then again, and kept walking down the corridor without a word. Still silent, he passed the group by and just kept walking away before disappearing around the corner and heading for the stairs of the upper level.*_I didn't see anything.*_

The Hearts just silently followed the captain with their gazes, watching him leave and disappear around the corner. Just like him, they didn't say a word until he was gone; then suddenly they all sighed in relief. *_Just now…he ignored us completely.* _They all thought of the same thing, feeling depressed by the notion.

"That was close…" Cody sighed, shaking his head.

"Wait, did captain just pretend nothing happened?!" Penguin exclaimed, realizing they were completely ignored by Law just now. The captain must've decided dealing with this was too much trouble and that it would be easier to pretend he didn't see or hear anything. Law just didn't want to get involved in this. Somehow, the thought made Penguin depressed and he leaned against the wall with both hands and his head bowed down. "Somehow I have a feeling captain Law will be looking at me with different eyes from now on…"

"He's not the only one. What the hell was that?!" Louis screamed in anger after the coast was finally clear. "He'll think we're some kind of perverts!"

Sam sighed. "I'm not surprised. Of course if it's Penguin's idea, it will be a perverted one. Nothing else ever comes from his brain."

Shachi nodded in agreement and shrugged his shoulders as if there was nothing they could do about it now. "Girls and machines are the only two things he thinks about, after all."

"Shut up all of you! It worked, didn't it!?" Penguin yelled back, feeling attacked by his comrades. As if completely embarrassing himself in front of his captain wasn't enough. They don't have to kick a fellow when his already down, dammit!

The only medic in the group sighed again, this time out of mental exhaustion rather than relief. "Let's just get on with it. Miyako's quarters are on the other side of this floor, so let's get to them fast and finish this."

The others agreed with a nod and followed after the medic, but just as they turned around to continue their quest again, another new voice stopped them.

"Hey guys," a sleepy mumble came from behind them.

"Hyaaaa!" And once again the pirates screamed in shock. However this time, after the yell of surprise, came a chilling horror that sent shivers down the men's spines. The Heart Pirates all stiffened, afraid to turn around.

"Uuuh, you ok?" Miyako, who was standing behind the group, gazed at them with puzzled eyes. She had her hands behind her back, bowing forwards while trying to peer at the men's faces. They were all hiding behind their hats, still turning their backs on her. Then finally, Shachi turned to face her, his body still completely stiff.

"M-Miya-chan…where did you come from?" Shachi tried to smile, but it looked plastic and strange, as if he was barely able to keep that expression on.

The girl obviously noticed something was up with them but only shrugged her shoulders. "I was in the training room with Law and I want to return this to him." She lifted Trafalgar's black jacket that was in her hand. There a slight blush on her cheeks when she remembered the implication of that jacket she was covered with. "Have you seen him?"

The Hearts glanced at each other and as if a silent agreement was made, Louis and Shachi stepped forward. "Yes, yes, sure, we'll take you to him!" Louis stated and both mechanics suddenly appeared behind her, taking her by her arms and pushing her forward.

Miyako blinked in surprised, looking from Shachi to Louis who still got a hold of her and were relentlessly pushing her away from the rest of the group. "Wha? No, that's ok-whoa!" She stumbled, unable to finish her sentence, as the mechanics kept leading her away. "If you just tell me where he is I can...on my own…" She tried to struggle out of it weakly, but it was no use. She looked back at Cody and the others, who were waving at her and shouting something that sounded like 'Take your time!' as the two mechanics led her around the corner and towards the first floor.

Cody, Penguin and Sam followed the trio with their gaze. "That was close…" The medic muttered, shaking his head. Then he looked back at Sam. "Sam, you too, go with them and keep an eye on captain so he doesn't come back. Just like we planned!" The medic reminded him staring at Sam's completely covered up face.

The mechanic nodded and gave the two remaining pirates a thumbs up. "Good luck, men!" Like a soldier going into battle, the mechanic gave them one final firm nod and then ran away towards the stairs leading to the first floor.

The medic put his hands on his waist, happy how the plan was progressing for now. Both the captain and Miyako were away and there was no one in sight to hinder them. They just had to go in and out of Miyako's quarters undetected, leaving the…goods where it belongs. "Alright, Penguin, we should go too. You have the-" Cody turned towards Penguin who was still standing behind him, only to be stopped mid-sentence at the sight.

The mechanic was smiling with an unnerving grin on his face, some drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. His cheeks were bright red and his eyes hidden as usual under his hat. But it was obvious he was staring at the pink undergarment he took out of his pocket, with a lewd gaze. In his hands were Miyako's panties, in clear view for any passer-by to see. Penguin didn't even seem to hear the other pirate as he kept admiring the silk underwear, but he sure felt the hard hit in the back of his head that came afterwards.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Do you want us to get caught with those in plain sight!?" Cody shouted in bewilderment, unable to comprehend that his friend was being that careless at a crucial time like this.

Penguin nursed his pained head but put the panties back into his pocket. "S-sorry…I got distracted."

The medic closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to restrain the numbing headache that was starting to attack his temples from all this nonsense. _*Maybe this won't be as easy as I imagined.*_

The two pirates started their plan again, walking to the end of the second floor as casually as possible. They walked around the corner and continued forward, passing by numerous quarters of the Heart Pirates. One more turn and they will be on the other side, where the small room of Miyako's quarters was. Just a little more…

"Hey, guys!" Cody felt a strong slap on the back accompanied by Garry's cheerful voice.

The medic had to take a deep breath and calm himself so he wouldn't lose it and just yell at the unsuspecting assistant medic. *_Honestly, how come we're bumping into everyone now of all times!? Why must he appear at the worst moment possible? We were so close.* _

The mechanic, however, didn't have as much patience as Cody. "Dammit, Garry, not now!" Penguin yelled back, startling the poor assistant medic.

Garry blinked a few times in surprise, eyeing Penguin carefully. "Um, if you're looking for Miya-chan, she's not here. If just saw her getting dragged to the control room not long ago."

The only mechanic stepped back, suddenly becoming defensive. "W-who told you we were looking for Miya-chan? I-it's not like we need to go to her room or anything!" However, he instantly shut up after seeing the warning glare the blue haired medic gave him.

Cody smiled to the other medic innocently. "More importantly, shouldn't you be in the infirmary right now, Garry? You're shift already started…don't tell me you're slacking off again?" The smile stayed on Cody's face but even with the friendly expression, the air around them suddenly became freezing cold. Garry was well aware of Cody's true nature that wasn't always as cheerful as it appeared to be.

The assistant medic choked on air, taking a step back unconsciously. A drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he smiled at Cody sheepishly. "N-no, of course not. I was…just about to go there now!" He was still staring at Cody's unchanging smiling expression, not being fooled by it in the slightest. The other medic just kept smiling back, taking another step towards him, which only made Garry take another step back. Suddenly, Garry turned around as if he suddenly heard something. "Ah, d-did you hear that…I think Ben just called me! Gotta go!" With lightning speed, the pirate turned around and disappeared from their sight, pretending to reply to the mysterious call that only he heard.

Penguin sighed as he relaxed once again. "This is giving me way too much stress."

The medic just patted the other's back and pointed at Miyako's door. "Never mind, look, we're here."

Glancing at each other with a grinning expression, the two pirates rushed towards the room. Penguin hurried to open the doors, grabbing the knob and turning it.

_Click_. Nothing happened.

The two Heart Pirates looked at each other in confusion before Penguin tried again. He tried to turn the knob and push the metal doors open but they wouldn't budge. "It's locked…." Both said in unison, with the same tone of mild desperation. They just stared at the locked doors for a second, unable to react, before the mechanic completely lost it.

"Open dammiiiiit!" He yelled and started turning the knob with force, banging on the doors that just wouldn't even budge.

He was stopped by the medic's hand on his shoulder as Cody tried to push him away and calm him down. "Stop it, Penguin, that won't help!"

The mechanic was breathing hard when he finally stopped and calmed down. The two stood there, trying to collect their thoughts. "Alright, pick the lock Penguin!" Cody motioned to the doors, getting a good idea.

"Yosh!" The mechanic crouched down, looking straight at the lock in front of him. He reached for the lock on the doors and- "Like hell I can do that!" Penguin jumped back up, turning to glare at Cody. "How am I supposed to know how to pick a lock!?"

The medic just rolled his eyes in irritation. "Don't you have any skills?"

"Then you try it! We don't even have anything to pick the lock with!" Penguin argued back, defending his honor.

The blue haired man rubbed the unshaved patch on his chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Hmm…well I saw them do it with a bobby pin once...oh! and a card!"

"We don't have any of that with us…" The mechanic bowed his head, the red pompom on top happily jiggling in the air. "And even if we did, we don't know how to use them," he finished, shaking his head. He looked as gloomy as a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit.

That's when a small mischievous smirk appeared on the medic's features. "Maybe we don't but I know someone who does."

~…..~

"So as I was saying, there is no way Marco the Phoenix would lose in a one on one fight against Admiral Kizaru."

"The incident at the War of the Best proves differently!"

Ben and Josh walked down the hallways towards the infirmary in a heated discussion along the way.

The larger medic shook his head in disapproval of Joshua's words. "Only because he was distracted and the pirates were completely surrounded. But you have to remember, he didn't actually get hurt even with all those marines. I'm telling you-"Ben turned to the redheaded medic who was walking by his side, only to stop mid-sentence. The spot next to him was completely empty, Josh gone out of sight. The large medic blinked a few times, turning around to see if there was any sign of his friend. "Uh…Josh?" But the dimly lit corridor stayed quiet and void of all life.

Further behind, where one corridor of the submarine intercepted the other, three pirates were standing behind it, hiding. Or rather, two were standing and holding onto the third, who was struggling. Cody held Josh in his grip with one hand on the redhead's mouth, silencing him. Both Penguin and Cody were holding Josh from behind, disallowing his escape while the shorter medic panicked from being kidnapped so suddenly.

Finally, the mechanic put his index finger to his mouth, signaling Josh to stay quiet. "Shhh!" He begged and finally Josh managed to calm down.

However, as soon as Cody released his mouth, the redhead glared at them, his surprise turning into rage. "Have you two lost your minds!?" He exclaimed a bit too loudly.

"Shhhh, lower your voice!" The mechanic warned again in a strained whisper, gesturing fiercely for Josh to calm down and stay silent.

"We need your help with something," Cody was also whispering as he spoke.

"Why are we whispering?" The redhead blinked in confusion, but even he was lowering his voice now.

"Because this is a top secret operation," Penguin answered with a warning tone, indicating for Josh to stay quiet and alert. If this travels to the ears of wrong people, they'll all be dead meat.

The two pirates could see a glint of interest appear in Josh's green eyes when the words 'secret' and 'operation' were mentioned. Even he couldn't stay unaffected by a prospect of adventure and danger. "What's all this about?" He finally asked, lowering his tone even more.

"You used to be a petty thief, right? We need your skills." Penguin explained.

Josh's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Don't say 'petty thief!' And what exactly do you need?"

"We need you to pick a lock," Cody answered in complete seriousness.

The mechanic looked even more serious as he explained further. "Listen, Joshua. Our very lives depend on this…on you! You can't fail!"

By now, Joshua was completely hooked by the notion of a dangerous operation where everything depended on him. He was flustered from being flattered so, his eyes shining with confidence. He chuckled coolly, waving a hand in front of the two pirates. "Now, now, come down. Joshua-sama is here now, so everything will be fine. You can count on me." He glanced from Penguin to Cody with a grin on his face. "So…what is this big secret anyway?"

Completely serious, Penguin took out a pink piece of fabric from his pocket and showed it to Josh. "We need to get this back to Miyako's room, unnoticed."

The short medic kept staring at the fabric in Penguin's hand. He was completely stiff and silent, staring at the panties with a blank expression. Finally, a forced smile appeared on his features as he spoke, still staring at the underwear. "So what is this dangerous operation that we have to do, Penguin?"

The mechanic blinked in confusion at Josh's words, when the reason was clearly in his hands right now for all to see. "Didn't you hear me? We have to return Miyako's panties to her room without anyone noticing. Louis and Shachi should be with her now, keeping her occupied. And Sam is keeping an eye on Captain and anything else that might uncover us. Now is the time to move, you just need to pick the lock on Miyako's door so we can get in and out unnoticed," taking a deep breath, the mechanic finally finished his long explanation of the plan.

Still, Josh just stood there unmoving with a frozen smile and dead eyes that stared at the panties, though it looked more like he was staring right through them. Through Penguin's hand and even thorough the floor. As if he's consciousness was miles away right now. "So as I asked Penguin what is this secret operation you're talking about?" He asked weakly once more.

The mechanic just stood there silently, completely puzzled by the medic's actions.

"Ah….it appears he's in denial. He doesn't want to accept the reality of the situation," Cody finally explained, realizing why Josh was acting so strange. "We might have broken him," he added, seemingly worried as he bit the nail on his thumb and observed the shorter medic who was still unmoving.

Josh suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and Cody turned him around so he could look him in the eyes. The taller medic gave Josh a serious expression and put one thumb up. "Don't worry Josh. Afterwards, I'll work on making a medicine to cause amnesia…for both of us." It was Cody's way of trying to reassure Josh that everything will be fine and that he knew exactly how his redheaded friend felt. After all, Cody didn't want to be a part of this either but was dragged into it and now there was no escaping it. They were in this together and had to get through it somehow.

The redhead stared back at Cody, some of his sanity returning. Is he really doing this? Is this really happening? Is he really supposed to join these perverts? No, more importantly…what the hell was going on? Was he swallowed up in some parallel universe where even Cody lost his mind and went around with these perverts? Was he in some kind of Twilight Zone right now?! The questions just kept swirling in Josh's mind, but he wasn't able to voice any of them. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, the voice coming out soft and barely audible. The other two pirates leaned forward so they could hear what the redhead was trying to say. Joshua opened his mouth slowly and finally his voice came out.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?"

~…..~

Sai, Jean Bart and Law all looked up from the maps on the desk, staring at the doors of the control room.

"Did you all just hear something?" Sai asked as he strained to hear.

"It sounded a little like Joshua," Bart answered furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

Suddenly, Trafalgar remembered Penguin and the group and their ridiculous plans he had the misfortune of hearing before coming here. If that really was Joshua then perhaps he caught the others in the act. Law's eyes widened in sudden realization. _*Dammit, I almost got caught up in those thoughts. It will be bad if I start thinking about it too deeply.* _The captain sighed in relief as he stopped himself on time. That train of thought could've been dangerous. *_It's better to just ignore it.* _He looked back at his two navigators and shook his head. "It's nothing, just ignore it. Let's get back to work." He gazed back at the maps in front of them, firmly deciding to pretend he didn't hear anything.

~…..~

"I'm telling you, you don't have to help, I can just go on my own. And stop pushing me!" Miyako protested as she walked, still followed by Shachi and Louis.

"Nonsense, we are only trying to help," the main mechanic answered with an innocent smile.

Suddenly all three of them stopped as they heard something that sounded like a muffled shout coming from the floor below. What was that? The three Heart pirates gazed at the path they came from and then at each other, all wearing perplexed expressions.

Finally, Louis shrugged and continued to push Miyako forward.

"Hey, I'm telling you to stop!" The girl continued to protest and so the three pirates moved, struggling with each step.

~…..~

"Just hurry up," Penguin whispered in a fierce voice, full of impatience already.

"Shut up, don't rush me," the redhead muttered, too focused on his task to even get angry.

"Guys, it's only a matter of time before someone passes by. Quickly now," Cody was keeping watch, his tone also sounding edgier than usual.

They were in front of Miyako's quarters again but this time, Josh was kneeling in front of the lock, using all his tools and skills to open it. Luckily, the lock was nothing special so it wasn't very complicated to crack it. Still, the constant complaining and hurrying words from his friends weren't helping even as he worked with steady hands. "Just a little bit more."

"I can't believe you kept your lock picking tools from your younger days," Penguin commented remembering that Joshua was nothing more than a punk on the streets, stealing what he could to get by, before he joined Law's crew.

"You never know when it can come in handy," Josh smirked in response.

"You mean for the time when you would have to break into a girl's room to return her stolen panties?" Cody asked in a flat tone, knowing perfectly well what effect those words will have on his redheaded comrade. Perhaps he was a bully at heart after all.

Josh's hands stopped working for a second as his whole demeanor turned into a gloomy one, while his shoulders started to shake. He looked completely defeated. "Please…don't even say it…don't say it ever again." The reason behind their actions today was too harsh to even think about. He just wanted to get this over with and forget it…forever. Perhaps, he'll assist Cody in making that amnesia drug.

Suddenly, a set of footsteps was heard somewhere on the far side of the corridor, steadily coming closer.

"Someone's coming, hurry!" Penguin was jumping in his spot nervously, unable to take the pressure anymore.

Josh just kept working silently while the steps echoed louder with each step, coming towards them. Cody clenched his fist, already thinking of the best plan of action while Penguin shifted his weight anxiously from one leg to the other. A barely audible click was heard and the short medic tried the door knob, smirking when it turned effortlessly and the doors opened. "I still got it," he muttered in his own praise.

"Alright Josh! Now let's go before someone comes!" Penguin celebrated their success, but it was too early after all.

Just as they were about to go in, the red lights in the corridor started and the alarm went off, alerting the entire submarine of the upcoming danger.

"What?" The redhead looked up at the spiraling red lights, confused by the sudden interruption.

"Noooo! Not now!" The mechanic wailed in despair, holding his head with both hands. _*What's with this bad luck, today of all days!*_

The footsteps that were coming closer started going faster and were joined with even more steps as the Heart Pirates started running around the corridors of the submarine, running to their positions.

"We have encountered a sea king, everyone get to their positions and get ready for emergency surfacing," a voice belonging to their captain sounded from the pipes along the submarine used for announcements.

The three pirates looked at each other, already knowing what will happen next. With a sigh of defeat, Penguin closed Miyako's doors and shook his head. "Let's go," in a half whine, half determined tone he urged the two to go to their stations. The three Heart Pirates could already see others running towards them and they had no choice but to join them. Their duties came first after all.

~…..~

The submarine took a sharp turn to the side, avoiding the open jaws of the sea king, which instead swallowed everything in its path; from sea water and smaller fishes to large rocks and boulders. In front of the colossal sea king, everything else seemed as small as a pebble.

The yellow vessel emerged from the waters, but the sea continued to foam with strong waves, as something else emerged right after the submarine. In front of the vessel a long black, slippery neck stretched itself into the sky, like a snake rising into the air. At the end was a large head of a beast with yellow scales glaring in the afternoon sun. The gills of the best were wide, with fins on its head and endless rows of sharp teeth in its maws. The two front teeth were so big they came out of the beast's mouth in full view and could easily crush a ship in one bite. However, what surprised the pirates even more was that the exact same head appeared behind the submarine as well. There were two pairs of green eyes staring down at the ship as two heads came out from the sea from both sides; in front and in the back.

Sai's eyes widened as he saw the readings on the radar together with the view in front of him. "Two sea kings?! But how? The radar is clearly detecting there's only one."

Jean Bart turned and stared at the back window of the control room. "It is only one sea king. I've heard about it before; the two headed sea king, so both heads are connected with one snake-like body."

The younger navigator clicked his tongue in annoyance. "This New World really is scary." Even though he said that, he didn't look that frightened by the sight. Rather, he just seemed annoyed that their smooth sailing was interrupted so abruptly.

Meanwhile, Bepo ran from the control room and stumbled onto the deck to get a better view of the sea king. He regretted it instantly as he saw the beast in all its large glory. "Gyaaaa! It's huuuuge!" The hair on the polar bear's white fur stuck out as shivers ran down his spine. He was clearly panicking now as he called for Law's help in loud shouts. "Captaaaain, what do we do?!"

The front doors of the submarine slammed open one more time. This time Trafalgar Law came out, holding his nodachi. He still looked a bit pale from his earlier training but most of his strength returned to him by now. Still, fighting a sea king was no small matter; especially when this one could clearly count as two with both heads leering at them dangerously from each side. The captain unsheathed his nodachi, narrowing his eyes in the process. "Bepo, I'll take care of this one so you go and take care of the one in the back," he gave the order before stepping forward and creating his Room in one fluid motion. The blue sphere instantly circled the whole submarine and the sea king with it.

Behind Trafalgar, more of the Heart Pirates ran on the deck. Miyako finally escaped Louis and Shachi and came running, instantly stopping in her tracks when she noticed the enormous creature before her. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Huge…" She barely mumbled, completely taken by the sight in front of her.

"There's another one!?" Shachi yelled loudly, pointing to the head behind the submarine.

"Let's go!" Penguin yelled and dashed forward, throwing a few throwing knives at the monster but it hardly had any effect. The blades simply deflected from the hard scales.

"Dammit, its skin is tough. Try the neck!" Shachi yelled again and a few Heart pirates started aiming their blades and weapons at the neck of the beast.

It roared loudly but rather than hurt it just seemed more irritated by their assault. A shot echoed through the air, as Sai fired from his rifle right into the beast's eye. This time the sea king took more damage and its head pulled back as it roared even louder this time.

"Take your guns and aim for the eyes!" The young navigator shouted to the rest of the crew who took on arms. He aimed again while keeping the rifle steady, but the beast's head was pointed upwards now so its eyes were protected. Suddenly the sea king launched forward with unexpected speed, closing in.

"Whaa, it's gonna swallow us whole! Captaaain!" Bepo shouted in sheer panic, forgetting about his duty to take on the other head behind them. Everyone just stared at the incoming doom which was about to crash right into the submarine with widely open jaws full of large, sharp teeth.

Trafalgar didn't say anything but instead prepared his nodachi and stood in a stance. A confident smirk spread on his features as he watched the sea king attack them with open maws. Law's full strength was still not back and he could feel the pain in his muscles, but the nodachi he was holding felt lighter than ever. Even as he summoned his haki with the Room of his devil fruit powers still on, he didn't feel the exhaustion he would usually sense. Focusing his haki seemed easier than ever before and now that he didn't have his strength sucked up by the kairoseki cuffs, his whole body felt lighter than ever. With ease he sliced through the air once, using both his ope ope powers and haki to cut through the sea king. The cut went right through the beast's jaws, splitting it in half along with the whole head. The upper part of the head fell down and back into the sea while the lower part pulled back, making pained gurgling noises and flapping its still intact tongue around. The whole image looked eerie and amazing at the same time.

Even the captain was slightly surprised by the fact he managed to cut such a large monster in one clean swoop. It seemed his training was really working and he could feel it as haki now coursed through his body. _*Next time, I'll try it without the devil fruit powers.* _

The Heart Pirates cheered but the celebration was soon interrupted by a hiss behind them. That's when they remembered there was still one more head of this sea king to worry about. And they realized it too late. The whole submarine suddenly rose completely out of the water as the sea king twisted its snake body which was in the water beneath the vessel. The submarine was standing on top of its slick body, helpless and out of the water. They couldn't move nor sail away, they couldn't do anything, even when the monster tipped its body and the submarine started slipping on its wet surface towards the other head which was awaiting them with its mouth open.

_*Tch, I won't make it in time.*_ Law turned to stare at the other head, trying to move closer to the other side of the submarine but it was too unsteady to walk. If he fell into the sea it was over for him and everybody else couldn't do much but hold to the railing either as the vessel slid across the monster with high speed. Even so, the pirate doctor held onto the railing with one hand and lifted the nodachi with the other, trying to steady himself enough to cut down the monster. However, if he stumbled from the speed he could very well accidently cut down the submarine instead.

That's when Law noticed something moving forward. On the railing of the deck, steadily running forward, keeping balance even with the speeding submarine, the samurai girl was rushing towards the submarine's stern. Miyako was holding her unsheathed sword which was safely in the covers up until now ever since they left the last island with the doppelganger girl. But now, Miyako's both hands were free from bandages, and the sword once again gripped in her right hand as she ran forward on the metal railing.

"No way, is she planning to take the sea king by herself!?" Shachi exclaimed, noticing Miyako's intentions as she charged forward.

She ignored the quick speed of the sliding submarine and the sharp movements it would take. She ignored gravity itself as she moved on, balancing on the small space beneath her feet. The haki pooled inside her stomach before flowing to her hand, giving Miyako's body pure energy that the girl could control as she wished. When she finally reached the stern of the submarine, the gaping jaws of the sea king were right in front of her, closing in on the yellow vessel. Miyako took a stance with her katana in front of her, grasping it with both hands and still balancing on the sub's railing. _Ittouryu Secret Technique; Bamboo Grass Dance! _She sliced the air only once with a swift motion. A gentle wind passed by the giant creature, seemingly without any effect. In the next moment, the sea king hissed one last time as the large head separated from the body and fell back into the water, creating waves around it. The body wriggled and twisted before falling into the sea as well, but not before it threw the submarine off of it. The vessel started falling down from the air and into the sea with great speed.

"At this rate, we'll fall upside down!" Sai warned seeing as the submarine was slowly turning in the air on its side. He was gripping the railing for dear life just like the rest of the Heart Pirates who had to find something to grab on so they wouldn't end up in the sea as fish food.

Miyako gasped as she lost her balance on the railing and started falling backwards right into the wall of the cabin. However, before she could feel the hard metal wall on her back, something soft stopped her flight and secured her in its arms. She looked up in surprise and smiled instantly.

"I got you," Bepo exclaimed, holding Miyako from behind in his large paws.

"Thanks Bepo," the girl smiled, happy to see him and even happier that she didn't experience the uncomfortable landing overboard. That's when she realized another thing; Bepo was holding her with both arms but in that case, how was Bepo secured from falling? "Ah!" It was the only comment she had time to voice out. In that instant, both of them were pulled back by gravity and the polar bear slammed his back into the wall behind them but was then sent flying to the side as the submarine started to turn to its flank.

"This is bad! This is very bad!" The first mate chanted as both of them went flying towards the railing. The bear turned to the side so he wouldn't crush the girl against the railing but that just made him hit his hip on the railing instead. The pair instantly started toppling over and almost fell overboard when suddenly the submarine stopped midair.

Miyako and Bepo blinked in puzzlement, looking at each other. The girl furrowed her eyebrows and gazed around seeing that the rest of the Heart Pirates had similar confused expressions. That's when she noticed Law standing there on the deck, holding one hand in the air. His Room was still enveloping the submarine and he singlehandedly kept it in the air, saving it from falling into the sea. The captain turned his hand and at the same instance, the submarine turned back in its rightful position, slowly lowering itself back into the sea.

Bepo, who was still holding Miyako in his arms, sighed in relief. "We're saved…thanks to captain."

Miyako gazed back at the captain at work. *_He managed to control the whole submarine and save it from falling. He's powers are really something. But he was already tired from training from the start, at this rate even if it's him, he'll….*_ As if confirming her thoughts, when the sub was securely on the waters again, Law fell down on one knee, barely keeping himself up with his nodachi.

"Captain Law!" Penguin yelled and ran up to his captain, helping the weak man back to his feet.

Cody also came up to them quickly, checking on the captain. Trafalgar's dark skin seemed paler than usual and he breathed heavily. "It's just exhaustion…" The medic sighed in relief, helping Law up from one side while Penguin helped on the other. "Let's get him to infirmary so he can rest," the tall medic proposed, walking slowly.

Law shook them off casually, standing up on his own and shaking his head. "I'm fine, don't worry." He hated looking so weak in front of his crew. He should be the strongest one among them, one that they could always rely on. He couldn't show them his weaknesses so easily. At the very least he wanted to keep his pride as their pirate captain intact and walk to the infirmary on his own, with his own strength.

The mechanic and the medic looked at each other with uncertainty, however they had no choice but to let him walk with his own two feet as he asked. Penguin nodded to Cody, quietly signaling to let Law go and they just stared at the captain's back while he pulled himself together again and stood upright.

Law turned back to his crew who were already awaiting orders. All eyes were on him and he'll be damned if he'll let them see this pathetic state now of all times. Just as he was about to give everyone their duties, Jean Bart came from the control room.

"Captain, we have a reading on the radar," the navigator announce loud enough for all to hear.

Some of the Heart Pirates stepped back in suspense. "Another sea king!?"

The large navigator shook his head. "No, it's unmoving. It's too small to be an island, though. We'll have a visual in about 10 minutes if we keep up this speed and this course."

One of the Heart Pirates ran up to Law with a spyglass in his hands and handed it over to the captain. Trafalgar walked up to the bow of the vessel and looked ahead with the spyglass. At first there was nothing on the horizon but as the sub continued forward, a silhouette came into view. It looked like a small island but Jean Bart clearly stated it couldn't be so. Soon the submarine was close enough for everyone to see and the Heart Pirates started gathering on the railing, staring at the piece of land on the horizon.

Law removed the spyglass and gaze ahead, narrowing his eyes and blocking the rays of sun with his hand. Finally, they could see what it was that was lying before them. Coral reefs. So large and so many that they really could make an island altogether. The captain turned back to his navigators. "Is there a way to dock there?" The corals were known to be sharp and dangerous but if they could find a way to get close and dock the submarine, they could rest there and examine the sub for any damage the sea king might have caused.

Sai observed the coral isle, estimating the chances. "I'll see what I can do," he finally said, turning back and running into the control room.

The submarine got close, sailing carefully along the shore line made entirely of corals. It needed a great navigator to be able to sail there and not damage the hull of the deck on the sharp corals under the water but Jean Bart almost made it seem easy with his skills.

Meanwhile, the Heart pirates stood on deck and marveled the beautiful sight before them. This coral isle was so big that they couldn't see the end of it. On the corals there was sea grass and sea weed, making a soft grassy surface like a meadow would. Deeper inside, there were large corals rising into the air, making a whole colorful forest. The corals were in various colors; from orange to bright red and they were entwined everywhere. Their glittery surface gleamed in the sun, casting bright colorful lights around them. Indeed, it was a sight to behold.

Slowly, the vessel stopped not far from the shore of the isle. Jean Bart came out on the deck again and headed straight for Law. "That's as far as we can go without endangering the submarine."

Law nodded in agreement. "We'll have to use the life boats to get to shore." He turned around to his men who were still staring at the isle with amazed smiles. "Alright men, we'll take the boats to the shore. Shachi-ya, make a team of mechanics and check the submarine for any damage that could have happened during our fight. Bepo, Cody-ya, Penguin-ya and Miss Miyako, come with me; we'll scout this place just in case. We need to be sure there's nothing dangerous in that coral forest. The rest, start unpacking some supplies and get the camp ready. We'll stay here until we make sure the submarine isn't damaged and that we can safely continue." Law ignored the fatigue he was feeling, giving orders with his head up high as usual. He didn't have time to rest now. The captain turned towards Sai again. "What about the log pose?"

"It's fine. This isn't actually an island so it doesn't possess a magnetic field. The log pose won't change," the navigator answered.

Meanwhile, the lowest level of he submarine opened on each side and two large boats came out with most of the Heart Pirates already inside. Law casually gripped a rope tied to the mast and jumped down, still holding onto it, right into one of the life boats. The smaller vessel rocked for a while, before steadying itself and the pirates rowed towards the coral isle shores.

~…..~

"Wow, it's amazing. So glittery!" Miyako commented in awe, looking around the colorful forest made entirely out of corals.

"It looks like it's inhabited, though," Bepo added poking one of the sharp ends of the coral which branched out into the air at least ten meters tall.

A seagull flew from the sky and situated itself on top of the coral, quacking and staring down at the pirates. However, other than a few birds, there didn't seem to be any fauna on this isle. The place was big but there was nothing but corals and sea grass around, which wasn't suitable for any life to exist.

"We'll go a bit further, just in case. I already sent Sai-ya and another scouting team in the other direction. They should mark the end of their territory search so when we reach their mark, we'll know we searched the whole isle," Law explained his plan that he made earlier with the young navigator before heading out into the isle's forest.

The mechanic and the medic of the team were a little further in the back, walking after the captain and the others. Penguin seemed especially nervous as he headed on.

"Cody, what should I do?! I'm carrying _them_ right at this moment. If they figure it out…if Miyako sees them…" The mechanic seemed completely out of his mind with worry, biting his fingernails.

The medic sighed, feeling sorry for his crewmate. "Don't worry, just keep them hidden and you'll be fine," he whispered back, mindful of the people around them. The medic turned around to look at Penguin only for his eyes to widen in bewilderment. Penguin had the panties out again in full view, staring at them with an obvious nosebleed flowing.

"The hell is wrong with you!?" The medic yelled despite himself, completely out of character and grabbed the underwear, trying to pry them from Penguin's grip and hide them instead.

The mechanic still held onto the other end, making the panties stretch. They were lucky that the pair was behind the rest of the group or else everyone would have already seen what the two had in their hands.

"Oy, don't pull!" The mechanic protested, unwilling to let go of the soft material in his grip.

Miyako heard the commotion behind her and turned in wonder. "Huh?" What were those two up to? She turned to look at them but was only met with the duo standing motionlessly next to each other with their hands behind their backs. *_What are they doing?* _Miyako blinked in puzzlement, but shrugged it off, not wanting to get involved in their antics. Seeing that the two calmed down, the girl turned her back to them again, hurrying to catch up with Bepo and the others further ahead.

Cody and Penguin sighed in absolute relief as they let out all of the air from their lungs. The medic leaned forward feeling sudden exhaustion hit his entire body. "That was close…"

Meanwhile, the head mechanic held the panties behind his back before quickly putting them back into the deepest pocket of his white overalls. "Indeed, way too close…we need to be more careful," he stated matter-of-factly. He glanced at Cody by his side who was silently staring back at him with an unreadable expression. Just as Penguin was about to ask what the other had on his mind, the medic suddenly stood upright and delivered a roundhouse kick right into the mechanic's jaw. Penguin was K. in a second, falling onto the ground with a last sigh of pain before lying on the ground unmoving.

The medic just ignored the half-dead pirate on the mossy surface and walked on forward, all the while murmuring something under his chin in irritation.

After another half an hour of walking the group reached what looked like a clearing in the middle of the coral forest. It had the same grassy-looking surface beneath their feet and was surrounded with high corals. The clearing was large enough for half of their submarine to fit there.

"Captain, look," Bepo pointed at a simple yellow rag tied to one of the smaller corals. It was the mark of Sai's group that was sent to scout the other side of the isle. So they met, which meant they searched the whole isle with obviously nothing interesting or dangerous around.

As if on cue, Sai's voice rang out from the forest as his group pushed through the corals and towards the clearing. "Captain!" The navigator walked to the clearing with Garry, Sam and Ari in tow.

"Sai-ya, do you have any news?" The captain walked over to his navigator.

"Not really, everything looks clear and peaceful. There's not even much wild-life among these corals," the navigator fixed the rifle hanging on the back of his shoulder as he gazed around the clearing.

"Same here. I'd say it's safe to camp here until Shachi-ya and the others check the submarine but stay on guard just in case. Let's head back for now. I'll set a few men to watch the parameter around the camp when we get back," the captain answered.

Sai nodded in response to Law's words and turned to head back into the coral forest.

As Law turned to leave he felt a hand on his arm. Turning around he could see the samurai girl walking next to him. She looked up at him with piercing golden eyes and a worried expression on her face. "Are you ok? Are you still tired from earlier?"

The captain kept silent for a while but then just shrugged her hand off, walking ahead of her in long, fast strides. "I'm fine. I just need to get some food in my system, that's all," he muttered in haste before walking ahead of her without sparing another glance.

The girl's expression soon turned into a frown as she watched her captain leave in a hurry. She knew he didn't want to seem weak in front of his crew but having too much pride also had its down points. His stubbornness could prove to be dangerous for his own health. The girl glanced back at the clearing that was now shrinking behind them as they left back for the coast. An idea appeared in her mind and she glanced down at her trusted katana by her side with a smirk on her features. Well at least they could utilize the spare time they had on this coral isle before returning back to the submarine. They might not get another chance to be on the open for a long time before they reach a new island.

~…..~

"Alright, we're back. Now let's quickly go to Miyako's room and put that back," Cody whispered to the mechanic as the two stood in the now-set up camp of the Heart Pirates.

"Ok, I'll take Josh too in case the doors are locked again," Penguin nodded with new-found determination. After all, they survived this long even though something constantly kept getting their way whenever they tried to put Miyako's panties back into her room.

The medic looked around at the working pirates. "Now that I think about it…where is Miyako?" The two pirates stared at each other for one moment before they both cursed in annoyance. They lost her. "I told Louis and Shachi to keep an eye on her but both must be busy with the submarine right now," Cody shook his head in agitation.

"Never mind that, listen Cody, let's go check it out. If there's no one there we'll just quickly leave it and get out. It'll work!" Penguin gripped Cody's arm and pulled him towards one of the boats so they could get to the submarine.

At first the medic didn't look so convinced but finally he nodded and went after the mechanic.

~…~

"Sam!" Cody called out when they saw the assistant mechanic on the deck of the vessel.

The said pirate was holding a small crate when he turned to watch the two approaching men. Before he could even ask what was going on, Penguin grabbed him from one side and Cody from the other, pulling him into a huddle. "Listen up Sam, the time has come. I'm going in! You keep an eye on Miyako, we're not sure where she is. Oh and don't forget about the captain, keep an eye on him too. And anyone else who might cause a problem to our plan," Penguin explained whispering to his friend.

Sam sweat dropped looking at the two completely serious pirates. "I don't think I can keep an eye on so many people at once guys…"

"Dammit, Samuel!" Penguin suddenly exclaimed, holding the other mechanic by the collar of his white overall. "Are you a man or aren't you!" He kept shaking the poor pirate, almost choking him. "This is your time to shine! Do your duty right and all mankind will be grateful. And when I say mankind, I mean all the men! All the men on this submarine that dreamed of the day when they'd have Miyako's panties in their hands. Don't let these brave soldiers die when they are so close to their dreams dammit! Samuel!"

Cody just stood on the side, looking at the fierce Penguin and poor Sam blankly. "What are you even talking about…?"

Sam was slowly starting to get sick from all the shaking. He could feel his vision clouding as dizziness overtook him. With the last of his breath the man managed to squeeze out his words. "But…my name…isn't Samuel….it's just Sam." With that Sam fell to the ground, panting and coughing. With watery eyes behind his thick glasses he saw two brave soldiers heading inside the submarine, onto the battlefield. The most he could do was to wish them good luck with all of his heart.

However, Sam's peaceful moment didn't last long when he saw his captain walking on deck. The assistant mechanic followed the dark doctor carefully with his eyes, watching Law's every move. That was his job in this operation anyway, wasn't it?

Trafalgar appeared to be looking for someone and finally walked over to one of the Heart Pirates. The assistant mechanic was close enough to hear their brief conversation. "Did you see Miss Miyako?" Law asked the pirate with a slight furrow of his eyebrows. The girl suddenly disappeared after saying she wanted to check out the isle a bit more, yet the captain couldn't find her on the shoreline.

"Aaah, Miya-chan? Yeah, she came back to the submarine but I don't know where she is exactly." The Heart Pirate answered, scratching his head as he thought it through.

It was enough for Law. At least he knew she was on the submarine and far away from any danger or trouble she could cause.

With a nod, the captain went inside the submarine. Seeing that, Sam paled under his high collar and thick glasses. It was good that nobody could see his covered-up face as they would think he fell deadly ill all of a sudden.

*_Why? Why of all times does captain Law need something from Miyako now when Cody and Penguin went to her quarters. He'll see them and they'll be totally busted!*_ The brown haired pirate gulped, thinking frantically. He needed to do something and quick! But what could he do? Without having any time to think, Sam simply threw himself into action. Well, he also threw himself literally in front of the captain before Law could enter the submarine.

Trafalgar blinked a few times, trying to understand the situation. Sam just appeared out of nowhere, blocking his way. "Sam-ya….what are you doing?"

The heat from the flustered mechanic rose to his cheeks, but the redness was thankfully hidden from view. Even before he had time to actually make a plan, he acted. But now he had no idea what to do or how to explain this to his captain. The mechanic opened his mouth, but no words came out so he simply stood there gaping like a fish. When he tried again, he was stuttering from nervousness. "S-Stomach…" He muttered the word so quietly it was barely heard.

Law narrowed his eyes as he tried to hear what his assistant mechanic was stuttering. "What?" Not having much patience, he asked in a harsh voice, trying to hurry things along.

The mechanic noticed this and only stiffened more as he realized his captain was slowly starting to get agitated. So he pushed himself to take a deep breath and say it clearly, no matter what. "S-stomach!" This time he started louder. "I have a stomachache!" The man exclaimed in a loud voice, suddenly grabbing his stomach as if he was in pain.

For a while Law just stood there, unsure how to react. After all, there should always be someone from the medical team on infirmary duty so Sam could just go there and get treated. What's the point in coming to Law and announcing it like this? The reasonable Trafalgar just couldn't find a logical explanation behind Sam's actions. Unless it was so bad that he wanted Law personally to examine him?

Suddenly the pirate in front of him started convulsing, gripping his stomach in pain. "Aaaah, aaah, it hurts! It really hurts!"

Law's eyes widened at the sudden urgency and quickly beckoned another Heart Pirate over. "Kai-ya, help me get him into the infirmary!" He turned back to Sam, feeling his forehead for a fever. _*I can't really tell what's wrong from the way he's holding his whole stomach, but it sounds bad.*_ The captain frowned, gripping Sam's one shoulder to steady him. "Sam-ya, can you walk by yourself? We'll get you to the sickbay right away." The mechanic didn't answer, just kept wailing in pain in front of them. The other pirates all stopped their work and were curiously watching the unusual scene. Meanwhile, Law and Kai helped the mechanic, immediately leading him towards the infirmary.

As they arrived at the infirmary with an almost boneless Sam, which made the trip all the more difficult and slow, Josh was already there on his shift and stared at the trio in wonder when they dragged the mechanic to the bed. The redhead instantly approached them, examining the mechanic in front of him. "What's going on?"

"Sam just suddenly started groaning in pain and talking about a stomachache," Kai explained, staring at his mechanic friend worriedly. That's when he turned back to the captain, remembering his true duties. "Uh, I should be helping Munk with dinner over at the camp. We have curry stew tonight." He glanced at Law, awaiting his approval so that he can go to Munk. There was no reason for a chef to stay in the infirmary, especially since Josh was already here to help.

Law was already at the metal table full of tools, examining some medication and syringes he might have to use. He gave the chef a disregardful nod for the other pirate to proceed with his duties, still only focusing on the task at hand. Kai nodded back and excused himself before leaving the infirmary.

Meanwhile Josh was helping Sam to take off the top part of his overalls and lift his white T-shirt underneath so they could look at his stomach. The mechanic was still moaning in pain but every now and then he would glance at Law's back nervously while the pirate doctor prepared for the examination. Sam's eyes darted from Trafalgar to Josh, hidden behind his thick glasses. Still, Joshua noticed something was off and stared at Sam skeptically. Something didn't seem right. Before asking anything, the redhead poked harshly at Sam's stomach where the man was holding it. A small grunt of surprise was heard but there wasn't any instant reaction to the pain that was supposed to come from the jab. Instead, only a second later when Sam realized it, did the mechanic yowl in pain. But it was already too late to fool the pirate medic.

The redhead widened his eyes before glaring at Sam and lowering his head, whispering so the captain couldn't hear. "Why are you faking a stomachache?"

The assistant mechanic gulped and answered back in the same low voice. "Penguin and Cody went to return Miyako's underwear to her quarters and captain was just about to go there. I had to think of something to stop him." He answered in a hurry, before pulling off a few fake groans again.

"That's right, Cody and Penguin said you and Louis were also a part of that stupid situation…Wait, now's not the time for that! When Captain Law examines you, he'll know you're faking it right away! And then he'll make you spill everything _and_ punish you double for wasting his time." Josh was still whispering in a hurry, carefully watching Law's back so he wouldn't turn around and suspect something when he sees the two pirates whispering conspicuously.

"Then you have to help me! Do something," Sam could feel his nervousness rise at the thought of being punished by the captain. He didn't want to go down because of Penguin's stupid perversion! Even though he wanted to see Miyako's panties too…

"What am I supposed to do!" Josh slightly raised his voice in disbelief but still mindful of the volume so Law wouldn't hear.

Before Sam had a chance to answer, the dark doctor turned around, walking briskly towards the patient lying on the infirmary bed. "Alright Sam-ya, let's see what's bothering you."

The mechanic and the medic glanced at each other, gulping in suspense. There was nothing else they could do.

~…~

"What if it's locked again?" Penguin asked as they arrived in front of Miyako's doors. Unfortunately, Josh was on his shift at the sickbay and there was no way he could join them. Also, he really _really_ didn't want to have anything else to do with this.

"We'll just have to think of something on our own. Josh is on sickbay duty so he can't help us now," the medic sighed as he reached for the doorknob of Miyako's quarters. This is it…

Before he could open them, the doors suddenly opened on their own. As the crack got wider the two pirates found themselves face to face with the samurai girl who was staring back at them in wonder. "Oh it's you guys, I thought I heard voices…I was just leaving, so what's up?"

"Uh….we…" Penguin started but had to stop and look back at Cody for help.

The medic didn't have anything better to say either, since they were both taken completely off guard. They didn't expect Miyako to be inside. At least they were lucky and she opened the doors herself before they just stumbled inside with the girl right there on the other side of the doors. "Well we wanted to…see how you were doing?" The statement sounded more like a question than anything else, but that was the first idea that came to Cody's mind. He saw the girl's confused expression as she obviously didn't follow. Hurriedly, he went to explain. "You know, since you were sick and injured. We just wanted to check if you're all healed now," the medic quickly explained, his confidence raising a little as he continued to explain. This wasn't a bad lie actually. _*Not a bad excuse if I may say so myself.*_ He was feeling good about himself for all the wrong reasons.

"Right," Penguin added with a determined nod. Still, he was unable to say something more productive.

The girl chuckled lightly, staring at them with an amused expression and one questioning, raised eyebrow. "Uh, I'm ok. Thanks for your concern?" She wasn't quite sure how to reply to this. "I'm pretty much all healed. See, I'm not wearing my bandages anymore." She showed them her hands, which were now bandage-free and luckily unscarred. "Anyway, I don't have time for your tomfoolery, shenanigans and foolhardiness this time, I have something I need to do." She smiled at them mischievously and stepped into the hallway, locking the doors behind her.

The two pirates could just stand there in shock and despair, staring at the doors that once again became locked. Now they'll have to do it all over again. Also, once again they missed their chance and now they were in the presence of one person they wanted to avoid today at all costs.

"Well then, shall we go back to camp?" She grabbed their arms and pulled them along with her, all the while in a suspiciously good mood.

~…..~

Law put a hand on Sam's bare stomach, pressing three fingers into the right side. After some more pressure the mechanic winced in pain. The doctor was serious and focused as he kept probing the patient's right side, slowly traveling towards the left. His eyebrow would furrow now and then but it was unclear whether he suspected something or was simply so focused on his task.

_*Aaah, dammit, he'll figure it out. After the examination I'm sure he'll figure it out!* _By now Sam was panicking so much he was actually starting to feel some stomach pain from stress and nervousness.

Law stayed silent as he finished his examination, an unreadable expression on his face just like usual. Josh quietly watched from the side, beads of cold sweat appearing on his face as he desperately tried to get some clue out of Law's expression. Did he figure it out or not? It was impossible to tell. Sam had the similar tense expression as cold sweat dripped down his shivering spine. Finally, Law moved away from the patient and looked at Sam with a completely serious expression. "It seems we'll have to operate."

Both the redhead and the medic chocked on their own saliva from the shock. Sam barely managed to get his words out. "W-what?" He was even paler now if it was humanly possible.

The pirate doctor kept that same serious expression as he elaborated, not even blinking. "Yes, there's definitively something there but…I just can't figure out what. So we'll have to cut you open to get a proper look at your inside organs." Without waiting for a response, Law was already putting his surgical gloves on. "Joshua-ya, prepare the operation room and the anesthesia."

"Y-yes?" The redhead wasn't sure what to say at this point. Should he keep quiet and just proceed as he was told? He was completely dumbfounded at Law's surprising decision.

On the other hand, the mechanic was in full-on panic mode by now. He quickly sat up on the bed and started shaking his head and arms defensively. "Wait, wait, wait…actually, you know what…I feel much better now. Honestly, the pain is completely gone…It's a miracle! So there's no need-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sam-ya. The pain couldn't just disappear all of a sudden like this. Now, lie down quietly and behave," the doctor cut him off in an instant and turned around with a large syringe in his hands. "I mean, sick patients don't just suddenly get all better…right?" A smirk appeared on the captain's face as he walked towards the mechanic, pushing the syringe a little so that some clear liquid sprayed out. He was testing it.

_*He's about to use that on me! Somebody help me!* _Sam looked pleadingly back at Josh but the redhead seemed at the loss just as he was. Joshua was just standing there in surprise, unsure of what to do. The mechanic tried standing up but Law was quicker and he easily pushed the horrified pirate back onto his back, raising the sharp needle before his eyes.

"Wait! I was faking it! I don't actually have a stomachache!" Sam yelled through panicked tears, his gaze solely focusing on the approaching needle.

Finally the tool in Law's hands stopped and instead a wide, satisfied smirk appeared across his face. "Is that so…?" The captain answered casually as if he knew the truth all along. He just needed Sam to admit it and what better way to do it than scaring him out of his mind. "And why would you do something like that?" The grin never left Law's face as his eyes pierced right through the assistant mechanic.

Sam was scared stiff, his body unmovable and his mind blank. _*After all I can't lie to captain. I just can't! I'm sorry…Penguin…everyone.* _He opened his mouth, deciding to come clean about everything, when suddenly the doors of the sickbay opened again.

In came the smirking samurai, followed by two curious pirates, Cody and Penguin. Law and the others stopped, awaiting what was about to happen. The sight inside the infirmary didn't look quite right either. A crying Sam was forcefully lying on the bed with the doctor leaning over him, a large syringe in his hand. Meanwhile, an equally shocked Josh stood on the side and watched the scene in horror.

Penguin sweat dropped at the sight. "Did we….come at a wrong time?"

Surprisingly, it was Josh who spoke up first. "Sam was just trying to skip work by pretending to be sick so captain was about to teach him a lesson," the medic lied once again to protect his friend. There was no way they could admit the real reason why Sam was pretending…not now when not only Law was here but Miyako herself. Penguin was also present with the very incriminating proof of their wrongdoings right in his pocket. This was the worst time possible for them to tell captain Law the truth so once again they'd have to try and lie themselves out of it.

Trafalgar looked back at Sam questioningly, not entirely convinced with the explanation yet but the mechanic started timidly nodding his head in agreement. The dark doctor scowled, still holding up that syringe if need be.

Meanwhile, the redhead stared back enquiringly at Cody who gave him a subtle signal with a shake of his head and crossed his two index fingers to make an X sign. The posture indicated both Penguin and Cody failed at their operation of returning Miyako's panties, which wasn't so odd since she was right there with them. However, it was obvious she didn't know what was going on yet since she was in a cheerful mood and both pirates still had their heads on their shoulders. So there was still time for success later, but only if they get a miracle now and escape this pinch they found themselves in.

For once it seemed luck was on their side, though. "Law, if you're done torturing Sam come with me….and take Kikoku!" Miyako suddenly exclaimed, interrupting the strange scene before her.

The captain frowned in suspicion at Miyako's ever-present smirk on her features. "Why?" was the only simple question he asked.

The girl pierced him with large, mischievous eyes as she looked directly at him. "Because we're going training."

~…..~

"You're in a good mood," Law commented as he walked after the girl into the coral woods while holding his nodachi on his shoulder.

Miyako was a few steps ahead of him, leading the way. She seemed more familiar with the territory now as if she already checked it out even after their scouting mission. Perhaps she was looking for the best place to begin their training. After a while, she finally stopped and Law found himself standing at the clearing they found earlier. "In the end, it has to be here. It's the best place," the samurai girl commented, more to herself than her captain. She turned back to Law, examining him up and down.

"We'll be training here? What, am I to cut corals instead of poles now?" The captain looked around the area, not impressed. He didn't look as psyched about this training as Miyako seemed to be but only because he was already spending most waking hours training by cutting unmovable things in front of him so this was nothing new to him. Besides, he wasn't even able to cut all the poles in his submarine's training room yet, so how was he supposed to cut these thick corals? They were obviously harder than any training gear he was practicing on until now.

The girl didn't look put off by his unenergetic behavior as she continued. "Training on poles is all nice and well but there is something else you need to do as well. I told you that I'll help with your training once I'm healed and that's exactly what I'm going to do now. You've been training your haki in the training room all this time and now it's finally time to show what you've learned. You need real-battle practice with your haki more than anything since your enemies definitively won't be unmovable poles, just as you said," the samurai explained and unsheathed her katana slowly. "So…let's see how much did your haki improve."

Understanding what Miyako meant, the captain unsheathed his nodachi and let the sheath fall on the grassy ground. In other words, she wanted to spar with him to see his progress in using haki. That also meant one more thing; no devil fruit powers. Otherwise, this training would be useless. So it was only up to his haki and his skill with the sword, just as he practiced all these days. "Very well," finally getting into it, Law took a stance with his sword and watched Miyako do the same. She stood sideways while holding her katana with both hands, pointing it at the ground in front of her. He could feel the pressure and true fighting spirit coming out of her, as he recognized her warrior's spirit awaken. But that wasn't all that awakened. The pressure around her intensified and Law could feel it even from where he was standing. Her haki. It was so strong he could almost see it swirling around the samurai girl who was still standing there motionlessly. Her eyes were piercing him, sharp as steel and serious. This might have been a training session but she had no intention of messing around. She was taking this seriously and so was Law. He had no intention of losing to her either so he released his own haki, surprising even himself as it was much stronger than he imagined it would be. So all that training up until now really wasn't for naught.

Both swordsmen came at each other at the same time with lightning speed and they clashed their swords in the middle of the vast clearing. Along with it, their haki clashed as well. Law's eyes widened slightly in surprise as his hands trembled from the force; not by Miyako's sword but the force of her haki behind it. Yet Law doubted she was even using full power now; she was probably only assessing his own power through this, still testing him. The thought made him grit his teeth in annoyance and he put more force into his arms as he intended to push her back. Right now, Miyako had the advantage since he couldn't use his devil fruit powers, so he had to keep a cool head and fight smart. Instead of pure force, he needed to use his brain for this just like the first time they fought each other at Sabaody.

However, Miyako intentionally gave him no chance to act as she stepped aside when he was about to push her back. She slid her katana on his nodachi, stepping forward towards him and sliced at his head without hesitation. If he wasn't able to dodge even that much, he had no place in the New World anyway. Law suddenly disappeared from her line of sight as she crouched down to avoid her slice and instead went to pierce her in the stomach. Just like hers, his hands had no hesitation in them either.

The girl had to step backwards, bringing her katana down to block his nodachi and push it sideways. She then proceeded to attack instantly, not wanting to give Law any time to stand and defend. However, her previous step back gave him some time to collect himself and get up again so he easily blocked her next attack. Miyako's attacks got quicker as she moved forward, pushing the captain back. However he pared her every movement with his own, blocking her attacks no matter where they came from or how quick. He was still holding his own, controlling his haki and not feeling the fatigue that would already hit him half a year ago when fighting like this. However, they both new Miyako could endure it much longer than he could and if he didn't make his move soon he'll just tire himself out and become too slow. At that time, it would be a certain loss for him.

Law's eyes widened again when he felt an especially forceful surge of power from Miyako. He dodged her next attack and it was a good choice as her haki flew forward, slicing everything behind Law. Behind him, the large corals that were in the way easily split in half with a clean slice and fell on the ground. As he dodged to the side, some of the pressure nicked his face and a thin line of blood appeared on Trafalgar's dark cheek.

"Perhaps we should've taken a medic with us," Miyako teased with a smirk.

"The winner will just have to drag the loser back to the camp then," Law answered, not showing any signs of being bothered by her words.

The samurai girl kept her smirk on. "Oh now, I don't know if I'll be able to do that after the match. You give me too much credit," she joked, intentionally trying to taunt Law into losing his cool. But it wasn't that easy to break Law's concentration and instead of responding he simply rushed towards her again, focusing his haki. He clutched his nodachi and swung with it, which she blocked.

Miyako's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion when she realized he didn't put as much force into that swing as it appeared at first. Almost as if he planned on her blocking it. Before she could understand why, Law disappeared from her sight again as he crouched down and swiftly round kicked towards her legs, trying to trip her. The girl was fast enough to notice it and quickly jumped into the air. However, that was exactly what the captain was waiting for. Standing up swiftly and focusing his haki into his next attack, Trafalgar aimed the tip of his nodachi right at Miyako so he could stab her. The power of the thrust was additionally laced with his haki as he tried to pierce her.

In response Miyako quickly put the katana in front of her for protection while still in air. She held the hilt with one hand while putting the other on the flat part of the sword so she would be able to resist easier when Law's thrust came. The tip of his nodachi struck the metal of her sword with full force. Miyako had to grit her teeth and brace herself along with the katana still in front of her unless she wanted Law to break her defense. However, she was still in air without any foothold, and the force of his haki was just too strong. It blasted her away and the girl did a back somersault in the air, landing on her feet. That's when she noticed the sleeves on her shirt were cut and torn from the haki. Even though her skin of her arms was unharmed underneath, she realized Law's attack almost passed her defense and did some harm. *_Tch, he almost had me there.* _Miyako clicked her tongue in annoyance, noticing that Trafalgar was once again missing from his spot and already running towards her for another attack. However, there was still something Law couldn't do with his haki while Miyako could.

Miyako stood in the stance with the sword right in front of her, watching Law approach with speed. _Ittoryu no Haki: 9 strikes! _She quickly sliced nine times through the air, so quickly the untrained eye would see it as only one slash. Bursts of haki flew as she sliced the air, heading right towards the charging captain.

Law noticed the shift in the air, seeing haki attacks fly at him. He scowled and quickly crouched to avoid one slash, then without stopping ran to the side, avoiding two more slashes. As he proceeded he ran to the left to avoid two more, before tilting his head to avoid one that caught some of his hair, snipping it at the ends. Still, there were three more coming and unable to find time to dodge them, he quickly put his nodachi before him to block them. He blocked one without stopping but the other two hit him simultaneously and he had to stand his ground to be able to deflect them. The power pushed him backwards and his feet slid across the ground, but he held the nodachi in front of him even as his sword shook from the force. He swung to the side, pushing the two slashes out of the way and finally breaking the haki-filled air. And that's when he noticed it. Coming right at him was another slice. However, his nodachi was already to the side and the captain stood there defenseless, with his guard broken from blocking the previous attacks. *_She must've sent another attack right after the nine strikes,* _it was the only thing he could think of before the haki hit him, slashing at the crevice of his shoulder and neck. He gritted his teeth and groaned in pain as he felt the burning on the skin, caused by a direct him. He was just lucky that didn't go right at his head or he really would be dead. It seemed that no matter how serious Miyako was about this, she was actually genuinely careful not to do something that could kill him. However, the damage to his right shoulder was enough for him to momentarily let go of the nodachi which was now being held only by his left hand.

_*Fighting without my powers is even harder than I thought it would be.* _Indeed, when it came to haki and pure skill with the sword, he couldn't beat this samurai of Wano. Not yet at least. He saw the girl rush at him with such speed that she was in front of him in an instant. Using all his remaining power and focusing the haki he had left, the captain swung his sword at her, intending this to be his final attack. The girl noticed what he was up to and quickly moved from offense to defense, putting her katana in front of her and determined to take the strike head on. She was surprised he managed to make a flying attack with his haki to begin with and it was one with such intensity. It blasted into her sword, making her feet slide backwards on the wet, mossy ground. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands around the hilt of the sword as it rattled in her jolting hands. The power of his haki was strong after all, especially since he unleashed all of it onto her. Miyako clenched her jaws even harder, grunting from the force of it, but then with a final exclaim of strength, she slashed through the air and cut though Law's haki attack. Before he could move, the girl was beside him with a sword pointed at his neck. He was too tired and exhausted to fight back anyway since he just forced out that huge amount of haki all at once.

The girl stood there smirking, but not because she was gloating. She was actually having fun, since she didn't have such training with someone for a long time.

"Tch, so I couldn't even make one cut on you?" Trafalgar knew he wasn't quite where the samurai girl was when it came to fighting without his devil fruit powers but he wouldn't think the difference would be so big that he wouldn't even be able to put one wound on her. He felt disappointed most of all.

Miyako's smirk never wavered as she tilted her head in thought. "That's not quite true." Sheathing her katana and showing the palms of her hands, Law could clearly see a large, long cut on each palm. Even though she managed to cut through that last haki attack, some of it still hit her after all. The force cut at her hands even through her sword. She reached one bloodied hand towards the kneeling captain, offering him her hand for help.

Law stayed in place for a while, completely silent and just staring at Miyako's hand, but then he finally took it, letting her help him up to his feet. That's when he noticed another thing, right behind the girl. He stared at the sight and realized this training wasn't just to test his strength but also to push his limits and make him improve. Miyako turned around to follow his gaze and smiled. Behind her, a large coral was cut in half and they both knew that one wasn't her doing.

~…..~

"So what do we do?" Louis asked the group as they all huddled together, away from the others in the camp. Shachi, Cody, Sam, Louis, Penguin and Josh were now all a part of this troublesome problem they had on their hands so they got together during their break-time and discussed their next step over dinner. They still hadn't figured out the perfect plan how to go about all this and the dangerous possession was still safely inside of Penguin's overall pocket.

"We have to act fast. Maybe now, while everyone's still occupied during their meal," Sam suggested looking at the other Heart Pirates around the camp who were eating their dinner, blissfully unaware of this group's problems.

"How did I get involved in this…?" Josh muttered through a whine, holding his head with his hands and trying to surpass the steadily rising headache.

"I'm already beyond even asking myself that anymore," Cody sighed, answering the unfortunate redhead.

"Come on guys, think! Captain Law and Miya-chan are away from the submarine now. Now is the time to act and return this without being noticed," Penguin spoke a bit too loudly as he got excited, pulling out the pink underwear from his pocket.

"Whoa! Put that back you idiot! What if someone sees!?" Sam yelled back at him in surprise.

"Miya-chan's underwear…Indeed, it's a good day," Louis nodded firmly with a proud expression on his face.

"I'm not seeing anything! I don't see anything at all!" The redheaded medic shouted, shaking his head and closing his eyes to try and run from the truth before his eyes.

"Let me see too!" Shachi whined, trying to grab the panties but Penguin expertly avoided his hands as he waved around with the undergarments in his grip.

Suddenly that silky fabric was grabbed by someone behind the mechanic and swiftly snatched out of his hand. "What's this?" Sai's monotone, barely interested voice sounded itself behind the group as he looked at the pink panties in his hand.

"Aaaah!" Shachi screamed in horror and quickly tried to grab the panties back but Sai swiftly dodged his every attempt, still looking at the undergarments questioningly. "Dammit Sai, give it back!"

"Why do you have something like this?" The navigator didn't even bat an eye as he avoided the group's hands while they desperately tried to recover the item and hide it from prying eyes of the others. "A hobby?" From Sai's tone it was hard to tell was he joking or actually serious about them having such fetishes. Luckily nobody but Sai seemed to notice the commotion for now but it was only a matter of time.

"As if you idiot!" Josh shouted back defensively at the navigator.

"J-just give it back, it's of no interest to you!" Sam tried to help Penguin with grabbing the panties but only ended up on his face when Sai turned to the side, avoiding his lurch forward so the assistant mechanic tripped over his own feet and fell on the ground.

~…~

"At least I'm glad I didn't have to drag you back to the camp after all," Miyako laughed, walking beside Law who was now holding onto his bloodied shoulder, putting pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. The cut was deeper than he originally thought even though it wasn't lethal. Still, the girl wasn't messing around when she hit him with that attack, which was pretty obvious now.

"How long are you planning to gloat over this?" The captain muttered, definitively in a bad mood even as he tried to stay calm, not wanting to seem petty about his loss.

"I'm not gloating~" The samurai answered in a voice that almost had a singing tone in it.

Trafalgar glared at the girl as he pierced her with a sideways glance. "You're definitively gloating," he muttered back, his bad mood becoming even darker now.

That's when the pair heard a commotion coming from the camp near the shoreline. There, they saw the two head medics and the two head mechanics along with Louis, Sam and the navigator arguing over something, making a ruckus.

"What's this about?" Miyako commented out loud as they approached.

Law only sweatdropped anxiously, suddenly remembering Penguin's confession from before. His expression was calm and unreadable but he somehow had a really bad feeling about this. Especially if it was about that foolishness from before.

Just as the pair approached the group, Penguin who was flaying his arms at Sai managed to knock something out of the navigator's hand with a victorious exclaim of 'Ha!' The soft, silky item fell right before Miyako's feet and the samurai stared down at it with puzzlement. It needed her a few seconds to understand what she was looking at. The pink fabric, along with the cute, small, red ribbon in front. Her eyes widened, as big as plates, as she stared down at the panties in front of her. Her panties. She opened her mouth to ask something but only stuttering noise came out.

The group in front froze and suddenly everything went deathly quiet. After a while of everyone standing there stiffly, Penguin dared to speak. "M-Miya-chan…I can explain…I mean _we_...we can explain."

"No, no, _you_ can explain. You got it right the first time," Josh corrected the mechanic, never taking his frightened eyes off of the samurai who seemed too shocked to even move. The girl was paler than a cloth. Beside her, the captain just stood there wordlessly, looking down at the underwear on the ground with mild interest.

Slowly the girl moved, or rather her hand did, right towards the hilt of Yawarakai-Te. She unsheathed her katana without another word and everyone stepped back instinctively. Suddenly the girl smiled sweetly but it that wasn't reassuring at all. On the contrary, it was the most disturbing sight yet. Even when her sweet voice echoed in their ears, it didn't calm them in the slightest. "Alright…Now stand there obediently and let me beat you."

Everyone paled a few shades of white, as they saw the girl slowly approach them with that smile on her face.

"w-w-wait Miya-chan, we can explain!"

"Gyaaaahhhh!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Waah, she got Penguin!"

"Somebody save me!"

"He's done for!"

"Why did I have to get hit, I didn't do anything!"

"Nooooooo!"

The group's painful and frightened screams continued to echo throughout the coral isle for a long time after that. All the other Heart Pirates could do was watch the scene in dread silently and wish for their comrades' fast recovery.

~…..~

Miyako sighed as she walked down the hallways of the submarine, feeling more exhausted than after that match with Law. Those pirate idiots could drain her mentally more than any opponent ever could physically. After she gave them all a good beating, the group got on their knees and bowed on the ground in apology, explaining everything. After hearing the truth she wanted to beat them again but simply lost her will to even do that much. What's more, she couldn't even look at those panties anymore since they would always remind her of the embarrassing moment, so in the end she threw them overboard, hoping to never see them again. Penguin actually protested, arguing that it would have been better to just leave the panties with him then but he just got another hit for it before he could even finish that sentence.

Getting back into reality she focused on her destination instead as she walked towards the training room. They were finally on their way again after the mechanics' team checked the submarine. Luckily, there was no damage to the vessel so it was smooth sailing once more. In less than a week they would arrive to Rocky Port and that was when the real fight starts.

It was already late at night or rather early in the morning, with a full moon still high in the night sky and Miyako realized she didn't see Law for hours. After he went to get himself treated into infirmary together with her hands that were once again bandaged, the captain ate dinner and rested for a time while doing some minor duties, after which he suddenly disappeared. She thought to check up on him just once more before going to sleep, especially since he was injured and exhausted a lot of energy today, first with the sea king and then with her. *_Perhaps I shouldn't have pushed him so much today. After all he was already tired from the previous fight and he's been training all day.* _She bit her lip, feeling guilty all of a sudden. However, hard training was the only kind she knew of since her master never let her cut any corners during her own swordsmanship training. If you weren't completely sore at the end of the day, it meant you were doing something wrong; or that's at least what Master Kuroda always said.

Realizing she wasn't hearing any sword slashes in the training room, Miyako hurried her step in worry. _*Did he faint again?*_ Going around the corner and entering the large ex-storage room, Miyako's breath stopped when she noticed Law on the ground, unconscious once again. He still had his sea stone cuffs on him and Miyako felt a strong sense of déjà vu from the whole scene. She quickly ran over to him and unlocked the cuffs, looking at his pale face as she brushed away the messy black hair from his eyes. That's when she raised her gaze and gasped in surprise. She couldn't take her eyes off of the sight. In front of her, all the training poles; they were all cut in half. _*This guy…did he do all this tonight?! He really is amazing…Trafalgar Law, you might actually become Pirate King one day.*_

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><p>Ok, this is it for the chapter! I made this a short one, cause it was just too show some of Law's hard training that will make his as awesome as he is now. :3 Plus some comic relief, I wanted to put something lighthearted for a change. I hope it was fun to read.<p>

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><p><strong>MissTigerLilly: <strong>Sorry, no spoilers. :P For now I'll just say that Miyako will be on PH.

**Thedarkdoctorgirl: **hehe I think doppelgangers make interesting characters. Thanks, I hope I'll be able to make a good Rocky port arc.

**Moo: **She's 21 now.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yes, since she can't control her ability, she just gets the face of any person she's close to. So the only way would probably be for her to completely isolate herself from people to get her original appearance back. Haha Ah, the dirty jokes… XD

**geckogal077: **I don't think fillers will be necessary since I'm pretty behind with the cannon story anyway. ^^' After Rocky Port, it's pretty much smooth cannon plot sailing afterwards. :D

**Zod'a Quatique: **Thankies! :D I really try to make my story as One Piece-like as I can (maybe just a bit more serious). And horror is my passion so I just have to write something scary nor and then. ;P

**Yumi sawamura: **Yep, she should. But she misunderstood him and thought that he didn't care about her katana and didn't believe her so she went to do everything by herself. Your also right about Mayumi just wanting to lure Miyako out by taking her sword, so they didn't have many options since they needed to find her fast. Well the doors are designed to stand a lot of water pressure in such cases, but yeah, that would be very inconvenient. ^^' haha That might work to, though I think the real Miyako would definitively try to run away at that moment. XD

**NightStar85: **haha It's funny because it's true. ;) No problem, have fun! :D Yeah, she might have played Miyako's personality for some time but would probably be discovered soon. But by then, they would sail away and Miyako would be left for dead in a well. :O

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Hey, that's what remakes are for. ;) Reading my first chapters now, I'm totally unsatisfied and they're also bad grammar and story wise. But it'll all about improving! So you have nothing to compare or worry about!

**ScarlettStained: **Thanks ^^ and it was chapter 34. Also Law's and Miyako's first unofficial kiss. :)

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: **Wow thank you, but I think there are definitively even better fanfiction writers than my out there. Still, I feel flattered. ^^

**Memarvo: **Rather than Franky's perverted face, I think she would be more freaked out by Sanji. XD

**JustChan: **Though I think Miyako's character development as a warrior and a person is still fine, you're right about the romance part of her personality (does that make sense, or only to me?). Anyway, yes, I'll have to work on it, but truthfully it was because I am more focused on getting the plot right and on the cannon track so it's hard to think about their romantic involvement right now and do their usual dance. As I said, I need to focus on the storyline right now, since this is primarily an adventure story. (I think I understand why Oda-sensei said he won't add romance relationships to One Piece :3) But this time Miyako was so rattled because of Mayumi and everyone taking her side, she misunderstood because it sounded like Law just thought getting back the katana was too troublesome and didn't believe her about Mayumi. So she thought she needed to act on her own cause nobody would listen to her and helped her. At least that was my idea to make it look that way. ^^' Also, I'm deliberately making Law more human-like cause he's being more human-like in the manga too (and I love how Law is like when he's with the Straw Hats, even more than the cold cool Law. :D)


	54. Chapter 54

**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for language, violence and suggestive themes.

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><p>My whole room stinks of fresh paint…I think the fumes are giving me writing inspiration. :3<p>

I hope everyone had fun summer vacation!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 54<strong>

The submarine slowly sailed through calm waters of the New World. It has been a few weeks since they decided on their plan at Rocky Port and since Law started training rigorously to prepare himself. It wasn't just Trafalgar either; the whole crew appeared to be training frequently and harder than usual as if preparing for something big. They understood the dangers of their next move very well and they had to be ready for it.

Even now Miyako was standing on the deck of the submarine, sparring with Cody and Josh as the trio all battled each other in a small battle royale. The girl jumped into the air to avoid Josh's attack before deflecting Cody's with her weapon. She kicked him in the air, sending him flying backwards and the medic did a backflip, landing on his feet expertly.

That's when Shachi and Bepo came out onto the deck with reprimanding stares as they crossed their arms on their chest. "What do you think you're doing?" The mechanic called out to the three pirates battling on the deck.

"Practicing," Josh answered bluntly without a second thought. Wasn't it obvious?

Bepo sweat dropped at the quick response. "Well that's fine but….you're supposed to be cleaning the deck instead!" The first mate exclaimed as he pointed at the makeshift weapons in their hands.

Miyako and the others gazed down at the wooden mops that they used as weapons to fight each other. The girl smiled sheepishly while the two medics scratched the back of their heads. "Ah…I guess we got a bit carried away."

"'Sides, moping the deck is really boring and tiring work," The redhead complained as he splashed a freshly wet mop onto the floor, making a puddle.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before almost destroying the submarine while _practicing_ last time," Shachi commented sarcastically, reminding the trio why they were here under the burning sun in the first place.

"I suppose we got a bit carried away that time too…" Cody admitted, remembering the scene.

It all started in the galley during lunch. And the reason? A piece of cake. The last piece to be exact. Miyako and Josh both had their eye on the last piece of chocolate cake in the dessert plate in front of them. So at the exact same time they reached for it with their forks only to entangle the two cutlery items with a clinking sound right above the pastry. At that moment, looking at the small electricity shocks colliding between Miyako and Josh, the others at their table could already guess where this was going. The small war with forks as weapons started above the cake plate as the samurai and the medic fenced and battled to get the upper hand and swipe the cake for themselves. Cody as the reasonable one tried to stop them of course but when Josh accidentally elbowed him in the face, the taller medic awakened his cold fury at the poor redhead instead. Meanwhile, Bepo decided to take the cake seeing that it was still sitting there, alone and uneaten. However, as soon as Miyako noticed that she tried to snatch it from the bear's big paws, causing Bepo to rise his arm in the air quickly and avoid the girl. The squishy cake then slipped out of his paws and fell behind him….right onto Penguin's head. The angry mechanic retaliated by throwing a piece of bread at Bepo who expertly dodged so the food hit unsuspecting Ben instead. The large medic instantly scooped a good ball of mashed potato in his spoon, aiming for Penguin but hitting Eli instead. And that's how all hell broke loose. Soon the whole galley turned into a war zone where food was the ammo. Not even the booming voice of Munk could calm the food fight raging just outside his kitchen so all the large chef could do was stare in despair as they tossed his precious lunch all around.

Finally the one who managed to calm the situation was Law as he walked into the galley and yelled for everyone to calm down, loud enough for all to hear. As soon as the Heart Pirates heard their captain's voice, they quieted down feeling anxious and embarrassed by their actions all of a sudden. Complete uncomfortable silence enveloped the galley but when the captain asked who was responsible for this, everyone simultaneously pointed into the direction of the samurai's table, accusing the three pirates silently.

Not only did the whole crew have to help clean up the galley until it was spotless, but the three originators of the mess had to clean up all the submarine's decks as punishment.

"Hey, how come Bepo didn't get punished?! He was the one who dropped the cake in the first place," The redhead muttered in annoyance wanting to share his misery with as many people as he could. Maybe that would make him feel less sore from all the scrubbing they were doing for hours.

"Hmpf, I just wanted to eat a cake. Miya-chan was the one who made me drop it," the bear explained, justifying himself. "I explained everything to captain, too."

"Tch, traitor…" Now it was Miyako's time to mutter as she glared at the side with an irked expression.

The only thing she could hope for now was that they reach another island to dock, though she doubted Law would just forget about this anyway. He would probably make them stay here and work while everyone else go to explore the new island. Besides, Miyako already knew they won't be docking to an island again because they just resupplied in a small town yesterday. They bought new groceries, medical equipment and everything else they needed when they sailed into a small island called Aoijima. There, Trafalgar also met with a shady-looking guy and they made some kind of transaction where the man sold them three large crates of something. It reminded Miyako of that document she found in Law's quarters, one about the explosives, but she couldn't get a clear answer from Law about it.

So according to Jean Bart, that was the last island on their way to Rocky Port and now it was hopefully smooth sailing towards the dangerous meeting point for future Kaido subordinates who wanted to join the beast Yonkou. Kaido was gathering an army; that's what that pirate summit was about. And in a few hours, the Heart pirates will arrive at that place, surrounded with enemies from all sides of the New World. The dark tension was obvious inside the yellow submarine as the crew awaited that moment. Everyone was silently preparing for something big. Law needed 80 more hearts of living pirates with a bounty of at least 500 000 Beli and he wanted to obtained them by attacking Kaido's pirate summit. Although unlikely, the Pirate Emperor himself could be there and attacking Rocky Port would be nothing short of declaring war to him. Even if Law's plan works, if Kaido realizes the Heart Pirates were behind it, he would definitively rain down all of his rage onto them with a vengeance. And one thing this Yonkou was famous for was his temperamental nature; he destroyed fleets for much less. How was Trafalgar planning to succeed and get out alive?

Miyako and the rest of the crew had no idea so all they could do was have faith in their captain. At least when it came to strategy, Law was on a whole different level than any of them; so if there was anyone who could actually pull this off, it was him. All Miyako could do was believe in him and follow his plan now. Because she was already one of them. She was a Heart Pirate too.

As if adding to the gloomy atmosphere on the unusually silent submarine, grey clouds flowed above them, darkening the sky and the mood with it. A clap of thunder was heard not far from the vessel and first rain started to fall as the submarine sailed right into that appearing storm. The waves were slightly harsher now as they rocked the yellow vessel and as they went further towards the meeting place, the rain fell harder as if trying to turn them away from this dangerous task. Yet the submarine continued on towards Rocky Port.

~…..~

When the submarine finally reached Rocky Port, it was already in the eye of the storm, rocking harshly on the large waves. The pirates were all inside and some of them gathered in the control room, staring at the land rising before them. Jean Bart was doing his best to keep the course steady and the ruder leveled as they sailed forward. The land before them couldn't really be called an island even though it was definitively the size of one; it was a vast area of black, burnt mess full of blackened rocks and charred soil. In front of them, a lone mountain stood, black just like the rest of the area. It didn't take much time for the pirates to realize they were gazing at a volcano. Even though it wasn't active anymore, it still seemed dangerously ominous. The dark soil around was all made from the volcano's eruptions from the lava that cooled and hardened in the sea. It created such a broad area that it indeed seemed like a small island. Still, there was nothing but rocks and hard, charred soil; no flora or fauna anywhere in sight. Nothing living existed in this area.

"The X is only visible from the mountain top where the seagulls fly high. Look down into the Hell's abyss, there is where we'll lie," Trafalgar repeated the two last lines of the riddle that was meant to bring the pirates here. Seeing the volcanic mountin rising high before them, it was obvious what those two last lines meant.

"But I don't see any other ships here," Sai commented while furrowing his eyebrows as he read the scanner for any moving signs. The submarine slowly sailed along the shoreline while the pirates stared at every visible nook and cranny to notice anything unusual.

"So many pirate ships docking at one place would definitively raise suspicion and they don't want the Navy finding out about this. There must be a secret door here somewhere," Shachi answered as his keen eyes inspected the area of Rocky Port.

"But don't the last two lines mean we need to climb up to that volcano and look down. Maybe we can only see the secret doors from up there?" Penguin muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"No." Everyone looked back at Trafalgar as he spoke. "The last line is a trick; it clearly already says where the meeting is; in the inside of that volcano," The captain pointed at the large mountain ahead of them.

"But how do we get there?" Miyako rested her hands on her hips as she stared at the volcano skeptically.

"If they can't even figure out the way in, then they're useless anyway. That must be one of the reasons why Kaido chose this meeting place." A wide smirk appeared on Law's face. "But it doesn't matter for we already have an advantage." The smirk never left Trafalgar's expression as he stared back at his crew who gave him a knowing gaze in return. It seemed they realized they're advantage as well. They didn't have to bother with figuring out hidden passageways since they had a clean ticket inside this volcanic mass. The captain walked over to the main window and stared at the high mountain that almost reached the dark grey clouds above. "There's just one more thing I want you to do before we submerge."

~….~

When the submarine finally emerged again out from under the dark waters of the island where only their headlights could guide them, and into its inside right underneath the volcano, they expected everything other than what they saw. The group gasped in awe when instead of the cold darkness they were expecting, their ship was illuminated with hundreds of lights. The lamps and torches were strapped all around the rocky volcano walls from top to bottom. What's more, from the inside the volcano was full of caverns and levels just like naturally made terrace floors. The whole place was big enough to hold hundreds of pirates. That was the next big thing the Heart Pirates noticed; all around them was lively with pirates who were drinking and chatting on the rocky volcano levels or on their ships docked beneath. Some of the ships were so large that the yellow submarine could hardly compete in size; it looked like a rowing boat being put next to a ferry.

As soon as the submarine emerged from the watery depths, all murmuring stopped for a second as curious pirates stared at the new arrivals. The metal door of the yellow vessel with a grinning smiley on the side opened and a single person walked out casually, as if he wasn't bothered by the possibly hostile territory in the slightest. The man was wearing a long black coat with a yellow grinning smiley of his jolly roger and a white spotted hat on his head. Under the rim were two sharp eyes circled with dark lines of sleep deprivation. A simple smirk was held steady on the man's face as his footsteps echoed across the deck and the noise bounced off of the volcanic walls. A long sword rested safely on his left shoulder, sheathed for now.

"So another one deciphered the message and found a way here."

"Didn't they just emerge from the water?!"

"Is that a submarine? How peculiar."

"Oy..but…isn't that the famous rookie of the Worst Generation; Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law!?"

"What is he doing here? Does he really want to join Kaido?"

"I heard he's bounty is 440,000,000 Beli now!"

"Perhaps the pressure of the New World became too much for him as well. It's hard for rookies on their own, especially now that Akainu took over the Navy."

Comments and similar talk traveled all across the hideout as the pirates stared suspiciously at the newcomer. However, Trafalgar seemed to ignore all of them as he waited for the submarine to dock and then easily jumped out and onto the rocks beneath. He wasn't bothered by the chat around him at all and soon the other pirates also got tired of observing the infamous Dark Doctor and returned to their own activates.

Not long after, the large submarine doors once again opened, this time with numerous pirates in the same white overalls and various hats coming out. Only three people looked different, beside the captain. One was an actual bear with snowy white fur and human clothing, wearing an orange overall. Another one was a man so large he could hardly fit through the front gates, with a black wild mane on his dangerous-looking face. The last one was the only girl in the crew with long dark blue hair and fiery golden eyes, wearing simple clothing and a katana strapped to her waist.

"Whoa, the inside of this thing is pretty impressive," Shachi commented as he gazed up at all the lights and rowdy pirates sitting around the rocky mountain.

"Trafalgar Law," a new voice that came from behind made the group turn questioningly. They saw a man in his late forties with thick, ginger bird and a scar across the left side of his face. The scar looked as if it was caused by burning and the reddish skin there was wrinkled like scraggy paper. The man never stopped grinning, showing yellow teeth, as he limped with one good leg towards the Heart Pirates. All the while, his amused stare never left Trafalgar's eyes. "Never did I think one of ya Supernova who caused so much trouble on Sabaody two years ago would have to fall under a Yonko," the words had an obvious taunt in them. "'Tis not surprising though, is be expected. Tha New World became even more dangerous now with Akainu takin' over an' that Teach fella. Small fry canna make't on their own anymore."

Law's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly but he kept his collected self, not falling under the other pirate's provocation. Instead, he turned towards the red-bearded man with a bored expression. "And you are?"

The pirate's grin never faltered, not bothered by Law's lack of respect or even acknowledgment. "Gage 'Scarred' Sutton they call me," the man grinned even wider if it was possible. Some of his teeth were replaced by golden ones, gleaming in the light. "Not very imaginative I'm afraid. Canna be 'xpecting much from pirates, I savvy. Imma commander in Kaido's army, ya know,' the man answered proudly. It was obvious he viewed himself differently from these other pirates who came to join Kaido's wing even though he was Kaido's henchmen just like all of these men will soon become. But here, even Sutton had an upper rank over all this newcomers. Nevertheless, not all the pirates here were newbies. Law recognized some faces instantly as they have been getting a name for themselves over the past two years after Whitebeard's declaration, which prompted a lot of them to take on pirating and sail for the New World. Some were already well known in the papers. Captain Walker Crawhawk, Gruesome Joe Gull, Marcia Grimbeard; those were only a few names of the pirates whose faces Law recognized here and they all had pretty high bounties already. He was right; this was the place to hunt down pirates that he needed to use for his plan to become a Shichibukai.

Trafalgar didn't answer anything as he stared back at the ginger pirate. The other was talking enough for the both of them anyway.

The one who commented was Penguin, instead. "You got quite a crowd here. Guess a lot of people deciphered that add in the newspapers. Aren't you afraid marines could've caught wind of it too and infiltrate?"

Miyako gave the mechanic a wary stare. It was ironic that of all people, he would ask such a question, as if he was deliberately poking at the unsuspecting Kaido's follower before they all met their doom by none other than the Heart Pirates. Who would have guessed Penguin had such a vile streak in him. Somehow, Miyako found it amusingly likable at the moment.

"'Tis meeting be cooking for a long time now. Tha ones who know 'bout it are tha ones who were waitin' patiently for Kaido's move and follow all information. 'Sides, if there be a traitor in our merry lot here…we'd take care of him quickly," the man stared right at Law and pulled out a large curved knife that looked as if it were made for gutting. He licked it with his long tongue, emphasizing his point. All the while he kept staring at the captain of the Heart Pirates as if warning him silently but Law just gazed right back with the same bored, unimpressed expression. The pirate doctor didn't appear moved by any of it, like the words didn't apply to him in the slightest anyway. The message must've gone through to Gage so the older pirate sheathed back his long knife at the belt and grinned once more.

"Will Kaido come to the summit too?" Miyako asked in interest, her whole body tense while awaiting the answer. That was the one fact that could compromise their whole plan.

Sutton just laughed wholeheartedly. "No, no, girly, come now. Kaido is a very busy man, ya know. He canna be wastin' time with these small matters and _small_ pirates!" The pirate laughed again as if just hearing a good joke. "Well then, I be better gettin' back to preparations. There be still time for new arrivals that were smart enough to find a way here. We don't need tha rest anyway, geheheh," he laughed from deep within his belly, looking at the yellow submarine behind the group. "That be some entrance on yer part, too, laddie." With one last grin he turned to gaze at Miyako and tipped his black tricorne at the girl, before turning and limping back to his post where some other Kaido's men resided at the moment.

"What an unsightly man," Miyako glared at the man's back while he walked away.

"How dare he speak to captain Law like that! We are no small pirates!" The girl turned at the familiar angry voice and saw Bepo glaring daggers at Gage's back just like she was.

Indeed, the man was disrespectful to the maximum, even going so far as to call Law 'small fry.' Even Miyako felt her blood boil in anger at those taunting words. Yet Law stayed completely calm through it all, completely brushing off the insults. She was sure it was because Law had more important plans to accomplish now and couldn't afford ruining them by getting angry from some petty taunts. She was sure in any other time and place that man would be a goner after his first cocky remark but this time it was different. This time, there couldn't be anything to risk their operation.

Penguin spat on the ground, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. The other Heart Pirates had similar expressions of anger or annoyance even though they stayed completely silent during the man's speech. It was because everyone knew not to draw attention to themselves and jeopardize the plan. However, the whole crew was tense with what was to come, waiting what will happen next.

That was when Law's mouth pulled back in his characteristic smirk. He must've been on edge too but he appeared completely relaxed and ready. "Relax…More importantly look around. There are definitively more than 80…"

The group gazed back at their captain questioningly, wondering what he was talking about.

Even without looking at them, Law could tell they were confused and his smirk turned into a sadistic grin. "There's definitively more than 80 pirates with 500 000 bounties on their heads here."

~…..~

Hours seemed to have passed since they arrived inside the volcanic island but it was hard to tell since they had no way of even seeing the sky. Night or day; here it all looked the same.

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Louis asked in impatience, tapping his fingers on the rock he was sitting on. Some Hearts stayed on deck while others waited on the rocky shore of the volcano's inside, careful not to get too far in case of emergency. After all, nobody knew what to expect yet.

Just as Sai was about to answer the mechanic to have some patience, a group of Kaido's men appeared on the high floor of the volcano. After their appearance, everything went quiet. All the murmurs and rowdy pirates partying stopped as everyone averted their attention to the men above them. There were 10 of them though only three seemed more important in their group than the others who were probably just some henchmen. On their front was Gage 'Scarred' Sutton himself, raising both hands in the air as if silencing the pirates beneath him and greeting them at the same time. The ginger bearded man spoke loud enough for all to hear as his rough voice echoed throughout the volcano. "Pirates from all corner of tha world! Ya be here, the few privileged! The smart ones!" He grinned at his own words. "The chosen ones to be a part of tha biggest crew…biggest army 'tis New World has ever seen! A force larger an' stronger than even the Navy!" The pirates beneath him cheered in earnest before going silent once more when Gage continued his speech. "Ya will be given strength, power and protection from tha greatest of all pirates and Pirate Emperors alike! Kaido of the Beasts welcomes ya! And ya'll become powerful beasts to rage through all the Four Blues!" As he ended his speech, the pirates once again cheered with such booming strength, the rocks around them vibrated.

The younger navigator had to close his ears for protection from the loud noise. He scowled with an annoyed expression. "Tch, so nosy…" These fools who were so happily giving away their freedom as roaming pirates are way too happy about it; at least that was his opinion.

Throughout the commotion, Jean Bart walked over to Trafalgar, holding a den den mushi and murmured near the captain's ear. "It's starting."

The smirk once again appeared on Law's face as his eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation. It was time. "Alright….I hope we get a good show out of this. After all, it's not every day we start a war."

Not long after Trafalgar's amused words, chaos began.

~…..~

At first they heard thundering noises outside but nobody paid any heed since there was a storm raging outside before. However, when the volcano started trembling, everyone started looking around in confusion, murmuring among themselves. None of the pirates knew what was going on outside, including Kaido's men.

An earthquake?

An Attack? Cannons?

Soon, the pirates realized rather than the storm outside, what was thundering were ship cannons. Whole of Rocky Port was vibrating from the attacks coming from the outside.

The men inside started panicking, becoming suspicious of the situation. "What's going on?!" They shouted angrily, glaring at Gage and his gang. "Is it a Navy attack?"

"It's a trap! Kaido must've set us up!"

"Bastards!"

Angry and outraged shouts continued throughout the caverns of Rocky Port. Even as Sutton tried to calm the men down, it was too late. Everyone was already going back to their ships, trying to get out of the closed death trap that this volcano suddenly became.

~…~

Josh, Ari and Eli ignored the rain as they hid outside of the volcanic island, on the far side where cannonballs couldn't reach. The redhead was looking at the approaching ships through the spyglass. "Wow, there's Navy battles ships coming from the East."

Ari was staring at the opposite direction. He didn't even need the spyglass to see the two large ships already shooting at the volcano. Unlike the blue insignia of the Navy, this was a jolly roger with a skull wearing a pirate hat and full red lips covered in lipstick. The jolly roger of another Yonko; Big Mom.

Behind the two Big Mom pirate ships was one, much smaller in comparison but when the Hearts saw the black pirate flag and the captain standing at the front of the ships, they're eyes went wide. They could already hear the large man's distinctive laughter. "Zeehahahahaha!" It was none other than Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, standing under his flag with three pirate skulls on it.

"It really is starting…just like Captain Law said," Josh answered staring at all the approaching ships. Even though all three sides were definitive enemies, they had one thing in common; a common enemy right in front of them, which was Kaido of the Beasts. Still, it was obvious Big Mom pirates, Blackbeard pirates and the Navy definitively weren't working together because not only were they attacking Rocky Port but also started attacking each other on sight, surprised to see the other forces of the sea in the same place. Even though it wasn't as chaotic and big as War of the Best two years ago, it was definitively a sight to behold as three large forces clashed. But what was even more unbelievable was that they had one more common fact they didn't even know about - they were all brought here by the same man; Trafalgar Law.

"_Listen. The truth is I already started this plan a long time ago; when we first saw that hidden message in the newspapers." Law announced to his crew as they all stood around gathered on the deck of the submarine. They were soon to be arriving at Rocky Port when the captain called everyone for an important meeting. It was finally time to explain his plan to them._

"_What do you mean, captain?" Penguin tilted his head in confusion._

"_When I decided to take the rest of the 80 needed hearts at Rocky Port I devised a plan to do it. Indeed, there will be hundreds of strong pirates there; too much for us to handle right now. But that's why we'll bring a force to distract them." Law could see the expressions of his crewmembers were still confused but he ignored it for now and continued with his story. A smirk appeared with his next words. "When we deciphered the information of Kaido's pirate summit, I didn't keep that information all to myself. I used my informant to spread the info in the underground so to make sure it will get to as many other sides as possible. I wanted to attract as many of Kaido's enemies as possible." _

_Miyako gasped as things suddenly became clear in her head. "Information of Kaido collecting an army would definitively attract attention of the other Yonkou and the Navy." _

"_Of course!" Shachi slammed his fist in his palm as he exclaimed. "The others would see it as a threat and would definitively try to stop Kaido from getting even stronger by creating an even bigger zoan army."_

"_And Akainu definitively wouldn't miss a chance to attack a place filled with wanted pirates," Cody added._

_Trafalgar nodded, still smirking in satisfaction. "We'll use that chaos and create a chance to attack. All we have to do is pick the right time to strike when they're all weak and confused." He took a step forward towards his crew, making sure they were all listening carefully. "Now let me explain our plan."_

"It's all happening just as captain predicted," Ari nodded as he saw cannonballs fly at Rocky Port.

They could see a dark shadow envelop one of the many marine ships. Blackbeard controlled the black mass as it swallowed up everything in its way and then rose into the air like a ball of pure black. A tornado of shadows suddenly appeared and threw out of itself everything it previously swallowed. Ship parts and humans fell from the darkness onto other ships and into the sea.

"That means we'll need to do our part soon too. We have to wait for the signal when captain calls us via den den mushi," the medic explained.

"Yeah, but this place's becoming kinda dangerous," Eli muttered seeing all the enemy ships approaching Rocky Port from different sides. That's when the master gunner looked down at the long fuse near his feet. His gaze followed the long string back to boxes of explosives, curtsy of Law's underground contact they met at Aoijima and traded with. Right before the submarine submerged and headed towards the inside of the volcano, Law ordered Eli, Ari and Josh to get out onto the shore with the crates and prepare the explosives at the previously agreed points in the volcano grounds. They were to light them at the right time, creating even more confusion and chaos among the pirates inside. What's more it will be it easier for cannonballs to fly and destroy the insides of the large volcano, rendering their enemies defenseless and without cover.

The volcanic island continued to tremble under the attacks when suddenly a ship appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It must've come from some secret passage that led inside the volcano. The large ship was filled with shouting pirates as they engaged in a battle with a marine ship nearby. More ships started going out and a full out war started.

The three Heart Pirates were brought out of their daze from the sight by the sound of a ringing den den mushi. As Josh answered, only one order was heard coming from the usual low voice of their captain. "Do it." The medic nodded to Ari who already had a prepared match in his hand, lighting the fuse.

~…..~

Law and his crew pulled back onto the submarine without anyone even noticing in the chaos of it all. What's more, nobody noticed when the submarine submerged back underwater, deep within the Rocky Port so it was out of reach of what was to follow.

A few minutes later after Law's signal via den den mushi, an explosion rocked the very core of the volcano on Rocky Port, making the top cave into itself and fall. With it fell large rocks and boulders together with shocked pirates who fell onto the ground or sea beneath if they were lucky. A large hole appeared on the side of the volcano where now cannonballs freely ripped through the rocks and soil, together with the pirates inside. Outside, a small war was raging between four large forces battling each other.

The submarine emerged again outside of the island and the Heart Pirates rushed outside on the deck. Law simply walked with his nodachi, unsheathing it in the process and looking down at some of the battling pirates on the rocky area in front of them. He waited patiently as Josh, Ari and Eli hastily slid down the charred, wet soil and ran towards the ship, jumping onto thedeck with satisfied grins on their faces. Just as they ran passed the walking captain, the man slashed one time with his long sword. The slash was filled with his haki together with the devil fruit powers as the large orb of blue now encircled Rocky Port. At first everything was the same with battle noises of clashing swords and firing guns around them. However, after a few moments of wait, the high volcano slowly split in half and the upper half fell apart into large boulders and fell right onto some of the Navy battleships and pirate vessels. They could hear shocked screams of the men on those ships from the distance right before the rocks of the volcano crashed down onto them and sunk their ships. The captain of the Heart Pirates turned around towards his crew that were already ready and waiting on the deck, armed to the teeth. "Let's go! Show no mercy!" At his command, the Hearts roared and rushed out onto the shores of Rocky Port once more, mowing down all the confused and injured pirates in sight that were now escaping the inside of the crumbling volcano.

~…..~

From all the battles Miyako had ever been in this one was the most brutal and chaotic one yet. She ignored all the sounds of pained screams and angry shouts around her, all the noise from clashing weapons and dying screams. She simply continued on, slashing everything and anything that was in her way. Everyone was an enemy besides her nakama right now. And she couldn't afford to show mercy to anyone. Not without risking her own life or, what's more important, the lives of her friends. The girl swiftly avoided a bullet, still running forward, before dodging another from the other side and slashing the gunner pirate in front. She didn't even stop as she sliced him across the chest before moving onto the next one. With the corner of her eye she could see Jean Bart on her left, slamming his big fists into the enemy and taking out dozens at once. On her other side, Bepo was shouting in his usual kung-fu battle cries while he kicked and punched at the pirates, mowing them down one by one. The other Heart Pirates did the same as they all went into battle without hesitation. Suddenly a pirate appeared right in front of her out of nowhere and went to slash her with his sword. The girl was already moving, deciding to dodge swiftly but before that, suddenly the man's right eye was pierced with a bullet. Surprised Miyako stopped and stared at the shocked expression of the now-dead pirate who slumped backwards onto the ground. Looking behind her with wonder, Miyako saw Sai aiming his rifle in her direction from the deck even though the distance was at least half a kilometer between them. He had her back, covering her from behind as the sniper of the crew. The girl nodded with a small smirk of appreciation, knowing Sai's sharp eye would notice it, before turning to charge up ahead.

The samurai girl noticed a cannonball coming at her from one of the ships still aiming at Rocky Port and she quickly jumped into the air with her katana in front of her. She swung the sword and cut the cannonball in two with both parts flying on each of her sides, smashing somewhere in the rocks behind her. She could see Jean Bart stop another cannonball with his bare hand before throwing it right back at a Navy ship with such force the ship sunk from the large hole it created in its hull.

Trafalgar walked through the ruins and debris of Rocky Port, staring at the remaining mess of the volcano. He was searching for familiar faces on wanted posters, examining the fallen and injured but still alive pirates or the ones still fighting that would be worth the time of taking down. Any with high bounties would do. His clothes, sword and hands were already bloody from the fight as he simply killed anyone who wasn't interesting for his plan yet stood in his way. There was a bag in his other hand with something rhythmically moving inside it; the beating hearts of all the high-bounty pirates he already took care of. Luckily, there was a whole mob of wannabe rookie pirates who decided to set sail after the War of the Best in search for One Piece and some already made names for themselves in the past two years. Others here, on the other hand, were older pirates who decided the New World had become too dangerous for them to sail on their own without a Yonkou protection.

Suddenly, the Surgeon of Death stopped his casual stroll through the battlefield. Looking at the ground he could see a struggling body underneath some boulders and instantly recognized the ginger beard and scarred face of the older pirate.

"O-oy…" Sutton coughed a few times while struggling to breathe from the pressure on his body. "Trafalgar…help me some, will ya? Ya'r also…Kaido's man now…"

The dark doctor just continued to watch the struggling pirate with his usual expression of disinterest. That's when he decided to open his mouth. "There are only two ways of surviving in the New World. Either go under the protection of one of the four Pirate Emperors or continually challenge them….and I was never one to listen to orders," with the last statement, the pirate captain smirked widely at the man beneath his feet.

"Wha? What ya…be takin' 'bout…ya small fry?" Sutton grit his teeth in anger and annoyance at Law's sudden high and mighty attitude towards him. The Surgeon of Death was looking at him with such cold eyes as if he was observing a struggling insect with amusement.

"Gage 'Scarred' Sutton," Law repeated the name of the man before him. "Now that I think about it, I do remember that name…you have a bounty of one million on your head." Trafalgar's expression contorted into one of sadistic amusement as an idea crossed his mind. It made the other pirate shiver but he was helplessly pinned down on the ground.

"Tact" Law's finger moved and all the boulders were removed from Gage instantly.

At first the man blinked in surprise but then a relived grin spread on his face, showing his yellow and flashy golden teeth. "Ah, ye be a smart lad after all. Ya, I be a bounty of 1 million, a famous pirate under Kaido-" he never managed to finish when Law's sword moved above him as if he was about to pierce his heart.

"Mes," Law's simple words echoed around them and Sutton's eyes went wide with shock and pain as a piercing ache in his chest hit him. After that, everything went black.

~…..~

The sounds of battle were raging from all around. Battleships and pirate ships shot at each other, while the members aboard tried to cross to other enemy ships to attack them. The large cannonballs swiftly crushed everything, taking both ground and people with them as they flew. The slashes of hard steel cutting into soft flesh echoed through the area along with screams of dying men; pirates and marines alike. In the end, it was all the same when they met their early demise. The blackened soil of old volcanic eruptions was now dark red as blood seeped into the ground, creating muddy puddles. Still, the four small makeshift armies fought on with mighty roars and battle cries. Even as the raging storm outside stopped, the sky was still dark and ominous just like the sight below.

Miyako jumped in the air to avoid a slash from a sabre from the side. _Ittouryu: Heavenly strike! _With a force she swung down at her opponent, breaking both his sabre and slashing him vertically as she landed before the now dead pirate in a crouch. Just then she felt a strong pressure on her side, filled with killing intent, and the samurai girl turned to block whatever was coming. The force of the attack was enough to make her arms tremble but she held firm even as her feet slid backwards across the charred soil. That was when she realized she just blocked a long spear. The large person before her towered over her, enveloping Miyako in their shadow. The samurai girl had to look up to examine her new opponent and her eyes widened. She was met with a woman that appeared to be in her late forties, with a long witch-like nose and a grinning set of large, mostly crooked teeth. Two black pigtails danced around the large body of the woman who was still pushing at Miyako with her spear.

The first time Miyako saw this face was via video den den mushi while watching the War of the Best. That's where she remembered this large, grinning woman but later it was hard to miss the face of one of the most dangerous escapee prisoners of Impel Down as her face was on many wanted posters. Catarina Devon, also known as the 'Crescent Moon Hunter', and a member of the Blackbeard crew.

"You…" Miyako gritted her teeth and glared at her sudden attacker. "You're with that Blackbeard pirate. The one who killed Whitebeard."

The pirate known as Catarina grinned even wider, amused at the little samurai in front of her. Their builds were completely different where the older woman was about two times bigger than Miyako. "I'm so glad I'm this popular," the woman answered sarcastically, ignoring Miykao's glare. "You know, we came here really hoping Kaido will be here so to finish him off but in the end we just got involved in this mess yet no trace of Kaido. So at least I thought I should blow off some steam by killing you small fry and here I see another woman, slashing away at all her opponents. You seemed so interesting I just had to say hello." The grin never left Catarina's face as she continued her sarcastic speech. Intentionally, she added more pressure into her spear which was still going against the katana in Miyako's hands.

The samurai girl managed a bitter smirk through her gritted teeth as she fended of the woman's attack. "That's a nasty way of greeting someone. You have no manners."

The older pirate kept her grin but her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then let's try that again…" She suddenly swung her spear from the side, pushing Miyako away in the process. "Nice to meet you!" The woman yelled in amusement, slashing at the girl's side.

Miyako stepped away from the woman, getting some room between them before blocking a series of harsh attacks from Catarina. The pirate woman was bashing her spear with such force it was a miracle Miyako wasn't sent flying from the impact, but the girl stubbornly stood her ground instead, moving in time with each slash of the spear. Blocking yet another pierce attack, Miyako stepped forward towards the larger woman. _Ittouryu; 8 gates of the Dragon! _With lightning speed Miyako rushed forward to attack, making a series of swift slashes. The technique was so quick, the katana was nothing but a blur and it only looked like Miyako made one strike instead of the actual eight. She aimed at all eight weak points of Catarina's body, her movements barely visible to the naked eye.

Yet the woman, stepping backwards to prepare herself for the upcoming attack, managed to match the samurai's speed, blocking each strike with her spear quickly. Both moved in a rush, in par with each other's strength, with other pirates around them unable to even follow their movement properly. They were both so focused on their own battle, they completely ignored everything and everyone else around them; the battle sounds became nothing more than background noise to them.

The older pirate swung once again before lifting her spear and towering over Miyako, piercing from above and down at the samurai. The girl jumped to the side, dodging the harsh attack that created a small crater where it hit, rising clouds of dust into the air. When the dust finally cleared, Miyako was nowhere to be seen, out of Catarina's vision. The big woman narrowed her eyes in suspense and suddenly looked above where Miyako was already preparing to strike down. Without hesitation the girl put her haki power into the katana, bringing it down towards the woman. However Catarina pierced upwards at the same time and blocked the katana from the side, then swung sideways again to forcefully push Miyako away who was still in the air. On her surprise the nimble samurai disappeared once again as she used the impact as leverage to propel herself back into the air and she landed on the end of Catarina's spear, behind the woman.

"Tch, you're just like a little bug, flying around!" The pirate woman yelled in annoyance as she saw Miyako run towards her on the narrow spear, preserving balance with ease. A katana was clenched in her right hand, ready to cut down anyone who stood in the samurai's way. The girl didn't answer anything to Catarina's comment, instead she just rushed forward with the same sharp glare in her darkened eyes. However her move didn't go as planned as Catarina suddenly slammed the end of her spear towards the ground, along with Miyako. The girl jumped backwards, making a somersault and landing on her feet a few meters behind. Without waiting, the larger woman prepared to swing her spear and run up to the girl again, when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Catarina!" An unfamiliar to Miyako voice shouted from somewhere further away and it brought both women pirates back to reality. They separated for a while, jumping further from each other. Miyako was panting, taking shallow breaths, even more than Catarina was. Still, the sharp burning glare of the samurai girl never left her golden eyes.

"What is it, Laffitte!?" The woman pirate yelled back in irritation from being interrupted in her fun. She was still staring at Miyako with that grin though, and licked her lips in amusement.

"Teach is calling us! Kaido isn't here so this is a waste of time, we're pulling back!" A tall man wearing a top hat and holding a cane, going by the name of Laffitte, answered back. Without waiting for his nakama, he turned around to leave completely uninterested in the battlefield around him.

"Tch, and here I was having my fun," the woman muttered, looking dissatisfied for the first time since their little battle started. "Fine, then we'll have to postpone this for another time samurai girl," he grin soon returned as she stared back at Miyako.

"Can't wait…" Miyako muttered in a sarcastic response, though her voice was anything but overjoyed.

The said samurai didn't intend to follow or attack as she saw the woman rush away back to her crew but she kept her avid eyes on the woman the whole time, still maintaining a fighting stance just in case. She didn't want to risk it in case Catarina changed her mind and decided to finish the fight after all. By the news and wanted posters, Miyako already knew those Blackbeard pirates were all a crazy and dangerous lot, not to mention violent and sadistic. Even though the whole fight just now didn't last longer than a few minutes, Miyako could already tell from the numbing feel in her arms from blocking all those powerful attacks; that woman was strong. Strong and dangerous.

"Miya-chan!" Bepo's voice broke through the noise and pulled her out of her musings. This was no place for that anyway. She turned back to the first mate who was rushing over to her, finally relaxing her stance. When the bear arrived to her side he was already panting, both from fighting and running around. "I saw you fighting with Crescent Moon Hunter from the Blackbeard pirates! Are you ok?" He seemed genially worried as his beady black eyes stared deeply into Miyako, checking her over for any injuries.

The girl gave him a tired smile. "I'm fine, don't worry. She didn't land a hit." She could see a relieved look spreading across Bepo's face but Miyako couldn't bring herself to feel as relaxed. A thought was still bothering her. _*But I didn't manage to land a hit either.* _That fact warned her there were still much stronger opponents than her out there that she'll eventually meet in the New World if she stayed with the Heart Pirates and help in their quest for One Piece. It was inevitable, which meant the only solution was for her to get even stronger and prepare herself. She couldn't afford to relax thinking she was strong enough and lose focus of the fact that there will always be someone stronger out there that she'll have to surpass. She couldn't forget that even for a moment. She turned back to the polar bear with newfound determination. "Let's go Bepo, we still have work to do."

~…..~

In the holy land of Mariejois, a vast estate spread across the land for kilometers. There stood a large palace made entirely of fine white stone. It was surrounded by well-groomed gardens and forests, with glistening ponds where large colorful koi fish swam in circles. Inside the palace everything was as beautifully decorated as the area surrounded it. Right now, in this beautiful home of the Tenryuubito, a meeting was held in the far east wing of the building. Inside a large room which was plainly decorated with only the necessary furniture, five elders sat at a big round oak table in the middle. The Gorosei were in session as they talked over the events of what happened a few days ago. The incident was already covered by the newspapers and the marines tried to get as much information as they could from the captured pirates on the scene. The newspapers called this event the Rocky Port incident but it seemed nobody knew much about what really happened there.

A tall middle aged man was standing before the five Gorosei respectfully, holding a few papers in his large hand. Behind him, two serious marines stood completely still and tense as they guarded the doors. Akainu put the papers on the table in front of his superiors that ran almost the entire world. The heads of the World Government itself. "This is the report of what happened three days ago."

The oldest looking one took the report in his hand and skimmed over it, fixing his glasses in the process. "Can you tell us what exactly happened there fleet admiral Sakazuki?"

"They say a small war happened at that area," another added in a serious tone.

Akainu had the same severe expression as the others while he spoke. "We got information that Kaido was gathering new recruits for his army. We came there to apprehend the pirates…" He had to watch himself not to use the word 'pirate scum' as he usually does, as he was now in front of the five most important people in the world. "But it seems others got wind of the information as well and when we got there two ships belonging to the Yonko 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin and even Blackbeard's crew with Marshall D. Teach were already there. We fought with all of them but weren't able to apprehend all of the pirates. Most of them escaped," the man gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in utter rage. He was livid by the thought that so many notorious pirates escaped right underneath their noses. *_I should've gone there and handled it myself!*_

"And Kaido?" Another old man asked.

Sakazuki shook his head, still clenching his fists. "He was not there. Only some of his men."

The elder with the glasses sighed and put the papers down, closing his eyes for a moment. He shook his head when he opened them again. "Everything went so quiet with the Pirate Emperors after Whitebeard's death but it seems that peace was only on the surface, a rouse while they were preparing themselves. Kaido is even building an army and Blackbeard is sailing around freely, taking over Whitebeard's territory and collecting strong devil fruits. If this goes on the World Government will fall behind as the leading force in the world and we can't let that happen."

"We also must be prepared," an old man with a birthmark on his forehead added.

Then the five elders turned back to the marine admiral. "Thank you, Sakazuki-san, that will be all for now. We need to talk over some plans as well."

The fleet admiral saluted swiftly and turned around on his heels before taking long steps out of the room and closing the doors behind him. The two marines at the doorway followed him down the corridor, walking briskly behind him in complete silence.

"Fleet admiral!" Another marine soldier ran over to Akainu who was in one of his bad moods again. There was already steam rising from his clenched fists. "What?" He turned to the marine and gave him a stare that showed little patience.

The other man gulped but proceeded, handing a photo to his superior. "One of our marine journalists took this at the scene three days ago."

Akainu's eyes narrowed at the photograph and the hand holding it crumpled the piece of paper before it set on fire and started burning. The picture of the smirking captain of the Heart Pirates walking through the dark battlefield burned to ashes in Sakazuki's fist. "Trafalgar…" There was nothing but raging venom in the marine's tone. This damned pirate rookie was a thorn in his side for far too long already. What was he planning this time; to join Kaido? Trafalgar Law didn't seem like the type to do so, which only made his presence there all the more suspicious. What's more, the fleet admiral already had his hands full with this case, investigating what exactly happened at Rocky Port. At least he knew where to start. He turned back to the marine as he ordered, "Get our source here, I'll question him personally on where he got the information about Kaido's pirate summit from."

"Yes sir!" The marine saluted and turned on his heels, hastily walking away to do his duty and relieved to be away from the tense and agitated presence that was Akainu right now.

~…..~

"More than 50 pirates were captured while 80 more were found dead. Unfortunately at least 80 more escaped or are currently missing. The World Government is still trying to investigate what exactly happened at Rocky Port three days ago with the help of the Navy which successfully managed to sink one of Big Mom's ships with the help of the new marine admiral Fujitora. Eh? Fujitora…somehow, that name sounds familiar." Miyako rose her head up from the newspapers she was reading out loud on the deck.

"Whatever, just keep reading." Josh commented, sitting on the deck's floor.

"I'm just happy we didn't run into that marine admiral…I've had enough of them lately," Penguin sighed in relief. Next to him, his friend mechanic nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything about us being there?" Bepo tried to peak over Miyako's shoulder who was holding the papers, reading to the rest of the crew as they all sat together on the deck of the submarine.

"If there is, it might be a problem if Kaido finds out we're behind this. He would seek revenge for certain," Even Jean Bart chimed in with his two cents.

"Eek, don't even say that. I'm getting goosebumps at just the thought of it!" Louis actually shivered, hugging his arms.

The redheaded medic smirked at the mechanic with a chaffed expression. "Pussy."

"What'd you just call me shrimp!?" The explosives expert yelled back, his temperament exploding.

"Who you calling a shrimp, chicken brain?!" Joshua yelled back, standing up from his spot.

The two pirates bumped heads in anger, glaring at each other.

"Enough already!" Miyako intervened, still sitting on the railing of the submarine and holding the newspapers in her lap. The two pirates gazed back at her and she gave them a warning scowl. After a while, they both calmed down with a puff of irritation and sat back down. "I'm reading on." She stared once more at the group, waiting for everyone to calm down as if she was a teacher in a class full of disorderly students. Clearing her throat, the girl continued. "In the end, neither of the Yonko were found or captured. However it is confirmed that Marshall D. Teach commonly known as Blackbeard personally participated in the incident."

"Good thing we managed to avoid that guy. I hear he's sailin' around causing trouble an' collecting strong devil fruits ever since the War of the best," Eli commented with a relieved sigh. Since the Heart Pirates finished their plan, they disappeared from Rocky Port even before the whole battle was over so they managed to sail away underwater pretty much unnoticed by the Navy or the Yonkou. It would be bad if Blackbeard saw them and decided to take Law's power for himself just as he did with Whitebeard.

"Guess we ain't been discover' by tha others, after all. Good thin' Kaido don't be 'nowing of our part in this," Munk scratched his thick dark beard as he commented.

Cody smirked satisfied. "What's more we now have all 100 beating hearts of pirates that have 500 000 Beri bounty or more. Your plan was a success captain. So? What's next?" The blue-haired medic turned to the man who was leaning against the railing, a bit further away from the group that huddled around Miyako and the newspapers.

Law, who had his eyes closed as if resting, opened them and looked back at his crew with his arms crossed on his chest. "Our plan has been set from the start…it's time to put in motion the reason why we were collecting those 100 hearts in the first place."

"So you're really planning to join the Shichibukai then," Miyako commented gazing back at her captain in interest. Even though she knew it from the start, a part of her always had a feeling that Law wasn't serious about all that. But now that it was really happening, the reality hit her stronger than ever. This was really happening. Trafalgar Law will become a Royal Shichibukai…a pirate working under the World Government." She knew why Law was doing this; he would have more freedom to do what he wanted without he marines over his head as a threat. The admirals won't be a problem anymore either. Still, it was so unlike Trafalgar that the idea of him being a Shichibukai just didn't sound right. It sounded fake.

"Jean Bart-ya, set the course for the Marine headquarters," the captain announced.

"Aye captain," the large navigator answered back, heading towards the control room.

"So we're really going right into the lion's den, huh?" Shachi commented rather listless.

"What if they capture us and throw us into Impel Down instead?" The bear was already starting to panic. The group started murmuring anxiously among themselves.

Trafalgar was just about to reassure his crew seeing as they were doubting this plan again. After all, his plans never failed and this time won't be any different. However, before he had a chance, a clear, confident voice cut off all the uncertain commentary as it rose above the voices of the crowd. "If they refuse and try to captures us; we'll just have to beat our way out." Miyako gazed back at the pirates who were now staring back at her with wonder in their eyes. Her golden eyes glittered with mischief and she smiled back at them devilishly. "Right?"

Surprisingly, that confidence appeared to have calmed the crew down and gave them courage and determination they needed. They grinned back and nodded their heads. "You're right! We're strong after all, we can do it!"

"Like those marines can stop us!"

"Besides, captain's plans never fail!"

The Heart Pirates cheered in newfound confidence and smiled happily. "Let's celebrate the success of our operation at Rocky Port tonight!"

"Yeah! Even Kaido can't stop us! We'll be the ones who will find One Piece!"

The Hearts cheered and laughed, their morale rising at the thought of another night of partying.

Miyako closed and folded the newspapers, placing them at a nearby crate. She jumped off of the railing and walked over to Trafalgar still smiling mischievously. "I hope this plan works out for you…otherwise, won't you feel like a fool if it fails? It'll be super embarrassing," the girl teased in a thoughtful tone, ignoring the glare she received in return.

"Why do you sound like you actually hope for it to fail?" Trafalgar answered in a calm but dark tone. He wasn't really angry, perhaps just slightly annoyed.

"Not really…I have no interest in getting captured by the marines either," the samurai shrugged. "But I still find it hard to believe that you want to be Shichibukai...let's just say I'm wondering what you're really planning." She gave him a knowing sideways glance.

"What do you mean?" The captain didn't even blink nor did his facial expression change from the previous collected one as he asked. He had that seemingly bored look instead.

"Nothing, never mind," Miyako dropped the subject but then turned to look straight into Law with her large eyes, piercing him with a serious stare of determination. "Just remember; I didn't forget your promise that one day you'll explain everything to me. I'm still waiting so don't you dare forget about it either."

Law stared back silently, observing the girl's serious expression. He didn't forget either; that he promised to tell her everything when the time comes. But that time isn't here yet even though it was rapidly nearing with his every next move. They already started spiraling down on a path of no return; they just didn't know it yet. Only Law did. He nodded slowly and answered in a calm but equally serious tone. "I didn't forget."

For a while longer Miyako stayed quiet and observed Law's face as if searching for something. As if there was an answer to her questions there. Then with a nod, she turned to gaze at the vast sea before her instead. "That's good then. In that case…let's go make you Shichibukai…and then one day…a pirate king."

Trafalgar's eyes widened at the comment and met the girl's golden eyes as she gazed at him with a sideways stare again. That's when he noticed; there wasn't just determination in those eyes but also trust. This girl wasn't only fighting for herself and her own goals anymore. She was fighting for the Heart pirates. For him.

* * *

><p>Hm, I'm not sure what I think about this chapter yet…do I like it or not? I feel it was a bit rushed and that I could've made it a lot better but somehow I didn't have the inspiration at all. X_X So I'm sorry if it wasn't what you expected.<p>

Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though this one wasn't so long or detailed. I summarized the whole Rocky Port Incident in one chapter. ^^'

Here are some answers to your questions;

**Cocobear: **haha hmm, let's see…Miyako would be a fox because she's sly and mischievous at times. Law…a raccoon? (because of the eyes! XD) or maybe a panther? :) Cody would be some kind of bird…And Josh would be…a badger because of his temperament even though he looks all small and cute at first (until he opens his mouth). :3 I never really thought about it until now. O.o

**Yumi sawamura: **hahahaha omg that song! XD But you're right, it fits so well. :')

**geckogal077: **hehe your right. As soon as Penguin took that underwear, his fate was sealed. XP

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **lol Well compering to some of my other chapter it was shorter, but I get what you mean. ^^' I think he was wise enough to know it wasn't safe to get involved.

**Iluvninjas: **lol it does, I can feel it getting closer too! XD Come cannon plot, come!

**little101: **I actually thought about that before. :D Something like Sakura-style situation. But then again, I also like Miyako's hair. :3

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **hehe nah, that would be less fun. XD Thank you~ ^^

**Yappie: **Yeah, I think the more I write the more experience I get. (that's why my first chapters are short and then become longer and longer ^^) It also depends on my state of mind and inspiration of that day. Hm, advice…I think what also helps is just reading books, it helps in creating your own writing style. As for cannon characters (like Law) it's good to study their personality through the anime/manga. I hope that helped some. ^^'


	55. Chapter 55

"**I don't like you!" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for language, violence and suggestive themes.

Note: Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it! I skimmed over it for proofreading so I apologize if there are some mistakes left. When I find enough time, I'll thoroughly proofread the whole chapter. So for now if you find any mistakes while reading, please let me know and I'll fix them. :)

I'm really interested what you think about this one, so without further ado…

I hope you enjoy and have fun reading it!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 55<strong>

Two swords clashed against each other with a loud clang. The force behind it made a gust of wind appear from every direction, but the pair currently battling hardly took notice of it. They were both too focused on the opponent in front of their eyes, but for different reasons.

"Miyako!" Law yelled as he blocked yet another onslaught of attacks coming from the samurai girl. He hoped his voice would reach her and make her come to her senses, but the girl didn't even blink at his shout, yet instead only came at him again from the side. The captain gritted his teeth and blocked her sword while quickly trying to figure out the way how to stop the girl without hurting her. He rose his hand and used his devil fruit powers as he yelled "Tact" and a piece of earth rose up from beneath, right in the middle of the two, separating him and protecting him from the girl who was just about to attack again. However, it only gave him a second more to jump back and collect his thoughts before the rock got pierced through by her strong attack and the deadly point of the katana aimed at Law's heart. There was no hesitation in the girl's movement, yet it was also different from the times they trained together in all seriousness. At that time she wasn't holding back much, but she was still careful not to kill him, but now that worry was completely gone. Miyako was aiming for the kill with every move she made. Even if it wasn't obvious from her swift movements or the killing intent that was seeping out of her together with her warrior's spirit that created high pressure in the air, it was quite evident from her eyes. Her golden eyes were dark and sharp; a look she only saved for her enemies until now. But then again, at this moment Trafalgar Law was her enemy, whether he liked the idea or not.

How did things become like this? That's all Law could ask himself as he continued to fend off the girl's strong attacks with all his might.

~…~

"Land ahoy!" Penguin yelled as he pointed at the rising silhouette of an island before them. There wasn't really any need to point out the obvious since everyone had already been up on the deck, while the submarine smoothly sailed through the waves. Perhaps he simply wanted to say those words.

Nevertheless, as soon as the mechanic shouted, the other pirates also ran up to the railing like bullets and leaned onto the metal rail while watching the island they were quickly approaching. They were all wearing their coats already as the weather turned for the colder some time ago. By the flaky snow lightly falling down on them, it was obvious this island's climate was a winter one. Even so everyone had excited smiles on their faces, which only widened when they noticed smoke from the houses up ahead showing that the island was indeed inhabited and that of course meant food and lodging for them. Maybe even some night entertainment if the guys were lucky. It was a while since they saw a populated island ever since they started their course for the Marine HQ, which was now newly built in the New World after the great war two years ago. So it was needless to say that everyone was excited to finally get off of the submarine and stretch their legs for a change. As much as they all respected and cared for each other as nakama, having 20 guys inside one submarine could get pretty cramped after a while.

Miyako shared the same enthusiastic smile as everyone else. If having twenty men in one small space was tiring, than just imagine how was it for a single girl to share her personal space with those twenty men. At least for tonight Miyako hoped there wouldn't be any incidents of guys constantly dropping in her room whenever they felt like it or constantly fighting, using foul language and often even physical strength to prove their point. She barely had any peace among this rowdy bunch, which often brought her so far to the brink of her patience that she would try to find her salvation in the infirmary where she would lie in one of the empty beds there just to have some peace and quiet for a while.

"I wonder if they have an inn," Josh grinned, already thinking of the refreshing beer he'll order for himself.

"I wonder if they have a brothel," Garry sighed shamelessly beside the other medic, already in cloud nine with just his imagination.

Miyako just rolled her eyes as she already learned to ignore such comments from the young pirate men. It wasn't surprising after weeks surrounded by only sea and constantly fending off the dangers of the New World. Everyone had to relieve their stress the best way they could and finally docking onto a populated island usually did the trick for them. Some would head over to relax with women while others did it with drinks and food. Personally for Miyako, just standing on solid ground once more and exploring new wonders the island could present her with was more than enough. The samurai who never even stepped outside of Wanokuni before always found it most amazing exploring all the different cultures and places that she could only read about in books before leaving her country.

"I wonder what kinds of cousin they have here," Ben grinned widely already licking his lips in anticipation.

"Yeah, I'm so sick of our food lately!" Louis exclaimed, forgetting what his comment might entail if it reached wrong ears.

"What's that suppose tha mean!? What be wron' with me cookin'!?" Munk's offended voice shouted from somewhere behind the group.

The rest of the Heart Pirates stayed quiet but felt cold sweat dripping down their backs, not wanting to comment and bring upon themselves the wrath of Munk and his wooden spoon. He was into some new, super healthy recipes lately, which was supposedly full of vitamins good for the body and gave the men their strength, but even if it was full of healthy ingredients it was lacking one very important factor; good taste. The latest was what the head chef called 'Munk's special porridge' which ended up looking as a white gooey mass. Unfortunately, it tasted the same as it looked. Even though he had Miyako and the other helping chefs in the kitchen with him, nobody dared to oppose Munk's idea about it. They all knew that when the stubborn old pirate set his mind to something, nobody would be able to divert him from it and right now he decided to give the crew the healthiest meals he could think of. The only thing the Heart pirates could hope for was that he loses interest in his new-found cooking obsession just like it happened with all his other wild ideas that usually pop into the man's head every few weeks or so.

Finally, the girl decided to try and calm the atmosphere that could turn into a storm at any moment. She smiled at Munk innocently, putting her hands up defensively. "No, no, it's just, you know, Munk-san…a change of pace, that's all. We're just wondering about the food the island might offer," her sheepish smile never faded for a second as she started explaining to the large chef.

It seemed like Munk wasn't entirely satisfied with that explanation, but didn't press on the matter as they were arriving on the island shortly. He gave one last huff with a skeptical look before sighing and waving away the whole subject. "Very well, ya kids need diversities anyway so ya might as well enjoy yaselves!"

"Oh, I'll enjoy myself," Penguin commented in a mutter with a wide grin on his gleaming face. He obviously wasn't talking about the food.

Cody, who was standing next to him, watched his comrade with a wary stare. "You really creep me out sometimes."

~…..~

The town looked like a mixture of traditional and modern architecture as the buildings were constructed from wood and stone. Some had a more traditional feel with sliding doors and Shōji while others used stones and brick for their walls. However, everything was covered in deep snow, which only added to the charm of the town. The snow was shoveled from the streets to allow easier passage, but already a new thin layer was covering the paths. Unlike the roads, the rooftops had a large, thick layer of snow that sometimes fell to the ground in heaps. There were patches of ice around and icicles of all sizes hung from the rooftops. There were some trees and forests surrounding the wide-spread town, but everything was naked and in deep sleep during the everlasting winter.

Miyako took onto the frozen docks, rubbing her hands together and puffing hot air into them. The air turned into mist as she breathed, looking around the island. She could see gray, fuzzy clouds in the distance, hiding the tops of large snowy mountains of the island. The samurai hugged herself tight and rubbed her arms to get more warmth into her body, even as she had her checkered winter coat on. "I just can't get used to cold weather no matter what." Even though Wanokuni had all four seasons and the winter up north was also pretty harsh in the mountains, Miyako was raised near the south where the winters were mild and short. Before heading on the journey with the Heart Pirates she never needed to worry about such cold weather before.

"Ya hoo!" Bepo suddenly zoomed passed her like a bullet, making the girl widen her eyes in shock as the bear ran up ahead and jumped into a heap of snow before rolling around in it. "It feels so good," the polar bear almost sang in satisfaction.

Hearing more laughing and cheerful voices behind her, the girl turned around to see most of the crew already in a snowball fight or just enjoying the falling snow. Since most of the Heart Pirates were from North Blue, they didn't mind the cold weather at all; actually they welcomed it as it reminded them of their homes. The girl sweat dropped and sighed with a frown on her face. "Figures…" she mumbled. Unlike them, she was already freezing and they didn't seem in any hurry to leave the open streets and find some shelter from the cold.

"What's wrong, feeling chilly?" She heard a voice beside her and turned to see a grinning Josh staring at her with a smug expression. Since he was one of the those North Blue residents, he wasn't affected by this winter island's climate at all. He had his white overall and high boots like the rest of the pirates, which was enough to keep him warm.

Miyako scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "Shut up," was all she could mumble. "You're gloating now, but only a few days ago when we were in a summer climate you were like a gooey ice cream melting on the floor. 'Ooh, it's so hoot…I can't take it anymore…someone give me some ice to cool dooown..'" The girl sarcastically imitated the redhead, even trying to copy his whining tone at the time.

"Tch, I do not sound like that," Joshua responded, gritting his teeth and glaring up at the samurai.

"You're right, your voice is even whinier, but I just can't make mine _that_ girly, you know," Miyako sighed dramatically as if troubled, only mocking him further.

"Of course you can't sound girly when you're more like a man than a woman anyway, Ugly!" The medic commented with a winning grin. It only took a few comments to set them both over the edge and start arguing in the middle of the docks, completely ignoring everything and everyone else around them.

"Uh…should we stop them?" Penguin tilted his head, looking at the shouting pair.

Cody just sighed next to him. "Leave them be. At least she forgot about the cold now." He was already used to the pair's antics and didn't even have the energy to separate them anymore. Let them fight it out and exhaust themselves, at least they'll be calmer later. In that aspect, they were just like little kids.

Law took a step through the snow, ignoring the cold and wet feeling on his trousers. He rested the nodachi on his shoulder and looked around the island. Even though the weather was so cold, the townspeople didn't seem turned away by it as they walked the streets normally. The market was filled with stands and people, buying, selling and haggling for groceries. Everyone was already used to the cold and they walked around in coats and winter-wear, which was all they needed to keep warm.

"Guy, I found an inn!" Shachi jogged back from the town with a grinning smile underneath his hat.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Penguin exclaimed happily in response to his friend.

"Were there any cute girls there?" Garry smiled in anticipation.

Shachi stayed quiet for a while, but then a wide grin slowly spread across his face. In response, most of the Heart pirates cheered happily once more.

Miyako and Josh stood on the side, shaking their heads in disapproval with their arms crossed on their chest. "Idiots…" Miyako commented, looking at the love-struck pirates, even though they hadn't yet met any ladies.

"Yep, definitively idiots," Josh agreed for the first time today with the samurai girl.

Penguin quickly turned to face them and glared at the pair. "Shut up you two! Go back to your fighting!"

"It seems the log pose will set in a few days, so it'll be good if we can use the inn to sleep there," suddenly a monotone voice behind them startled the arguing group. They all jumped in their spots and turned around to see the young navigator watching them with his usual disinterested gaze.

"Whoa, Sai, don't sneak up on us like that!" Josh complained to the navigator, glaring at the man now that he was over his shock.

"It's not like I was trying to…" Sai answered with the same dry expression, even as the other pirates complained to him.

"Seriously, you're turning into Law with that habit. It's enough that you never know when _he_ will come out of nowhere suddenly," Miyako sighed, agreeing with Josh once more.

"At least that way I'll keep you on your toes," another sudden voice startled them. This time they saw the captain behind them as he stared at them with an amused smirk on his face. He was really enjoying seeing them jump out of their skin, wasn't he?

"Captain!" Penguin quickly exclaimed and saluted to Law who was approaching the group.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," the samurai girl commented under her breath with a frown on her face.

"It's good against slackers," Law continued with the subject from earlier, piercing Miyako with that smirking gaze as if he was specifically refereeing to her.

"I do not slack off," The girl crossed her arms on her chest again, this time in an obvious pout from the captain's words. Then her frown turned upside down into an amused smirk as she noticed something behind Law. The gloating never left her face as she pointed somewhere behind him, "Rather than keeping an eye on me, you should keep your crew in check."

Now it was Trafalgar's turn to frown in a questioning stare as he looked behind him to see a group of his men running towards the town already, probably going into the inn to see all the lovely girls Shachi talked about earlier. Law's expression turned into a dark scowl as his subordinates completely forgot to even ask his permission to be excused before going away to have fun. It was probably because the submarine wasn't really low on supplies yet so the men knew there wasn't that much work to do. Even so, buying more food and medicine along with a routine check of the submarine now that they're docked should still be their priority. It wasn't helping that the mischievous group running towards the inn was actually led by his head mechanic, Shachi.

Law sighed and turned around towards the rest of the Heart pirates who were still enjoying the snow or making sure the submarine was tied down to the docks properly. That's when he found himself face-to-face with a tense Penguin who stared at his captain in complete silence, obviously expecting something. The captain knew exactly what his mechanic was asking of his wordlessly and somehow he just knew there was a pair of wide, puppy eyes staring at him from the shadows of Penguin's hat. Trafalgar sighed once more. *_Well, they did good at Rocky Port so I suppose they deserve some relaxation time….or however they intend to spend it.*_ A part of Law didn't really want to know the details of what the Hearts did when in town on their free time. He already had enough scenes when he had to stop a brawl with some drunken pirates or townsfolk in the inn, or rescue his man from the clutches of some okama that they confused with a sexy woman after too many drinks. Not to mention that one time when he found Kai-ya chained to the bed and completely naked…Law shook his head, trying to chase the way the ugly memories. Meanwhile, Penguin was still staring at him silently and it was starting to feel really awkward. "Fine…" The captain sighed and had to move to the side when Penguin joyfully jumped and cheered before practically disappearing in a cloud of dust and snow.

"It's fine, I can take care of the supplies before I join you in the inn. There won't be that many crates this time," Jean Bart walked over to them talking surprisingly more than usual. Normally, a grunt of understanding or a nod would be all before the large navigator would go do as he was told. Needless to say, the large man was strong enough to effortlessly pick up and carry at least four large crates on his bulky shoulders.

"I'll help with the medic supplies and equipment then," Cody smiled before taking one last smoke of his cigarette that he took the chance to light now that they were finally outside and in a smoking-allowed zone. As the cigarette burnt to the filter, he casually threw it into the snow where it instantly extinguished.

Trafalgar nodded at his two subordinates in agreement. "I'll leave it to you then." He turned around to see his first mate still rolling in the snow like a child, finally able to cool off. The submarine was usually hot and stuffy, especially for the polar bear. "Bepo, let's go to town."

Even though Bepo appeared to be in his own little world of snow and ice, as soon as Law called out to him the bear's ears twitched and turned towards the sound of Trafalgar's voice. In an instant, Bepo was up and beside him. "Aya, captain!"

Miyako turned to the redhead who was casually standing there with his hands deep in the pockets of his overalls. "Come on, we should go too." The medic didn't argue this time as they also followed their captain and the rest of the Heart pirates who were already happily exploring the island.

~…..~

When they entered the inn it was already full of men in white overalls, drinking and eating. They could see Shachi trying to sweet talk the waitress, but instead she just made him order more drinks and spend his money while eluding his advances skillfully. Obviously she already had experience in dealing with men customers here.

Law walked over to the bar, ordering a bottle of rum before sitting down and sipping his drink there.

"Ya must be a pirate crew," the cheerfully bartender commented without turning his grin into a frown as he stared at Law. It seems pirates weren't that ostracized here so perhaps the townspeople were already used to them.

Even so Law's eyes narrowed as he instantly became tenser and alarmed, ready for any move the bartender could bring next. However the large man in his forties only laughed wholeheartedly at Law's suspicious gaze. "Not to worry, laddie, I don't mind. But it's just plainly obvious from your rowdy bunch there. T'looks like ya've been on the sea for a while now," the man commented, drying a glass with a rag that didn't look very clean to begin with.

The captain wondered how much information he wanted to disclose to the friendly bartender, but in the end decided to just give a simple, confirming nod before taking another long sip of his rum again. Instead, he decided to find out more about this island. "Is this the only town on this island?"

The bartender put away the now-dry glass and took another one to do the same with it. "There be some smaller villages around but this be the only and biggest town on tis island. We call tis island Snör and the town is called after it Snör Town, since it be the first one made on the island. We have a good ice buinsess goin' on here as we trade it other island around here. You'd be surprised how much some summer islands are willing to pay for simple frozen water, Grahahaha," the bartender explained in short, while laughing.

"It looks like a lively place even with all this cold weather," Miyako commented still unable to get used to all the snow and ice. Still, she could already feel her bones getting warmer now that they were inside. There was a large furnace next to the bar that was enough to keep the whole main room warm. The samurai sat on the stool of the bar right next to it, enjoying the warm feeling it gave off like a cat sunbathing on a nice spring day. She could almost purr from happiness like one, as well.

The bartender smiled in satisfaction, feeling somehow proud that his town was found so likable by the visitors. "Aye, it be a cheerful and busy place even if it's always cold here. But the cold actually makes ye move and e lively to keep warm! Grahahaha!" He laughed loudly enough to even overpower the live music in the room. There were a couple of bard musicians, keeping the lively atmosphere in the corner of the tavern. "But ya should beware now, kids. Don't wander out in tha forest on a dark night."

The pirates shared looks of questioning worry. "Why is that?" Josh finally asked, unconsciously leaning closer to the bartender across the counter. Their first thoughts were about wolves and similar animals living in the island's tundra, but the bartender's expression made them think it was more than that.

"They say spirits live in these forests around town. Tis not wise to wander off at night. There already be stories of people who did and never returned. They see those people be spirited away," the large man answered in a surprisingly serious tone. His expression was definitely a warning one as he stared at the newcomers.

A tense and uncomfortable silence fell around the group before Josh's laughter suddenly broke it. But somehow it sounded forced and unnatural as if the medic was nervous, but trying to hide it. "Oh come on, there's no such things as ghosts and spirits. Right?" He gazed at Miyako for support, but the girl just shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. In Wanokuni, it is believed there are a lot of spirits and demons living in their same world as us, but they usually stay hidden from human sight," the girl answered unable to give Josh the reassurance he obviously needed and wanted.

"Really?!" Bepo's ears perked and he gave Miyako a panicked look at her words. He could already feel his fur stand up from the creepy thought of spirits dragging people away at night.

However the redhead just scoffed at that. "Please." He exclaimed mockingly. "Those guys here probably got drunk and wandered off or fell into the frozen lake or something. The terrain is dangerous when it's covered in snow and ice like this. They probably just weren't careful where they were stepping at night and later these stupid stories came to life about their mysteeeerious disappearance. I bet their frozen bodies are still floating around in some river in the woods," Josh rolled his eyes and waved off any insecurities that might have grabbed at his heart for a bit. *_There's no way such things exist in this world, it's just all legends made by panicked people,* _The redhead thought as if reassuring himself.

The first mate stared at Josh, desperately wanting to believe his words. Miyako saw Bepo's worried expression and smiled at the bear, giving him a scratch behind one ear. "He's probably right, Bepo, you have nothing to worry about," even if she couldn't know for certain there was a big chance Josh was right. After all, most stories about ghosts and monster actually have perfectly reasonable explanations behind them. It's usually just about legends that got twisted after so much retelling from one person to another over the years.

"Tis probably as the kid says, nothin' to worry 'bout," the bartender grinned. "Hope I didn't give ya too much of a scare there. Though whatever tha reason, it be true that people be missing even more than usual in these past few months now. Perhaps the spirits be angry at us recently."

"Nonsense, stop scaring Bepo. And you Bepo, don't get scared so easily by this guy's story! No, wait, who're you calling a kid!?" The redhead turned to the bartender angrily, glaring at the men who dared to call him a child. However, the large man ignored his angry protests as he laughed wholeheartedly once again.

"Well then, will ya be needin' a room?" The man looked at Law and then up the stairs that led to the next floor where the inn's rooms were.

"Yeah… we'll need more than one," Law answered, turning to look at the room full of Heart pirates.

Afterwards, as night slowly fell onto the town, the inn got even more crowded with both the pirates and the local folks of the town. The music got louder and more lively as some even started to dance with a few girls from the area. After a while, Jean Bart and Cody also joined with a few others who were still working on the submarine and all of them were now enjoying their drinks and hot stew. Some local men even tried to beat Jean Bart in a drinking contest while Penguin and Shachi, the gambling duo, made a betting pool with money in an instant out of it. Of course non succeeded in beating Bart and both mechanics easily took money from the betting locals who didn't know the navigator's large tolerance to alcohol.

"Aah, I can't wait to sleep in a soft bed tonight," Penguin sighed in pure bliss at the thought.

"And have a nice shower without you lot constantly complaining to hurry up!" Sam grumbled with a pout as he leaned backwards in his chair.

"That's because you're too damn slow!" Garry hit the stool and poor Sam smashed onto the ground from his chair. The Heart pirates laughed loudly at the mechanic and the laughing soon turned into cheering shouts as Sam tackled Garry and both men started to wrestle.

"Honestly, these guys don't have any manners even inside. They're like animals," Cody shook his head in disapproval as he watched from the sidelines.

"You're completely right…" Penguin agreed but just then he raised his voice in the crowd. "Ok, place your bets, who will be the winner!? Our medic team versus the mechanics! Come on, place your bets!" The mechanic yelled and started another betting pool for Garry and Sam who were still wresting on the floor.

The blue-haired medic sweat dropped as he saw Penguin jog towards the group, already trying to make money out of this. "You're no better…," he commented even though the mechanic was far out of earshot already in this noisy room.

Overhearing their conversation, the waitress put down their next round of drinks and blinked at them; "In that case if you're interested, there's an open onsen here."

Suddenly, all the Heart pirates stopped with their chatter, even Garry and Sam paused in their fight as they looked up at the busy waitress. "Onsen?" Even though most of their faces were covered in the shadows of their hats, all the pirates obviously had the same excited twinkle in their eye and that much was obvious.

Even Miyako looked excited now. After all, she wasn't in an onsen ever since leaving Wanokuni where public onsen were a common thing. However, they usually cost a lot so it wasn't something she could enjoy that often after becoming a rounin. It was usually a rare occasion where she would treat herself to a hot spring bath after getting paid for some job on the road.

"Yeah, this island has a lot of hot springs so they built a Ryokan around one. However, you can also pay for just the bath and not stay there for the night," the woman explained onwards noticing how excited smiles started slowly spreading across the men's faces.

"I love you waitress lady!" One Heart Pirate suddenly exclaimed.

"A hotspring! Awesome let's go!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Suddenly, shouts from the Heart Pirates started echoing in the tavern.

"Wow, they're really excited…" Josh commented in wonder, gazing at his smiling nakama. He didn't really get what the big deal was.

"An onsen…" The medic heard a whisper next to him and glanced to the side, only to see Miyako with the same delighted expression as the rest of them.

"You too!?" He almost spat out his drink at the shock as he saw Miyako's happy expression.

Suddenly, Law stood up from the stool, finishing his run in a few swift chugs.

"Captain?" Bepo blinked in puzzlement when he noticed Law handing his over his nodachi. "Where are you going?" The bear shouted after him when seeing that Law was walking away towards the front doors.

"Ryokan," the captain simply answered back. In truth, Law wouldn't mind a relaxing hot bath either, since he has been under a lot of stress lately. His plans, the preparations for his becoming the Shichibukai, the constant training and battles; it was all very tiring to the body after all. He doubted he'd get much peace and quiet next to these guys, but if the rumors about the healing qualities of the hot springs were true, just taking a relaxing bath in one will be good enough.

"Eeeh, even captain?!" Josh called out in disbelief. "What's so great about this onsen place anyway?" He's never been in one before, but the way others described it, it just sounded like a large hot bath. So what was the big deal?

"Tch, Josh, you just don't get it," the all-knowing tone of the samurai brought his attention back to the girl. "It's all about the atmosphere there, you know?" Miyako had her index finger in the air as she stated matter-of-factly.

"The atmosphere? What's that supposed to mean?" The redhead asked rather skeptically.

"Relaxing in the hot water while everything is frozen and cold, covered in snow around you. It's the best. And it's even a full moon today, the perfect time for a dip in an onsen," Miyako explained with a smile.

"I want to try it too!" Bepo exclaimed and got up, determined to follow the captain. Soon everyone left the inn's tavern, in search of the traditional-looking building that was the Ryokan.

Josh could only sigh and follow, still mumbling under his breath. "I still don't get it."

~…~

The group of Heart pirates stopped in front of the ryokan with satisfied grins, completely ignoring the cold now pooling around their boots. The night had already fallen over the island while they had their fun in the tavern so now the full moon shone brightly over them, making the snow and ice glisten and add to the charming atmosphere of the town. Now that night has fallen, everything became more peaceful and there were only a few by-passers on the streets. It seems the people really didn't like roaming the streets at night; either because of the spirit stories or the fact that temperature additionally fell lower during nighttime. Still, it didn't stop the Heart Pirates from walking around town in search of the hot springs. Not all joined though. Some stayed at the tavern to eat and drink while continuing to party and others went to explore the town or found some more interesting company, meaning the local girls, rather than spending their night with a bunch of rowdy pirates who snored while sleeping. More than one of those lucky fellows probably won't be returning to their rooms in the inn this night. Still, a good number of the crew went to enjoy their night in the onsen and if they're lucky they'll even get to drink some good sake under the moonlight while relaxing.

As they entered, one of the employees hurried over to them and bowed low to Trafalgar, recognizing him as the leader of the group. Even without knowing that he was their captain, it was obvious from his authority over the others. Unlike the previous inn which had a more modern design and a tavern on the ground floor, this one was constructed in a tradition style with large tatami mat rooms and wooden sliding doors fixed with shoji paper. It reminded Miyako of her home even more as it looked exactly like the ryokan at her country and it gave her girl a sense of nostalgia.

"Hey, hey…what if it's a mixed bath?" Penguin nudged Shachi on his side, grinning with a lewd blush on his cheeks.

"hehe, that would be awesome," the older mechanic snickered from the thought.

"There's no way that would happen," Miyako walked passed them and commented in a blunt tone, completely crushing their fantasies in a blink of an eye.

"Oh come on, I can hope at least! Don't ruin my dreams," Penguin whined at the girl who was already walking away.

"If those are your dreams, that's pretty sad…" The samurai girl commented in a mutter, ignored Penguin's pleading whines and walking towards the back room which was the changing rooms. There was one for men and one for women as was expected.

Before turning to enter there, the samurai girl spun around and glared at the pirates. "And don't you dare peek!" She turned back and slammed the doors behind her, leaving the Heart Pirates to glance at each other.

"Like there's anything interesting to see, Ugly!" Josh yelled back, unable to hold back from commenting.

~….~

From the changing room, there was a hall that led straight into the onsen. The hot spring itself was divided in the middle by a bamboo wall which used to separate the women's and men's part. Around the hot, steaming water were warm stones where you could sit and relax. On some far parts of the ground there was still actual snow, which didn't yet melt from the hot steam.

Miyako put a towel around her in the changing room and tied her long hair up in a messy bun the best she could so it doesn't get wet, before she headed for the water, unable to suppress the smile already spreading on her face. Oh, she's going to enjoy this so much.

She could already see a few other women there, sitting near the water in their towels or relaxing in the hot water. The samurai walked up to the rim and laid down her white towel neatly before slipping into the hot water. She felt the sudden heat as she slowly plunged further down, her cold body quickly heating up. The difference in temperature startled her at first, but she soon got used to it and breathed out a sigh of enjoyment. The samurai could feel her strained muscles relax as the stress simply flowed out of her body. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the silent night.

However, as usual, things didn't go smoothly when the Heart Pirates were involved.

~…..~

Penguin was sitting in the water with a pouty expression on his face. "I really wanted it to be a mixed bath," she commented in a mutter unable to forget his disappointment at not seeing cute girls bathing here. He glared at the bamboo wall that was just standing there and separating him from his dream! Finally, the mechanic snapped and ruffled his hair in an irritated manner. "Aaah, I can't take this! Curse this wall! I hate it!"

Shachi just sighed as he stared at his irate friend making ascene and scaring the locals beside him. "Just give it up already."

Just at that moment the pirates heard some cute giggles and laughs from the girls on the other side. They were obviously having a fun time there.

"I can't forget it! I won't!" Suddenly, the mechanic stood up and pierced Cody with his eyes. "Oy, Cody, you're supposed to be real smart, right? Then figure something out!"

The blue haired medic felt a vain pop in his forehead as his eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He remembered not so long ago when he almost got killed by Miyako because of Penguin and his stupid, perverted ideas. Ever again will he help that pervert! He glared back at the mechanic with such a darkening look that it made Penguin gulp and tense immediately. "I hope you didn't forget what happened last time when you tried something foolish like this. Don't get me involved in your stupid ideas anymore," the deadly tone in his cold voice made it hard for Penguin to argue.

So instead, the mechanic turned towards the redhead. "Oy Josh-"

But the short medic cut him off before he even had a chance to finish. "Don't even think about it."

Penguin frowned in disappointment and almost thought to give up before he saw Sam. Even now the mechanic had his thick glasses on which were so misty from all the steam that it was a miracle he could see anything around him. An idea formed in his mind and Penguin grinned widely. Jumping over to the other mechanic, he put a hand over Sam's pale shoulders. "Hey, Sam, you're gonna help riiiight?"

Even though his big glasses were hiding most of his face, it was still obvious when Sam made a worried expression. "Help?"

Suddenly, Penguin snickered. "You know... you also want to see, don't you?"

"See what? I can't see anything right now, though…" Sam admitted. However, when Penguin's grin got wider and the mechanic pointed his thumb at the wall behind his back, Sam understood perfectly. He gulped as his cheeks suddenly got red and it wasn't because of the hot water.

"If we can just make a hole," Penguin started, dragging Sam with him. The other mechanic was still a bit uncertain because of the consequences, but the idea of seeing naked young girls obviously clouded his judgment for the better part.

"How do we do that? I don't have my tools with me," the mechanic asked and shrugged his shoulder in nervousness.

"If you want a hole, isn't there one over there?" Sai suddenly appeared behind them, scaring the wits out of the pirates again. He didn't really get what the big deal is so he just pointed at a small hole in the far side of the bamboo wall. Perhaps there was someone with the same voyeuristic intentions as penguin before.

"Whooo, Sai, you're the best! I was always a bit concerned for you because never had any girls with you by my opinion about you has completely changed now!" Penguin exclaimed in sheer delight before he, Sam and even Shachi rushed over to the small hole in the wall.

"Somehow I don't find that flattering at all," the navigator responded in with a sweat drop, unsure if he should take Penguin's words as a compliment or an insult.

"Guys…you shouldn't…do that…" Bepo commented for the first time. He was sitting in the water but he looked awfully dizzy and sick. He wanted to try the onsen since everybody else seemed excited about it, but the hot steam got right into the polar bear's head. After all, he wasn't used to such heat and he soon became dizzy from it. Even his black eyes appeared hazy right now.

"You be quiet and get out of the water if you're so sick of the heat," Penguin commented in annoyance, barely paring Bepo a glance.

"How did they even let a bear inside?" Shachi muttered in wonder.

"S-sorry…" The bear barely responded, not even having the strength to bow his head in gloom as usual. His large body was swaying right and left now. Finally, Jean Bart seemed to take pity on the large bear and helped him out of the water. He led him to a patch of snow and put him there where Bepo could roll around and cool his head a bit.

"Stop pushing, I can't see," Shachi whined as Sam kept blocking the way.

"See what? Hey, let me-" Garry joined them and leaned forward to try and take a peak as well.

They could hear the giggling of the girls from the other side and all of the men now had grins with saliva dripping down their chins and red blushes on their cheeks.

"Let me see too!" Kai jumped into the forming crowd, leaning onto the backs of the rest.

"I said to stop pushing, dammit!"

"Wait your turn!"

"Move to the side."

"I can't see."

The group of men got bigger and bigger as more of them got interested. Now, even some other guys who were even part of the crew joined in, wanting to have a part in the action.

Law, who was resting on the side, opened his eyes and gave a glance at the group of pushing men. His expression stayed unreadable but serious as he watched them, but didn't comment on it...yet. However, he hardly got the time as the wall suddenly tipped over. It seemed the men put too much weight onto the bamboo wall and broke it as they pushed at it. Part of it broke down and splashed into the water on the other side, making the girls scream in shock and guys scream in surprise as they fell forward into the water on the other side.

"Ouch…" Penguin pulled himself up on his arms and knees and gazed up at the scene. The girl's around were running for their towels and into the changing room, screaming in a startled voice. That's when he noticed a dark shadow looming over him. He looked up to see a pair of legs and his gaze continued to travel upwards until it soaked up the whole sight. Miyako was holding a towel in front of herself to cover herself up the best she could and hide from the men's view. She was standing right before the large clump of entangled limbs and men who were struggling to get out of the water or at least stand up. The samurai was having an expression mixed of anger and embarrassment as she glared down at him and the rest. Her other hand was raised high in the air while clutching something; it was a wooden bucket used to pour water on yourself, Penguin realized. That was his last thought before the hand suddenly came down with a force and bashed Penguin right in the face with the bucket.

"Gyoah!" The mechanic made a weird sound as his bashed head flew back into the water.

"You jerks! And I even warned you not to peak! You're unbelievable!" Miyako screamed in anger at the pirates who were now desperately trying to entangle themselves and escape her wrath. She rose her hand back in the air and was just about to give them a lesson they'll never forget when she noticed something at the far end of the onsen in the men's side. A pair of piercing, gray, eyes was staring right at her with an unreadable look in them. Miyako's eyes met with Law's, who was still sitting in the water with his elbows resting on either side of the rim. He didn't have his usual uninterested expression, but instead an amused smirk playfully played on his lips. It was unclear was he enjoying the show before him or the view. Even though there was a towel handing before her and hiding her important parts, Miyako felt completely exposed all of a sudden. In her anger she completely forgot herself, but now her usual self-consciousness returned and it was stronger than ever. She felt her cheeks get incredibly hot and she was sure she was completely red in the face right now. Perhaps if she was lucky, the others would think it was just because of the heat in the onsen. But even if others think that, she knew Law knows better than that. The thought made her both angry and even more embarrassed. *_Unbelievable! I was supposed to have a relaxing hot bath and enjoy the night under the full moon! How did it become like this! This is all these guys'__ fault, those idiots! Can't they be still for one moment!?* _Angry thoughts raced through Miyako's mind as she threw the bucket away, which once again hit poor Penguin in the head. But now all she wanted to do was escape Law's gaze and this situation. Right now she wanted to be as far from them all as possible. Raising her now free hand again, Miyako straightened out her fingers as if her arm was a sword. She called forth some of her haki and swung down towards the water. It wasn't any haki force that could actually injure someone, but even so, as she slashed the water, it rose up into the air. It wasn't only the water that rose from the hit, but some of the haki hit the pirates who were in the entangled mess before the samurai. The force hit them and made them fly into the air, finally releasing the men from each other in the process.

When the water finally splashed back down into the hot spring, falling onto some of the men, there was no sign of the samurai anymore. She escaped with the commotion while their vision was obstructed by the water blast.

"Penguin? Penguin!" Shachi called out to his friend and finally found the half-unconscious mechanic floating in the water, face down like a corpse. He turned him around and helped him out of the water. "Hang on, buddy!"

Penguin took a deep breath, his mind still hazy from the hit with the bucket. He almost drowned as she fell into the water unconscious. The mechanic barely raised his one hand, his lips trembling as he tried to speak softly.

Shachi leaned closer, trying to hear his friend's dying words. "What? What is it?!"

A sudden trail of blood appeared from Penguin's nose as he grinned lewdly, while blushing. "I regret….nothing.." Those were his last words before he fell back into unconsciousness.

"Penguiiiin!" Shachi yelled dramatically into the night towards the full moon while holding his friend in his arms.

Josh just stood there and watched the foolish scene with a blank expression. "Idiots…"

~….~

Miyako stomped through the snow in her knee-high boots and the plaid winter coat. "Unbelievable!" She kept muttering angrily under her breath, completely forgetting about the cold and darkness around her. She wasn't even watching where she was going as she just kept on, needing to let off some steam and just walk it off. *_I can't even have one peaceful night with those guys! What's their problem, the big perverts?! And why was he staring at me like that!?* _A flash of Law's smirking face came back to Miyako's mind as she saw his piercing eyes on her. What was with that look? It made her feel…weird and awkward, and slightly uncomfortable. The thoughts heated up her cheeks once more and she didn't even realize that she has stopped walking. Miyako shook her head to try and chase the thoughts away, while clutching her hands into fists and closing her eyes shut. She started walking again, but then finally realized her surroundings. She went far beyond the outskirts of town where the forest starts.

The samurai blinked a few times and looked back where the houses were. *_Whoa, I wandered off so far without even realizing it. They really made me mad this time…I better get back even though I really don't want to see those idiots yet.* _She scowled at the thought, but suddenly a small light in the corner of her eye got her attention. Miyako looked back in the direction of the forest noticed something glistening. The small speck of light would disappear and then appear again momentarily. *_What is that?*_ Suddenly, Miyako remembered the bartender and his warning about spirits in the island's woods. She took a step back unconsciously, feeling tense all of a sudden. *_No, but Josh was right…Spirited away, such a thing is impossible. I'm sure…well probably...*_ Somehow she didn't feel as sure anymore but the light in front of her was dancing almost as if calling out to her. *_A spirit? That little thing_?*

The curiosity got the best of her and Miyako took a step forward cautiously, putting a hand on her katana just in case. She moved slowly through the snow as it made soft sounds beneath her feet. As she moved closer into the woods, the light seemed brighter, but it almost seemed like it was also moving away from her. She quickened her step and went on forward a bit more, already in the forest. Behind her, the houses of the town were slowly getting smaller but the smoke rising from the chimneys was still well visible even in the night. Miyako took a glance behind her at the town. *_I won't get lost if I don't go too far.* _Still keeping a hand on the sword, Miyako moved on and followed the light that disappeared behind some bushes and trees.

The girl swiftly followed, moving away some bushes to get through and jumped into the clearing, ready to catch the evasive light spirit or whatever it was. That's when her demeanor changed into a puzzled one and the samurai blinked a few times. "Huh?"

Before her was a small clearing with a lake which was completely frozen with ice. The snow and ice around glistened under the moonlight, appearing like small crystals. Everything was decorated in white and glimmering in the night magically. The sight was so beautiful it made the girl hold her breath without even realizing. But what made her so stunned was something else. There was a tall figure in the middle of the clearing. At better inspection, Miyako could see it was a man, even though he had long ghostly white hair and similarly pale face with such gentle features it almost made him look like a woman. The handsome man was wearing a yukata in light blue and white colors which only made him fit in more in the whole winter scenery. He raised his hand with one finger and the light glittered over to him, resting on his finger. Only now did Miyako realize that the light wasn't actually a will o' whisp, but a firefly bird. It was a small, blue colored bird with a long tail that shone brightly and lightened up the dark path of the small animal. It was also used as bait for insects that would get attracted to the light and fly over not noticing the rest of the dangerous bird, which would then swiftly catch and eat them. There were more of those lights around the man as firefly birds playfully flew around, unafraid of the mysterious person.

As Miyako quite abruptly stepped forward in chase of that light, the man turned towards her with a puzzled gaze. That questioning stare soon turned into interest as he pierced her with bright blue eyes that reminded Miyako of pure ice. "Hello," he called out in a calm voice. Surprisingly, he didn't seem worried or afraid by the sudden newcomer who barged in the clearing.

"H-hello…" Miyako wasn't sure what to say to the sigh, but she found herself responding to the greeting out of impulse. Her manners work even in her startled state, it seems. "I'm sorry if I scared you," she proceeded, slowly getting over her original shock.

The man smiled gently. It seems all his movements were slow but graceful and he turned to face her and stepped forward. "You didn't scare me. Besides, this little fellow already warned me that someone was coming," he turned back to the firefly bird resting on his index finger.

"Oh…" Miyako didn't really know what to say at this point. "Wait, you can understand it?!" Realization suddenly hit her, a second too late.

The man laughed, amused by her reactions. "In a way, yes. I understand from the intonation of his chirps; whether it's a tone of warning or danger, or a lot of other things…Is it that odd?" He tilted his head and his silky long hair fell from his shoulder. It reached all the way down to his thighs.

"Well, I wouldn't say odd...rather, it's pretty amazing," the samurai girl answered unsure how to describe it. But she thought having such knowledge and understanding of an animal's nature was pretty impressive.

The man laughed softly. "Why thank you…" He paused and gave Miyako a questioning stare.

"Oh, it's Miyako!" She realized she didn't even introduce herself properly. "Suzune Miyako."

"I see...With which kanji do you spell that?" The man tilted his head in interest.

Miyako thought about what she could use to write down her name and then got an idea as she crouched down into the snow. She used her fingers to draw down the kanji of her name, explaining it to the man. "For Suzune are the kanji for Bell and Sound, while for Miyako it's the kanji for beautiful, March and child though it's only read as 'beautiful child'. I was born in March, which is probably how I got that name," girl smiled as she got up from the crouching position and looked at the drawn kanji of her name in the snow.

"It's a lovely name. Mine is Shiroshi, with the kanji for white and spirit," he explained, drawing lines of his kanji in snow just like Miyako did.

"Shiro…shi.." The girl let the name roll on her tongue as she repeated it. Then suddenly, her eyes went wide and she stared at the ghostly white man in shock. "White spirit?! A spirit! Just like the bartender guy said!" She exclaimed in shock, completely forgetting about her manners.

At first the young man blinked a few times, looking as surprised as she was with his eyes open wide in puzzlement. But then it seemed he understood what the girl was thinking about and Shiroshi burst out into laughter. "Oh, don't worry, I'm completely human!" Still laughing while trying to suppress it, he looked back at Miyako. "I'm not a spirit and neither am I kidnapping anyone like those townspeople seem to think. Don't tell me you also believe people are getting spirited away around here?"

Somehow, hearing the guy who looked more like a ghost than anyone making fun of her for believing in spirits, made Miyako burn in embarrassment. "I do _not_ believe it either," she tried to defend herself. Her out disappeared momentarily as another question popped into her mind. "What are you doing here anyway? Are you from this town?"

Wiping the corner of his teary eyes with the rim of his yukata sleeve, Shiroshi finally managed to calm down enough to answer. "No, I live a bit further away on the other side of this forest." He then looked around at the beautiful clearing and walked over to the beginning of the frozen lake. "I come here because I enjoy this place immensely. Don't you also find it beautiful?" He looked back at the samurai with a questioning smile.

The girl walked over next to him and looked down at her reflection in the clear lake. "Yeah…I do. It's really magical."

Shiroshi nodded. "I think so too. Sometimes I just need some peace and quiet so I come here to rest my mind and be alone with my thoughts. I think it is very important to do that sometimes for your mind's balance."

Miyako nodded, completely understanding what he meant. And she also understood what it meant not having that peace when needed because someone is constantly around you and interrupting you. As much as she loves her Heart Pirate nakama, living with the guys in one submarine can be exhausting sometimes. She needed her space and they just wouldn't take a hint. Ever. "Oh sorry, so I intruded on your alone time," now she felt guilty as she looked back at the man. Only then, standing next to him, did she realize how tall he actually was. He was at least two meters high and she had to strain her neck to be able to even look him in the eyes. Those icy eyes gazed down at her, but they didn't really look cold as one would think.

"That's quite alright, I do not mind your company Suzune Miyako." he gazed at the sword strapped to her side. "Are you a swordsman…or should I say swordswoman?"

The girl smirked. "I don't mind either way, it's not surprising that there isn't an actual name for it…there aren't many swordswomen out there after all, especially where I come from," she shook her head slightly showing that she wasn't offended.

"And where is that young swordswoman from?" Shiroshi questioned on.

Miyako stayed quiet for a while, not sure how much information she wanted to disclose to this mysterious man. However, she decided that telling him her home country couldn't really do damage and he seemed pretty nice anyway. "Wanokuni. But I'm…traveling now." She added, not really sure about telling Shiroshi that she was in fact a pirate. It might scare him off or, even worse, make him hostile. Perhaps it was better to keep that part to herself after all.

"A samurai from Wanokuni, hm? How peculiar. That country is mostly closed to the outer world so I never met one before. How lucky." An amused, playful smile appeared on his lips.

Miyako smiled back, but then remembered an important detail. It was in the middle of the night already and she just stormed off in her anger, not bothering to let anyone know where she was going. They could be worried and already searching for her right now since she didn't come back to the inn yet. Law will get angry too if she disappears and gets into trouble again. At the thought of her captain, complicated feelings rose inside the girl, but she pushed them back inside. She didn't want to think about the embarrassing scene from before right now; not when she finally calmed down. She realized that she completely cooled off her head in this place; it just had a calming effect on her as she admired the scenery. And Shiroshi made her calm as well, he was easy to talk to. "I should probably get back, but it was nice talking to you, Shiroshi-san," she bowed her head respectfully to the man.

"Please, Shiroshi is just fine. Such formalities aren't necessary," the exceptionally tall man smiled and shook his hand slightly. The long robes of his yukata rustled with the movement. "Perhaps we will meet again soon, Suzune Miyako," he nodded to her as goodbye as he watched the girl leave through the forest. When the girl was out of sight, Shiroshi walked over to the still-written kanji names on the snowy ground. Crouching down he looked over at Miyako's full name and put a hand gently over the letters. "We might meet sooner than you think, young Miyako," he whispered with an amused smirk. Before him, the kanji of the girl's name glowed in bright light before completely disappearing from the snow. Shiroshi turned his hand to look at his palm and a small light appeared on it. The letters of Miyako's full name glowed in his palm before settling like a tattoo on his palm. After a while the name disappeared and his palm turned back to its ghostly white skin as before. His hand clenched into a fist almost as if trapping something invisible in it. The smile never left his lips as he stood upright again and turned to leave the clearing. His shadow soon disappeared from the forest as he was led down the path by the glowing firefly birds.

~….~

Miyako opened the doors of the inn where they paid for their rooms. It was already late at night and the moon hid behind some murky clouds, so it became even darker than before. The girl felt tired and exhausted from the day, just wanting to lay in her bed and sleep. Since they were sharing rooms to cut down the costs, she was probably sharing the room with Bepo but right now she didn't mind even though the bear usually snored loudly.

As soon as she opened the doors, a group of pirates in white overalls swarmed over her, almost tackling her to the ground.

"Miya-chan!" Bepo as the biggest one hugged the girl and the whole group around her.

"Where were you?" Cody asked with a still worried expression from fretting over her disappearance.

"Um, I just went for a walk. Sorry, I was so angry at the time, I simply walked away without even realizing it," she gave them a sheepish smile while answering.

"You've been gone for three hours, you know," Shachi sighed, resting his hands on his hips. He looked like a worried brother, reprimanding his younger sibling.

"Sorry," Miyako shrugged, not really sure how to react.

"Miya-chaaaan!" Another voice startled her and she peered at the back of the group to see Penguin running over. He had tears and snot all over his face, making Miyako scrunch her nose in disgust.

"What happened to you?" The samurai asked with a tilted head, still carrying that slightly disturbed, questioning expression.

Shachi sighed as he answered first. "He's been like that ever since you disappeared on us," he explained. It seemed the rest of the guys were surprised by Penguin's appearance at all as they had to put up with him for hours now. They were all used to it already.

"I'm soooo sooorry, please don't be mad anymore!" The mechanic hugged Miyako a bit too tightly, rubbing of his snot and tears onto her shoulder. "It's all my fault you went awaaay!"

Miyako went tense with the disgusting wet feeling on her right shoulder as Penguin cried on. She wasn't even angry anymore, she just wanted the mechanic off of her, as much as she appreciated he felt bad at what happened in the hot spring. "Alright, alright, I'm not mad anymore. Seriously, it's fine Penguin," she tried not to push the mechanic off of her so she just stayed there with a tense smile, waiting for Penguin to let go.

"Really?" The mechanic sniffled a few times, staring right at her with his big, teary eyes.

"Yeah," it was the truth, she wasn't even angry anymore. The nice talk she had with Shiroshi actually calmed her down and the winter air helped her cool her head. More importantly, she got some of her highly-needed alone time now and was ready and rejuvenated to spend her time along with the Heart Pirates once again.

"That's good," a sarcastic tone of a deep voice interrupted the mushy atmosphere as Law walked towards them from the back. "Now can you explain where you were for all this time?" He had a serious expression, obviously not liking the idea that his crewmember just disappeared all of a sudden with no prior notice. Well, Miyako guessed as much, she knew she'll have to deal with Law when she comes back. However, maybe telling him that she went to the woods, even though the bartender told them not to might not be best for her defense.

"Just… on a walk," she shrugged. Well, that wasn't a lie technically. She really did go for a walk…that took her far beyond the outskirts of town.

"We looked everywhere for you. Penguin felt so bad after you disappeared, he ran around like a maniac," Cody explained, pointing at the head mechanic who was finally calming down now that their samurai was back.

"Yeah, I went pretty far to the outskirt of town. I didn't even realize how far I've gone until I calmed down a bit," she admitted.

"Well, next time how about cooling your head down somewhere where I can keep my eye on you so that you can't get in any unnecessary trouble," the captain warned still not amused.

A small pout appeared on Miyako's expression. "I just needed some alone time to think and have some space. I can't do that either If you're constantly looking over my shoulder. Besides, I didn't get in any trouble did I?" She looked up and stared him straight in the eyes, challenging him with her words.

The captain didn't look impressed, though. "This time," he pointed out, reminding the girl of all the times she _did_ get into trouble after disappearing like this.

Miyako did get his point and knew he was also responsible for everyone as their captain so he had to keep an eye on them, but they were pirates not a daycare! She wasn't a child and could take care of herself after all. And sometimes she just needed to have some private time for herself, which was impossible when sharing space with the other Heart Pirates all the time. *_Easy for him to talk, nobody just barges into his room every day with stupid or crazy ideas because they're suddenly bored. And nobody goes around stealing his underwear or trying to take a peak when he's in a bath! What's more, Law has a whole private bathroom on the submarine while I have to get up extra early every day to take a shower before a bunch of guys barge in! He just doesn't get it! * _Miyako didn't want to get into an argument with Law right now, especially in front of the whole crew, so she just stayed quiet. She was too tired for that anyway. "I'll just go to sleep now," he muttered both from exhaustion and irritation she was starting to feel again.

"First one on the right, Bepo is already there," Law called out without even turning to look at her as he went to sit back at the bar where he was previously to her arrival.

~…..~

Miyako flopped to her bed, ignoring the big bear that was already sleeping in the other one while snoring happily. His ears perked and twitched a bit when she came in, probably hearing her footsteps, but he just mumbled something that sounded like 'Welcome back' before turning around to get back to sleep again. He could probably recognize her scent and the sound of her footsteps without even looking at her, which she had to admit, was pretty impressive. Animal instincts were really something else, even without Kenbunshoku haki.

The girl plunged head first into her pillow, barely having the strength to take off her boots and katana first. But as much as she was tired, sleep just wouldn't come as numerous thought suddenly started swirling around her mind, as it usually is just when you are about to go to sleep. As always, it came at the worst time. The piercing gray eyes of her captain just would leave Miyako's mind. _*I should probably apologize to Law tomorrow for causing trouble. Even though he didn't have to be such a jerk about it either… it's partly his fault anyway! * _She remembered the embarrassing scene at the onsen, seeing Law's eyes all over her body. *_At least look away will you! * _The girls' eyes narrowed a bit as she kept on her troubled expression. Just now at the tavern, even though Law was inside she could see fresh snow on the shoulder of his black coat and hat. What's more, her sharp eyes easily noticed the subtle changes in Law's tan face, which had slightly reddish ears and nose from the cold. He must've been outside in the hot night weather for a long time if even the man from North Blue got affected by the cold. He was definitively outside searching for her with the others and probably just came back to the inn a few moments before her. That made Miyako feel even guiltier about the whole thing. *_If you were so worried to go look for me, then just say so… * _She kept her head buried deep in the pillow as a pout formed on her lips. Slowly, even just thinking about it all exhausted her and the girl fell into darkness before even realizing it.

~…..~

When the samurai opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. Even though it shone brightly, the air was still chilly, but at least the temperature significantly rose since last night. It wasn't enough for the snow and ice to melt, but the sky was bright and clear without snowy clouds over the town. It took Miyako some time to open her eyes and get used to the bright sunlight coming into the room from outside. When her still tired eyes fluttered half open, the girl barely recognized a large, round form above her face. "Mmm'" She hummed in question, but then her eyes completely opened wide in surprise when she realized something was right in front of her. "Whaaa!" She yelled in a startled voice, quickly sitting up in her bed, only to bang her head with someone's forehead and yelp in pain, falling off of the bed and onto the hard floor.

"Whaa!" The other person also yelled out in the same panicked sound as the girl scared him to death and then even head-butted him. The bear fell back onto his ass and started rubbing his slightly sore forehead.

The girl blinked, still lying on the floor entangled with the sheets that now made a perfect constraint around her legs. "Bepo?" She blinked a few more times perplexed before frowning. "You scared me to death!"

"Sorry, I was just trying to wake you up," the first mate whined with his head down in an apology.

Miyako was still holding her painful forehead with both hands, as she rolled over to her side, trying to get free from the bed sheets. "What kinds of a wake-up was that?" She groaned in pain while managing to sit up on her knees.

The bear's ears pulled down against his fuzzy head, as if he was a scolded puppy, making Miyako guilty for yelling at him. Still, she didn't expect such a fierce wake-up call from the polar bear.

"Sorry," the bear muttered again, still feeling down.

The girl couldn't do much but sigh as she put a gentle hand on the bear's head. "It's ok, I was just startled. Now come on, help me up." She grinned at him while reaching her hand for Bepo to grab it.

The bear seemed to brighten up instantly as he quickly stood up, effortlessly pulling the girl on her feet with him. The bed sheets stayed on the ground, finally entangling from her legs and pooling around her. Just then a knock sounded at their door and Bepo's ears twitched again before he took a few sniffs of the air. "It's Cody," he simply stated.

That proved to be spot on when they both heard Cody's voice from the hall. "Bepo, Miya-chan, are you two up? Can I come in?"

Miyako looked down at herself, making sure that she was decent, but then realized she was so tired last night that she fell asleep in her shirt and pants. "Yeah, it's fine," she answered back.

The blue haired medic entered with a refreshed look on his face. At least someone obviously had a good night's sleep. "The breakfast is ready downstairs so come when you're ready."

The girl looked at her clothes again and the boots and katana waiting for her on the side. The coat was handing next to the doors on a coat hanger; at least one thing she managed to put away neatly. "I'm ready, just let me get my stuff," the girl answered.

"Me too," Bepo commented and sniffed the air again. "This is why I woke you up, I could already smell the food," he turned and smiled at Miyako happily. "I think there's even meat!"

Meanwhile, Cody blinked a few times while still staring at the girl. She gave him a questioning frown, silently asking 'What?'

"Are you sure, you're ready?" He was trying not to laugh as he pointed at the top of Miyako's head.

The girl gave him a puzzled glance before trying to see her reflection in the window's glass. Her hair was still tied with her ribbon in a messy bun since she completely forgot to release it after storming out of the Ryokan, but now it was even messier than before. There were strands and curls everywhere, tangled into a mess. It was the worst bed hair she had in a long time; even Miyako was aware of it. "Damn…" She frowned again.

"Just don't let Josh see your bed hair like this or you might never hear the end of it," Cody snickered, unable to restrain his amusement either.

The girl looked back at Cody with a surprised stare. "Who?" She blinked a few times in wonder.

Now it was Cody's time to get confused as he gave her a skeptical stare, as if there was something wrong with her head. Miyako didn't quite understand why, though. "Uh, Josh? You know, the temperamental guy you argue with every time you see each other?" He reminded her of the medic with a gaze that clearly stated '_Isn't it obvious, who_?'

As if a spark reappeared in Miyako's mind, her eyes shone a bit. "Oh…right." She gave the tall medic a slight pout. "We don't fight _all_ the time."

Cody snickered again, smirking at her. It seems he got over the bizarre moment quickly since things seemed to be back to normal. The girl must still be half asleep. "I bet you would even argue in your sleep." He then turned around, closing the doors behind him. "Hurry up for breakfast before Ben eats all of it!"

Miyako sighed and watched Cody's back as he left before turning back to her reflection in the window. There really was a World War going in her hair right now, so what was she supposed to do about it?

Bepo came next to her and stared down at the entangled, dark blue mess on her head. "I think it looks fine…" The bear received a strange look of skepticism from Miyako.

~…..~

The smell of fresh food reminded Miyako just how hungry she was. There was everything from sausages and vegetables, to scrambled eggs and freshly ground coffee. She was a bit surprised that such an old-looking inn had such a variety of food for breakfast and everything was pretty tasty as well. Even Munk had to admit so, even though at first he pouted and commented "It was nothing special" after hearing all the Heart Pirates so in awe with the food here. Perhaps he was still sulking about the way everyone dismissed his newly-found recipe of 'Munk's porridge,' but even he couldn't mope for long after tasting this meal. Ben was already on his third helping, explaining that the breakfast was the most important meal of the day, but everybody already knew that for Ben every meal was the most important one…

The samurai was also enjoying her scrambled eggs with fresh bread and butter, gulping down a large cup of green tea. She even managed to do something about her hair, though it took her twenty minutes to entangle and straighten it out, before tying it in the usual high pony tail. Unfortunately, she had to work it with her fingers since her brush was back at the submarine.

Just as Miyako finished her meal with a satisfied sigh, taking slow sips of her cold tea, she noticed their captain sitting down next to her. She glanced at his person, seeing that he didn't look much more refreshed than last night. *_I bet he wasn't able to sleep again…or did he go to work and stayed the whole night awake again without realizing it?*_ The girl glanced at the dark doctor who was sipping his black coffee and pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to chase away a headache. Her eyes softened a bit, feeling bad for the always hard-working captain suddenly, as she lay low and observed him behind her cup. "Um…sorry…" She started, not sure if it was wise to start up a conversation now when Law obviously got up on his bad side today.

He glanced at her wordlessly, silently asking what she meant by that.

Deciding to explain further, Miyako continued. "About last night; I worried everyone. It was my bad," she honestly apologized. It's true she blew up a fuse in the onsen but that doesn't mean she didn't cause trouble for Law and the others who got worried and searched for her.

However, the captain just sighed and closed his eyes, as if too tired to have this conversation right now. "It's fine, just think before you act once in a while. I always tell you that." He took another sip of his coffee as their table enveloped in silence. Surprisingly, this time Law broke it. "How come you're so good at calculating your moves when in battle, but not in your everyday life?" It sounded more like just him complaining than expecting a real answer out of her.

But Miyako gave him one nevertheless. "It's because you guys always catch me by surprise. I don't expect it..I…have never really had to deal with stuff like this before, you know. Since I never had nakama before nor was I this close to others, I'm not really prepared for their constant shenanigans," the girl answered truthfully. There was just a hint of sadness in her voice, but a small smile spread on her lips even without her noticing.

Law observed the girl in silence with a straight face while she talked. Taking another sip of his coffee, the captain turned towards the group of Heart pirates laughing at a nearby table. "Well, things sure are… eventful around here. They never make it boring, that's true. But pirate life isn't supposed to be wonted, anyway." A small smirk appeared on his face.

Miyako chuckled, looking at the Hearts around them. "That's true, I suppose. But to be honest, even though it can be startling at times, being with these guys is….fun," she admitted, glancing back at the captain with the same satisfied smile from before.

Law suddenly rose on eyebrow in a questioning expression. "Having your underwear stolen and being peaked during a bath is fun?" He knew she didn't mean that, but he just couldn't help teasing her at such a perfect opportunity.

The girl almost spat out her green tea in shock. _*Why are you looking at me like I'm Pengu-I mean, a pervert?!*_ "That's not what I meant and you know it!" The girl exclaimed, completely horrified at the implication of Law's words.

The Surgeon of death couldn't help but chuckle at the blushing girl. He ignored the deadly glare she was giving him along with a pout on her features. "I know what you meant," he finally admitted, closing his eyes again. He felt the same way, actually. These guys were a whole world of trouble sometimes and there was hardly ever a relaxing moment with them, but all in was always fun and exciting. Their journey and adventures were never boring and they were all good people that could be trusted and relied at in times of emergency. Law never regretted recruiting any of them….including the samurai girl who was sitting beside him right now. He glanced at the Wano girl who was laughing with the others and watching the scene of Eli trying to take down the bartender in an arm wrestling match only to lose miserably. Well, she doesn't necessarily need to know all of that; Law thought as he observed his samurai.

"More importantly, you should worry about yourself too. You ran out into the snow yesterday, it'll be a miracle if you don't catch pneumonia. You just got over one cold, didn't you, after all." The captain continued, bringing Miyako's attention back to their conversation.

The girl blinked in confusion. "Did I? When?"

Law tilted his head in askance, furrowing his eyebrows in the process. "You got sick after leaving the island with the doppelganger. Did the cold affect your memory too?"

For a while, Miyako stayed still with a frowning expression as if trying to remember something. Then suddenly her lips formed a silent o as if remembering. "That's right. Silly me, I totally forgot about that." She smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"Hnn.." Trafalgar didn't comment on it but kept his eyes on the girl for a while longer as if searching for any signs that something might be actually wrong with her. Perhaps she really did get sick because of yesterday; after all she stormed outside into the cold without even cooling herself off first or drying her hair. In this winter temperature, that could be enough for someone to fall gravely ill. For now everything seemed fine, but perhaps it would be wise to keep an eye on the girl for at least today. It would be bad if she wanders off again and then collapses somewhere in the snow.

"Hey, hey, Miya-chan!" Penguin suddenly called out to the girl, bringing her out of her daze. "Josh found this cool shop where an ice maker master is crafting everything out of ice. I bet it looks really awesome, let's see it!"

Miyako smiled at the enthusiastic group before her. Penguin, Shachi, Josh, Cody and even Sai all went to see the amazing ice sculptures and other crafts in the shop. It was considered art even and some people paid big money for such hand made crafted items out of pure ice; especially in summer islands. "Sure," she smirked, standing up. Just before they went off, she turned towards the captain. "Want to join us, captain-san?" She asked jokingly, but not out of disrespect, which was clear in her light tone.

Law just took another long sip of his coffee, lazily resting in his chair. "That's fine, you go on ahead. I'm perfectly well here," he answered with a smirk, showing that he wanted to enjoy his relaxation time while it still lasted.

Miyako smiled back and nodded, giving him one last wave of her hand in a quick manner before leaving with the others.

~…~

"Whoooa, amazing," Shachi gaped at the sight while staring at a whole sword made out of ice. Of course it wasn't for actual use, only decorative, but the craftsmanship was so skilled and detailed it left them all in awe.

The pirates looked around, their reflections dancing from the ice surfaces around them. The whole room was glittering as sunrays bounced off of the ice. The room had to be kept cold enough so the ice wouldn't melt, which made the pirate's hot breaths let out steam every time they would open their mouths to marvel the crafts around them.

"I'm almost afraid to move so I wouldn't break anything," Cody admitted as the whole shop was filled with ice statues and figures of all kinds and sizes.

Miyako was amazed like the rest of them, but it was hard to show it as her weariness took the best of her. She let out a big yawn, trying to cover it up with her hand.

Joshua nudged her in the side, looking up at her with an expression mixed with puzzlement and slight worry. "What's with you? You have bags under your eyes and look paler than usual? Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

The girl frowned, rubbing her head in thought. "I did…Or at least I tried. I kept having weird dreams, though," she admitted trying to remember last night.

"Nightmares?" Sai walked over with question in his eyes.

"Um…No, I wouldn't say nightmares...I don't remember much, to be honest. It was like I was talking with someone…or like someone kept whispering in my ear," she tried her best to explain even though she barely remembered it. More than a bad dream, it was just a strange feeling.

"Somehow that sounds kinda creepy," Penguin admitted, scrunching his nose as if thinking of something unpleasant.

"Maybe it's just because of all that stress yesterday," Cody proposed, giving Penguin a reprimanding stare for last night.

"Sorry," the mechanic whined, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nah, I'm sure it's nothing. I'll just go to sleep earlier tonight and everything will be fine tomorrow morning. You'll see," she reassured them.

That's when a flash of light caught her attention. She stared behind Joshua, where an item shone more brightly than the rest. It was a small figurine made with such clear ice that it looked more like some white crystal. The lighting seemed to be moving on the surface when the sun shone its light on it. "Is that also made of ice?" Miyako asked, passing the pirates and walking towards the figurine, still amazed by the beautiful texture of this small statue.

"Oh, you have a good eye there," the shopkeeper who was also the ice craftsman here answered. He came closer and smiled proudly at the figurine. "This is made out of ice crystal"

"Ice crystal?" The group repeated in questioning unison.

"Aye." The ice master nodded. "It's a very rare crystal that can sometimes be found deep within the ice mountain on winter islands, but it's extremely rare. It is said that this island had whole ice crystal mines in those mountains there, but it ran out a long time ago. We still have a few items made out of it, but it's all mostly decorative relics from older times."

"It's beautiful," Miyako whispered, almost enchanted by it.

"Indeed. The ice crystal is so rare that it's ten times more worth than gold," the man answered, crossing his arms on his chest. "But this one here is for decorative purposes only, not for sale. I doubt you'd be able to afford it anyway," he grinned teasingly.

"Tch, don't think so light of us," Josh felt a bit offended by the man's remark.

"Now I _really_ have to be careful where I'm stepping," Cody commented in slight worry, careful not to bump and break anything that he wouldn't be able to afford to buy.

"And don't you dare try and steal it pirates," the man warned more seriously now.

"Hey, don't insult us," Shachi replied, feeling offended as well. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time they stole something either…

"Was that a challenge? That was a challenge," Joshua whispered excitedly to Miyako and Cody on the side, already grinning about the idea, but both his friends just gave him a warning frown so he wouldn't try anything stupid while they're here. They still had some time on this island and they doubted Trafalgar would like it if they had to spend it fighting against the authorities or an angry mob. That's how it usually ended when the Hearts got another 'good' idea.

When they finally got out of the shop Penguin couldn't stop talking about the ice marvels he saw. "I'll definitively buy that ice sword!"

"And do what with it? It will melt even if you don't use it and break if you do," Shachi shrugged, not understanding his friend who would just waste money.

"But it looks so cool~!" The other mechanic whined relentlessly like a child asking for a toy.

"Hey, if he wants to waste money, just let him," the navigator shrugged.

"Yeah, listen to Sai and let me waste money!" Penguin argued with his friend, but then blinked in confusion and stared back at the navigator, "Wait, what?"

While they were still bickering on the busy street, Miyako noticed something swaying ear the rooftops. She looked up to see a blue bird with a shining light following it around. It wasn't that impressive now that it was daylight but Miyako could still recognize the small firefly bird dancing around in the air. She looked back at her friends who were already in another argument and gave them a quick wave with her hand, "Well then, I'll be leaving now!"

"Huh? Wait, Miya-chan?!" Cody called out, but didn't have the time to go after her or ask where she was headed since he was trying to force Penguin and Shachi apart while persuade Joshua _not_ to steal the ice crystal statue that he was still going on about.

Miyako took the chance to slip away, heading through the busy streets and following the small bird. As she walked on, the path became less populated and only a few by passers walked beside her. Once again, she was headed for the outskirts of town before struggling through the high snow and into the woods, towards the clearing she found yesterday. Somehow, even before she pushed aside the branches, she knew she'll find the tall man there.

As expected, she saw Shiroshi in all his tall glory standing near the frozen lake. The firefly bird flew towards him, flying in circles around a few times before setting on his shoulder.

"It really likes you," Miyako commented on the bird's actions before even greeting the man. Today he was wearing snow white robes with red accessories and marking on the fabric. The clothes only accented his pale skin and ghostly white hair, but also showed off his handsome features.

Shiroshi smiled at her comment and nodded his head politely as a greeting. Miyako did the same in return. "He likes you as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't call out for you. They don't usually go into town like that, especially during daylight…too many people that might try and harm them," he explained.

Miyako blinked in wonder. "I thought you called for me," she said bluntly, but then realized that sounded strange. *_Why would I think that…? And why would I come suddenly, leaving Penguin and the others behind like that? *_ Suddenly, Miyako couldn't even understand her actions anymore. They somehow seemed out of character. As she thought about it more deeply, she felt a throbbing headache starting to form in her temples. The girl frowned and closed her eyes tightly, grabbing her head.

"Suzune-dono, are you alright!?" Shiroshi was beside her in the instant, his long strides taking him over the high layer of snow effortlessly. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to peer into her pained expression with his light blue eyes.

"I'm…fine…Sorry, I didn't get much sleep," the girl stood upright again, her headache suddenly gone completely. But she wasn't thinking about unnecessary things anymore either.

"Perhaps you should rest for a while. Here, let me help you." He led her to a large log and quickly helped her sit down before sitting next to her. Miyako let him lightly push her down until her head was resting on his lap.

She wanted to move and go back to Law and the others, but somehow she just felt too tired to do it. She didn't have the energy for it. *_No, that's wrong…I…don't want…to go back…stay…I'm here to…stay…*_ Her thoughts got muddled and hazy as she was unable to keep herself from slowly falling into unconsciousness. Sweet sleep was just too tempting right now.

"It's alright, just rest." Shiroshi talked in a soothing voice, lulling her further into the darkness. "Stay like this just like you always had," he continued.

"Yes…just like always…" The girl mumbled before closing her eyes.

~…~

"Oy, she's here!" Shachi rushed over and grabbed at Miyako's shoulder, trying to shake her awake. He found the girl lying on a log in the middle of a snow-covered clearing in the woods. Thankfully, she didn't get far.

"Thank god, so she didn't get spirited away after all!" Bepo rushed over with relief written all over his face. The mechanic handed the girl to him and he lifted her up in his big arms.

"She's ice cold though! She must have been here for some time," The head mechanic felt her frozen, pale cheeks. The girl wasn't waking up from her slumber either.

"Miyako!" Cody shouted in panic and ran over with Josh right by his side. The blue haired medic felt for her pulse and sighed in relief when he felt it. He searched for any frostbite or injuries on her body, but luckily found none. "She seems ok, but we need to get her inside and get her warm immediately."

The rest of the Heart pirates agreed and quickly rushed over back into town. They ran all the way into the inn where the other pirates worriedly waited for them. The girl has been missing for hours without a sign, but luckily Cody saw the direction in which she went. After that, Law separated them into groups and formed small search parties until they found her. Bepo hurried with the girl inside, laying her onto the bed in the inn. Even the bartender helped, bring them buckets of hot water and towels that they wrapped around the girls freezing skin like bandages, trying to keep her from falling into hypothermia.

"We found her asleep in the woods." Josh explained as he helped Cody and Law work on the girl to get her warmed up. The medic were rubbing the tips of her fingers and toes, trying to get her circulation back and running.

"She seemed somehow out of it since this morning, but I never thought she would just wander off and collapse like that," Cody shook his head with a pained expression. "I should have gone after her after seeing her leave," he admitted guiltily.

Josh just shook his head to reassure his friend. "It's not your fault, there's no way you could have known she would do this. What was she _thinking_?! Bakaonna…." There wasn't any real anger in the redhead's voice since he was too worried and focused on helping the girl to get angry about her strange actions right now.

~…..~

Miyako groaned as her gazed eyes fluttered open. Her mind still felt a bit hazy and she could barely stay awake. The room was dark with only a single candle near the bedside to illuminate the whole area. The moon was already in the night sky and fresh snow was covering the streets. She turned her head to the side and saw a shadow sitting beside her bed. She didn't flinch away as it reached for her, putting another warm towel onto her forehead. Miyako had to focus her vision to be able to see through the darkness who it was. "Law?" She whispered, seeing the pirate doctor looking down at her. He didn't look upset; just kept his usual expressionless face as he brought a glass of water near her lips and made her drink some.

"Go back to sleep," he simply ordered in a blunt tone.

"Where?" The girl started, ignoring his advice. She was trying to say something. It wasn't unusual that the girl was confused at the change of location; the last thing she probably remembers what the woods and now she was suddenly back at the inn in a dark room. But Law realized his guess was wrong when the girl asked again, "Where is…Shiroshi-san?" Trafalgar frowned in confusion, not recognizing the name. Was she still half asleep or perhaps she was hallucinating from the fever? He wanted to ask about this Shiroshi person, but when he looked down the girl was already back to sleep again.

*_So sleepy…*_ Miyako thought, her thoughts getting muddled again. *_Ah, I troubled the crew and Law again didn't I? I need to apologize…Tomorrow. I need to…sleep now, but everything will be fine…tomorrow.* _Once again, Miyako's consciousness disappeared.

~…~

Everything was completely quiet in the dark room of the inn. The moon was still high as the cold winter night went on. Law was leaning against the wall, still sitting in the chair as he fell asleep in a rather uncomfortable position. He gave his room temporarily to Bepo so that Miyako could have some privacy to rest here and the doctor kept checking on her condition the whole time after they brought her here. Josh and Cody helped out at first, but everyone was exhausted so he sent them off to sleep and said he'd take care of the rest. However, the exhaustion built up inside the captain as well. They kept searching for the girl yesterday night and today as well and he barely got any sleep last night. And now he had to spend another night nursing the girl. When her state finally stabilized and her temperature returned back to normal as her body warmed up, all stress and exhaustion pooled out of Law at once, attacking his tired body. He pretty much fell asleep as soon as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

That's why the man was in too deep of a sleep to notice when the samurai girl sat up in bed. She had her eyes open, but as she slowly looked around the room, it appeared as if she was sleepwalking. Even when she stepped out of bed onto the cold floor and dressed all the way to her coat, ting her katana to her waist quietly, Trafalgar didn't wake up.

And even when the doors of the room softly closed behind the exiting girl, the whole inn stayed quiet in its slumber.

~…~

Trafalgar groaned and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to wake up. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the light in the room, but as he remembered the events of last night, his gray eyes shot open. *_Miyako_!* He remembered that he was taking care of the girl, who was found nearly frozen in the snow by Shachi and the others. At that moment Law realized the bed in front of him was empty, with the sheets tossed to the side. The doctor's eyes suspiciously narrowed and he shot up from his chair, hastily walking into the hall and downstairs towards the tavern. Perhaps she just got hungry and went downstairs to eat; but somehow that thought didn't seem believable to the captain. He was just trying to rid himself of the bad feeling that was slowly pooling in the pit of his stomach.

He took long strides down stairs, skipping two at the time, and quickly looked around the tavern. As expected, there was no sign of the samurai girl. Seeing some of his crewmembers there, Law turned to them. "Did any of you see Miyako?"

The heart pirates shook their heads, all having the same confused expression. "No, not since you brought her here last night," one of them answered and the others nodded in agreement.

The doctor clicked his tongue in annoyance. *_Where did that woman go now?* _

"The lass is missin'?" The bartender came from the kitchen wearing a worried expression. "This is just like the others…" he mumbled, more to himself as he rubbed his chin.

However, Law heard him just fine and came closer to the large man with a glaring gaze. He had a bad feeling about this. "What is?"

For a moment, the local stared at Law as if deciding whether to tell him or not, but finally he sighed and spoke up. "The other townsfolk who disappeared…they all started acting strange first and then just finally disappeared without a trace in the morning. You said the girl was acting strange and going on her own…even falling asleep in the cold woods. Perhaps the spirits were really after her, calling her out, but weren't able to take her away because you found her. So they came back for her at night and took her….she was spirited away just like the others!" The man had a genuinely worried look on his face as he explained, like he really believed that story.

Trafalgar, however, still had his doubts. Spirits? There must be a better explanation for it; perhaps she was hallucinating from the fever and walked out at night, or she sleepwalked back into the woods. Whatever the reason was, the fact didn't change that the girl was missing.

"Spirited away?! What are you talking about?" Josh suddenly appeared behind them as they heard the conversation between the bartender and his captain.

Law turned to his medic, not really wanting to confirm the theory that Miyako was 'Spirited away' as the large man called it. But one thing was certain. "Miss Miyako is missing."

"Missing?!" This time it was Bepo who exclaimed in a panic. He was holding his head in his hands while staring between Josh and Law with wide eyes.

_*We also can't rule out the possibility that someone took her away.* _At that thought, Law remembered Miyako's words while she was still half-asleep in the bed. She said an unfamiliar name; Shiroshi. Perhaps she was just dreaming about the past but if not, this could be their only clue so far. He turned to the local man again. "Bartender-ya, did you hear of the name Shiroshi?"

The said bartender frowned while thinking, letting the word repeat on his tongue. "Shiroshi?" He hummed in thought. "That name sounds familiar. I think there was a young man who came tha this island a few years back. I remember the lad because he be havin' a very peculiar appearance; he looked like a ghost with 'em white hair an' pale skin." The man explained. "He came tha this island in a wrecked ship, without tha others. They had been caught in tha storm an only the lad survived."

As the man explained, it only made Law frown more in confusion. Why would Miyako know someone like that? *_Might as well start with that man then_,* Law thought and gazed back at the local. "Where can I find this Shiroshi?"

That's when the bartender's expression changed into a troubled one. "You can't…Shiroshi was the first man who got spirited away. He's disappeared an' is probably no longer alive. He was always searching for somethin' on this island it seems and one day he just didn't come back. He be gone already, laddie."

Trafalgar stared at the man as if trying to decide whether the bartender was lying or not. No, there wasn't really any reason why he would be lying but it just didn't make sense. None of it. How did Miyako even know the name of a man who disappeared years ago? Did she hear the story from someone else? Law still stared at the other man with an obviously surprised stare, not even trying to conceal it. But before he figures out this mystery, there were some other things he needed to intend to right away.

He turned to his first mate. "Bepo, take Sam, Louis, Garry, Ari, Eli and Munk with you and form a search team to go look for Miss Miyako. I'll take Joshua, Cody, Jean Bart, Shachi, Penguin and Sai. We'll go look for her in the woods, while you go to the other side, towards East. She couldn't have gone far on foot in this snow and weather. Tell the rest to join the others who are on watch duty at the submarine and wait there in case something goes wrong."

"Aye, captain!" Bepo saluted and was running towards the others to inform them of the situation in an instant.

Trafalgar put on his black coat and fixed his fuzzy hat before clutching the nodachi in one hand.

"If she be spirited away, there no e helping 'er. Till now we formed numerous parties for tha lost ones and not one did we find any of 'em," the man called out behind him, warning the pirate captain.

Trafalgar half-turned towards the men, not bothering to give him more than a sideways glance. "It doesn't matter if it's humans or spirits as our enemies…we don't leave our nakama behind," with that, the pirate captain and left the inn, stepping into the cold morning air.

~…~

The gang of pirates led by Law went searching through the woods while the other one in Bepo's care went the opposite way. The island was in no way small and they had a lot of ground to cover, but the girl couldn't have gone far on foot anyway.

"How do we find her? Snow fell again last night so any footprints that might have existed are already gone," Joshua stated, not feeling too optimistic about the search results.

"I'm using my Kenbunshoku Haki to the best of my abilities. I can't cover a lot of ground, though, so we'll have to keep moving, but if we get close enough, I'll sense her. Bepo might be able to pick up on her scent, in case she went the other way." Law wasn't all too happy about their chances of finding the girl in this winter tundra either, but they didn't have many options right now.

"She might freeze to death if she collapses again." Sai muttered with his straight expression.

"Don't get all negative like Bepo, Sai and don't say creepy things like that! We'll find her!" Penguin argued, not wanting to even listen to all the horrible things that might happen to Miyako while she's alone out there. "Besides, she's strong so she can take care of herself. She took her coat and the katana too, so I don't think she just wandered off aimlessly. It's almost like she had something in mind," the mechanic answered. In the distance they could hear the howling of snow wolves and a shiver ran down his spine.

"Penguin-ya is right. It's almost like it was planned from the start," Law agreed. If the girl had just sleepwalked away, he doubted she would prepare herself so well by taking her weapon and warm clothes before heading out. But then why would she just disappear on them without telling anyone and go alone? The captain remembered yesterday morning as the girl apologized with a guilty look for storming off that day. She knew she caused the crew to worry and she regretted it, so why would she do the same thing all over again? Not to mention that this time she didn't have any reason that set her off, unlike last time in the Onsen.

Just then a sound brought everyone out of their thoughts and they looked up at the mountains to see that a part broke off and a small avalanche slid down the icy mountain. They were too far from the mountains to be in danger, but the sight was enough to warn them to keep away from the sharp cliffs up there. If they would get caught up in one of those avalanches, however small it might be, they could get buried deep within the snow and suffocate in a matter of minutes.

"Captain, a village!" Jean Bart pointed as they finally reached out of the woods and came to a small village on the winter island. They have been searching for at least three hours without stopping to rest and were finally out of the woods, but they found no traces or clues of Miyako whatsoever.

"Finally, we'll be able to ask around," Shachi commented, heading towards the village behind the rest of the group.

"Maybe somebody saw something," Josh grinned as they seemed to finally get a stroke of luck on their side.

They ignored the suspicious and strange stares they were given by the villagers as they asked around, describing the missing samurai girl. However, their stroke of luck didn't seem to last long as they only got negative answers and shakes of heads. Did nobody see anything? True, the girl was traveling in the middle of the night and it appeared that most of the people stayed indoors during that time.

Jean Bart sighed in disappointment. "Nothing, huh?"

"We'll just have to continue looking then," the blue haired medic answered while clenching his fists. He had a determined gaze in his dark eyes, not ready to even think about giving up.

The large navigator stared back at the medic for a while, but then silently nodded his head in agreement. Jean Bart wanted to find the samurai girl just like the rest of them.

"Psst," a whispered voice brought their attention down and they saw a boy standing at the beginning of a narrow alley. His clothes were torn in place and his shoes were slowly falling apart. He had a coat on him, but even that looked worn out and old. The Heart Pirates stared down at the kid who couldn't be more than 12. He had dark blond hair and light brown eyes. He was most likely homeless or perhaps from a poor family. "You're looking for a samurai girl, aren't you?"

The pirates gave each other an interested look before staring back at the young boy. "What do you know?"

"I've seen her last night while I was… uh…. taking a walk," obviously a lie, but the pirates didn't care in what shady business he was dealing with as long as he was helpful right now, "my memory is a bit blurry but for the right price I might remember…" The kid smirked mischievously.

However, his smirk was wiped off his face when Joshua grabbed him by the collar of his coat, lifting him up so they were eye to eye. Granted, that wasn't that far from the ground, knowing the medic's height. "You little shit, who do you think you're dealing with?! Now spill it already!"

"Wait, Joshua-ya," Law stepped forward and nodded to the medic who was waiting for captain's orders. Silently but with a dark scowl on his face, the redhead put the kid down but kept his hold on his so the boy wouldn't run away.

The village boy stared up at Law with interest, feeling tense all of a sudden. Even he knew the Surgeon of Death as his name and face appeared in numerous wanted posters in the papers. However, the pirate captain simply took out a coin from his beneath his coat and tossed it to the boy. The kid caught it with ease and looked it over to make sure it was a real golden Beli. Indeed it was. The kid's face brightened up and he stared up at Law again. "Thanks mister!"

However, Trafalgar's cold expression didn't relax even a bit as he stared down at the kid. "Now talk."

The kid nodded. "I saw this girl with a katana walking through the village last night. She had dark blue hair in a ponytail and golden eyes just like you said. She must be who you're looking for." Then he turned away from the village and looked up at the ominous snowy mountains in the distance. "She went in the direction of the mountains," he pointed. "I dunno why anyone'd want to go there though. The wilds here are dangerous; full of wolves and other animals. She must be crazy to go out there alone."

Joshua grabbed the kid by the collar again. "If you're lying to us…"

But the boy cut him off before he could finish his threat. "Oy, oy, I've no reason to! Now let me go you brute!" The kid got loose and quickly dashed away, out of their sight.

"Oy!" The redhead called out to him, followed by a few curses, but the boy was long ago. Finally, he turned back to his captain with an irked expression. "That kid…So? What do we do captain?" The medic looked up at Trafalgar with a questioning gaze.

Law was silent for a long while. Going up those mountains will be a dangerous task. They might all be strong, but without any proper equipment, all they could rely on was themselves and their own powers. Rather than dealing with human enemies, they would have to deal with nature this time; and nature can be far trickier sometimes. Luckily, most of the Heart Pirates here were born and raised in the cold winter islands of North Blue so they'll be prepared for it; that's all Law had to rely on. Reaching his decision, the captain finally turned to his crew. "We're going to check it out."

It seems that's the answer they were all expecting or at least hoping for as they grinned in response. "Alright."

~…~

Law put his unsheathed nodachi in front of him as a guard just in time to block a bite attack from the leaping dire wolf. The animal jumped at him with open maws but was only able to bite into the sword before the captain swung it away. The wolf fell down and slipped away onto the snow with a yowl and a whine. Just as he turned another wolf leapt at him from the side, but was kicked away by Shachi who appeared from the left.

"Room" Trafalgar exclaimed as a blue sphere encircled everyone.

The wolves stopped in their tracks as if sensing something was amiss. They growled viciously at Law who kept his straight face without any worry in his expression. Saliva was dripping down their jaws filled with sharp teeth and the fur on their backs stood up in a sign of aggression. Meanwhile, the pirates just jumped back to Law's side, as they watched two wolves surround them from all sides. It appeared that the animals were getting ready to leap and attack them again. Some were already tensing their leg muscles for a straight jump. Even so, Law stayed calm as he slowly moved his nodachi into position. Just as some of the dire wolves jumped towards them with their maws opened, the captain swung his nodachi and slashed the air in quick motions.

The wolves whined and yelped in surprise and pain as their bodies separated into pieces, still floating around inside the blue sphere. "Shambles," Law called out again and started spinning the pieces, attaching them all together in a shambled mess. Front legs were added to their backs, while their heads got stuck to their lower bodies. When the sphere disappeared, all that was left were shambled pieces of what were once wolves. The animals keened in panic as they tried to run away, dragging their disfigured bodies with what little legs they had left.

"Piece of cake," Penguin commented with a smirk.

"Come on, let's hurry before we encounter more unnecessary obstacles on the way," Trafalgar announced already turning his back on the wolf corpses on the ground and climbing upwards where the path went from the woods and towards the mountains.

They encountered some wild animals on their way but most left them alone. Some were, however, more dangerous than others, such as dire wolves or large snow lynxes that the pirates had to fend off on their way through. They trotted through the deep snow as they went up the path that led high into the mountains. The forest slowly thinned out until only a pine tree was left here and there on their road. However, that made them lose any cover from the possible attacks and wild animals, or the snow slides that were quite often in these parts. It also made the wind blow right in their faces, making their eyes tear up and haze until the pirates had no choice but the put their hands up as cover. As they went further up the harsh wind that bit into their already cold skin only got stronger until they could feel resistance pushing them backwards with every forward step they took. Even so the Heart Pirates went on, lucky that they all at least had their winter coats and hat on to protect them.

"It's hard to see the path!" Cody had to yell to overpower the strong wind. It was blowing up the snow and made it swirl around them in a cloud that slowed down their movements and impaired their vision further.

"We'll just have to keep going forward!" Jean Bart answered, his loud booming voice overpowering even the sound of the howling wind. Unlike the rest, the large navigator had it a bit easier to walk through the snow since his big frame and strength allowed him more freedom to move.

"Maybe we should find a place to take cover from the wind and find a plan?" Joshua suggested, having to shout to actually be heard.

"Look, there's something over there!" Shachi pointed at a large gaping hole that looked like a cavern from the distance.

Law stared at it silently before ordering a loud "Let's go," to his men.

They climbed up further towards the cavern, finally able to take some shelter from the cold and the wind. Looking around the cold, rocky area, the pirates noticed it was deeper than they originally thought. It wasn't just a cavern inside the mountain but a passage, like a tunnel, leading inside the mountain.

"I wonder where it leads," Penguin commented and walked further inside.

"Penguin-ya, don't go too far. We can't get separated in this place," the captain warned as he watched the mechanic explore their new hideout.

"Whoa, but look captain!" The said mechanic pointed at something in the darkness as he watched the path go upwards. The rocky ground looked dangerous as it was slippery from ice and water but as it went ahead, it turned into a set of stairs that spiraled upwards through the mountain.

"Stairs?" Jean Bart commented, barely able to fit though the tight passage.

"Where do they lead?" Cody muttered in amazement. The stairs had to be made by humans, but they looked so old that they seemed like a natural part of the mountain rocks. "They must be here for ages."

"They seem to be leading up the mountain from the inside," Trafalgar noticed watching as the stone stairs spiraled up above them.

"Should we check them out?" Sai suggested, readjusting the rifle on his shoulder that hung there by a strap.

The pirate captain thought about it for a second. Indeed, it seemed strange that such stairs were here inside the mountain. They might be just a remnant of an older time, made by the locals of the island, but perhaps they really led to some clue to where Miyako is. They didn't have any information beside a shady boy's testimony and this was the first suspicious clue they found. The captain nodded. "Alright, we'll check them out."

"Be careful, it looks really slippery." Cody warned, taking the first step forward.

"If you slip and fall from that height, you'll break your necks," the younger navigator commented in a matter of fact tone. He looked up high above at the stairs that led onwards.

Nevertheless, without another word, Law stepped onto the first stair and became to climb up them. The others soon followed and the Heart Pirates started their dangerous climb towards wherever this path led to.

It appeared as if they had been climbing for ages, but it was only because the path became more dangerous and slippery as they went, while the height continued to rise. They had to move slowly if they didn't want to plummet down to their death. At one point Penguin slipped and almost started falling backwards, but luckily Jean Bart stopped his fall with his large body. The big navigator went last so that he might stop the falling people in front of him with his strength if it comes to that. The mechanic could only sigh deeply in relief and nod in thanks to Jean Bart before bracing himself and continuing his climb with cold sweat running down his back.

When the Heart Pirates finally reached what seemed to be the top and were on level ground once more, they all stared in disbelief at the sight before them. The path was forked into three other paths that led onward. Luckily, there weren't any more stairs to climb but the rocky ground was still mainly covered in ice and snow which could be dangerous while they walk.

"Which way do we go?" Sai looked around trying to find any hint that could help them decide the path.

"At this point we can just pick a way and leave it to luck," Shachi sighed. There was no way of knowing which path was the right one or where the other ones led to. They could be filled with traps or end up in a maze without finding their way out of it ever again. There was just no way of knowing even for the strong pirates.

Trafalgar clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked at the tree separate paths. They could split up, but who knows if they'd be able to find each other again inside the mountain after that. Finally, he turned to take the far right path and started walking along it carefully. "Be careful, there might be traps," he warned. His whole body was tense and ready to use his powers or his sword at any given moment if necessary. The others were in a similar state, carefully observing their dark surroundings.

~….~

A small den den mushi followed the movements of the group of pirates that walked through the rocky passageway. It stared at them, transporting picture back to the other den den mushi in a control room, which then showed a video screen of the Heart Pirates.

A person sat on a chair in front of the video, observing the pirates that didn't notice they were being watched yet. "Hmm…this is quite a persistent lot," a man said in a calm voice not sounding bothered by it at all.

"They even found the secret entrance into the mountain," another voice commented somewhere behind the sitting man.

"Gyehehe, persistent, persistent!" A screechy, high pitched voice from another one yelled out.

"We should show them that they are not welcomed here," the man watching the video said, keeping that same calm expression. However, a smirk appeared on his lips as soon as he got an idea. "Take her with you too."

"Are you sure?"

The man in the seat didn't turn around towards the two people behind him. However, even in the dim light they noticed his smirk turning even wider. "Yes, I'm sure. It'll be a good test...of loyalty," the man chuckled.

~…~

It was after a while of walking that Law felt a flow of cold air hitting his skin. The change in the temperature was minimal, but as they proceeded, soon everyone could feel that it was getting colder. *_We must be reaching an exit_,* the pirate doctor concluded as he walked on prepared for anything when they finally reach outside.

Once again the Heart Pirates found themselves outside in the open, but they soon noticed they were a good height away from the ground and up on the mountain now. Even so, they could see the peak above them as the point curled downward. They still hadn't reached the high top of the mountain, but they were getting pretty close. Surprisingly, the wind wasn't as strong up here; perhaps because they were on a lee, protected by the high top that still stretched high above beyond them.

"I guess the paths inside lead to various places on the mountain," Cody concluded as he walked to the edge and looked down. He could see the snowy slope below them, which led downwards back towards the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, Law's eyes narrowed and only seconds later the rest of the pirates felt it too. A presence; someone was coming. Trafalgar gazed up at the rock that spread above their area like a small roof to the exit of the cavern where they just came out. Three shadows appeared on it, standing there in the wind and looking down at the Heart Pirates.

"Gyehehehe! Persistent! Persistent bastards!" A small figure which was actually crouching in the snow jumped up and down in its humped form.

Another sighed in annoyance, as if they were tired all of a sudden. "Is that the only word he knows? He sounds like a child that just learned a new word," a woman's voice answered in a cold but slightly irritable voice. She was the only woman in the group as her long hair tied in a ponytail danced in the wind.

"Let him be, you know Mar'ak isn't quite right in the head," a deep voice coming from the largest and bulkiest figure stated.

"Not right in the head! Gyahahahehehe!" The smallest creature laughed in a high-pitched tone.

The pirates had to narrow their eyes to sharpen their vision but soon it became blatantly obvious that there were three people standing above them. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when the three newcomers jumped down before the pirates and stood there for all to see.

The smallest one that was still crouching looked least bit human and more like some impish creature from storybooks. Even though it was so cold out there, he was only wearing cargo pants and military boots like the marines wore, while his torso was only covered in bandages. Even his arms and most of his face were covered in the white cloth of bandages. The part of the skin that wasn't covered up had purplish marks that looked like bruises. His twisted spine as he crouched was protruded upwards with every vertebra completely visible as it outlined on the skin. On his face, only one bloodshot eye was visible, which stared at the group completely wide open to the point that it looked unnatural. Even though his mouth was also hidden by the bandages, it was obvious that he was grinning widely underneath as his muffled snickering continued. On each hand of his were strapped four metal claws that looked dirty and rusted, mainly with blood.

The next man was the biggest among them. Even though he wasn't as big as Jean Bart or even Munk, he was clearly bulky and toned underneath the heavy armor he was wearing. He had full body armor in a black color with dark golden insignia decorating it and even his helmet was completely covering his face and hiding it in the shadows. There were spiked knuckles on his hand armor and a large bastard sword strapped on his back. It was a mystery how the man even managed to walk in this heavy armor without falling deep into the snow.

However, what brought the biggest surprise to the Heart Pirates weren't the two strange men, but the last of the trio, the only woman in the group. She stood there glaring at the pirates in the same outfit as the last time they saw her; the plaid winter coat, her knee-high black boots, everything down to the red ribbon and Yawarakai-Te strapped to her waist.

"M-Miyako?! What's going on?!" Penguin was finally able to speak up, stuttering in all his confusion.

"Where have you been!? Why did you just disappear like that, everyone was so worried, bakaonna!" The redheaded medic added in an angry shout, missing how the girl's eyes twitched in annoyance by his words.

"Miss Miyako, what's the meaning of this? Who are these people?" After a while, Law asked in complete seriousness. He could sense something was amiss, something just didn't feel right. This whole situation was weird.

The girl was silent for some time, glaring at the pirates before tilting her head to the side and raising one questioning eyebrow. "Who are you people?"

The Heart Pirates gaped stupidly, unable to utter a word after her statement. They were too surprised and perplexed to even react.

"W-what are you talking about Miya-chan? It's us…don't you recognize us?" Shachi answered in a shaky voice and a nervous smile. That bad feeling that everybody had was now getting even worse as they all realized it was right on the money.

The girl frowned as if she had no idea what the mechanic was talking about. "I have no idea who you are but would you stop talking to me so friendly. I don't like it," Miyako scowled, keeping the same cold tone in her voice she always reserved for her enemies.

"Miyako, do you know these guys?" The man in the armor asked in a deep, muffled voice.

"Never met them." The girl shrugged without a care before putting a hand on her katana and opening the tsuba slightly with her thumb. "More importantly, Dezzen, we're here to take care of the intruders aren't we? Let's hurry up and do it already, it's cold out here." Suddenly, Miyako's expression darkened as her sharp golden eyes pierced at Law and the rest.

"O-oy, wait, Miya-chan!" Penguin yelled out and reached for the girl as she went for her sword. "We're your nakama, please remember! You were brainwashed or something!"

The girl stopped and Penguin let out a relieved sighed. Did the girl finally remember? Suddenly, the samurai girl smirked darkly. "Brainwashed? Are you an idiot?" With that, she took out her sword from a battojutsu stance, slashing at the air in the same instant. Penguin's eyes widened as the slash of haki flew towards him, but before it could hit the confused mechanic, Law appeared right before his nakama and stopped the slash with his own sword.

"Prepare for battle!" Law yelled, but even without him ordering it, everyone prepared their battle stances to charge at the strange opponents even though they were still completely confused by the situation.

However, before they could reach the trio, the heavy armored man named Dezzen rose his fist high in the air before punching into the ground with all his strength. "Grhrrraaaa!" He yelled as he delivered a mighty hit to the frozen rock beneath. A loud cracking noise sounded around them and suddenly the small cliff started to break away from the cavern exit where the trio stood. The Heart Pirates started to lose their balance as they found themselves on the falling side of the cliff that begun to break off. They couldn't even jump forward because that would be jumping straight onto the enemies' weapons; a suicide.

"Roo-" Law went to call out his devil fruit powers but before he had the chance, Miyako slashed the air again aiming for him. He had to stop summoning the blue sphere to block serious of haki attacks coming from her sword. It was already too late; they were falling down onto the snowy surface below.

"Whaaa!" The pirates yelled out in panic as the begun to fall from the cliff; pieces of falling ice, rock and snow falling with them.

Law turned sideways in the air to look at the ground and was finally able to call out his Room. "Shambles!" He called out and in an instant some of the snow on the ground was switched with the pirates.

They blinked in confusion as they found themselves safely onto the ground suddenly. The large amount of snow that was switched with them fell from the air and onto their heads. Josh narrowed his eyes in sheer annoyance as he felt the cold wetness on his neck and clothes from the fallen snow. "Great…" He mumbled darkly.

Shachi sighed in completely relief, though. "We're saved…"

"Well falling down into all this snow probably wouldn't be that dangerous anyway," Cody shrugged, dusting himself off from the fallen snow.

"Ung," Jean Bart grunted in agreement.

"But seriously, what was up with that?" Penguin looked up and noticed the three figures still staring down at them from above.

"I can't believe he was able to break off a whole frozen rock like that," Sai commented in slight amazement, though it was hardly visible on his stoic face.

"You bastards!" Joshua yelled back at the trio who simply silently watched them.

Then Miyako moved. She took her katana and looked up at the mountain top with its peak curled downwards. She took a battojutsu stance and sheathed back her katana. _Ittouryu; Kiritateru! _The girl swiftly unsheathed her katana again in a quick slash. In the next instant the mountain top started falling down along with tons of snow and ice. The sounds rumbled and the ground vibrated as a large avalanche started; avalanche going right towards the Heart Pirates, which will bury them alive under meters of thick snow. It will become their cold grave. The samurai gave the group one final glance before she and the two men turned their backs on them and walked inside the cavern.

Trafalgar couldn't keep the surprise off his face as his eyes widened, seeing the massive avalanche quickly heading towards them. The snow was swallowing and destroying everything that stood in its way while it moved towards the group.

"Whoa, what do we do!?" penguin shouted in sheer shock.

Luckily, the captain still had his Room on and acted quickly while the rest of the crew was still staring at the incoming doom. "Tact!" He moved his fingers upwards and made the ground before them rise high into the air. The snow blasted upwards like geyser streams and soon the rock of the mountain followed. Only seconds later, the avalanche hit the makeshift blockade strongly, making the whole mountain vibrate. The rumbling sound continued as snow piled up on the other side of the wall Law had created.

"Everyone, run and find some shelter!" The captain yelled, his strong voice overpowering even the thundering noise of the avalanche. Law could tell his wall made of devil fruit powers won't last for long under the weight of all that snow, ice and rock that was piling up on the other side. It was only a matter of time before it overflows over the wall or simply breaks the whole thing. When that happens, the Heart Pirates needed to be as far away from here as possible and find a strong shelter from the avalanche.

"Move!" Sai yelled to the others when he noticed the snow started overflowing from above and falling down onto them.

The crew quickly all turned around and started running from the scene as fast as they could, but it was hard to do so when treading over a thick layer of snow. It was all the way to their knees now and slowing them down immensely.

_*We won't make it!*_ The captain realized as he saw the avalanche coming their way again, nearing them quicker than they could get away from it. What's more, it was already sliding down from both their sides since he couldn't make the wall so wide as to stop the whole wide mass of snow falling. So now they were closed from both sides and on the path right in front of the quickly moving tons of snow. He tried to look around for any shelter since there were some rocks and trees around, but there was nothing that could withstand the heavy avalanche when it finally hits. All Law could think of now is to give his crew some time before that happens. He stopped and turned around, unsheathing his nodachi and taking a stance in the snow to secure his foothold.

The large navigator noticed his captain stopping and turned to look at Law with questioning eyes. "Captain?"

"Go on and continue running, I'll buy us some time!" Trafalgar shouted back to Jean Bart, urging him to continue running without looking back.

"But captain, that' suicide, you won't make it!" Joshua yelled in panic, realizing what Law was planning to do.

However, Law didn't even turn around at his nakama's shouts, concentrating on his next task.

Finally, Jean Bart put a large hand on Josh's shoulder, giving him an urging look of reassurance. 'The captain will be alright' is what he was trying to say.

For a while more the medic didn't move, unsure about seriously turning his back on Law and running away, but it wasn't like he could do much to help anyway. Law was doing this for them so there was no point if Josh stayed and died here. Sighing heavily, the redhead nodded and silently and cast one last glance towards his captain before turning and running away.

"Room" Law muttered quietly, his eyes showing nothing but determination and will. He won't lose here; whether it's marine, pirates, or nature itself…he won't lose until he reaches his goal. He grabbed his nodachi with both hands, clutching it tightly as the look in his eyes became even harsher. He saw the mass of snow going towards him at an incredible speed and raised his nodachi into the air. "Haaaa!" With a mighty shout, the pirate captain slashed down just as the avalanche was about to hit. The power of his devil fruit sliced vertically at the snow, splitting it into two sides. Trafalgar held firm with his sword in the middle, using his powers to keep the avalanche split. He could feel the heavy weight of the snow and ice trying to break through and form back into one entity, but he couldn't let that happen. He didn't know if his crew was well, but they should be ok if they keep on running on this path, which was still safe for now. Even so, there was no way that he could turn and check on them because losing even a bit of his concentration could cost him to lose focus on holding off this massive avalanche, which would then overpower him in an instant. So he kept firm, focusing solely on his task. It reminded him of fighting with a logia user as he tried to cut its elemental form and prevent it from forming itself back together. Law's eyes twitched at that thought. *_That's it! If I could just use my powers to permanently change its shape…I should be able to do it with my ope ope powers.*_ However, a dark thought strayed into his mind. _*But to do that I would need to cut this entire avalanche, that could prove problematic…can I do that?*_ He remembered when he cut a good part of the volcano at Rocky Port, slicing it in half. However, even though that also required a lot of power, the volcanic rock was a solid, constant substance. This snow was different. Even if you cut it, it won't disappear, it will just rush forward still and fuse back together at one point; just like a logia. Law's eyes narrowed as he made up his mind. _*No... I need to succeed. If I can't do even this…* _

He concentrated his ope ope powers. *_I need to cut this whole thing and stop the ends from reattaching. A clean cut that closes the wound….like a radio knife!* _A dark look of determination made Law's gray eyes even fiercer than before as he stared at the avalanche with a tense expression and cut down with the nodachi, focusing all his devil fruit powers in that one slash. A shot of electricity traveled through his sword as he swung with it. The slice traveled through the air and the snowy mass, separating it all the way to the back and lifting the snow in the process and it created a vast cloud of snow in the air. The avalanche separated into smaller parts, but instead of forming back together, it stayed split, which consequently made it smaller and easier to control. The ends weren't focusing in one direction anymore, but went separate ways, diminishing the avalanche further. Law sighed in relief and exhaustion, but became tense again as he saw one of the smaller parts still came in his direction. It wasn't deadly anymore but the force still hit him hard when it swept him off his feet and took his downwards along the mountain. He didn't have time to use his powers again before the snow hit him so all the captain could do watch clutch his nodachi in his hands and be swept away by the heavy snow.

The rest of the Heart Pirates were still running down the mountain towards the foot of it, when they heard even louder thundering noises behind them. Then after a while everything became much calmer and finally Shachi dared to slow down a bit and look backwards. He wanted to at least make sure the captain was still alright. However, as he glanced back he noticed there was no sign of Law but there was a smaller avalanche ready to hit them at any moment as it closed in quicker than they could escape. They couldn't outrun it. "Guuuys!" The mechanic yelled in a warning, seeing that the others were still running in front of him without noticing anything.

When the avalanche hit them it wasn't a bone crushing force, neither was it so much snow that could bury them deep into a cold grave beyond the surface. Luckily, Law took care that such a thing doesn't happen. However, it was still enough to sweep the men off their feet and rush through them, burying them in a thin layer of snow as it brought them to the ground. The mechanic could hear surprised and shouts of his friends as they were knocked down by the heavy snow. Shachi also fell down and had a mouthful of snow in his mouth as it buried him face down into the soft but cold layer beneath.

When the avalanche finally passed and stopped, everything calmed down. It was eerily quiet with no sign or sound of any life around. All the animals either escaped or were buried deep within the snow where they'll probably freeze to death.

Trafalgar could hear ringing in his ears as he tried to get up. His fingers twitched as he realized he was still holding onto his nodachi. He didn't know how long he was lying in the snow but it took him a while to realize that someone was calling for him.

"-ain! Captain!" Bepo's familiar panicky voice finally reached Law's ears and the captain blinked a few times while trying to focus his mind. He was still in a slight state of confusion, but his memories of what happened earlier quickly came back to him, rushing through his mind. Miyako, the avalanche, the strange people the samurai was with…. she tried to bury them in the snow. Miyako was the one who created this avalanche that almost killed them all. That thought only made Trafalgar feel more confused as more questions arose in his mind. Why? Did she betray them? Suddenly, he felt weightless as his body was being lifted and strong light attacked his vision. He looked around noticing that Bepo had helped him up from the snow, unburying him from the white layer. "Bepo? What are you doing here?" The captain was definitely glad that his first mate was before him, but the bear wasn't supposed to be here.

"We waited for you back in Snör Town but when you didn't come back and so much time passed, I got worried and took Munk with me to go look for you. We even encountered some snow lynxes on the way that attacked us. Finally, when we got near the mountains, we noticed this big avalanche and some people running from it," the bear explained as quickly as he could, still wearing that same frightened expression.

Law nodded and look down in front of him where Munk was helping the others get out of the snow. Sai already managed to dig himself out and Jean Bart was so big that he was hardly covered with snow at all. Luckily, nobody got seriously injured by the mass of snow that hit them. The captain sighed from relief despite himself.

"We're saved!" Penguin cried out in relief as he took a big breath of fresh air.

"I thought we were goners for a second there," Shachi sighed deeply in relief.

"What had happen' here, cap'n?" Munk finally asked as he effortlessly pulled Josh up on his feet with one hand and Cody with the other.

The group silently exchanged troubled and dark glances as they stayed quiet for a while. They focused on dusting off the snow from their clothes as it uncomfortably fell down in their collars and chilled their backs. Finally, Law opened his mouth to explain. It took them some time, but the heart pirates finally reorganized and explained everything that happened with Miyako and her strange two companions.

"For lassie to do this…What can tis be 'bout?" The chef let out a troubled sigh as he slowly shook his head in disbelief.

"Could it be she really was brainwashed?" Sai asked as he watched the others questioningly.

"Maybe she's being controlled!?" Penguin suggested.

There wasn't one person here who truly believed Miyako betrayed them. Such a thing just wasn't possible, not after everything they went through together, it just wouldn't happen- They all remembered the last time they all thought Miyako had betrayed them with the Tenryuubito, only to realize she was actually protecting them the whole time.

"Did she…really forget all about us?" Bepo asked softly with an uncertain look in his eyes.

"Don't worry Bepo, we'll get her back for sure!" Cody grabbed Bepo's arm reassuringly and nodded at the bear with firm determination.

Josh frowned as he dusted off his black cap. "Aaa, this is pissing me off! Those bastards having the last laugh on our account just leaves a bad taste in my mouth," the medic commented, remembering the trio who overpowered them with so little trouble on the small cliff. Granted, it was more by using their smarts and territory than actual strength, but it still pissed the medic off that they got the upper hand like that.

"They seem to know these mountains very well, which means their base must be nearby," the younger navigator commented as he gazed around the mountain.

It must be later afternoon already as the day wasn't as bright as when they set out to look for the girl. The sun was already well passed its zenith and dusk was nearing now. Soon, night will fall, which means it well get colder and the territory will become even more dangerous for them. They needed to find Miyako and get her back soon or at least find the secret hideout of those people.

Law looked at the group of Heart Pirates before him. Bepo, Jean Bart, Munk, Penguin, Shachi, Josh, Cody and Sai. With him it made nine people; that should be enough to overpower their foe and get the samurai girl back. He can work with these numbers.

"Are we goin' capn?" Munk called out and brought Law's attention back to their conversation.

The captain gazed at all his men who were readily awaiting his orders. But it was obvious what they wanted to do; they wanted to find Miyako at any cost and get her back. Law nodded in agreement. "Let's go," he simply said and they started walking back towards the cavern entrance where they exited the inside of the mountain.

However, they soon realized luck still wasn't on their side. "It's blocked," Josh pointed at the place where the cavern was before. But now it was completely buried and snowed in. The avalanche did its work. "What do we do now?" The redhead asked angrily.

"Captain, can you use your devil fruit powers to get us to the other side?" Cody turned back to his captain.

However, Trafalgar just sighed as he stared at the thick layer of snow in front of the entrance. There was probably a few meters of snow standing between them and the opening of the cavern. "At this point I can only use it for myself so I can't take you in with me, it would take too much stamina out of me and we still don't know what's in store for us here," the captain explained. "We should find another way in." Though that might take them hours and they don't have that long before nightfall, they all knew that already.

"Captain Law, you should go," Shachi said suddenly.

Law gave him a puzzled look, but the others nodded in agreement. "We'll find another way in and join you as soon as we can. You saw that there are many other paths inside so there has to be more ways to enter this mountain," Sai explained, agreeing with Shachi.

The captain stared back at his crew, still uncertain if that is really the best option to take. However, he knew as well as they did that he should use this chance to get inside and find Miyako. Besides, they were all strong and could take care of themselves. There wasn't any point in having nakama to have your back if they needed to be babysat all the time. Finally deciding, the pirate captain nodded once. "Then, I'll be going ahead."

The rest of the group all smiled in apprehension, watching their captain turn towards what was once a cavern exit and call out his Room. In the next instant, Law disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the snowed in entrance.

When their captain disappeared, Cody turned back to the crewmembers. "Well then, let's go around the mountain and see if we can find that hidden entrance to the mountain where we entered the first time," he suggested to the others and they all gave him determined grins.

~…~

Miyako frowned in her sleep as she kept tossing and turning in her bed.

_The samurai girl sniffled and wheezed_ _as she shivered in bed, burning from a high fever. Suddenly, a cold hand rested on her forehead, making her feel cooler a bit. _

"_I guess that's what she got for fighting that Mayumi chick in the rain," a voice echoed inside the room. _

"_How is she?" Another, deeper voice asked. It sounded calming and familiar but as much as Miyako strained, she could see anyone's faces. Who were these people around her? _

"_Still with a high fever, but better than before. It will be alright," a third voice answered gently._

_Suddenly someone sat beside her bed. She could see a black cap with mean eyes staring down at her…no, not from the face but from the cap. The eyes looking down at her were…forest green. The person was frowning at her, reprimanding her, but there was actually a gentle worry in the eyes that observed her. "I was actually surprised you got a cold…what do they say again; about fools getting colds?" The person beside her asked thoughtfully._

_Miyako closed her eyes and raised an index finger in the air as if educating the man; "It's 'fools don't catch colds'-" Her eyes snapped open when she realized what he just did. The girl clenched her fist and turned towards the man angrily; "Hey, did you just call me a fool!?"However, her angered voice was soon extinguished and replaced by a series of coughs and more wheezing sound._

"_Are you an idiot? Don't strain yourself further," that deep voice warned, more harshly than before. _

"_Law…" Miyako whispered out in a soft voice._

"Law..:" The samurai girl repeated in her sleep before turning to the side again and frowning as if in pain.

"_Why can't I go to!? You said it yourself; my skills can rival any man here! So why not use me!?" Miyako slammed down her hands on the kotatsu table in front of her._

_However, the much older man in front of her wouldn't even hear of it. He shook his head firecly and slammed his own hand on the same table. "No! War is completely different than just training with me in the dojo, you don't understand! You are still way too young and inexperienced!" _

"_That's rubbish!" The much younger Miyako argued back, forgetting her respectful side towards her master for a while. Then suddenly her gaze became darker as she stared down at her knees. "It's because of that stupid law, isn't it?" She stared back up at her master, piercing his eyes with her own golden ones "Because I'm a woman, I'm not allowed to fight side by side with you and the others!" _

"_It's exactly that kind of thinking why I tell you you're not ready-" _

"_But master-!" The girl tried again, cutting him off. _

"_No! No more discussion! You need to learn your place, girl!" The man took the katana in his hand and slammed the sheathed sword down onto the tatami floor. It was a sign that the discussion was over. _

_All young Miyako could do was stare back at her master silently with hurt eyes before bowing her head down in gloom. She bit her trembling lip, not wanting to cry in front of her master. The master who was already old enough to retire his position as one of the four samurai of Wanokuni yet still had to go to another war to fight against the revolution. A civil war that will have no winner; because only the people of Wanokuni will suffer. And there was nothing Miyako could do or say to stop him or change the fact that he will be leaving tomorrow morning; she wasn't even able to support him with his own katana because of the trivial fact that she was a woman and women weren't allow to wield swords, yet alone fight in wars. _

_The girl stood up, still keeping her gaze firmly on the ground. She gave her master a quick bow and excused herself, hastily rushing out of the room. She even ignored him as he called out to her, heading straight to the dojo instead to continue her practice, which will hopefully calm her down as it always did in times of trouble. But what was even the purpose of all that practice if she wasn't even allowed to wield this katana when it counted? _

"I'm….I'm sorry…Master…" The girl, older than in her dreams, turned her head to the side and frowned again as she whispered in her sleep.

"_Find a reason to wield your sword…then you will find true strength," _she could still her master's words echo in her mind. _"When you find something you wish to protect!" _

"_We're nakama!" _A new and cheerful, but unfamiliar voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.

"Who…?" The girl mumbled in her sleep.

"_Believe in us more!" _The deep voice from before yelled at her, but she just couldn't remember whom it belonged to.

"_Miyako…" Suddenly, a girl opened her eyes in shock but was once again in dreamland instead of reality. A familiar and gentle voice was calling for her. A voice she hadn't heard since she was five years old. _

"_Mother!" The girl called out but was unable to see anything from the bright light surrounding her. Then she felt a gentle stroke on her head as somebody combed through her hair with their fingers. No, not somebody…it was her. Mother. Miyako tried, but just couldn't see her face; all she saw was the gentle smile on the woman's expression and the same long dark blue hair that pooled around the small girl. A red ribbon was tied loosely in the woman's hair, scooping some of the upper part and the sides and pulling them back. "Mother," the girl called out again, staring at her mother's gentle smile. _

_But as the person leaned in closer to the girl, they changed form. Miyako blinked in confusion when the person's face came into view, but it wasn't quite what she was expecting. The person still had that gentle expression, but the long hair suddenly changed color into ghost white. It wasn't her mother, yet a man with such gentle and delicate features he almost did look like a woman. "Miyako," he called out to her in the same soft voice as always and stroked her hair. That's when she realized, she wasn't a small child anymore, but a 21 year old woman of today. _

"_Shiroshi-san…" the girl mumbled, still a bit confused, but suddenly feeling calmer than before. Suddenly she was so sleepy. The man reached for her and she noticed he was holding a red ribbon in his hand. The ghostly white man took her long hair in his hands and tied the red ribbon in it before smiling. "It suits you, Miyako."_

_He samurai couldn't help but smile back. She let herself be laid down in his lap and she closed her eyes as Shiroshi kept gently stroking her hair. _

"_Don't worry, Suzune Miyako, I won't let any harm come to you. You can just stay by my side like this…forever."_

"Forever…" Miyako mumbled in her sleep before turning on her side and slowly opening her eyes. She was breathing hard and her face was covered in cold sweat. Her eyes brightened up to their usual color for a second before darkening again into a dim golden hue. The girl reached for her hair and felt the red ribbon tied in it…the red ribbon Shiroshi-san gave her.

~…~

Miyako walked down the decorated stone path of Shiroshi's castle. It was deep within the mountain, with a couple of stories high. The stone walls even had electrical lighting on the side, as wires of all kinds traveled up the ceiling all across the mountain. In some places the ice managed to get in and frost collected on the walls, but even though the temperature was a bit lower it was still bearable. The rooms even seemed to be heated by hot dials for the most part. Miyako climbed up the spiraling stairs towards the control room where she expected to find Shiroshi. She soon found herself in front of the metal doors and knocked on the before entering.

"Come in," she heard the muffled call on the other side and opened the doors. They gave a bit resistance as some frost gathered near the handle, but then opened with a screech. The girl could see the tall white man in his usual red and white robes, sitting on a large leather chair in front of numerous monitors.

"You wanted to see me, Shiroshi-san," the samurai girl simply said.

Shiroshi turned in his hair and gave her a smile before standing up. His upper body rose seemingly forever as he stood there before here, in all his 7'4'' of height. "Ah yes, Miyako, come in. I hear you took care of the intruders."

The girl frowned. "Yes, they were a…odd lot. Who were they?"

"Pirates, my dear," Shiroshi gave her a saddened, troubled look. He saw the surprise in the girl's eyes and continued, "They must have discovered about our plans and came to stole what we are working so hard to obtain. Sadly, such people exist in this world...ones who will only use others for their own goals."

Miyako's gaze darkened at that. "Well, you don't have to worry about it; Dezzen, Mar'ak and I took care of them."

Shiroshi nodded. "I knew I could count on you." He then urged her to follow him out of the room and down another hall. "Come, let me show you something," he led her towards an elevator made entirely out of glass. Miykao took a step forward and gasped in surprise as they headed up, seemingly as if flying. She was a bit worried that it would break but the glass was obviously much thicker than it looked, because it took them all the way to the upper floor without any problems.

As the doors opened and they stepped out Miyako entered a room of beauty and shining. The room was filled with frames, figures and jewelry made out of pure white crystal that glittered under the fake lighting in the room. "Ice crystal!" The girl exclaimed. She didn't know how she knew about it, nor remembered where she heard it from but somehow she just knew what the substance was.

"That's right," Shiroshi laughed. "With this we will be able to bring prosperity to the whole country...not, only this island but to others as well. This material is much more valuable than even gold and its worth will help many," the tall man explained. Then suddenly he frowned. "But there will always be those who will want such high priced source for them to get wealthy. These pirates are one of those kinds of people."

The girl nodded fiercely. "Do not worry Shiroshi-san, I will surely protect you and this place."

Shiroshi chuckled. "As you always had, Suzune Miyako." They stepped back into the elevator and headed downwards. "Now, I have some business to attend to…" He stroked the girl's hair as an older brother would and left her in the hall.

Miyako watched him leave before turning back and looking at the video transmission in the control room. Suddenly, she noticed a person walking in the mountain's halls, nearing to the main entrance of their base. She frowned as she recognized that fuzzy hat from before. *_So they survived…but he's alone. Did his friends die so he came back to seek revenge?* _The girl furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered what Shiroshi said. _*No, I should give him no pity. He's a just a pirate trying to rob the mines and steal the ice crystal for himself! He should have left when he had the chance.* _

The girl turned from the den den mushi that were projecting the video picture and hurriedly left the room with one hand on the hilt of her katana. "I'll deal with him once and for all."

As the girl turned from the room and exited, she didn't notice when the picture on the den den mushi video changed again. This time it showed an opposite side of the mountain. In the cold outside, where the strong wind was howling, there were large caves that were actually a mine. In and out, people trotted one after the other in the snow, carrying materials and ice crystal in large quantities. As one man in ragged clothing fell to his knees from exhaustion, one of the guards who were standing watch, raised his hand with a thick whip in it and beat the poor man's back until he was lying on the floor motionless. The other miners, if they could even be called that, watched in horror before scurrying off to quickly get back to their work before they meet the same fate.

~….~

The Heart Pirates walked through the snow in the mountain, trying to shield their eyes from the strong wind blowing into their faces. It was slowly getting darker and colder outside as they walked along the mountain, climbing towards the top where the temperature dropped from cold to freezing. They were surrounded by small hills and large heaps of snow, which additionally obscured their vision of the terrain.

"How are we supposed to find anything out here?" Josh grumbled, feeling his cheeks go numb from the cold. Even for the North Blue men, staying outside in this cold for so long after they were already buried in the snow once, was hard on their bodies. They needed to find an entrance soon if they didn't want to turn into popsicles out here.

"We just need to find the entrance to the cavern we found last time," the younger navigator shouted back, glancing behind at the redheaded medic who was trying to keep up.

The only one who didn't seem bothered the lightest by this weather was Bepo. The polar bear was treading through the snow without difficulties even with his large, heavy body. "Where did you say it was; around here?"

"Yes, it should be…uh…around-" Cody started talking but then stopped when he noticed something rather unusual. Did the hills that surrounded them just move? And isn't that a shadow there? "Uh…guys?" The medic called out for the group to stop.

The strange tone in his voice must have alarmed the others because they stopped and turned to look at the bluehaed, only to follow his stare with their own gaze. What was he looking at? That's when the pirates noticed strange, large shadows rising over the snow and surrounding the men.

"Snow ogres," Jean Bart growled as he stared at five large figured that were slowly approaching them. "I read about them before in books about winter islands, but this is the first time seeing them."

The ogres weren't all the same size, but were all at least 19 feet tall. Their skin looked ragged with a bluish or a greenish color. They had some leather armor on their bodies, though they didn't look like the cold bothered them anyway since they were all barefoot. In their hands they had large axes or clubs made into weapons. Their bodies were massive and heavy-looking as they moved slowly, observing their prey before them. The dark black eyes, however seemed sharp as they glared at the humans, opening and closing their maws full of large sharp teeth. They could bite a person into two without a problem or even swallow them whole. Drops of saliva kept dripping from their mouths and down onto the snowy ground as they moved closer to the humans with heavy footsteps.

"Tis be some troubl' here, lads," Munk warned, preparing himself. He still had his wooden spoon tucked in the belt of his overall pants and his usual double breasted jacket of a chef's traditional uniform. But instead of taking out the spoon that he usually used for reprimanding and hitting his nakama when agitated, the man brought his fists together and bumped them loudly against each other in preparation.

Just then another shadow rose behind a snow hill, but this time, the sight left the Heart Pirates gaping in disbelief. This figure was much bigger than the other snow ogres as it stood before them. The pirates barely reached its ankle, with Jean Bart and Munk just a bit above. It had gray skin and some metal and leather armor around, with white fur pelts on its waist and neck. In one hand full of sharp, strong nails, it held a large war hammer made out of stone and metal. On its head there was a thick, brown mane going all the way to its back and two large horns on its forehead. As it stared at them with completely white, small eyes, foggy mist puffed onto them with every breath the giant creature took.

"A s-s-snow giant!" Bepo grabbed his head and screamed in panic as the large giant towered over them.

The snow giant roared so loudly it made the mountains tremble with its voice. At the same time Penguin and Shachi started screaming in tune with the roar. "Kyaaaa!" They put their hands on their cheeks on either side and stared with teary eyes at the giant in front of them.

"How are we supposed to fight that thing!?" Joshua yelled in shock, looking at the wild giant.

"Don't forget the five ogres as well," Sai glanced at the five creatures surrounding them in silence. They reached a bit above the giant's knee, but they didn't escape when they saw him. Perhaps the giant was actually their leader. The ogres made a few grunting noises, coming closer to the humans as they rose their makeshift weapons or bare fists into the air.

The taller medic smirked darkly. "Sorry captain, it seems we'll be a bit delayed," he muttered as the ogres rushed at them. They were slow and heavy, but one hit was enough to break a few bones in the pirates' bodies.

"More like; 'Sorry captain, we'll be dead!'" Shachi yelled back in a panicked voice, as tears still streamed down from beneath his shades.

"Then we better do something about it," Sai answered and took his rifle from his shoulder, aiming at one of the ogres and narrowing his eyes to focus. The gun shot and hit right into the ogre's forehead, making its head pull back as it stopped. However, it didn't do much good as the ogre only got angrier, roaring in rage as it started running towards Sai again.

At least the snow giant wasn't making a move for now; perhaps for now only examining the peculiar humans they encountered. But even without him, the pirates had quite enough to deal with.

"Here's where all our train' comes tha view. What ye say lads, let's see how strong we became, ey!?" Munk shouted to motivate the crew as he secured his footing and prepared for one of the ogres that came running at him. The ogre was bigger than Munk and bare handed, but it ran through the snow at the pirate nevertheless. However, the chef didn't run, but instead prepared for impact and put his hands in front of him. The snow ogre collided with the pirate and both grabbed each other's hand in a wrestling match. Veins popped out on the pirate's arms as his muscles twitched and strained under the skin. "Ghaaaa!" With a mighty cry, Munk swung with his arms sideways while putting all his weight in his kick right into the ogre's knee cap. The snow creature growled angrily, but wasn't able to keep its balance as it fell down into the snow. Before it could stand up, the chef admitted a series of strong punches into the ogre's head, crushing its face with every hit.

Another snow ogre ran right passed down, wielding a large club filled with metal spikes, aiming at Jean Bart. The ogre jumped in the air towards the navigator and slammed down its spiked weapon. However, as big as Jean Bart was, he was actually swift for his size. He jumped to the side, dodging the club which smashed into the ground, making ice and snow fly all around. Before the ogre had time to turn, Jean Bart grabbed the back of its head with his big hand and slammed the creature down into the snow with all his strength. However, the ogre was still holding onto its weapon and swung it in the air, hitting Jean Bart in the shoulder with the spiked club. With a pained grunt, the navigator lost his balance and fell off the ogre, only roll to the side when the creature attacked again, slamming the weapon towards his head.

"Jean Bart!" Penguin yelled in surprise when he saw his crewmate in trouble, but he was having a hard enough time dealing with his own opponent to go help the navigator. Instead, the mechanic jumped to the side just as another snow ogre tried to bury him beneath its stone axe. Behind the creature, Shachi jumped in the air and delivered a high kick to the back of the ogre's head. The creature stumbled forward, but stayed on its feet before turning around and swinging the battle axe at the other mechanic.

"Bring it down to its knees!" Shachi yelled as he dodged yet the creature's attack. They needed to get some leverage by making the ogres fall at least.

The younger mechanic nodded before lurching forward in a couple quick steps. In an instant he appeared behind the ogre and round kicked it in the knees to make it stumble forward again. At the same time, the ogre swung its axe down at Shachi again, but the mechanic dodged and jumped onto the stone weapon before jumping forward again and kicking the ogre right in the face. The creature swayed and fell to its knees with a grunt. It tried to swing at the mechanic that surrounded it, but was too slow as she moved out of the way and leaped for another attack again. Penguin and Shachi both joined forces to deliver a final kick to the creature's chest as it hit at the same time. The ogre grunted in pain as it lost its air momentarily and coughed some slime and blood out of its system. A cracking sound was heard as something popped inside its chest, perhaps its lungs, and the snow ogre fell down onto the ground with a final groan.

Meanwhile, Josh grunted in surprise as one ogre slammed its bare hand into him, sending him flying into the snow. It was good there was a soft surface to break his fall or the crushing pain in his stomach would be just one of his many problems.

"Josh!" Cody yelled as she quickly pulled out a set of throwing knives and set them between his knuckles in his right hand. The medic jumped forward to dodge a fist, which was coming down at him and rolled forward in the snow. As she crouched up, he threw the knives, but the creature blocked them with its other hand. The weapons lodged themselves deeply into the ogre's forearm and the beast growled in anger. It towered over the medic and opened its filthy maws as it roared in anger towards him. It brought its foot up, trying to trample over the pirate, but brought backwards when a shot echoed through the wind and hit the creature in its open mouth. Behind Cody, Sai reloaded his rifle and aimed again, trying to find a weakness in the ogre's thick skin.

Just then, the redheaded medic appeared behind the beat as he jumped onto its back, holding on while the beast tried to pull him off. The ogre reached backwards to try and grab or punch the medic, but Josh swiftly dodged to the side, still holding onto the ogre's back and shoulder. A sharp scalpel appeared out of his overall sleeve and the medic brought it down to the back of the snow ogre's neck as hard as he could. "Let's see how well you work without a spinal cord!" Josh exclaimed as he dug the scalpel even further in the back of the ogre's neck, stabbing it over and over with force. The beast growled in pain but was unable to throw him off.

Cody jumped above the ogre and somersaulted forwards in the air, bringing his heel down onto the creature's head. At the same time, Josh finally jumped off its back, giving Cody more freedom as he smashed his heel strongly into the top of the ogre's head. The large beast swayed, making rumbling noises in its throat before falling down onto the snow, face first. Both medics landed back onto the ground, sighing in relief as they finally brought the beast down.

Meanwhile, Jean Bart was still wrestling on the ground with the snow ogre. The beast swung at his head again, but this time Jean Bart caught it with his one hand while fending off the ogre with the other. He grabbed the wooden club even with the small metal spikes stuck in it. The metal dug into the navigator's large hand, but the man only grit his teeth and growled as he clutched the cub harder. With one last groan from the navigator along with one final squeeze with his full strength at the club, the weapon smashed in his hand with pieces of wood and splinters flying into the snow. The navigator punched the beast and pushed him off before grabbing a hold of the creature's head with both hands. Much like he did with the weapon, the navigator squeezed with all his strength and crushed the ogre's skull, ignoring as it tried hitting him on his side and flaying its arms around weakly. Finally, with a few more twitched the ogre stopped moving completely, its head crushed under Jean Bart's strength.

Another shot echoed through the air as Sai pierced the snow ogre right into the eye. The creature roared in pain but continued running straight at him. The younger navigator took out another set of bullets. They were different from the usual bullets used in holster guns; they were led and instead of a round shape, they were a shape of the cylinder with a pointy tip. They were much stronger and faster than the regularly used bullets and were specifically made for Sai's special rifle by Eli, the master gunner. The navigator reloaded his rifle aimed at the charging snow ogre, firing at the other eye and taking it out. Blinded, the beast raged but continued forward, but the navigator moved to the side with easy, only taking a few steps. The ogre ran straight into an ice-covered hard rock with its head, before collapsing onto the ground, unmoving.

Just then the navigator noticed another ogre charging at him from the side. Sai's eyes widened in surprise as he realized he wouldn't make the shot in time. However, just before hitting its target, the snow ogre was knocked to the side by Bepo who appeared out of nowhere and kicked the beast in the ribs. "Hi-ya!" The polar bear exclaimed before jumping into the air and delivering a spiraling kick to the beast that tried to defend by putting its hands up. The bear easily broke through the defense, but caught by the ogre that grabbed his ankle and swung him to the side, trying to throw him into the rocks. Bepo twisted his body into the air and landed with his feet on the rocks, before leaping off of it and towards the ogre again. "Aya!" The bear shouted and prepared a punch that hit directly into the snow ogre's stomach. The force of the hit sent the ogre flying backwards despite its size, but before it fell onto the ground, someone caught it. Jean Bart caught the ogre from behind and passed his arms under the ogre's before locking his hands behind the creature's neck. The wrestling move made the ogre unable to use its arms or even escape the lock. It struggled, but both the ogre and Jean Bart were similar in size and strength so the large navigator had an advantage in that position. Just then the ogre looked up as someone jumped into the air in front of it with both hands together in a makeshift hammer. Munk yelled out as he let all his body weight come crashing down with his fall and his locked fists hit the head of the ogre with all his strength. A crack was heard as the ogre's neck broke before the creatures limply fell down onto the cold ground. With that, the last snow ogre was defeated.

"We did it!" Penguin panted and grinned at the same time. The Heart pirates celebrated their victory, momentarily forgetting about the danger that still lurked near. They were soon reminded when a large shadow fell over all of them. Suddenly it got darker, which made the pirates look up in wonder. They saw a large stone warhammer falling down towards them as the snow giant swung at them with full force, roaring all the while.

The crew stared at the quickly approaching weapon in shock and disbelief as it was large enough to squash all of them.

"This might be a bit of a problem," the young navigator commented out loud, watching the falling weapon with a troubled look.

"Ya think!?" Penguin cried out in horror.

~…~

Law walked further into the inside of the mountain, trying to decide his next step by following the faint stream of air he felt on his skin. Not only that but as he went on, it was slowly becoming warmer. There was definitively something nearby and he was approaching it. He noticed wires and cables started appearing out of the rocky ceiling of the mountain halls with dim electrical lights hanging off of it now and then.

Suddenly the pirate stopped as he felt a familiar presence up ahead with his haki. A shadow came from around the corner and stepped out of the darkness, closer to Trafalgar. It was none other than the samurai girl, glaring at him with those cold, darkened golden eyes. "Miss Miyako," the captain called out in a simple greeting, hoping that the girl would somehow respond. If she really was brainwashed than his best chance was to try and bring her out of it by remembering him and the rest of the Heart pirates.

"You again," the girl answered with a frown.

Trafalgar was actually a bit surprised she even deigned to answer. He thought for sure the girl would simply attack him without warning. Perhaps, even though she's being controlled or manipulated somehow, her humanity is still intact. She wasn't just some doll that was used against him. But if that wasn't the case, then what was making the girl act like this; the captain only found that he was even more interested now.

"You should've turned back before while you still had the chance," The girl stepped closer again, taking a hold of her katana. "Because I won't let you off this time!" She lunged forward and unsheathed her sword, attacking the pirate from the side. The hallway was pretty narrow so it didn't give a lot of room to move around, but Law still managed to unsheathe his nodachi and block the attack. Even so, it will be hard to use his long sword here so he'll have to rely on his devil fruit abilities more.

The girl on the other hand didn't seem troubled by lack of space at all as she moved swiftly. The pirate captain tried piercing at her with his nodachi only to miss as Miyako jumped sideways to avoid it and landed up where the walls and ceiling of the cavern met. She quickly leaped from up there, gaining the advantage as she was right above the pirate, and slashed at him. Law called out his Room and made a small stone blockade form the ground, shielding from her attack, but the girl used haki and effortlessly slashed down the stone wall, heading for Law's head. The man gritted his teeth and jumped backward before jumping again and rolling forward to avoid a series of haki attacks flying from the girl's katana. As he dodged, he found himself behind the girl and quickly slashed with his sword again, using his ope ope powers in the process. If only he could at least stop her or slow her down. It would be ideal if he could use his powers to incapacitate her long enough to figure out what is wrong with her and get her back.

~….~

And that's how they ended up in this situation; both Law and Miyako panting as they fought with each other equally. Every move Miyako made was to kill the pirate captain, while Trafalgar used his devil fruit powers to try and disable her from fighting on.

"Why are you doing this? Do you really don't remember anything?" The captain asked while they both stopped to catch their breaths for a second. Trying to stop the girl, yet careful not to hurt her was more tiring than he thought.

"You're the one that's delusional; I remember everything just fine," the girl answered with a glare, leaping forward again to pierce him with her sword. Law moved at the same time towards her and both swords filled with haki clashed together before their owners ran past each other. Once again, they were tied, but the pressure Law was feeling with every strike the girl threw at him was getting bigger. She was slowly raising her haki force through the battle, testing his strength. She didn't go all out at the beginning, trying to figure out his limits as if observing him. It was a smart move on her part and it left Law slightly irritated as it gave him the feeling he was being played with.

"_We_ are your nakama. I don't know what you _think_ you remember, but you're wrong," he tried to reason with her seeing that she wasn't just a controlled puppet. She seemed to still possess a mind and a will of her own, yet that meant she was also doing this of her own accord.

"Shiroshi-san saved my life and took me in. I have been with him for a long time, so there is no way I was ever a pirate with you! I would never stoop so low to become a pirate anyway!" She argued back and slashed the air a few times to deliver slices through the air.

Trafalgar blocked them one by one, gritting his teeth as he felt the force behind each one all the way to his shoulders. "Shiroshi?" Again with that name. The guy that's supposed to have disappeared on this island years ago.

"I owe him a lot after master Kuroda died!" Miyako yelled back. Once again she slashed the air.

Law took a few steps forward, using his nodachi to block the air slices. He blocked two more and took another step, then blocked one more that made him stumble backwards, but soon recuperated, taking three more steps towards the girl. He gritted his teeth from the power of her attacks. "I don't know what's going on….but he's….lying to you." He said through gritted teeth, still fending off her attacks. "You _are_ a pirate and you belong with the Heart Pirates! That is your place as a kenshi in our crew!"

"Liar!" The girl yelled back and lunged forward again, aiming for Law's head.

He blocked it with his nodachi, taking on her haki force. "Then tell me how do I know your sword is called Yawarakai-Te!?"

The girl hesitated for only a second, surprise suddenly alive in her eyes. "Where did you get that sword, tell me!?" Law pressed on.

Her gaze soon turned into a glare again and she yelled back at him. "Shiroshi-san gave it to me!"

"Wrong, you got it from a swordsmith named Takahashi Muso," the pirate captain simply stated without even blinking.

"L-liar, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Miyako defended, her eyes losing focus every now and then as she felt more uncertain than before.

"And that red ribbon is really important to you. Why?!" Still the captain was relentless as he went on.

"Shiroshi-san gave it to me too so of course it's important!" The samurai girl defended and attacked again.

Law leaned backwards to avoid a slice at his neck and then blocked the one coming from his side towards the head. "It was given to you by your mother, you said so yourself," he tried again and stepped forward.

"Y-you have no idea what you're talking about, it's all nonsense!" The girl shook her head and rained another series of attack at Law.

The captain had to grit his teeth and clutch his nodachi to withstand the incoming strikes. Finally, he swung fiercely with his haki active, breaking Miyako's next attack and pushing her sword away with his own. She was obviously so riled up and full of emotion that she became too careless; he's plan worked. The usually cold and collected warrior that was Miyako during a battle was slowly slipping away. He instantly took the opportunity to strike and yelled out "Tact!" while raising his arm. The ground from beneath suddenly shot upwards and crashed into the girl, sending her flying backwards along with her sword. The samurai gasped as air quickly rushed out of her lungs and numbing, hot pain spread through her stomach. She clutched her abdomen on the ground as she tried to get up as soon as possible. She was careless and it cost her.

"Then why aren't you even fighting with everything you've got!?" Trafalgar suddenly shouted, piercing her with his sharp, knowing eyes. It was like he could see right through her and the girl found herself staring back at him wide-eyed. "I know your abilities better than anyone, I've seen how you fight. You're not fighting with your full strength because you still have doubts," Law narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl with his fierce stare. He could read her like an open book right now.

Miyako gritted her teeth in frustration and slowly got up, propping herself with her sword. "You….don't know anything. You just want to steal the ice crystal for yourself….Shiroshi-san will use this crystal to make the whole island prosperous, and not just this island either! He will share this fortune with everyone. He's doing something noble and you're just trying to take it away for yourself," Miyako said darkly, her eyes hidden behind her long bangs. She swayed a little as she stood up and raised her head to glare at the pirate. Her eyes were back to their cold stare as the color of her eyes became darker than before. She was back to her deathly cold self, not sign of her previous flustered state.

Law's eyes narrowed both at the girl's change and what she was saying. *_Ice crystal? I heard something about it from the bartender at the inn but there shouldn't be any on this island.* _Meanwhile, the girl's aura was rising along with her killing intent; it was clear she definitely wasn't messing around anymore. _*This could be dangerous.* _That's when Law realized; it was no use trying to get to her like this. He needed to go directly to the source and figure out what was going on around here. He needed to meet with this Shiroshi. He saw Miyako launch at him with stunning speed, her katana in front of her.

_Ittouryu; 8 gates of the Dragon! _Miyako rushed forward at the pirate captain, all her focus in killing him. Then suddenly her katana stopped inches from his neck when a metallic sound bounced of the hall's walls. The captain discarded his nodachi and stood there completely still and motionless, staring right at Miyako with confident eyes. The girl instantly fell out of her zone from the surprise and confusion by his actions. "What are you doing?" The girl gave him a gaze as if he was completely out of his mind. If she didn't stop in time, he would have been long dead by now. He was lucky that the girl possessed such skillfully control of her body and sword to be able to stop such a powerful attack in a split second.

Law understood that this was getting them nowhere and his mind instantly devised another plan. He'll be taken prisoner and meet with that Shiroshi, finding out what the bastard did to his samurai. However, his whole plan rested on one premise; that Miyako won't kill him. He knew the girl and how she worked; she wouldn't attack a defenseless opponent who surrendered. He needed to believe it right now; that she won't kill him. Even if she was his enemy right now, he needed to believe in her. "I surrender, so go on, take me away," the captain shrugged with a monotone look in his eyes.

The girl blinked, uncertain how to respond. "What?" Just a few seconds ago he was fighting her and they were at each other's throats. Now he surrenders?

Without even blinking, the captain stared straight back at her. He gave her a 'what are you waiting for' look as he simply stated, "I thought I was perfectly clear, but here I'll repeat it; I surrender. Just don't make me repeat myself for the third time."

Miyako's eyebrow twitched in annoyance despite herself. Even if he was surrendering, he didn't sound like that at all. Should prisoners really sound so cocky and bossy about it?!

"Or you can just kill me here…while I'm unarmed…" Law pressed on, agitating her on purpose.

Miyako's look darkened, but for a different reason then before; she was suddenly feeling insecure. "I….I can't…do that to an unarmed person who surrendered…." She mumbled and stood up from her stance still keeping her katana close to his neck. Even though he surrendered, she wouldn't relax around this one, he was too unpredictable. She stayed tense, observing his every move. But even so, he just kept staring at her blankly, without any intention of tricking her. He really was surrendering. "In that case, you're coming with me!" She stated fiercely, giving him a warning stare in case he was planning to try anything. "Move it!" She took his nodachi and sheathed it back, before grabbing it in one hand while still holding her katana on his neck with the other.

Trafalgar looked around as they entered the main hall of the inner mountain castle. It was filled with hallways and staircases, with cables and wires going around while everything was dimly illuminated by the electric lights. He could see frost collecting on the walls from the chilly air.

Suddenly, both captain and Miyako felt a presence behind them and turned at the same time. The tall armored man stood before them. He's face was still hidden in the shadows of his armor as small misty clouds came out of his mouth with every breath; the only indication that he was indeed human. "What's this, Suzune? Why is this man here?" Dezzen asked in his usual deep voice.

"He surrendered, I'm taking him into the pits. There's no other safe place to put him," the girl explained with an icy stare. She didn't particularly feel comfortable around Dezzen and Mar'ak, but they both also served Shiroshi so there was no other option than to cooperate.

For a long while, the armored man stood there in silence, observing the pair. "We don't need any prisoners," with that he started taking out the large sword from his back.

However, before he had the chance to take it out, Miyako stepped forward in front of Law and clenched the hilt of her sword tighter. "We are not killing him, I told you he surrendered," she answered rather fiercely. "Let Shiroshi-san decide his fate." She trusted Shiroshi-san and knew he would make a proper and reasonable decision.

Dezzen stood there silently, not liking that his authority was challenged openly like that. Finally, he slowly put his sword away without a word, but kept his gaze firmly on Law and Miyako as the girl took the captain below.

"Waaait!" Suddenly a girl appeared, running towards them. She was wearing an old-style maid's uniform with a high collar and long dress with a black and white corset strings. As she ran towards them, she spilled on some ice and fell down right on her face. "Whoa!" The girl yelped in surprise first and pain later.

Miyako and Law blinked down at the young woman with a sweat drop. "Moni-chan, are you ok?!" Miyako exclaimed as she looked down at the groaning girl before leaning down to help her. "Here," the samurai helped the girl up by her hand only to notice the girl was holding a couple of hancuffs.

"This guy is a devil fruit user, right? He's dangerous!" The maid girl exclaimed and came closer to Trafalgar. "Put these kairoseki cuff on him." Even as she said that, she was the one already putting the handcuffs on Law. The captain didn't struggle as the cuffs clicked in place, instantly starting to drain him of energy. "Excuse me," the maid girl looked up at Law's face with an obvious blush and dreamy eyes.

Miyako sighed and waved her hand dismissively, "Oy, oy, don't fall in love with an enemy," she warned but it sounded exasperated.

Even so, as they started walking again, the samurai could see Dezzen and Moni both staring at their backs; though for obviously different reasons. Miyako could feel Dezzen's hard glare on their backs, while Moni only stared at Law in a blushing daze.

After a lot of staircases, they finally arrived at the inner bottom part of the mountain. There, the temperature was much lower and Law could feel the chill on his skin along with seeing the fog created by his hot breath. The caverns here didn't look as arranged as the rest of the mountain castle and there was ice and snow inside here. The lighting was scarcer as well; Law realized as he frowned at the cold, dark and damp place Miyako was leading him through.

"We're here," the samurai finally said as she led him to what looked like rock dungeons. The cell was small with metal bars guarding it.

Law looked inside, unimpressed by his temporary lodging, but there wasn't much he could do about it right now. He needed to meet Shiroshi and find a way to fix Miyako, and the only way to do it was to infiltrate the enemy's lair. He stepped inside the cell and lowered his head at a low part on the ceiling before he could stand upright again and walk inside the cell completely. Miyako went after him with a frown on her face, examining his moves suspiciously. "You will wait here until Shiroshi-san arrives."

The captain's eyes narrowed at the order. She might have forgotten about him and his personality, but it still irked him how the girl had that authority tone in her voice when speaking to him. She had him as a prisoner only because he allowed her to, in the first place, but she seemed to be ignoring that fact. So the captain decided to taunt her back with his wit instead of actions as revenge. "Cozy…" The pirate muttered sarcastically as he looked around, shrugging off the glare she gave him in return. "So tell me, what's the _real_ reason why you didn't kill me when you had the chance?"

Miyako glanced at him while furrowing her thin eyebrows. "What do you mean? I told you already, I wouldn't kill an unarmed opponent who surrendered. That's not right," she reminded him in a cold voice. She could tell he was getting at something with this conversation, but didn't know exactly what he was planning yet.

"Is that so…" The pirate captain smirked and gave her a knowing look. "Or perhaps I was because deep down you know I am your nakama instead of your enemy." The captain pushed on, curious where it would take him.

Miyako sighed in slight annoyance. "You're going on about that again? I already told you, I don't believe your lies. You're just trying to confuse me."

"The one who is lying to you is your precious Shiroshi-ya," Law answered in an icy, more serious tone than before. "You're just afraid to admit it. You are a pirate whether you like it or not and you're afraid of that fact, just like you were at the beginning when you joined us."

"Tch," Miyako scowled at the man and turned away from Law on her heels, trying to storm out of the cell. Smirking as she came up with her next remark, the girl started, "Those are some big words for a guy who just got capt-" The girl was cut off as she forgot about the lower part of the cell, hitting her forehead in her way out. She crouched down, holding her painfully throbbing forehead and trying not to wince in pain. *_That was so lame…* _She thought pathetically, afraid to even glance at the mocking expression with which the pirate must be looking at her right now.

But rather than a scoff, the pirate captain had a mixed expression of confusion and surprise on his face, unsure what to make of the scene either. If he didn't already know that this girl was actually a skilled samurai, he would never be able to take her seriously right now. Finally, his expression settled into one of resignation as she tried not to sweat drop again. "Aah, I guess you're the same Miyako as always, after all..," he finally concluded.

The girl glanced back at him with teary eyes from the pain. "Somehow, when you say that it doesn't sound positive at all!" She caught herself getting too heated again and quickly calmed down, returning to her icy glare. "I mean, be quiet, prisoner!"

Law's eyebrow twitched. _*Is she trying to act tough?* _But it was already way too late for that now.

The scene was interrupted by a den den mushi as it started ringing from inside the girl's coat pocket. Miyako finally stood up again, momentarily forgetting about her pain and answered the transponder snail. It was snow white with icy blue eyes as it stared back at the girl with a series but collected expression. "Miyako, I heard you caught the captain of those pirates," Shiroshi's calm voice traveled through the den den mushi."

The samurai nodded, glad to be the bearer of good news for Shiroshi-san. "Yes, I brought him in the pits down below so Shiroshi-san can personally decide what to do with him."

The den den mushi was quiet for a while but then finally, the man spoke up again. "You did good Suzune Miyako. I will be down there in a minute so keep an eye on him. I hope he is well restrained and in kairoseki cuffs?"

The girl nodded, before remembering to answer since Shiroshi couldn't see her response. "Yes Shiroshi-san!"

The man on the other end of the line chuckled. "I'll be right there, Miyako. Good work." With that the den den mushi made a clacking sound and closed its eyes as the line ended.

The samurai turned back to Law with a satisfied smirk. "Shiroshi-san will be dealing with you, pirate," she spat out the word in clear contempt.

"Hn…" Trafalgar simply hummed in interest as he analyzed his position. The girl closed the cell doors behind him so he was locked in a cell right now, with kairoseki cuffs draining his energy and preventing him from using his devil fruit powers, while his nodachi was still in Miyako's hands and away from him. _*This will prove to be a challenging situation…*_ However, a hidden smirk appeared barely visible on his face. _*No matter, it just makes it more interesting.* _

It took some time before Shiroshi finally arrived down to the icy caverns. As they waited silently, the temperature seemed to get colder or perhaps it was just from standing still in that damp place for so long. On the other hand, Shiroshi didn't mind the cold at all as he walked closer in his usual white and red robes. "Ah, Trafalgar Law aka Surgeon of Death…I heard so much about you," even though his voice was soft it sounded mocking coming from the man.

"And you must be Shiroshi-ya," Law answered with a rather bored expression as if he expected more from this person and was clearly disappointed by the sight.

"Hey Law, don't disrespect Shiroshi-san!" The girl frowned at the look Trafalgar was giving her master, but then stopped in her tracks in realization. _*Law?* _Why would she address this lousy pirate with his first name and why did it sound so natural for her to do so? After all, they never met before today. A glint flashed in Miyako's confused eyes and for a moment they turned brighter.

Shiroshi realized something was wrong as he saw Miyako's perplexed gaze ad turned towards the samurai girl. He gave her a gentle smile and called out for her "Suzune Miyako," as soon as she heard that the girl turned to him almost robotically and he continued, "-you must be tired so why don't you go back up and rest."

Miyako blinked in surprise. "But Shiroshi-san, this man is dangerous!" She instantly argued.

The man in white simply shook his head. "He's in kairoseki cuffs and you have his weapon, he won't be able to do me any harm. Don't worry." He put a hand on her shoulder, lightly urging her to go and nodded in reassurance. "It's fine, go, Suzune Miyako."

The girl linked again and her eyes returned back to their dim color again. "Alright," she nodded and gave a final warning stare towards Law before heading upstairs again. As she came around the corner, she felt a presence hiding in the darkness of the caverns. A frown formed on her face as she stared at the figure even though she couldn't see it in dark with just her eyes. But her haki told her exactly where and who it was. "Why are you lurking in the darkness here?" She questioned with a glare. She didn't like Mar'ak as he always snuck around and appeared when you least expected it. Besides, he was just creepy altogether.

"Lurking, lurking! Gyehehehehe!" As usual the man didn't give her more than a repeated word like a dull parrot. Though this 'parrot' could be more dangerous than it appeared.

Miyako's frown deepened. *_Well at least he'll be around to protect Shiroshi-san if something happens,* sighing_, the girl turned and left up the stairs.

~…..~

Shiroshi and Trafalgar stayed there staring at each other in silence for a while. Finally, Law decided to break it along with this whole charade. "So? What did you do?"

The taller man smirked, which seemed twisted on his usually gentle features. His icy blue eyes stared at the pirate in front of him. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to tell you _all_ about my evil plans now like those petty villains in books?" He mocked, remembering how in stories the villains always reveal all their evil plans before killing the main character; of course they never succeed and usually die in the end anyway.

Law tilted his head to the side, giving Shiroshi a rather disinterested look. "I don't care about your _evil plans,_"the pirate captain explained mockingly. "But I _will_ have my samurai back," his gaze darkened dangerously as he stared back at the other man.

The killing intent behind Law's gaze didn't escape Shiroshi either. He narrowed his eyes at the pirate on the other side of the cell bars. "And what do you plan to do about it? You're completely powerless like this in here. _You_ are in no position to threaten _me,_" even as his voice remained soft and collected, there was an icy edge in it now. His stare also turned more into a glare as he observed Law. "Your fate was sealed the moment you stepped onto my mountain. Mar'ak!" He finally called and a shadow came closer from the darkness. Trafalgar wasn't surprised by the newcomer since he could feel another presence in here all along.

"I never intended for you to get out of this alive in the first place, I can't risk anyone knowing about us. As far as Suzune Miyako is concerned, you will be sent away to the first marine base…" Shiroshi smirked. "But you and I both know what will happen in reality," the man continued in a low, gleeful tone.

On the man's surprise, the pirate simply returned that smirk with his own. "Because nobody can know about the ice crystals?" Law didn't have much information about it since Miyako only mentioned it during their fight so most of this was just a bluff. But his logical mind could pretty much make out what exactly was going on in these mountains. Shiroshi was somehow obtaining ice crystals; a very rare and valuable material, so he couldn't let any outsiders discover it. But Law still couldn't understand the most crucial information he needed; how was Shiroshi controlling Miyako?

The pirate captain enjoyed the stunned expression Shiroshi gave him. "How do you know about that?" A question came in a form of a dangerous hiss and the tall man stepped closer to the cell.

Law hid his satisfaction from pushing the right buttons and Shiroshi's falling for his bluff. So he was on the right track after all. Instead, the captain decided to push the other man further. "The only thing I don't yet know is how a man who was presumed to be dead for years already is here and survived the cold mountains?" A mockingly thoughtful expression on Law's face was replaced by a smirk again. "Let me guess, you didn't really disappear and die in the mountains…nor were you Spirited away like all those fools in the town think. You made yourself disappear so you could work here in peace, without anyone suspecting you," another bluff from Law but the puzzle was slowly becoming clearer as he spoke. He was sharp enough to realize the truth on his own at this point. What happened even more was the expression Shiroshi was giving him; a mixture of surprise and anger, which meant Law obviously hit right in the mark with his every word.

Shiroshi grinned back, but there was a glint of nervousness in his eyes along with a drop of cold sweat on his brow. Law's perceptive eyes didn't miss any of it. He was sure the man's heart rate sped up as well, by now. Shiroshi was nervous. "Well...I don't know how you know all about that, but it won't matter anymore. Mar'ak here will make sure that you take all your knowledge to your grave," he nodded to the strange man who still walked around in a crouch, on his feet and hands that were armored with metal claws.

The tall man turned to leave, but then stopped and looked back at the pirate captain. "But here, let me fulfill your one final wish before you die. See, I am a merciful man after all," Shiroshi grinned at Law evilly with a twisted expression. "I ate the Shimei Shimei no Mi. As long as a person gives me their name, I can take control of them; I can alter and manipulate their memories. The only weak point is that they have to write their name themselves, but once they do…they're mine and that's what happened with your precious samurai...now she's my _precious_ bodyguard," the man laughed in satisfaction as he saw Trafalgar glared at him. "I altered her memories so that I am the most important person to her, who has saved her from the salvers that were to take her and sell her in Sabaody Archipelago. _I_ gave her the katana and _I_ gave her the ribbon. I am her everything! On the other hand, she never met you…she forgot all about you and the Heart Pirates. You are nothing in her eyes anymore." Shiorshi's expression twisted even more as he spoke, gleefully grinning at the pirate in the cell. "There…now you know, and you can die with that knowledge, knowing that there's nothing you can do to save her because she doesn't care about her nakama anymore anyway! Wahahaha!" The man laughed with a gloating tone all the while, before turning on his heels and leaving out of the pits hurriedly with his robes dragging behind him on the ground. The long white hair danced around the tall man as he walked away, still laughing.

Trafalgar was quiet the whole time as Shiroshi spoke, only glaring at the man darkly. He followed the leaving man with his gaze, the coldness never leaving his darkening gray eyes. While Shiroshi rambled on, he was already thinking of a plan to end the man and save his samurai in the process. But before that, he needed to get out of this cell as his first obstacle and get his nodachi back. He looked up ahead at the approaching men on the ground. The man called Mar'ak was snickering and making weird noises as he stared at him with his one good eye while the other was hidden under the bandages. It was hard to tell what happened to the man so he became like that but Law didn't care anyway. He just stood still, observing the snickering man as he slowly came closer to the cell before swinging at the bars and cutting them in pieces with a few swift moves of his claws. That made Trafalgar's eyes narrow as he observed how skillful the guy really was.

"Gyeheheh…kill…Gyehe…kill kill kill!" Mar'ak jumped up and down before leaping forward with both hands and their claws towards Law.

The pirate captain crouched and jumped forward, rolling onto the ground and out of the cell. He turned swiftly towards back towards Mar'ak who screamed out in surprise and disappointment as he scratched nothing but air in his attack. The crouching man turned back towards the pirate looking angrier now as he glared with pure killing intent at Law. "Ghnnn…kill... gnnh!" Mar'ak grunted out and went to attack again.

Trafalgar could feel the kairoseki taking effect, draining his energy. Even such a simple thing as dodging took so much out of him. He knew he needed to finish this quickly; the longer he waits, the more effect these sea stone cuffs will have on him. But without his devil fruit powers or Kikoku, he could rely solely on his own body ability and wit, and one of them was quickly running out because of the kairoseki.

_*However…* _Law dodged one more time as Mar'ak leaped for him, stepping to the side. The other man went for his neck to pierce him with the claws, but Trafalgar put his chained cuffs in front of his face to block. The chain went through the space between two metal claws and stooped the hand from moving. Mar'ak used his other free hand to slice at Law but the captain jumped up and over the attacker, landing behind him. He swung his leg just as Mar'ak was turning around to attack him again, and kicked the smaller man right in the face, sending him flying into the rock wall. The force behind was enough to smash the other man, with ice and rock flying around from the small crater his body created. *_I trained with kairoseki cuffs every day for weeks on end. There's no way this would be enough to put me down* _The pirate captain narrowed his eyes as he saw Mar'ak jump out of the wall's hole and glare at the pirate with pure hatred.

"Gyaaah!" The man shrieked and went after Trafalgar again, slicing the air with both hands as he quickly moved.

Law kept dodging and avoiding the metal claws, but knew he wouldn't be able to keep doing it for long. He waited for his chance, stepping away do dodge another one of Mar'ak's attacks that went upwards towards his chin and neck. The other hand was already approaching from his left. Law stepped forward again and blocked the other hand by grabbing the other man's inner elbow with both hands and stopping the claws inches from his left eye. He used all his strength, head-butting Mar'ak and sending him towards the floor.

"Hya!" The man yelped in pain as he saw stars for a while. The man shook his head like an animal trying to get rid of the pain in his forehead. That's when he noticed Trafalgar already delivering his next move from above with an elbow, but this time Mar'ak was faster. He kicked Law's legs, making the pirate stumble and fall backwards. At the same time, Mar'ak quickly lurched forward with his claws, trying to pierce the pirate's head. Law managed to move his head backwards in time, but a stinging feeling appeared on his cheek as the claws ripped some of the skin off, making three red marks on the spot. Blood dripped from Law's left cheek right beneath the eye, yet he paid no heed since he was still falling and didn't have time to think about minor injuries. Instead, he twisted his body in the air until he could use his cuffed hands to land on them and leap into the air again backwards, to land back on his feet. At the same time Mar'ak tried to attack him again, but was unable to as Law's legs almost hit him in the chest in the process.

Law landed in a crouch and leaped forward just as Mar'ak did at the same time. The smaller man jumped high in the air and went to slice the pirate with both hands, but Law once again put up the chain of his cuffs to protect himself. He entangled the chain even more around Mar'ak's hands and artificial claws, before twisting his arms sharply to the side. The movement caused Mar'ak to slam back down onto the ground with force, making the man screech in surprise and pain again. Law didn't waste time, jumping behind Mar'ak while the other tried to get up and slice at him again. The captain used his chain once more, swiftly putting it behind Mar'ak's neck and entangling it there. He kept strengthening his hold on the chain until it was completely biting into the bandaged skin of the other man. Mar'ak started twitching and releasing suffocating sounds, trying to pry the chain off with his claws but was unable to. So instead he tried swinging behind him to pierce Law but the captain swiftly dodged the clawed hand and tightened his grip even more. With one last strong jerk from Law, Mar'ak's head twisted at a weird angle and a small cracking noise was heard before the whole body went limp. Trafalgar's sighed and let the smaller man fall down onto the ground. He looked down at his cuffs that were now really taking a toll on his strength and then glanced back at the metal claws Mar'ak was holding. He might be able to pick the lock with one of those. A smirk appeared on Law's face as he got an idea and reached down for the clawed hand.

~….~

Miyako sat back on the bed in her room, examining the nodachi in her hand. It was heavier than her katana and the balance in her hand felt strange since it was so long. She wondered if the sword had a name, like Yawarakai-Te does.

_Kikoku_

Miyako blinked in confusion as a name naturally came to mind. She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, trying to chase away the doubts creeping inside her mind. _*No, no, no. So I just thought of a name because it looked like it might be called Kikoku, that's all! It proves nothing!* _Suddenly a sharp pain attacked her temples, making the girl yelp and double over in pain.

_Miyako hummed happily while sitting on the submarine's deck and cleaning her new katana with a cotton pad. She finally had her new sword and not any sword, but one of the legendary Masamune katana; Yawarakai-Te. The girl just could stop smiling in satisfaction as she continued cleaning it carefully. "Don't worry, I will definitively not lose you. This will be a good partnership," the girl said to the katana as if it was her dear friend. _

"_I doubt it can answer back. Though if it does, I would ask you to come to the infirmary for a check-up," a voice behind her commented in amusement. _

_Miyako turned to look at the pirate captain towering over her from behind. He had an amused smirk on his features, as usual. The girl narrowed her eyes with a gaze saying 'Isn't that obvious?' before turning back to her task. "I'm well aware of that." She answered in a matter of fact tone with closed eyes, but then opened them again and smiled at her new sword. "But even so, I believe you need to make a relationship with your katana in order to get 100% of their power. It's not just the quality of the katana nor the skill of the samurai…but both, and how they work in accordance with each other." She gazed back at Law who was holding his nodachi in his hand. "Isn't it the same with your sword?"_

_Law glanced at the long sword in his hands and thought about the girl's words for a moment. "This is a tool that helps me fight and use my ope ope powers more precisely. It would be troublesome without it;" he delivered his point of view on the matter._

_Miyako smirked at his pragmatic words. This guy… always so practical. "Then doesn't it even have a name? That would be a shame, good swords should have a name after all." The girl nodded as if agreeing with her own statement, or in this case her master's words from long ago. _

"_Oh, it has a name. Kikoku," Law answered instantly. "Though I wasn't the one who named it, this nodachi existed long before it got into my hands," the captain explained shortly. "Still, I doubt a name makes the blade any better or worse…It would be the same even if it didn't have one," the captain stated bluntly, not really seeing the point in naming swords in the first place. This nodachi only had one because it was so even before Law obtained it. _

_Miyako was interested how the nodachi got into Law's hands to begin with but right now, she was even more fascinated with the name. "Kikoku?" She repeated, as the word easily rolled from the tip of her tongue. "Cry of the Demon," the girl whispered in wonder. The name sounded ominous, completely different than her own Yawarakai-Te. _

_That's when she noticed a smirk spread across Law's face. "It's a cursed sword," he explained with a strange look in his eye. _

"Hyaaa!" Miyako screamed in pain that was still burning in her temples, while her flashback ended as suddenly as it begun. _*What….was that? What's happening…to me!?* _However, before she had time to think about it deeply, the pain got worse and pictures started appearing and disappearing in front of her eyes. Pictures of people she never met and places where she never was. She panted loudly, clutching her head with both hands and letting the nodachi fall on the floor. Her mind felt completely hazy and muddled, as if she couldn't discern fantasy from reality anymore. Past, present, and scenes she didn't even know where to place started attacking her mind, swirling inside and mixing with each other. She fell onto the bed and gathered into a ball, still clutching her head until the tips of her fingers turned white. Her eyes were shut tightly as she winced from pain and confusion.

"Miyako, we're nakama!" A picture of a large smiling bear came into her mind.

"_Be careful in the future, Bakaonna!"_

"_Miyako!"_

"_Oy, Miya-chan!"_

"_We're crewmates! We're pirates! Heart Pirates will always prevail! Hahahaha!"_

Different voices kept echoing through her mind.

"_Suzune Miyako" _Suddenly Shiroshi's gentle voice called out her name and the girl opened her eyes widely. The color in her golden eyes went from brighter back to a darker shade.

"_'Cause this ship's goin' down_

_All on account of tha weatha_

_Though we'll drown_

_There's na need ta frown_

_'Cause we all goin' togetha_

_An' I won't say "Woe is me"_

_As I disappear inta tha sea_

_'Cause I'm in good company_

_As we're all goin' togetha! Harharhahrhar!" _A bellowing singing voice and humming entered Miyako's thoughts again as she heard a thick accent and a hearty laugh after it. The song, the voice, it sounded so familiar yet as far away as if lost in her mind. Somewhere in the darkness, where even Miyako couldn't reach.

"_Then why didn't you kill me?" _Suddenly, that pirate captain's question echoed in her mind.

Miyako eyes that were returning to their dark color again brightened up just a little. "I-told you…" The girl panted in between her words. "-I can't…I can't kill a….weaponless…you…surrendered…"

"_But that's not the only reason, is it? Admit it! Stop lying to yourself and admit it, you already have doubts. You couldn't kill me, because you know me. Because you don't want to hurt me,"_ even though the man never actually said those words to her, they echoed inside her mind in his voice. _"Miyako," _Law called her name inside her mind.

"_Why do you wield your sword?" _She heard Muso's questioning voice in her head all of a sudden. But wait…who is Muso?

"_When you find something to protect, then you will find your strength," _The voice of her master said.

"Someone to….protect…" The girl repeated while still clutching her head in pain. "Something….important…" No, not something….someone…Someone important enough to want to protect, a reason to wield her katana, someone she was ready to die for if needed…

_Miyako stomped onto the deck with a scowl on her face. She just bickered with Law again and had enough of his high and mighty attitude. "Honestily, that guy…" The muttered under her breath._

_There was one more person on the deck, a blue haired medic who was now looking at her with a pitying gaze. "You had a fight with captain, again?"_

"_That guy's just unbelievable!" She exclaimed back, trying to keep her irritation at bay but failing miserably. _

_Cody sweat dropped but then looked up at the bright blue sky above them, thoughtfully. "Can I ask you a question?" _

_The girl blinked and stared back at the medic questioningly. It was unusual for him to be so subtle; usually he was straightforward when talking to her. "Sure?"_

"_You seem to fight with captain law a lot but…you like him, right?" Cody have her a sideways glance and saw the girl blush instantly. She kept quiet but the medic continued anyway. "It just seems very contradictory. How can you like someone and still be at each other's throats so much?" _

_The girl got over some of her embarrassment and stared at the horizon in thought. Her gaze seemed distant all of a sudden. "He constantly challenges me, makes me think outside of my norm, makes me get out of my comfort zone…Yet I still feel I can trust him at the end of the day; I wouldn't exactly say he is…safe, but he makes me feel that way. He got under my skin and broke down my walls before I even realized it; he just keeps surprising me."_

_Cody's eyes widened when he saw the girl's expression while she talked about the captain. Even though she was frowning only moments ago, she was no smiling honestly with a gentle gaze in her golden eyes. The medic closed his eyes and turned back to look at the sky. "Ah…I think I get it now. That's how it is…" The man smiled as well._

"_Miyako!" _Suddenly Law's shout tore through her mind and the girl felt piercing pain in her skull, as if thousands of burning needles were piercing her brain.

"Gyaaaaahhh!" The girl screamed in sheer agony.

~…~

"Jump!" Shachi yelled and jumped to the side to avoid the large hammer that was once again coming towards them from above. All the pirates jumped to separate direction away from the hammer's aim. The blast from the hit alone was enough to make the whole ground crumble and the blast knocked the pirates off their feet into the nearby rocks even if they weren't directly hit.

"How do even fight this guy? All we did so far was dodge!" Joshua yelled in desperation as he watched the snow giant give them another ear shattering roar.

"Can this guy even feel our attacks with his massive body?" Shachi muttered with an annoyed click of his tongue. "And you stop messing around and help out already!" He suddenly turned towards Bepo with a glare and yelled. The polar bear was on the ground, pretending to be dead with his red tongue sticking out, so he wouldn't attract any attention to himself.

"Ye be right, we need a plan!" Munk answered, taking deep breaths from all the dodging he had to do. He wasn't one to usually dodge much in fights, but take the enemy head-on, however this time such a thing was nearly impossible.

"I think I have one," Sai said bluntly.

"Oh, he has one…" Penguin pointed behind him at Sai with his thumb but then swiftly turned around towards the navigator in shock. "Wait, you do?!"

"What is it? We need to be quick," Bepo warned, suddenly getting up from the snow and over his 'feigning death' plan.

Others huddled around and Sai quickly explained his plan to them. They all nodded in understanding and separated once again just as the snow giant used one arm to try and sweep everything standing in front of him. The pirates jumped onto the ground to avoid the large hand and grabbed the ground the best they could so they won't be swept away by the created wind. The giant didn't wait long before raising his hammer again to try and kill the humans, but luckily he was as slow as he was big. The pirates had enough time to stand up and put their plan into action as they started running towards the snow giant.

The giant went to swing down at them with its hammer again, but right at that moment Bepo jumped into the air right in front of the weapon with one clenched fist. Accumulating all of his strength into that one point the bear swung back at the hammer. "Hiya!" Bepo yelled out as his fist collided with the enormous stone weapon. For a while everything appeared to be at a standstill as both powers collided with one another and battled which one will prevail. Then suddenly the hand with the hammer jolted backwards as Bepo's fist won over in power. At the same time Munk and Jean Bart ran straight towards the giant's legs before jumping and ramming right into them with all their strength and heavy bodies. The giant stumbled backwards even more.

Cody suddenly jumped into the air as well and Joshua jumped after him, landing on the other medic's leg. The bluehead kicked with Josh on his leg, sending the redhead flying even more and right onto one of the giant's hands. "Go!" Cody yelled along with his kick.

The redheaded medic ran up the muscled arm towards the giant's head. He ran towards the face, taking out his scalpels in the process. The giant flayed with his arm while falling, so the medic had to jump forward and threw his scalpels. The sharp objects lodged themselves in the giant's eye, making the beast scream in pain and close his eyes. Flaying his arms, the giant swatted at Joshua, who was still in the air. With no means of dodging, the redhead turned his head to look with wide eyes as a large hand approached him. He put his hands in front of him to block the impact, but he was still hit and sent flying back down into the ground with great force. The medic flew through the air and crashed into the icy ground with such force that it created a crater and made pieces of the ground around him fly everywhere.

"Josh!" Cody yelled back and ran up to his friend to check on his condition.

Josh rose up into a sitting position, but the side of his head was bleeding. There was a stream of blood in the corner of his mouth, probably from puking up blood from the hard impact into the ground. "I'm…alright…." He answered in a hoarse voice, groaning in pain as he put a hand on his ribs that were probably broken.

Meanwhile, their attack wasn't done yet. Munk and Jean Bart rammed into the giant's legs again, their muscles straining and veins popping out while they started to get red in the face. The two pirates grunted and groaned from exertion, but they didn't stop pushing at the giant's legs for even an instant.

Suddenly, Shachi and Penguin appeared from both sides of the giant as they climbed the nearby hills and jumped into the air. Reaching all the way to the two large horns on the beast's forehead, the two mechanics kicked at them with all their strength. The blast was enough to jolt the giant further backwards and one of its horns actually broke and fell back into the thick layer of snow below its feet. They finally tipped the scale with the last attack and the large being started falling backwards. The ground vibrated and clouds of snow shot into the air under the weight of the huge snow giant. The ice and rock crumbled under it, cracking. The giant's one good eye was wide open as it roared again. At that moment, the last pirate appeared right on the giant's forehead as he climbed on top. Sai aimed for the one good eye of the giant and shot at a small distance, without even blinking. His face stayed completely blank as always, as the giant's eyes split open and started bleeding and oozing liquid out of it. The younger navigator quickly jumped off of the beast, letting out a breath of air in relief.

"Woohoo! We did it!" Penguin yelled, already cheering while still panting from his previous exhaustion.

The rest of the Heart Pirates also grinned in satisfaction, but their expression soon changed when they realized there was a shadow over them again. The snow giant roared in pain and anger as it had both eyes blinded and closed. Even so, it was getting up and swung with its hammer at the cheering voices. The weapon was so wide that the giant hardly had to aim at the humans anyway. The group looked up at the quickly approaching hammer, alas it was already too late. The stone weapon hit them with force, sending all the Heart pirates flying back into the mountains and hills. They could all feel the air escaping their lungs and scorching pain replacing it. Their bones cracked at the impact and the snowy hills stopped their flight behind them, before the pirates all fell back down onto the ground. They were at least lucky to have the snow around them cushion the fall a bit, but it didn't help much after being hit with a large stone warhammer with such force and speed. The pirates groaned, trying to get up on their shaky limbs while it was still ringing in their heads.

Penguin looked up at the giant again and his expression changed from pained to shocked in an instant. He saw the giant rose one leg in the air and was no lowering it down with force. "Guys!" He tried to warn the others, but it was too late as the snow giant started trampling on the ground with both feet. It looked like a gigantic child playing in a puddle or stomping onto an ant colony. The ground vibrated and trembled under every jump or kick into the snow. The snow saint growled loudly, still blinded and in pain, but angry more than anything else.

As the beast finally stopped it tilted its head as if trying to hear any sounds. Below, next to its feet, eight bodies were lying in the snow, deeply buried in the thick layer. There were deep holes and wide footprints all around the snow giant on the ground.

Suddenly a cough was heard as Jean Bart tried to stand up, using his knees and arms to prop himself up. His shoulder and one hand were bleeding from before but now he was coughing up blood as well. He wasn't the only one either. Bepo rolled on his side, wincing groaning in pain. Shachi puked blood and saliva as he stood up, still trembling from the attack. The other Heart Pirates also started standing up on shaky legs, all beaten up, with even their clothes torn in some places.

"Like…we'll…give up and die…that easily," Penguin panted, still giving the giant in front of him a defying smirk.

"Heh, that damn giant is….underestimating...the Heart Pirates," the other mechanic answered, feeling for his sunglasses to make sure they survived the rough treatment of their owner just now. He sighed in relief when they seemed to be in one piece.

"Keep that talk….for when we defeat it," Sai warned, clutching his rifle again.

"At least we blinded him, it should be easier now," the polar bear added.

"Leave it to me," the older navigator said with a grunt.

"Let us kick its ass already, lads," the head chef spat some blood and dusted the snow off of his big beard.

"I'm not done….quite yet," Joshua grinned and glared up at the snow giant, still holding his sore sides.

"Yeah, we need to get going to captain Law soon," the blue haired medic nodded in agreement and wiped the blood from his brow.

"Let's go!" The all yelled just as the snow giant went to swing down at them with their warhammer again. The weapon was just about to hit and squash everyone, but instead it stopped in mid air, a few feet from the ground.

"Graaaah!" Munk and Jean Bart yelled in unison as they both held the warhammer from below, preventing the giant from hitting with it. The snow giant grunted in confusion as tried to pull the hammer away, but it wouldn't give as both pirates held it with all of their might.

In the meantime, the giant was still leaning forward and was closer to the ground now, while trying to get back its hammer. The rest of the Heart pirates took the fallen form from before, trying to lift it while Bepo jumped upwards onto the giant's knee and started running onto its body, upwards.

"Eat _this_, shitty giant!" penguin yelled as the Hearts not only lifted the horn, but threw it into the air and sent it flying towards the snow giant. However, it was too heavy to be able to fly for long as they weren't able to throw it all the way towards the giant. But as it started falling, Bepo leapt from the giant's body and into the air right behind the horn. The polar bear kicked the flat end of the horn with all his strength and sent it flying at full speed the rest of the way. The horn pierced the air like a bullet and hit right in the giant's forehead, piercing its thick skull and brain. With a powerful roar, the giant collapsed backwards onto the ground that shook from the fall with its own horn lodged deep inside its forehead.

The pirates stayed completely tense and motionless for a while, expecting to see the giant move and stand up again. However, this time it didn't happen and the large beast stayed on the ground, limp and motionless.

"We…we did it!" Shachi smiled happily from ear to ear and sighed in relief.

Joshua sat back onto the ground, needing the rest. It was painful to even breathe, but he still laughed out loud from relief.

"Come on…we still need to find captain Law," Bepo warned, limping through the snow.

"Yeah…in a minute," Penguin answered while he was sprawled completely on the snowy ground, taking shallow breaths from exhaustion. "Ok, maybe more than a minute."

The Heart pirates took some time to rest, lying and sitting onto the ground to catch their breaths while enjoying their victory.

~….~

"Are you sure it's here?" Penguin's voice sounded skeptical as he asked Josh who was walking in the front.

"It has to be here somewhere," the redhead muttered.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Penguin commented back in a deadpan tone.

"We're not lost!" We're-!" The medic started but was unable to find the right words to finish.

"We're at the mines," Cody answered instead of him, staring at something around the hill.

"Yeah, we're at the mines! Wait, what?" His satisfied expression turned into a confused one as he looked back at Cody with a questioning eyebrow raised.

"What mines? There weren't any mines when we found the entrance the first time," Bepo added trying to see what the blue haired medic was gazing at.

"See, I knew we were lost!" The younger mechanic exclaimed angrily.

The group jogged to where Cody is and gasped at the sight. In front of them was a lare clearing that was holed in and surrounded by mountains and hills from almost all sides. It was hidden and would be barely visible unless someone actually climbed up where the pirates were now standing and looked down. There was a large entrance into one of the mountains with tracks heading inside. It looked like any other mine with a mineshaft inside. There were people in ragged clothing, walking through the snow and working as they went in and out of the mines, carrying bags and large crates filled with some shiny white stones. The people all looked sickly and pale, beaten up and in a horrible condition as they barely had any winter clothing on their bodies.

However, there were others who had thick winter jackets and other winter wear, but those men weren't working at all; they seemed to be supervising the workers. The men all had whips in their hands and holsters or swords tucked in their belts. They yelled at the workers, pushing them to work faster or kicking and whipping them when angered by the men and women who could barely move. There were even children there, not older than 14.

"What is this place?" Penguin whispered in wonder.

"They look like they're mining, but I don't think they're doing it voluntarily," the smaller navigator commented.

"May be it be good we got lost an' found 'em," Munk added, gazing at the pitiful workers below.

"We're _not_ lost!" Joshua bit back, but the rest simply ignored him.

"Anyway, this must be somehow connected to Miyako's disappearance and those strange guys in the mountains, right!?" Shachi pointed at the scene. Indeed, this couldn't be just some wild coincidence. These guys must know something.

"Should we go down there?" Bepo tilted his head, unsure whether to get closer to the suspicious people or not. They needed to find Miyako and captain Law, not get themselves into even more trouble. They were all already beaten up from the fight with the snow giant and should take it easy until they fund those two strange enemies from before. There might be some more strong foes lurking around and the Hearts had to be prepared for them.

"I don't think we can just go there and ask for directions, Bepo. Those supervisors don't seem very friendly," Cody answered the bear.

"Ah, I was wrong…Sorry…" Bepo winced darkly as he apologized.

"This is no time for your gloominess, Bepo!" Penguin yelled back, annoyed at the polar bear.

"So-" the bear went to apologize again, but the glare he got from the mechanic made him stop mid-sentence instead.

"Look, I'm not some goody-two-shoes to go help strangers in distress, but this might be our way in to where captain and Miyako are. If not, they'll still be good for getting some info on the situation," Joshua shrugged.

"I agree," Sai nodded simply at the medic's statement.

"Then, let's go!" Jean Bart ran down the hill towards the people.

"Hey Jean Bart, I'm the first mate so I'm in charge here. You can't give orders!" the polar bear argued, complaining to the already leaving navigator.

"Shut up, Bepo," Shachi stopped the polar bear's complaining instantly as he also headed down with the others.

"Sorry," the bear bowed his head in depression again.

Bepo soon got out of his dreary state and followed the rest of the crew while yelling "Guys, wait for me!"

When the crew came down everyone stopped working and only stared at the newcomers with shocked expressions. The supervisors were the first to snap back out of their confusion and glared at the pirates, aiming their guns or swords at them. "Who are you?! What are you doing here, you bastards!?"

"They don't look like a new group of these sorry workers," another added mockingly. "Heh, though they look pretty beaten up themselves."

The men grinned evilly. "Well, never mind, cause you are now a part of the miners. Welcome to the group." They stepped forwards towards the pirates, still aiming their weapons at them.

The Heart Pirates gave each other a quick glance before turning their attention back to the approaching men. They all silently agreed on one thing.

~….~

"Bwe're breally sobby…." One of the supervisor men said as Josh lifted him from the ground by his collar. The rest were in a similar state; either dead or pretending to be. Those who were still alive were beaten to a pulp anyway, barely able to move. It didn't take more than a few minutes for the Heart Pirates to beat them, even in their weaken state after the battle with the snow giant. These guys were nothing more than small fry. The guy in Josh hands was also black and blue with bumps and bruises all around his face and body. The man's face was hardly recognizable anymore. Around them, the workers just stare in silence and fear of the newcomers, not daring to move or run away.

"Keep your lame apologizes and tell me what's going on here?" The redhead demanded, glaring at the sobbing mess in front of him.

"Tbis is…Shiroshi-saba's mbines…we look abfter the worbers here," the man explained the best he could with his swollen lips.

"But what are you mining here in this freezing weather in the middle of nowhere?" Cody intervened, gesturing at the horrible conditions they were forced to work in.

"Ice cbystal," the man answered instantly, afraid to get beaten again.

The pirates looked at each other in wonder. "Ice crystal?"

"Anyway, what about you guys? You are free so you can just return home," Bepo turned to the sickly workers.

However the people just timidly looked at each other with troubled expressions. Finally, one of them dared to speak. "This is our home…"

Once again the Heart Pirates gazed at the people in surprise and confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We worked here for as long as we remember….we don't remember anything else. If we have some other home…we don't remember it at all," a woman spoke up, keeping her tears in.

"That can't be. There's something going on here," Shachi frowned as his eyebrows furrowed. There had to be something they were missing.

"For now, let's just send them below to the town. The townspeople will take care of them," Bepo suggested.

Jean Bart shook his head and grunted in disapproval. "They'll never survive the trip in their state." He looked at the thorn, old clothing these people were wearing and they were already beaten and weak. There was no way for them to survive the mountains that were cold and full of wild animals. The night was already falling with the last rays of sun slowly disappearing from the sky, the sun was diving behind the horizon and the temperature will only get colder soon.

"So what do we do with them?" Penguin asked with a shrug.

Munk stepped closer to the group people. There were at least 50 of them, yet even though they were larger in numbers they didn't rebel against their supervisors and the harsh treatment they were giving them. The chef wondered why was that so? The people spoke as if it was completely natural for them to work here and be treated like that; it was their home, they said. "Do ya good people know how tha get inside this mountain?"

Once again the group of miners looked at each other before giving the pirate a nod. Munk smiled back, satisfied with the new information. "Swell! In tha case show us tha way and stay inside. 'T least it be warmer in tha mountain. They can wait there till we find captain' an' Miyako," the pirate chef explained.

The other pirates looked at each other, mulling over the idea silently. Finally, they grinned and nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea, let's do that."

"In that case, show us the way!" Josh let go of the man's collar and he fell back onto the ground with a thud and a grunt of pain that followed.

The miners gave each other uncertain glances but then stared back at the beaten supervisors, deciding it was better for them to do as they were told and show the way to the pirates.

~….~

Trafalgar walked through the empty halls, climbing up the stairs in search of Shiroshi. Before he runs in Miyako it would be good to kill that man and break the hold his devil fruit powers had on Law's samurai. However, he was unable to find neither the tall man nor anyone else who he could use for information. Wasn't there some maid girl around here before? Suddenly, a chill went down his spine as he felt something approaching and the captain quickly jumped to the side, avoiding a large piece of a metal pipe which was probably broken from the wall. But who had enough strength to do so? Law's eyes narrowed when he saw the armored man standing above him on the upper floor. With one leap, the human tank jumped down and landed before Law, creating a hole in the ground from his heavy body.

"Trafalgar Law…you escaped. I presume Mar'ak is dead, then," it was a simple remark rather than a question. However, the man didn't seem emotional from the loss of his comrade at all.

Instead of answering, Law gave the man a troubled smirk. "How lucky, I was just looking for someone to guide me to Shiroshi," he said mockingly.

The man in black armor took the large, broadsword from his back, holding it easily with only one hand. "You will not get out of here alive," the low voice said blankly as if stating a simple fact. With that, Dezzen charged forward at the pirate captain.

"Room," Law used his hand to create a blue sphere around them. Just as Dezzen was about to swing down at him with his big sword, Law twitched his fingers. "Shambles," instead of Law a simple chair appeared in his place and Dezzen smashed it to bits with his weapon. Instead, Law appeared further from the armored man. "Tact!" He yelled and the ground moved upward from below Dezzen, aiming for him. However the bigger man simply swung with his sword again, destroying the rock coming at him before he turned back to Law and charged at the pirate.

Law kept using his powers to create stone pillars coming from the ground, but Dezzen either sliced at them with their sword or just rammed into them and smashed them with his hard armor and body. It hardly even slowed him down as he charged forward. "Tch!" Law clicked his tongue in annoyance as his opponent proved more troublesome than the previous one. That armored body was barely affected by the obstacles Law put before Dezzen with his ope ope powers. Finally, the armored man arrived before Law and raised his sword, about to slice him down vertically but Law used his powers again. Suddenly, Dezzen disappeared and reappeared away from the pirate just as he sliced down, cutting nothing but thin air. The man grunted in confusion as he found himself in a different place than before.

Law took that opportunity to jump him from the back, using his bare hand as a weapon. "Mes!" However Dezzen turned around in time, surprisingly quick for his mass, and dodged Law's attack before countering with his own. Dezzen used his sword to try and pierce Law while he was still in the air, unable to dodge, but once again the pirate disappeared and Dezzen pierced nothing but air.

Trafalgar appeared a few meters away, trying to catch his breath. *_I've been using my powers too much. I already had to use them while fighting Miyako and then I was drained by kairoseki. If this goes on I'll soon reach my limit. I need to find a way to deal with this guy quickly,* _the pirate captain gritted his teeth, feeling his devil fruit powers taking a toll on him. Suddenly, Dezzen charged at him again and Law narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself. "Room!"

~….~

Miyako ran through the halls of the mountain, clutching Law's nodachi in one hand while holding her katana strapped to the waist with the other. Suddenly, a loud crashing noise caught her attention and she looked up to see two figures fighting on the upper floor. The inner mountain area was full of open floors, connected with staricases so it was easy to see most of the lower and upper levels. The girl narrowed her eyes and recognized the two men; Trafalgar and Dezzen. A blue sphere would encircle them every now and then before another blast would be heard. *_I have to stop them!* _She was just about to call out to them, when someone called her name behind her.

"Suzune-san?!" Miyako turned to see Moni, the maid, staring at her with big, frightened eyes. "What's going on?"

"Moni-chan!" The samurai girl exclaimed. How was she supposed to explain it to the other girl, though? Miyako awoke after the piercing pain made her lose consciousness, her mind still hazy and confused but most of her memories back. She could still feel the constant pressure that was Shiroshi-san's control power in the back of her mind, but now that she was aware of it, she was somehow struggling to keep it at bay. Some of her memories were still missing and changed by Shiroshi, and there were some holes in her past memories, but she remembered the most important parts. She knew Shiroshi did something to her to modify her memories, making her even forget important parts of her life or make her remember them wrongly.

However, if she was able to remember, maybe Moni-chan will be able to as well. It was obvious they were all being controlled by Shiroshi's power. He must've tempered with Dezzen's, Mar'ak's and Moni's memories just like he did with her's.

"Listen, Moni-chan! Shiroshi-san tempered with our memories, he isn't what he seems to be! It's a bit hard to explain, but I need to stop Dezzen now and find Shiroshi-san," Miyako tried to explain in haste.

"Eh? I-I see…then we should hurry!" The girl said with a worried expression, her mocha-colored eyes wide.

Miyako nodded and turned her back on her to look at the upper floor where Dezzen and Law were fighting. She needed to find the quickest way up there and stop them. Dezzen was only fighting for Shiroshi just like she was anyway. Suddenly, Miyako felt something coming from behind and quickly turned around, using Law's still sheathed nodachi to block whatever was coming. A chain flew her way and wrapped itself around Kikoku instead of her neck. Miyako followed the train of the chain and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the one holding it was Moni. Her green hair danced as she moved, tightening the grip on the chain even more. Her other hand held the end of the chain, manipulating it.

"Why?" Miyako gritted her teeth as she kept a strong hold on Law's nodachi while the chain tried to force it away from her.

"I can't let you interfere and help your captain." Moni stated bluntly. "The truth is, Suzune-san, we were never under the control of Shiroshi-sama's devil fruit powers to begin with. It's just that he made a deal with Dezzen, Mar'ak and me to share a part of the profit," the girl continued.

Miyako's eyes narrowed. "Profit?" Suddenly, it hit her. "Ice crystal that they're mining…" She gritted her teeth in anger.

Moni smiled sweetly, still speaking respectfully even now while she was trying to kill Miyako. "Indeed, you are right." Moni grabbed the chain in the middle and jerked her other hand, sending the other end of the chain towards Miyako's feet.

The samurai jumped, but at that moment Moni pulled on the part of the chain which was still entangled with the nodachi, sending Miyako down and slamming her into the ground. The samurai girl yelped in pain from the hit, but didn't let go of Kikoku. Suddenly the other end of the chain wrapped around her ankle tightly and Miyako's eyes widened in realization what was about to happen. With surprising strength, the maid pulled on the chain, sending Miyako flying into the wall before slamming her back down onto the ground. The samurai kept gritting her teeth, enduring the pain, but still unwilling to let go of the nodachi in her hand.

The next time Moni sent her flying towards the wall, Miyako threw her katana at the maid, but the girl dodged it with ease. "It's useless, Suzune-san," she said simply, before pulling on her chain again. She went to slam the girl in the opposite wall, but Miyako turned in the air this time and landed on her feet on the wall. Moni narrowed her eyes as she strained to keep control of Miyako's body, pulling the chain towards her again to prevent the samurai from acting. However, even as she pulled, the chain wouldn't budge. With wide eyes the maid suddenly noticed that the katana was lodged in the ground, pinning the chain down on one part and preventing her from manipulating it anymore. Miyako didn't waste time as she leapt from the wall towards the maid, using the nodachi in her hands. She unsheathed the long sword, still in the air as she quickly flew towards the surprised maid.

_*Kikoku, I know I am not your master, but please lend me your strength for now!* _She unsheathed the long sword, feeling the unusual heaviness. In a swift move, the samurai passed by her opponent, slicing at her in the process before landing onto her back and rolling on the ground forward. As she stopped in a kneeling position, Miyako sheathed the nodachi back slowly before feeling the chain going limp and falling on the ground beside her with clinking noises. Behind her, Moni's blood sprayed from the slice that went from the beginning of her chest to the end of her stomach. The woman's body twisted backwards and she made gurgling, surprised noises from the pain before falling onto the ground, limp and lifeless.

Miyako's eyes burned brightly with their golden color, completely back to their usual gleam. She stood up with a determined look in her eyes before running up the stairs towards the two fighting men that were making a mess of the upper floor. She could see the open level right in front of her from her staircase and noticed Dezzen charging at Law who was already panting from constantly only using his devil fruit abilities to fight him.

Trafalgar cringed as he saw the human tank running towards him again with that large sword, easily destroying all the obstacles Law was putting in front of him. The pirate captain could only dodge or use his ope ope powers to fight back, which was slowly tiring him out. If only he had his nodachi. Not only would he use his powers easier, but he could take a break from using his devil fruit abilities until some of its power recharges. This, right now, was the worst scenario for the captain. He opened his right hand again, "Room!" The air spiraled in his hand, creating another blue sphere, but this one was clearly smaller than the one before. By his estimations, he could use his Room maybe four or five more times at this pace before it runs out completely.

"Law!" Suddenly, a familiar but unexpected voice called out at him and Law's eyes darted to its source. He saw Miyako standing on the staircase not far away from his floor level, clutching his nodachi in her hands. She looked dusty and bruised, with a small trail of blood running down her forehead. What happened to her? _*This is bad…if she attacks me now too…* _Law gritted his teeth, but then noticed the glint in Miyako's eyes. Suddenly, the girl tossed his nodachi at him with all her strength. Law's eyes widened as he saw his sword flying through the air. Meanwhile, Dezzen was almost in front of him.

The nodachi turned countless times while flying in the air until it finally reached Law's tattooed hand. The captain caught it with ease just in time as Dezzen appeared before him with his sword high in the air. The captain unsheathed his nodachi and leapt forward, slicing once with his sword in the process. The other man had no way to dodge and nowhere to run as the slash came and the nodachi sliced him in two with ease as Law used his ope ope powers. The armored man split in two parts as his torso separated from his legs, before both parts fell onto the ground. The pirate captain stood upright and sheathed back his nodachi before turning to look at Dezzen.

"You…what did you…?" The armored man asked in confusion as he saw his own body parts beside him, yet was still alive.

Footsteps echoed through the mountain castle as Law walked closer to the human tank. He raised both hands, still operating in his Room. "Shambles," instead of answering the man, Law manipulated Dezzen's two body parts. He stuck the lower part to the wall, while sticking the torso to a nearby barrel before sending the barrel plummeting down below. A loud smash was heard when the barrel finally reached the ground.

Seeing the fight was over for sure, Law's body and mind finally relaxed. He could feel the exhaustion hitting him after overusing his powers and he knew he'll have to refrain from using them for a while. Even so, he was pretty satisfied with the outcome. That thought reminded him of another urgent matter before him. The captain turned around, feeling the presence of the samurai girl behind him. He could see the girl standing there, only a few steps away, with her head bowed down so that her bangs covered most of her face. She appeared the same as always with her plaid winter coat and knee-high boots, the red ribbon tying her hair in a ponytail and the katana strapped to her waist. Just now she called him Law didn't she? Not a pirate, or Surgeon of Death, but Law; just like she always used to. What's more, she helped him just now by tossing him his nodachi. But how? Did she get her memories back? Did something happen to Shiroshi? Numerous questions started swirling inside his mind.

He saw the girl step forward a bit closer and tensed instinctively. He still wasn't sure what state Miyako really was in and what her intentions were. As the girl stepped even closer, the captain opened his mouth to speak. "Miya-" He was cut off and completely taken by surprise by her next action, leaving him speechless and with eyes wide open from both shock and confusion.

At first he thought she was going to attack him, but when she didn't pull out her sword yet came at him, it just made him more confused. Even he wasn't able to predict what she actually intended to do. The girl wrapped her arms around him, tightly grabbing the back of his coat with both hands as she buried her face in his chest. The force in which she came at him made his weak body stumble and almost fall, but luckily he managed to stay on his feet, staring down at the dark blue hair with a surprised expression. She hugged him. Miyako was suddenly hugging him. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out as he had no idea what to say or make of this situation. His hands twitched as he raised them slightly, still unsure what to do. For the first time he really had no idea what to do as the girl took him completely by surprise with her actions. Why did she always have that effect on him? Just when he thinks he was pulling all the strings in his hands, she turns around and does something unexpected like this. What's more, the girl wasn't saying anything. She was completely silent and motionless, making him slightly nervous now.

"Miyako?" He called out, his hands waiting in the air as he still hadn't decided what to do with them. "Did your memory come back?"

A small nod came from the girl while her face was still buried in his chest. Law frowned as more questions attacked his mind.

"How? Did something happen to Shiroshi?" He didn't even bother putting his usual mocking honorific at the end of that guy's name.

"I don't know," a soft, muffled sound came from his chest.

Law furrowed his brows at the answer. He needed to find that man in white; he still had a score to settle with him. He put his hand on Miyako's shoulders, intending to slowly pry her from himself, but stopped when she started talking again, grabbing the fabric of his coat even tighter. "I thought…" She started in a soft voice that made Law strain to hear her words. "I thought I forgot you forever. I forgot everything….all of you. I even tried to hurt you…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," there was obvious guilt in her tone.

"That guy has a Shimei Shimei no Mi powers that allowed him to temper with your memory and change it. It couldn't be helped," Law answered bluntly in his usual matter of fact tone.

"I know but…I forgot all the fun times, and sad times, and important memories…everything I shared with you guys. It's cruel. I never want to forget about you guy again! Josh, Bepo, Cody, Shachi, Penguin, Munk…everyone! I even forgot you! I don't want to forget about _you_ ever again!" The girl shook her head from side to side, still buried in Law's chest.

The captain's eyes widened again from her last statement. He still kept his hands on her shoulders, but wasn't trying to push her away anymore. He could feel her shoulders slightly shaking and even without seeing her face, he could tell…she was crying. "But you remembered, didn't you?" He closed his eyes, trying to put on a casual expression he usually wore, but somehow he found it difficult this time. He didn't show he noticed her tears nor did he have any intention of mentioning it to the girl; he knew it would be an attack to her pride.

"Un," the girl nodded, still attached to him like a frightened child. Law wondered was it his sadistic side acting up since he rather enjoyed having the girl seek him out in tears like this. Other people would probably say he was a bad person for it, but Law didn't really care; he was already a bad person by other people's standards anyway.

The captain sighed. "Come on, we still need to find the others," he gently urged the girl to let go.

The girl tensed in his arms. "The others are here too?" There was guilt and excitement mixed in her voice. She probably remembered how she almost buried them in the avalanche before.

Law nodded. "So don't let them wait." Even though he didn't exactly mind this, Law knew they were still in enemy territory and needed to move on soon.

"Law?" Miyako asked, her voice still muffled from his coat.

"Hnn?" The captain simply hummed in question, looking down at the girl. She seemed to have calmed down since she wasn't shaking anymore. Her voice, although still soft, sounded steadier now.

"I'm hungry…I want to eat Munk's cooking. Even if it's that disgusting porridge," the girl said, surprising him with the topic.

Trafalgar's eyebrow twitched as a sliver of annoyance entered his mind_. *Hungry?! Weren't you crying just seconds ago?* _And she was so cute for a moment there…

~…~

"So there's a passage that leads from the mines to the inner part of the mountain?" Josh asked, wanting to confirm what the workers had just told them. The people led the way through the barely lit mineshaft, following the tracks of the mineshaft's railway used to transport large amounts of ice crystals.

A child walking beside the redheaded medic nodded. "Yes, the supervisors usually used it to get from the mines to the mountain castle easier."

"Hmm…The one who did all this sure planned everything out," Penguin commented, looking around the mineshaft.

"Well the ones who constructed most of this was us," a woman said weakly before coughing. "Though the one who made all the blueprints and plans was Shiroshi-sama," she added.

"Most of these people look really sick," Cody whispered to Jean Bart who just nodded silently.

The group entered a room which almost blinded them with bright and shiny crystals in crates. "This must be where they store the mined crystals before carrying them out," Sai gazed at the area filled with glinting rocks. The unnatural lighting reflected off of them, making them sparkle even more.

"Whoa…this must be worth a lot," Shachi commented in awe before the pirates exchanged grinning looks.

~…~

"So not all of your memories returned yet," Law stated as he just heard the girl's explanation. They were climbing up the stairs towards the top of the mountain, before heading into a glass elevator. That was the only way to get to the highest room.

"Yes, I can still feel that guy's control in the back of my mind. But I know where he is," Miyako shut the doors of the glass elevator, letting it carry them upwards.

When the doors of the elevator opened, both pirates narrowed their eyes as they saw the tall man in white robes putting all the items made of ice crystal into one large bag. In the corner, there were large cages with his trained firefly birds in them.

"So you're here after all," Miyako commented glaring at Shiroshi.

The man slowly turned, piercing the duo with his ice blue eyes. There was no gentleness from before left on his handsome features. "So I am," he smirked mockingly, but there was a glint of nervousness in his eyes. "I was planning to take all the ice crystal I could carry and escape but….I knew I shouldn't have showed you this room before. Then again, it was fun deceiving you, I just couldn't help it," he continued with an evil grin.

Miyako's eyes sharpened as her expression darkened instantly, the dark aura starting to swirl around her. "You won't get away with it," she hissed dangerously. Beside her, Law already prepared his nodachi.

"Oh, I beg to differ…Suzune Miyako." After Shiroshi said her name, the girl frowned and her eyes dimmed a little, as her mind became fuzzy again. "I still have a hold on you since you gave me your name, Suzune Miyako, I control you!" He repeated her name with glee. "Now…kill him!" he ordered and pointed at the pirate captain.

"Gn…" The girl grunted in pain, holding her head as she doubled over. "L-law….I…can't…control…"

"Oy, Miyako!" The captain narrowed his eyes, tense at the girl's actions. He gritted his teeth, glaring back at Shiroshi. He needed to kill that bastard before he did any more damage. Law rushed forward, aiming to pierce the main as his sharp eyes calculated to hit him right through the head. "Injection!" He went to attack, but was blocked and had to jump backwards as the samurai girl stood in his way. Law's eyes narrowed as he saw the blank look in her dark golden eyes.

Before he had time to call for her to get her senses back, Miyako attacked. Luckily, Law took the time before to rest his powers a bit and was once again able to summon his Room. The blue sphere enveloped them and the captain instantly disappeared, reappearing behind the attacking girl. He was between Shiroshi and the samurai now.

The girl turned to face him again, preparing her katana for another attack. Her hands were shaking along with her sword as she tried to control herself, but it was proving useless. "Law…" The girl said softly and Law's eyes widened as he realized something. He gave her a determined look in return as he watched the struggling Miyako.

*_No, you won't kill me,*_ he stared at her as she went to pierce him. He didn't move even when her sword was inches away, believing that the girl won't lose to Shiroshi's powers again. It was her will against Shiroshi's and Trafalgar knew how strong this girl's determination really was. She won't hurt him. He stayed on the spot as the girl came at him, but then passed right beside him.

"Haaaa!" With a cry that helped her break through to her own consciousness, the girl managed to control herself long enough to pass by Law and stab at Shiroshi instead. The tall man's eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared down at the girl's burning golden eyes that pierced right through him, just like her steel.

Shiroshi coughed up blood, even paler than usual. "Im…possible.." He barely managed to let out his voice as he stumbled backwards, gripping at everything and anything on his way. He gripped at the bag full of ice crystals, but wasn't able to stop his body as it stumbled backwards into the glass wall behind him. The wall broke under the force and Shiroshi lost his balance. He fell down from the highest point, pulling the ice crystal items with him, as they all fell down below together into oblivion.

Miyako sighed in exhaustion from her mental strain and stumbled forward, starting to fall to the ground, but Law caught her before she could hit the floor. "That…was dangerous…I could've…killed you…" She mumbled weakly, barely keeping her eyes open. The pressure from Shiroshi's powers that was at the back of her mind was completely gone now; that man was finally dead.

Trafalgar smirked. "Killing your own captain? You wouldn't dare," he answered with a grin, though Miyako was too exhausted to tell if he was joking or not.

~…..~

The group of pirates finally entered the grand hall, which was the ground floor of thecastle,with the workers right behind them. Jean Bart and Munk both carried a big bag over their shoulders. Suddenly, a woman screamed as she stared up and soon everyone followed her gaze to see what was happening. There was a body with completely white, long hair falling from above. It hit a staircase and turned in the air before falling right at their feet, splashing blood everywhere that sprayed at their feet. The pirates glanced at each other.

"I'm guessing, Captain?" Joshua raised his eyebrow with a blank expression.

"Captain!" Suddenly Bepo exclaimed with a wide smile on his face.

"Yeah, I _just_ said that," the redhead rolled his eyes, but then noticed everyone was staring at something behind his back.

"No, look, " Cody pointed up at one of the staircases. They could see Law helping Miyako walk as they went down the numerous stone staircases that spiraled down towards the ground room.

At that moment, the pirates noticed the workers behind them stirring. Most of them looked confused as they stared at each other in wonder.

"Eh, why was I working here all this years? I don't belong here!"

"Shiroshi-san was using us!" A woman screamed.

"Ahaha, I finally remember! I'm from Snör Town!"

"And I'm from Halken village up North! I finally remember my wife and kids!" Another man cried out in happiness.

"Mama!" A child cried out and went to run into the arms of a crying woman.

Everyone was getting their memories back, finally putting things in perspective now that Shiroshi's powers didn't have any influence on them. In the meantime, Miyako and Law came down, with the rest of the Heart Pirates coming to help them. The group looked even more beaten up than Law and Miyako, though. Quickly they exchanged information on everything that happened. Miyako bowed down in apology to the other Heart pirates and Penguin sheepishly smiled, saying it was ok, while rubbing the back of his head with a grin and a blush on his face. That is until Shachi gave him a slap on the back of his head and warned him to 'Get serious.'

"Let' get out of here," Law finally ordered his men, smirking in satisfaction.

It was already dawn when they stepped outside of the mountain and made their way back to Snör Town. They all looked beaten, except Law who was only tired and paler than usual, but without serious injuries. Miyako looked like she received more mental damage than actual harm, but the rest of the Hearts looked to be in a lousy condition as they held their sides and bloodied body parts while limping down the mountain. It made the rest of the Heart Pirates who stayed behind in town panic once they saw them, but the medical team quickly took care of it together with Law, bandaging the men up.

Talking with the townsfolk and the ex-miners, the pirates slowly pieced together what exactly happened in the mountains. It seems that Shiroshi never really disappeared but probably found out about the ice crystal mines in the mountains and greed got the best of him. Using his devil fruit powers, he played with people's minds and made them work for him, using the legends of spirits kidnapping people to his advantage. The one kidnapping people was actually him and he used them to mine the crystals for him. He even used trained firefly birds to lead the people towards him in the night; that's probably how all the rumors about the spirits started. All the people that were thought to be spirited away over the years were actually taken by him with his powers. He made his home there in the mountains, using bodyguards to make sure nobody finds out about the ice crystal mines. Once he had enough, he would be rich enough to buy a whole country if he wanted.

"We be only able ta take two bags, tho," Munk said as he put down a bag of still rough, ice crystals. The stones were very heavy and with their broken bodies, it was surprising that they were able to carry any with them.

Law didn't seem disappointed at all, though. Even with two bags, it was enough to buy a whole ship if they wanted. Once they sell these, they won't have to worry about money for a long while.

~…~

"Well, we're ready whenever you say the word captain," Sai tilted his head to both sides, stretching his neck as it cracked slightly under his ministrations. They were on the deck of the submarine, the vessel ready to set off now that they bought all the needed supplies and equipment and prepared everything before their departure.

Law nodded and gave one last glance to the winter island they were leaving, before turning his back to it. "Let's head out," he gave the ordered and the Heart pirates responded with an "Aye captain," instantly hurrying to their stations.

Josh rummaged through the pockets of his overall and finally took out a shiny item.

Cody stared at the item and blinked in surprise. "When did you-?" he started, staring at the small ice crystal figurine they saw at the ice craft shop in Snör Town before. The one that was _not_ for sale and for which the clerk specifically warned them _not_ to try and steal. It seems Josh really did take that as a challenge and couldn't resist with his sticky pirate fingers. Giving up on his question, Cody just gave his friend a deadpan expression. "You're unbelievable…" It wasn't a compliment.

The redheaded medic simply grinned, tossing the figurine in the air before catching it with one hand easily.

The yellow submarine sailed away, becoming nothing but a small speck on the horizon for all the islanders.

~…~

Miyako yawned, stretching her hands high in the air as she stepped out onto the deck. It was already night time, with the moon high in the air, but she wanted to get some fresh air before bedtime. It was rare to have such a peaceful night outside in the New World and the girl wanted to enjoy it for a while. However, she was startled after seeing a figure before her and stared at them with interest as she noticed she wasn't the only one on the deck. Somebody else forestalled her.

As waves slowly rocked the submarine, Law sat on the metal railing up front, staring at the dark horizon showing the endless sea that appeared pitch black in the night. The moonlight shone down on him, making his dark skin look paler than usual. He either didn't notice her or chose to ignore her, because he kept gazing at the distance with a distant look in his eyes. He must've been deep in thought, but his eyes weren't sharp and piercing as they usually became when he thought about his next move in the New World. He appeared calmer and serene than that as he stared ahead, perhaps remembering something from a distant past. It reminded Miyako of her own expression when she would remember her time with Master Kuroda or the vague and distant memories she had of her parents. Somehow, it felt a shame for her to disturb him and break him out of his daze, but she couldn't leave either because her legs just wouldn't move. The girl kept her eyes glued to the calming sight of Law, almost as if she was enchanted by it. She didn't remember ever seeing that side of him or that expression on his face. She wanted to know, she wanted to ask so much it hurt, but she just couldn't. Something was stopping her. A feeling that she just couldn't go and ask him what he was thinking about, no matter how much she wanted to. Not because she was afraid of his reaction, but it just felt wrong to do so right now. So instead she just stood there silently and observed him, slowly sinking into her own thoughts.

So much had happened these couple of days on that winter island. Miyako came to a realization and even though she was sure she already knew it before, it never felt so real as it did now. The realization of how much this crew actually meant to her. Her nakama. And this person before her, more than anything else, had such an important role in her life now. Miyako watched as Law sat there, staring into the horizon with his hands resting on his knees, the fingers intertwined, while the moonlight illuminated him. *_I already realize it, even if I don't admit it...This man's existence is already too big for me to ignore.* _She took a step forward, as if pulled towards the man in front of her and slowly walked towards the captain. It was as if something was guiding her forward, making her forget about everything else. The world around them, her pride or embarrassment, nothing of that mattered right now except the existence before her; existence called Trafalgar Law. She felt her chest throb, suddenly incredibly hot, as if she will burst if she doesn't say what she wanted to say right now.

Still walking towards Law, the captain finally noticed her and turned to acknowledge her with his usual blank expression. It seemed he noticed she wanted something and gazed at her questioningly, but something in the clear look the girl's eyes held made him stay quiet.

The girl gazed down at the man with a completely earnest and a determined expression. Law opened his mouth to break the silence, but she was quicker. "I love you," the words came out so honestly and naturally that Miyako didn't even have time to be surprised about what escaped her lips. But she didn't look surprised or panicked anyway, she stared right at Law's eyes, even if there was a slight blush on her cheeks. It seemed she was well aware of what she was saying.

Even so, the captain wasn't quite sure if he heard her right. The girl who was so proud and stubborn all the time, actually admitted something like that so honestly? There wasn't any of her usual stuttering, or getting mad or suddenly defensive as she did when admitting something embarrassing. She just stood there, before him, calmly. "I really love you, Law," she continued.

Trafalgar cursed at what a stupid expression he must have on his face right now as he was completely dumbfounded by the totally unexpected confession. He stood up, suddenly bowing his head down so his expression was hidden under the rim of his hat. A heavy hand landed on Miyako's head as he put his tattooed hand on the top of her head, while keeping the other in the pocket of his trousers. "Tch…" He clicked his tongue as if annoyed. "I thought you wanted to make me say it first...the one who says it first loses, isn't that how it goes?" he got no response as the girl bowed her head in silence with a serious expression, hiding her eyes beneath her bangs. "So why do I feel like I've lost right now?"

He took his hat and suddenly put her on the girl's head. Miyako blinked in surprise and reflexively looked up in wonder only for her eyes to widen when she felt Law's lips on her own. His lips were hot…even though they were still sailing in the winter climate.

When did the rules of this game change without either of them realizing?

* * *

><p>Glossary of terms:<p>

Shōji - In traditional Japanese architecture, a shōji is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo.

Ryokan - A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period. Since Snör Town is a town that has a combination of modern and traditional architecture (where traditional is meant as traditional Japanese style), I tried to set the difference by using Inn (a modern one) and Ryokan (a traditional one) words separately.

Onsen – hot springs

Kenshi – A swordsman

Shimei - Name or Identity

Radio knife - A surgical instrument that uses a high-frequency electric arc to cut through or cut away tissue and at the same time sterilize the edges of the wound and seal cut blood vessels. (Yay for putting Law's new techniques from cannon in my story! :D I also added the Injection one.)

When Miyako and Shiroshi are talking about their names, Miyako writes her name with the kanji 美夜子 (Miyako with the kanji for beautiful, March, and child) and 鈴音 (Suzune with the kanji for bell and sound). She is a bit freaked out by Shiroshi's name because it comes from the kanji白 (Shiro; white) and 死(shi; death), so the meaning would be White death, plus he already looks like a ghost anyway.

The snow giant in this story is a bit smaller than Oars. On One Piece Wiki you can see the difference in height of regular giants, humans and Oars so I hope that helps you put the snow giant's size in perspective.

* * *

><p>With that, I think I covered all the terms that might be unclear in the story. I hope I didn't miss anything...if I did, feel free to ask about it. :) So anyway, wow, this one was a long chapter that surprisingly didn't take a lot of time to write. But it will to thoroughly proofread it... ^^' I know it might be a bit too long but I just didn't want to separate it into two chapters, because I have this strong feeling that this one just has to stay fluent as one part from the beginning to the end. As always, my worry is about making Law ooc, so hopefully that didn't happen (I know I'm dangerously playing with the border there :P). So yeah, next chapter Law is becoming a Shichibukai!<p>

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments!

**Lucy Jacob: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked it so much. I'm sure you'll catch up soon, I'm a slow writer. XP

**yumi sawamura: **hehe Maybe you have a sadistic side just like Law. ;D Yep, Miyako is showing her trust! Haha The Heart Pirates really never learn, I think they'll actually pretty similar to the Straw Hats in some troublemaking aspects.

**Bizzy: **I think it will be hilarious for Miyako to watch Law trying to handle Luffy and the others. XD

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Yeah, it was a good way to see Miyako progress in strength since Catarina is one of the Blackbeard pirates, so she's definitely not an easy opponent.

**Onepiecelawfan: **hehe Thanks, Penguin will never learn ^^'

**Akai Uzu: **It probably _was_ something big since it's called the 'incident' by the marines. Yep, I hope I'll make the cannon story with Miyako interesting. :D

**Guest: **Thank you!

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I'm glad you liked it. I wanted to make something that was big enough to cause a commotion in the New World for the Rocky Port Incident, so hopefully I succeeded. I'm also glad you noticed the fact that Miyako stepped out for Law, which was indeed a big sign of trust. I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well. :)

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **hehe I know what you mean, I like calculating Law too. I'm glad you didn't miss it and you didn't read too much into it, because I indeed intended it to be a sign of trust towards Law and for Miyako specifically to show it. It's a sign of progress, I think. Heh yep, Akainu won't be so easily convinced.

**Zecrea: **hehe Indeed we are! :D And I'm glad you like Miyako, I really want to make her into a character people will like.

**Iluvninjas: **Fight scenes are my favorite parts! They're always fun to write. :D I don't really have a secret for them, though. I just imagine it in my head and write it down. I'm sure watching battles in anime helps, too. :D

**angryHarlequin: **Thanks ^^ Hopefully, it will get even more interesting now as it approaches cannon.


	56. Chapter 56

"**I don't like you" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Disclaimer: **This story is rated T for blood, violence and suggestive themes. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

I wanted to get this chapter out before my exams start and while I still have the time. It seems some think that last chapter was a cliffhanger and that we're starting from there….Nope! :3 hehe, I feel so evil now...and I like it! *_gasp_* I'm turning into Law!

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 56<strong>

"So we're returning to the Red Line?" Shachi asked as he leaned against the control panel of the navigation room.

"Yes, the new Marine Headquarters are situated on the Red Line. This time that actually goes in our favor since we won't have to leave New World to get to them," Sai answered, lazily sprawled in his chair. They had the coordinates of the new Marine Headquarters set in the navigational panel so there wasn't much they could do but keep the course towards the Red Line. Jean Bart was handling the helm while Sai watched the radar for any anomalies or dangers beneath the water. It's been like that for a week now; except for the few sea monsters they battled and storms they avoided, most of the sailing went surprisingly smooth.

"It won't be long now till we arrive. You all better prepare yourselves, we still don't know how the marines will react to us," the large navigator by the helm warned while keeping his eyes glued to the deep waters outside.

"I expect Fleet Admiral Sakazuki might be a bit of a problem, but we'll just have to be persuasive then," Law smirked. He was sitting in his captain's chair, staring at the deep beyond and playing with the guard of his nodachi in his hand. There was no reluctance in his voice; he was already certain that their plan will succeed.

Shachi and Penguin glanced at each other with worried expressions. They saw firsthand how dangerous Akainu was when they crashed the War of the Best. The man was strong enough to battle Whitebeard, which said a lot. They still remembered that dreary day when they first read in the newspapers how he became Fleet Admiral after Sengoku resigned, wining a great battle with Aokiji on some unknown island. In their opinion, Akainu was the worst possible outcome for becoming a new fleet admiral of the Navy, seeing at the man had no mercy and an almost childish view of the world as he separated it in either Good or Evil. If you weren't on Akainu's side, then you were an enemy; it was as simple as that. No matter how much the mechanics' believed in their captain, the thought of meeting with that man gave them goose bumps.

"Captain, we're nearing the Red Line. It'll take some more time before we reach the marines, though," Sai announced, looking at the long line showing on his radar a few kilometers in front of them.

"Take us out," Law ordered simply, nodding at the new information.

Sai announced via his den den mushi that connected all floors of the submarine, to prepare for emerging, before the submarine slowly started rising towards the surface. The yellow vessel emerged from the sea, splashing waves of water around and disturbing the once calm surface. The submarine made a large turn and started sailing along the mountains of Red Line, towards the Navy Headquarters.

"We're really doing this," Penguin gulped as the vessel slowly continued on its way.

"It's too late to turn back now. What will we do with all those beating hearts in the infirmary," Bepo commented. He was also in the room, napping until now.

"Like I care about that!" The mechanic exclaimed in return. Those hearts were the least of their problems now.

"We have a visual on the radar, captain!" Their bickering was interrupted by Sai who saw the first signs of the marine base on his navigational panel.

Law stood up slowly, propping himself up with his nodachi, before a slow grin spread on his features. He went over to the control panel and took the den den mushi, which was connected to it and therefore to the whole submarine. "Everyone, we are reaching the Navy Headquarters soon, so prepare yourselves. Be on standby to act and defend at any moment," the den den mushi made a closing sound as captain finished giving his orders. He then turned around to exit the control room, "Bepo, Shachi-ya, Jean Bart-ya and Penguin-ya, meet me at the main deck is twenty minutes. Sai-ya, take over the helm," with those words the captain disappeared through the doors.

~…..~

Miyako sighed for the nth time that day. She was trying to concentrate on her meditation but it was hard to focus; various thoughts would constantly sneak into her mind before she would shun them away again, but after a while they would just return. Finally, she gave up and opened her eyes again. She was too tense to even try and relax at the moment. They will be reaching the marines soon and Law will become a Shichibukai.

"Law…." A barely audible whisper escaped her lips.

Already a week passed since they had their conversation on the deck. Well it couldn't really be called a conversation since she did most of the talking while Law simply watched her with surprise in his eyes. With a blush, Miyako remembered his words.

"_So why do I feel like I've lost right now?" _His words echoed in her mind. However, things didn't go quite as she hoped they would. At that time she didn't really plan for anything to happen since everything came out of her so naturally, without thinking. But now, after a week has passed, Miyako's feelings were more mixed up than ever. The events of that night came back to her in flashes.

_Law's lips separated from hers, as he cupped her cheek with one tattooed hand. He seemed to be observing her with his gray eyes, but they didn't look as piercing and dark as usual. His gaze was a bit milder now. _

_Miyako could only stare back at him in anticipation, tense to see how he will react to her words. However, their brief moment was rudely interrupted when the metal doors opened and the atmosphere around Miyako and Law broke like a water bubble on Sabaody Archipelago. _

_Penguin and Joshua came out, both walking casually with their hands deep in the pockets of their overalls. _

"_Hoo, captain, Miya-chan, you're here too?!" The mechanic exclaimed with a smile, greeting the duo that was already on the deck._

_The redheaded medic grinned. "What are you doing here at this hour, Bakaonna, isn't it already passed your bed time?" He just couldn't help but annoy the girl._

_Miyako's eyebrow twitched in utter annoyance. Not only did they interrupt an important moment between her and Law, a moment of revelation, but the shorty even had the nerve to tease her further. She whipped back to face the medic with gritted teeth and a mocking expression on her face. "That should be my line. Isn't it already bed time for little boys?" She even patted him on the top of his head, indicating his shortness with that condescending gesture. _

"_What's that!? Didn't anyone teach you to respect your seniors? Don't underestimate adults!" Joshua bit back._

"_You're only 4 years older than me, so don't get so full of yourself!" The girl argued on._

_Penguin could only watch between them with a sweat drop, trying to stop their bickering. "Guys, come on….Didn't we have enough excitement for today?" The mechanic tried, smiling nervously at the two. _

_Suddenly, Miyako's eyes widened as she remembered an important thing. Law! She looked around, suddenly completely ignoring Penguin and Joshua, but there was no sign of the captain anymore. _

_The mechanic noticed the girl was looking for something and guessed who. "If you're looking for captain Law, he already left…" Penguin sweat dropped again and told her in a dull tone. "He made this kind of face"-the mechanic bowed his head with closed eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, while sighing – "and then left while shaking his head." He explained, mimicking Law's facial expression. _

"…" _The girl stayed silent for a while, completely in disbelief. She blew it…She blew her big moment to hear Law's true feelings. After a while of silently staring in despair, the girl turned her stare towards Josh and Penguin. "Hyaaa!" She screamed in both annoyance and despair, taking her sheathed katana and aiming it at the two pirates. It's all these guys fault!_

"_Wait, what-"Joshua yelled in panic as the girl suddenly became violent. _

"_What did I do!?" The mechanic cried as even he couldn't escape the girl's sudden rage._

~…~

Miyako covered her face with her hands slowly, trying to cool down from the hot sensation that was creeping on her cheeks. *_It's my fault…If only I hadn't been so engrossed in that stupid argument with Josh…* _But that wasn't the end of it as things only became worse from there. They just couldn't find the right moment to talk about it anymore and something or someone always interrupted them. The just couldn't get back that right atmosphere anymore. What's more, Miyako started feeling self-conscious and embarrassed by the whole thing. However, more than anything, she just felt insecure since she still had no idea what Law thought about the whole thing. As she started overthinking things, the thoughts swirling in her mind only became worse, and she started avoiding the captain instead of trying to talk to him. After already a week has passed, she just couldn't face him anymore.

_*Get a grip already!* _The girl slapped both her cheeks with her hands and shut her eyes tightly. *_We're reaching the enemy's lair soon so you need to be at the top of your game now!* _

_Knock knock_

A loud knock sounded from her door and the girl stared at it for a moment before standing from her kneeling position on the ground and walking towards it. She opened the door enough to see who it was, only for her eyes to widen in shock. Without thinking the girl slammed the metal door shut, leaning against it with her back._ *What is he doing here, of all people!? And just as I remembered all those embarrassing moments from this week. I can't face him right now, I just can't!* _

"Miss Miyako, what do you think you're doing?" A dark and annoyed voice of Trafalgar Law echoed from the other side. Even with that muffled tone, she could hear the displeasure in his voice. The doorknob suddenly moved along with the doors that started opening without warning.

Still acting mostly on instinct which was mixed with her heightened emotions at the moment, Miyako started pushing the doors, while trying to close them again, but there was a strong force also pushing from the other side. "Wait, wait, wait!" The girl was completely flustered now, with a red face and a panicked expression. "I can't right now, I'm not ready yet!" She screamed in panic, pushing with her shoulder at the doors. However, they just wouldn't close as Law continued to push as well.

"I have no idea what the hell you are talking about," he answered through gritted teeth, obviously angry now.

Suddenly the force from the other side stopped and Miyako finally managed to slam the doors back shut. She sighed in relief. *_He gave up…*_

A blue sphere circled around her quarters before she could even move. All of a sudden, Law appeared right before her, using his powers to teleport into her room. The girl almost screamed in surprise when she saw that, but was unable as she saw Trafalgar's dark glare.

"Don't make me use my powers for stupid things!" He scolded in obvious irritation.

"Yes, sir!" The girl could only exclaim back in surprise and tension, still panicky about the whole situation. She just couldn't relax her strongly beating heart at this point.

_Purupurupuru purupurupuru Chachak_

The tense atmosphere was slightly diluted by a ringing den den mushi in Law's trousers. He answered it with an "Yes?" only to hear Bepo's voice on the other side.

"Captain, we have a visual! Come quick!" The first mate exclaimed excitedly as they finally reached the Navy Headquarters.

"I'll be right there," Law hung up and put away his den den mushi before sighing in exasperation and gazing up at Miyako again. "I don't know what got into you but we've reached the marine base. We need to go, now." There was a clear order in his subtle tone.

The girl blinked a few times, before letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in until now. "Marine Headquarters, that's what this is about," she repeated in a tone between a question and a comment.

The captain furrowed his eyebrows. "What else would it be about? Come on, we need to hurry to the deck," without even waiting for her, Law went to leave her quarters and headed towards the deck of the submarine.

Miyako stayed there, hit with his words as they echoed in her mind over and over again. _What else would it be about?! _ Her whole body shook as she realized what a mistake she made and suddenly started feeling incredibly down. She bowed her head as dark thoughts entered her mind. *_Ah, of course…what else would it be…? I'm such an idiot…* _The sight would almost look comical if it wasn't so pathetic. Still gloomy, the girl exited her quarters, swaying from side to side as she walked towards the deck.

~…..~

All her gloominess disappeared, however, when Miyako stepped onto the deck and saw the sight before her. A large, western-style building was displayed before them. The first thing Miyako noticed was the large sign with the text 'Marine' along with their usual kanji of the Navy. The cylindrical-shaped wall that circled the main marine tower was filed with cannons on three stories, and they were all aiming at the yellow submarine beneath them at the moment. Miyako could hear shouts coming from the Headquarters as marines informed each other of this peculiar occurrence; it wasn't every day that pirates voluntarily visit a marine base like this.

"Remember, no sudden movements," Law warned quietly to his men. The ones out on the deck with him were Miyako, Bepo, Jean Bart, Shachi and Penguin. He needed enough people to be able to quickly defend themselves if push comes to shove but also not too many so that they would appear hostile to the marines.

Finally, from a large megaphone, one of the marine Vice-admirals shouted at the pirates. "Heart Pirates, stay where you are! You are under arrest, if you make any suspicious moves, you will be shot down and sank by our cannons!"

The submarine slowly continued sailing inside the circle of walls and towards the port of the Headquarters. Miyako instinctively put a hand on the hilt of her katana, holding the guard with her thumb so she could open it at any moment if necessary. Finally, their vessel reached the inner part of the base; even though it only took a few minutes, it felt like an eternity in this tense atmosphere. She could see marines running out with their rifles aimed at the pirates who were approaching. They were completely surrounded now. Of course, Law already told them about an escape plan in case of an emergency, which consisted of diving under water and escaping on sea currents, but that would still be difficult to manage when they're under such heavy fire.

As the submarine stopped at the docks of the marine headquarters, all the marines cocked their guns. Law didn't seem alarmed by it at all; such treatment was expected after all. Instead, the captain took a deep breath, ready to shout loud enough for all to hear. "I've come to take the position of the Shichibukai!"

At that moment, everything went eerily silent. It was as if all the Blues suddenly fell into a deep quiet, not daring to even produce waves that would crash into the Red Line. The marines gaped at the Heart pirates, forgetting to aim their guns at them or even breathe for that matter.

In that silence, a lone sound of footsteps on dock floorboards echoed in the crowd of marines. There was some shuffling from the back while marines stepped aside for a tall man to pass. Suddenly, Miyako felt the atmosphere just got a lot tenser, as a dangerous feeling overcame her. She could feel the suffocating pressure coming from the approaching vice-admiral as he used haki. He walked casually all the way to the front of the dock where the Heart Pirates still stood on the deck of their yellow submarine, prepared for anything. He had a gray suit with the usual white marine coat draped on his shoulders while he held his hands in the pockets of his pants, seemingly relaxed. His grey hair was slicked-back and sunglasses hid his eyes. There was a large scar across his left eye but the sunglasses hid the sight from view. He repositioned the thick cigar in his mount from one corner to the other before speaking. "Did I hear you correctly; you want to be a Shichibukai?" His tone was calm but there was a sharp edge to it.

"That's one of the Vice-admirals, Cancer! He was at the battle of Marineford," Bepo whispered to his friends in a worried tone.

"That's right," Law wasn't about to be intimidated, thought. He casually responded to the marine, tilting his head to the side and resting his nodachi on his shoulder. His expression was collected and unreadable as always.

"Kid, you must be joking," the vice-admiral started. "Not anyone can get a title of a Royal Warlord just because they had enough balls or were stupid enough to enter the Navy HQ and ask for it," Cancer commented.

Law's gaze became just a shade darker from the condescending name the marine addressed him with. However, he didn't let his annoyance show as he started walking towards the end of the deck. Suddenly, the metal ramp lowered itself down to make a small path from the high deck to the docks. As soon as Trafalgar started moving, all guns were once again aimed at him as marines became tense again, but the vice-admiral simply raised a hand, silently gesturing for his men to wait.

"I thought you might say that," the pirate captain started. He gestured with a nod to Shachi and Penguin who lifted a simple wooden crate and started walking with it behind him. "So I didn't come empty handed," he finally finished as he walked over to vice-admiral Cancer and his two mechanics lowered the crate in front of the marines.

"What's inside?" One marine captain questioned, feeling even more worried all of a sudden.

"It's a trap, for sure!" Another marine commented.

"I can hear a strange thumping noise coming from inside."

"What if it's a bomb!?" A slight panic started among the marines now. Even Cancer was glaring at the suspicious crate in front of him, chewing on his cigar while deciding what to do with it.

Trafalgar couldn't help but smirk, amused by the atmosphere he caused so easily. However, making them more panicked won't do, that's not why he came here. "It's not a trap. However, I can open it for you if you are too afraid to," he couldn't help but mock the marines, gazing at Cancer with an amused stare.

The vice-admiral growled at the cocky pirate before him. "Kid…" He murmured, chewing on his cigar again, but then stared back at the crate. He turned towards two marines and gestured for them with his head. "You two, find a crowbar and open this," he ordered.

The two men didn't look very pleased by their new order but didn't have the right to refuse. So instead they ran back with an iron crowbar and opened the create. The thumping sound from the inside was even louder now. Inside were numerous small bags, which were rhythmically moving in time of those sounds. "W-what is this…" One marine commented and went to open one of the bags, only to shriek in surprise and fall back on his ass. "Iiiiieee!"

"What is it!?" Another marine called but then made a disgusted expression at the sight inside, feeling like he might puke at any moment.

"What in the Four Blues…" Even vide-admiral Cancer paled a little when he saw the contents of all the bags. Inside, numerous hearts -100 to be exact –were beating as if still working normally. "Trafalgar, what is the meaning of this!?" The vice-admiral turned back to glare at the pirate under his sunglasses, thinking this was some kind of a sick joke.

The captain of the Heart Pirates didn't say anything but instead nodded to his samurai on the right. She was holding hundred wanted posters with pirates that were all relatively a threat to the marines. Some were more dangerous than others but none had a bounty under 500 thousand Beri.

"Burning-Eyed Miyako…" Cancer muttered as the girl from Wano approached him and handed him the wanted posters.

"All these hearts belong to these pirates…as you can see, they are all still alive and kicking, but missing their hearts," she explained, stepping beside her captain again.

Law continued, "With this you literally have their lives in your hands. You can kill them, capture them, or make them obey you…the rest is up to you."

"Are you telling me we obtained the lives of 100 pirates? Kid, don't mess around, how can such a thing be possible!? How do I know you're telling the truth?" Cancer didn't seem convinced yet.

Even so, Law showed no sign of worry. He simply shrugged, "Proving it is simple. All you need to do is stab one of those hearts and send out your spies. One of the pirates on these wanted posters will surely die," he explained further. "If that isn't sufficient, I can always demonstrate it on one of your men," the captain added with a grin, deliberately taunting the vice-admiral.

Cancer stared at Law with an intense glare. He looked back at the bag full of hearts before picking one up. It was a bluish cube, preserved from any harm. He could feel the heat coming from the organ as it kept on beating rhythmically in his hand. The feeling was disturbing and gave him goosebumps, but he endured it, as he squeezed the heart hard enough to crush it. He felt resistance from the flesh at first but then the organ burst along with the blue thin layer of the cube. Everything was silent and the wait was dreadfully long; it lasted at least a half an hour before a marine came running back with some shocking news.

Captain Walker Crawhawk with a bounty of 800 thousand was brought into custody by the marines after the Rocky Port incident. They said he was never the same after that incident and rumors went he was indeed found passed out on that volcanic rubble with a hole in his chest. The doctors found it miraculous that he was even alive but nobody could explain it. However, even then the marines already knew of Trafalgar's strange ope ope powers and Akainu already suspected the pirate captain was somehow to blame, involved in the Rocky Port incident. However, the Navy's suspicions about the ope ope powers being able to cut out hearts were completely confirmed now with this new information. After Cancer crushed one of the hearts, it was said that the prisoner known as Walker Crawhawk just died of an unknown cause in his cell. There was nobody by his side at the time, so it couldn't be someone from the prison who killed him.

Cancer slowly turned to stare at a smirking pirate captain while the rest of the marine soldiers watched the Surgeon of Death with horror in their eyes. Finally, the vice-admiral spoke to one of his men, "Inform fleet admiral Sakazuki of this at once."

~….~

A marine rushed in Sakazuki's office, forgetting to even knock in his hurry. "Fleet admiral Sakazuki!" The man called out, instantly gulping when he was met with a dark glare under Akainu's hat.

"Why are you barging in here like this? You better have a good excuse, soldier," the large man warned as he sat behind a large mahogany desk.

"S-sorry, Sir, but it's urgent," the marine instantly pulled himself together and stood in a tense stance, with a salute and the other arm behind his back.

"Then spit it out already," the fleet admiral growled, annoyed for being bothered at this time. He was busy enough as it is.

"Actually," the marine gulped as he started. Everyone in the Navy already knew how Akainu became when angered; especially his subordinates who worked close to him. The marine soldier was already mentally preparing for Akainu's temperament, which will soon explode with this news. "The Heart Pirates just docked at the Navy Headquarters, sir!"

The fleet admiral slowly rose from his chair. "What?" His voice was nothing but a dangerous hiss as he glared darkly beneath the rim of his hat. Steam started appearing from his shoulders and arms as the fruit user's temperature continued to rise while his mood became colder in contrast. "Why wasn't I informed of this sooner? That runt Trafalgar actually thinks he can knock on our front door and win this battle? I'll send him to the bottom of the sea where scum like him belongs!" The cigar in his mouth caught aflame from the rise in his temperature, while a few drops of magma dripped down at his feet.

The soldier in the room gulped again, since the news only got worse from here. "W-well…that is…." The man hesitated.

"What is it now?!" Sakazuki urged on with a fierce tone in his voice.

"Surgeon of Death came here…to become a Shichibukai, Sir," the man finished, almost wincing at the piercing expression Akainu made after hearing that.

~…~

Feet admiral Sakazuki banged his large fist on the round table with force, completely forgetting to keep his cool even in front of his superiors. "We cannot allow this! Let me wipe out this pirate scum here and now!" He exclaimed angrily, in front of the five geezers.

Gorosei were much calmer about this whole situation as they analyzed the pros and cons of letting the Surgeon of Death in their ranks as one of the Royal Warlords.

"Calm yourself, fleet admiral Sakazuki."

"This isn't a decision to make lightly."

"Trafalgar Law has a bounty of 440 million Beri. His ope ope powers are very useful to us as well."

"He even managed to give us rule over 100 strong pirates. That ability alone would prove useful on our side."

Akainu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Will these people really make a pact with another pirate!? Another pirate will roam the world free from consequences by the marines, escaping their grasp and prison!? In his opinion, such a thing as Shichibukai shouldn't even exist; they should all be wiped out from this world since they are nothing but evil clashing with the justice that is the World Government. The Navy shouldn't work with pirates no matter what the situation is! Even so, he calmed his temper at the old men's warning words. "If we let these Shichibukai do what they want, it will make the Navy look weak!"

"On the contrary, Sakazuki-san," one of the Gorosei started, "Having pirates fight for us only shows the power we have over them. 'Even the strongest pirates decided to join the World Government;' that is the message we are sending. Trafalgar's powers will be of good use to us."

"It is better to have this man with us, than against us," an old man with a large mole spoke.

"Bring him in, we are ready to decide." Another, a tall elder, exclaimed indicating that the conversation was over and their decision reached.

As Akainu hurried out of the room, he slammed the doors shut before clenching both hands into a fist and gritting his teeth. There was nothing but murderous rage and hate in his eyes. Steam once again started coming out of the large man.

~…..~

A marine captain quickly approached, keeping a suspicious glare on the Heart Pirates the whole time as he spoke with vice admiral Cancer. It was too quiet for the others to hear but soon Cancer relayed the message to the pirates anyway.

"It seems the Gorosei will see you," he simply said, "along with fleet admiral Sakazuki…" a vicious grin appeared on his satisfied face. Everybody knew what Akainu was like in front of pirates and few pirates lived to tell the tale of it. If Law gets the title of Shichibukai then there won't be any problems, but if the Gorosei refuses, Akainu will try to crush the pirates without second's notice. "The Gorosei will see you now…but you need to come alone," Cancer finished, staring at Trafalgar.

Law's eyes narrowed at this suspiciously.

"Captain," Bepo exclaimed beside him, worried about his captain's well-being.

Surgeon of Death stayed silent for a while, thinking about this new proposition. However, he knew there was no other choice if he really wanted to become a Royal Shichibukai. The Gorosei won't wait for him and they certainly won't bend their will; those geezers were as stubborn as they were old.

Law sighed, finally deciding. "It's alright, Bepo," he reassured his first mate and stepped forward only to be stopped by the marine captain.

"And unarmed," the marine gazed back at Law, neither of them breaking eye contact with their piercing gazes. "It's the only way you'll meet them," finally the marine captain said.

Rather reluctantly, Trafalgar gave his nodachi to Bepo before following after the marine captain. His crew stayed behind, staring at the leaving back of their captain with nervous gazes. Nobody liked this new turn of events where their captain was taken alone and unarmed into the marine headquarters. It took a completely bold and confident pirate to take such a step yet Trafalgar carried it out without even one word of complaint.

Miyako watched Law go and squeezed the hand around the hilt of her katana. *_Law…*_ She couldn't help but worry at the idea of what might happen in there. She stepped forward without thinking, still deep in thought. However, her way was blocked by vice admiral Cancer, staring down at her.

"You can't go in, Burning-Eyed Miyako," he stated simply with a resolute expression.

The girl frowned but stayed put. Law told them not to cause any trouble and wait for him patiently, so that's what she intended to do.

Murmurs started again among marines. "Eh, that's Burning-Eyed Miyako? She's pretty hot!"

"What are you saying, you idiot, she's a pirate!"

"I hear her bounty is 210, 000 000 Beri!"

At the last statement Miyako's eyebrow twitched. *_Wait, when did it go up again!?* _She felt a dark mood coming over her as her bounty rose even more. The girl fell to her knees, completely depressed. *_I'm sorry Master…your student finally found a reason to fight for, but also became a 210 million worth criminal…*_

"Is she ok….?" Another voice among the marines asked with uncertainty.

A heavy paw landed on her shoulder and she could feel Bepo's presence behind her. "It can't be helped Miya-chan, it's probably because of all that trouble with the Tenryuubito. You angered them after all…" The bear tried to cheer her up, not aware that he was only making the girl feel worse instead.

The commentary among the marines started again. "Whoa, it's a bear! A polar bear! And it talks"

"How come a bear talks!? He's even wearing clothes, what's up with this bear?"

In the next instant, Bepo was in the same position as Miyako, both of them next to each other on their knees and completely depressed. "I'm sorry…" The bear apologized with a sad sigh.

"Would you two stop that, you're making us look bad!" Penguin scolded them, seeing that they were making some kind of comical scene here while the situation was so serious.

"…." Jean Bart simply stared at the arguing Heart Pirates wordlessly.

"What's up with this crew…?" Vice admiral Cancer commented, not sure what to make of the whole scene in front of him, while staring at the Heart pirates as if they were completely insane.

~…~

Law entered a large, plain and barely furnished room, walking after the marine captain. Inside, at the large table were sitting the five elderly men known as the Gorosei. Standing at the far corner of the room was fleet admiral Sakazuki, leaning against the wall and piercing Law with a glare that followed his every move.

Trafalgar pretended to ignore the fleet admiral but in reality he was conscious of every move the man made, in case he had to act quickly and protect himself. Law's sharp eyes observed the room and everyone in it, trying to find any indication that this might be a trap. Even though he found none, the pirate remained alert just in case.

"Trafalgar Law also known as Surgeon of Death by the Navy," an old man with a black hat started, his eyes fixed on Law's wanted poster in front of him. "You've been creating all sorts of trouble lately, even though you are still a young rookie." That's the _second_ time today Law was being treated as a 'kid' but the pirate captain let the comment slide, too engrossed in keeping his attention on anything suspicious that might come up.

"We have reached a decision, Trafalgar Law. But be aware, that if you fail to accept any of our terms or fail to uphold them…" another old man trailed off as his gaze averted to a steaming but silent Akainu. "It will be a breach of your contract with the World Government, which will mean your immediate expulsion from the Shichibukai position." The unspoken threat was clear behind those words and Law glanced at Akainu. In other words, if Law betrays them, he will have to deal with the fleet admiral himself. If he says 'no' to any of the terms now, once again he will be brought down by Akainu here and now.

Trafalgar sighed. "I understand."

A man with a large mole on his forehead took out a paper and presented it to Law along with a simple pen. "In that case, you will sign this pact with us and become one of the Shichibukai."

The pirate captain took the pen and skimmed through the contract, before signing it. Somehow the atmosphere got lighter slightly; perhaps it was only his imagination since with this he felt a little bit safer since his plan seemed to work perfectly. Even so, the pirate didn't relax much, still alert of his surroundings and suspicious about everything. It's not over and done with until he and his crew are safely away from here.

"Excellent!" The youngest of the Gorosei exclaimed. He took the paper and looked over Trafalgar's signature, checking that everything was in order. It made Law think of some sort of bureaucratic process. "With that, we can also give you your fist assignment as a Shichibukai, Trafalgar," the man continued.

Law's interest was piqued with those words and he stared back at the five old men. "Assignment?"

"Think of it as your initiation," the old men grinned.

Law didn't really spend a lot of time in the room of the Gorosei, but it felt like a whole eternity had passed when he was finally excused. As he opened the doors to let himself out, a low voice of Akainu rumbled from behind. "Remember Trafalgar…I will be watching your every step. If you slip just a little as a Shichibukai, I will hunt you down personally," there was no bluff in his words. Only a dangerous promise.

Nevertheless, Trafalgar kept his expression collected as he opened the doors and left the room without another word.

~…..~

Miyako waited patiently but it was becoming harder by the second. Luckily, everything still seemed peaceful in the Headquarters for now; she was sure that if something went wrong the marines would also attack the submarine. There weren't any signs of fighting or Law's blue sphere coming front the large towers where her captain was taken.

When she finally saw Trafalgar exiting and walking back to the submarine, she couldn't help but smile from relief. "Captain!" She called out, alarming the other Heart Pirates that their captain returned. She wasn't the only one with the relieved smile on her lips either. The other pirates grinned happily when they noticed Law returning, and even the large navigator sighed deeply in relief.

"So you really managed to do it, Trafalgar….become one of the Shichibukai," Cancer commented not entirely pleased with that fact. "But don't forget what happens if you mess up. You're a dog of the government now," the man added spitefully, trying to taunt the pirate.

Law didn't answer but instead half-turned towards the vice admiral behind him and smirked with a knowing look in his eyes. It was hard to read what that expression meant, but Law was definitely wordlessly telling him something. This only lasted a few seconds but it gave Cancer a rotten taste in his mouth that made him go silent instantly. The vice admiral didn't trust this pirate; he didn't trust any pirates, be it Shichibukai or not, but this guy was particularly making him feel on edge.

The Heart Pirates followed their captain up aboard the submarine again. "We really did it," Bepo commented quietly, as if scared to break the outcome that was for once in their favor. Indeed, with this no more Akainu or the marine admirals after them; they could finally sail the seas a bit safer. The polar bear sighed in satisfaction.

Law nodded at the first mate. "We were assigned a mission, though. We'll head out for the given course immediately."

"A mission? Where?" Miyako blinked in surprised but then frowned. She didn't trust the marines after all.

"Don't worry...it's on our way," the pirate captain answered simply.

"On our way? What do you mean, captain?" Shachi stopped in his step, looking at the back of his captain. However Law stayed silent as they boarded the submarine, indicating that the discussion was over for now. Taking a hint, Shachi and the others silently followed him, secretly happy to finally being able to leave this dangerous place behind.

~…~

After the submarine sailed out of the Marine Headquarters, they spent a good time sailing underwater just in case of any attacks. To most of the Heart pirates it still didn't feel real that their captain was a Shichibukai now and were therefore safe from the Navy's wrath.

The crew all gathered around in the galley, focusing on their captain who was sitting on one of the tables, leaning on his nodachi, which was in his hands. He was about to explain the 'initiation' mission he got from the Gorosei.

"The task is simple; there is a small island not far from here. I already gave the coordinates to Bart-ya that were given to me by the marines. The island is currently occupied by a pirate crew named Baxter pirates, led by their captain Patton Baxter and we are to 'liberate' it.

All pirates already knew what that meant. The Shichibukai sometimes had the job to seize pirate territory in the name of the World Government, which then took over that island. This was called 'liberating.' It happened rarely and Shichibukai usually didn't do such missions even though it was in their job description. Only when the Government needed that territory for some reason but evaluated that sending their men would be too dangerous, did it employ one of the Shichibukai instead. That meant that this island they were supposed to 'liberate' was of some importance to the World Government, but of course Law wasn't given the reason why. He hated going blindly into things but this time they didn't have much choice; as the Gorosei said, this was somewhat of an initiation so failure was out of the question. The Heart Pirates already proved their strength to the World Government numerous times, including the usefulness of Law's ope ope powers, and now they had to uphold to that fact so the Government could see their power.

"And what are we supposed to do with those pirates once we…liberate the island?" Miyako asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

Law was silent for a while, remembering the exact words of one of the Gorosei. _"It's your choice whether you want to take them dead or alive but I will tell you now that Impel Down is already crowded enough with so many pirates…"_ The insinuation behind those words was perfectly clear to Trafalgar. "Live capture isn't necessary," Law answered to his crew. It was clear in their eyes that they instantly knew what he meant by that.

"So in other words, we are taking care of the government's dirty work. We go in and take out the trash so that they could swoop in like heroes later, shouting to the world how they freed yet another island from the evil clutches of pirates," even though Miyako's take on the situation was rather dramatic, that was indeed how it truly was. The dogs of the government do their dirty bidding for them. Somehow, it left a bad taste in the samurai's mouth as she knew they were all only being used in the World Government's plans. However, it was a two-way pact; the Heart pirates also got certain benefits out of it now that they were a crew of a Shichibukai. As long as this deal was valid, they could sail wherever they wanted and even pillage and plunder other islands and ships. Nevertheless, that thought didn't sit well with Miyako at all but only made her feel sickened. World Government, which was a supposed protector of its civilians practically gave certain pirates free reign to do whatever they wanted to those said civilians. What's more, they even expected a percentage of profit from all their plunders at the end. The government that was supposedly the hero here and Navy behind it as its Justice was actually working alongside those same pirates they keep calling true Evil in this world. The stench of hypocrisy was crisp in the air and the lone thought of this fact made the girl scrunch up her nose in disgust.

Feeling the tension in the air from Miyako's words, Shachi decided to change the subject. "Captain you said that this island was on our way…but to what? Where are we actually heading?"

Once again, Law became silent, but then closed his eyes momentarily before opening them. When he did, the gaze in them was sharper than before. "All in due time. First thing's first; we take care of the Baxter Pirates. The rest comes later," his tone and expression made it clear that he didn't want to be questioned about it further and the mechanic could take the hint. Neither Shachi nor anyone else asked anything more about that particular matter.

~…~

"So how do we do this?" The samurai girl finally asked as they approached the designated island. It won't be long now before they arrive, so when they do they had to have a clear plan to take down the Baxter Pirates.

The captain watched out of the large window in the control room as the small island appeared before them. The yellow submarine was sailing on the open sea, as Heart Pirates didn't even bother hiding their presence. The vessel stopped near the wooden docks and the metal doors opened with Bepo coming out first with Sai following after him. Shachi and Penguin came out next, followed by Miyako. Finally, after Cody and Joshua, came Trafalgar Law, holding his nodachi. He looked at their surroundings, stepping out form the deck and down onto the docks. The place before them appeared as dead as a ghost town, with no people on the eerily empty streets. Whether it was because of the Heart Pirates' arrival or was this the usual norm, there was no way to tell. Law noticed that besides the townspeople, there weren't any pirates around either.

When almost all the crewmembers in white overalls came outside and onto the island, with a few of them staying behind to guard the submarine, the captain gave his orders. "Spread out but be careful, the Baxter Pirates must be around here somewhere."

The pirates did as they were told, taking small groups to search the island for any locals or the enemy pirates.

Miyako looked around at the small houses and deserted streets. A cold wind was blowing lightly and rising up the dust into the air. "It looks deserted. Maybe the pirates already left?"

"But what happened to the people then?" Joshua added, walking beside the girl.

"I doubt the Navy would send us here if they didn't have accurate information. They're here somewhere…I'm certain of it," Trafalgar answered glaring at the distance as if he could see a hidden opponent waiting for them there.

Suddenly, Miyako felt a presence as something unseen moved and surrounded them. _*There are people hiding around the buildings here…I'm sure of it.* _She looked at Trafalgar and the rest of the group but they all seemed to have noticed it also. They narrowed their eyes, inconspicuously observing their surroundings. Nobody made sudden movements as not to alarm the enemy that their presence was discovered. Suddenly, a click of a rifle was heard and Miyako quickly unsheathed her katana. "It's a trap!" At that moment, gunshots cut through the air from all sides as their opponents started shooting at the Heart pirates.

Miyako jumped in the air and easily sliced through the bullets before slashing the air and sending a few aerial attacks towards their opponents. They slashed the nearby houses, almost hitting the men who had to jump out of their hiding places.

"Room!" Law called out his powers in an instant. "Shambles!" With one move of his fingers, the rest of the bullets got replaced with some dirt near the attacking men, making the shots rain down on them. More men ran out of hiding, showing their colorful head-scarfs and clothes with their jolly roger sewed onto them.

"It's the Baxter pirates!" Cody called out as the pirates surrounded their group. The rest of the Heart Pirates were already out of sight, searching the area, but it was possible they also stumbled upon a similar trap up ahead. The Baxter pirates drew closer with aiming guns and numerous weapons. They were all armed to the teeth but seemed like just small fry; they were large in numbers but low on strength.

"This won't take long," the captain of the Heart Pirates commented simply before taking out his long nodachi and slashing the air a couple of time. At the same time, Miyako ran with lightning speed towards a group of Baxter pirates, slicing them as she moved through. Cody was on the other side, easily kicking and punching the attacking pirates around him. He kicked one man before jumping into the air and landing right onto another, smashing him into the ground. Dodging a stab to the side, the medic kicked the sword out of the pirate's hand before punching him in the face. Meanwhile, Joshua was fighting in a similar fashion next to the taller medic, before taking out a hidden scalpel from the sleeve of his overall and slicing through the men. A shot was heard and the redhead turned just in time to see a bullet flying towards him. He sliced upward once, cutting the small missile in two before both parts passed by each side of his head. In return, the medic quickly threw the scalpel at the shooter, hitting the pirate right in the middle of his forehead.

In a few minutes, the large group of Baxter pirates was defeated, with all the men groaning on the floor. Those who survived were either unconscious, or cut into pieces with Law's strange power.

Cody took one of the men, lifting him up and slapping him a few times to wake him up. "Oy, where's your captain?"

However before the pirate could answer anything, the man in his arms suddenly got shot. The medic's eyes widened and he stared up and behind him at one of the rooftops.

"Look!" Josh pointed at a shadow holding a steaming gun, casually keeping their balance on the roof.

Suddenly the shadow split, presenting two people who jumped down in front of the group. Miyako instantly clutched the hilt of her katana in response. The two pirates were obviously a part of the Baxter crew with the same Jolly Roger painted on the armor on their chest. They both looked big and bulky, with dark metal plates on their chest and large gauntlets with small metal spikes on the knuckles. But what brought everyone's attention was the fact that both men looked completely the same. Not only their clothing, but their features as well. They both had tanned skin with long black hair tied in a ponytail. There were black rims around their eyes as if painted on with eyeliner. Their stature and dark blue eye color also appeared completely the same.

"Twins?" Cody tilted his head in wonder.

"That's right! We are Baxter brothers of the Baxter pirates, though our real name isn't Baxter at all!" One of them exclaimed in a scruffy voice.

"Ha?" Now Joshua tilted his head in wonder. The Heart Pirates blinked in puzzlement at their words. "So you call yourselves Baxter Brothers but…you're last name isn't even Baxter?"

"That's right! It is in praise of our captain Patton Baxter!" The other twin answered this time but in a same voice. It was impossible to tell them apart. "We are the pirate twins, Clangor and Clamor and we shall not let you through, Heart Pirates!"

Law's eyes narrowed at that comment. "You know of us…" It was more of a statement than a question.

"That's right, we know all about you and how you came here to stop our captain!" The first twin answered.

"So they already knew we're coming. No wonder they were able to set this trap before we came here," Miyako muttered with a dissatisfied expression. "Did someone tip them off?" She couldn't think of any other explanation than the fact that someone must've warned the Baxter pirates of their arrival. Perhaps they had a rat in the Navy, who told them about the situation.

"Tch, so your captain is hiding somewhere while you fight?" The redheaded medic commented, deliberately trying to taunt the two pirates.

"Hey, don't you dare disrespect our captain! He's somewhere safe and I'll never tell you that he's staying at the end of the town in our base!" The pirate twin yelled out at Joshua, obviously angry at the medic for insulting their captain.

"Gya, Clamor, you just said it! You said it!" His brother, Clangor yelled out in shock.

The other slapped both hands over his mouth with wide eyes. "Dammit! Sorry big brother, I said it!"

_*Are they idiots…?* _All the Heart Pirates thought the same thing as they watched the two brothers who looked like they were in the middle of a sketch suddenly.

"Are these idiots messing with us…? I can't tell," Josh commented while muttering to his companions.

"Never mind!" Suddenly, Clangor yelled out. "You won't be passing us alive anyway!"

"Because the two of us-" Clamor continued.

"-are a perfect weapon!" Both brothers exclaimed at the same time, making a strange pose with their backs together.

Both twins charged at once, aiming for Trafalgar. Clangor clutched an armored fist, preparing to punch the captain. Law already prepared himself, but at that moment Cody appeared before him, blocking the punch with his kick. The medic and the pirate were at a standstill for a moment, as their powers clashed together before both jumped backwards, carried with the strength of the impact.

The blue haired medic looked back at his captain. "Captain, please go on ahead, we'll deal with these guys!"

"Cody-ya…" Law turned from Cody to Joshua, who nodded at him. Both medics had determined and confident expressions silently telling him it was alright to leave this for them to handle.

"I'll go ahead with you," Miyako sheathed back her katana, preparing for a run.

Law nodded back in understanding and both of them charged forward, ignoring the two twins standing between them and their path.

"Like we'll let you!" Clamor yelled out, running towards Law and Miyako to stop them. However, before he could use his gauntlet to attack again, Joshua threw a few of his scalpels before rushing forward to attack the pirate and make him stop. Clamor had to stop and defend against the medic, unable to pursue Law and Miyako. Meanwhile, Cody attacked the other one, giving the two Heart Pirates safe passage.

Before they were out of sight, Joshua called out to the samurai girl. "You better watch captain's back!"

"Tch," the girl clicked her tongue in slight annoyance. "What am I, a babysitter?" She muttered, before turning back to the two Heart Pirates. "You better worry about yourselves!" She shouted back as a warning for them to be careful, before running after Law. There was something suspicious about those two twins making her have a bad feeling. Her instincts were warning her of their strength yet she had no choice but to follow Law and leave the rest to Cody and Joshua.

~…~

Miyako and Law continued to run forward to the end of town, hoping to find the pirates' base soon. "It's weird; we didn't see any of the townspeople yet," the samurai commented as they ran.

"It doesn't matter; we're not here for the civilians anyway. We just need to eliminate the pirates," Law answered mercilessly, in his cold voice.

The samurai couldn't help but let a drop of cold sweat appear on her forehead as she watched her captain. _*Figures that he'd think that way…* _

It didn't take them long before they arrived in front of a large building completely surrounded by tall walls. Beyond the walls, they could see a large colorful rooftop rising in the air, made in the old Chinese style of architecture. The rooftop painted in green and red colors had two curved beams and was completely decorated with numerous symbols.

Law and Miyako finally stopped in front of the large gate that led inside the courtyard. "Do you think the others are already inside?" The girl asked, referring to the rest of the Heart Pirates.

"If they are, I don't see where they entered," the captain explained, examining the thick stone walls in front of them. There weren't any openings where they could sneak inside.

"Then how will we get in?" Miyako frowned, staring up at high walls. She put a hand on her sword. _*Should I cut it?*_

Even before she voiced out her question, the captain could tell what she was thinking by her actions. "That won't be necessary," Law answered her unspoken question before stepping forward and creating a small blue orb around them.

Miyako wasn't sure what he did, but in a blink of an eye the two of them appeared on the other side of the large walls. Just like that, they were in the courtyard, gazing at the large building before them that was supposed to be the Baxter Pirates' base.

At that instant, numerous clicking sounds of loaded weapons surrounded them. Law and Miyako glared at the pirates aiming their weapons at them.

"Tch, more small fry," the captain commented coolly. He didn't seem to care about being surrounded by these enemies even the tiniest bit. He was already completely confident that he could beat them all in a second.

"They're annoying," Miyako added in a similarly cold tone as she watched them. Even if they weren't strong, there were many of them, which meant they'd slow them down. Both Miyako and Law wanted to end this mission quickly, find and erase Patton Baxter, and reunite with the rest of their crew to be on their way. Neither of them wanted to waste their time here anymore than it was necessary.

"Let's end this quickly then," Law answered, loud enough for their enemies to hear as well. As if on cue, all the Baxter pirates started shooting at them. Trafalgar instantly summoned his Room, using his powers to switch the bullets with simple dirt, before he slashed at the pirates in front of him.

Meanwhile, Miyako ran towards the pirate group, dodging the shots or using her katana to block each bullet that was coming at her. Quickly, the girl jumped into the air and landed among the confused pirates, slicing them with her sword before they could even act.

It wasn't even a minute later that all the Baxter pirates were on the ground, while Law and Miyako stood with their swords unsheathed among them. The pair nodded to each other before running inside the large, decorated building before them.

~…~

"Do you even know where we have to go?" Shachi complained as the group of Heart Pirates walked through the outskirts of town.

"I'm the first mate, so follow me!" Bepo countered, getting a bit angry at the disobedience of his fellow crew members. Even though he was supposed to be the first mate!

"That's why we got lost in the first place!" Penguin yelled at the polar bear in an annoyed tone.

"We're not lost, we're in Opal Town," the bear readily responded in a mater-of-fact tone, repeating the town's name that he heard before from captain.

"That doesn't help us shit!" Penguin stomped his foot in the ground angrily.

They followed Bepo, separating from the other group to look for the Baxter Pirates, and their captain Patton, but didn't stumble upon anyone yet.

"Should we just head back?" Sai sighed, sick of the nosy mechanics and Bepo, since they were still arguing over this matter.

"Yeah, maybe Captain and the rest had more luck in-" Shachi suddenly fell quiet as he noticed movement with the corner of his eye. The mechanic instantly tensed up, thinking it was the enemy, but at better inspection he noticed the shadow was much too small for that. Relaxing a bit, he blinked in surprise as he realized there was a small child hiding behind a wall and peering at them.

"What is it?" The polar bear noticed Shachi's change in demeanor and followed the mechanic's gaze. At that moment, his sharp eyes noticed the human as well, catching the scent of an unknown person in the air. "Ah!" The bear opened his mouth as if wanting to say something after seeing the child but that only alarmed the kid more. As soon as the child realized Bepo and the others noticed them, the kid turned and started running away. "Hey you, wait!" The bear called after the little spy.

The Heart Pirates barely had time to think about their next step. They all just gave each other a quick glance, deciding what to do at the same time and started running after the kid. It was the first islander they saw after coming here and their first clue to finding the rest of the townspeople and Baxter Pirates. They couldn't just let this chance slip away.

As the pirates ran through the streets that twist and turned on their way, Penguin noticed an alleyway nearby. There were crates piled up, going almost halfway to the wall's height. There were two windows up there one above the other. The mechanic smirked as an idea crossed his mind. He saw the kid just turned another corner, Sai, Shachi and Bepo right behind the child. However, Penguin didn't follow. Instead, he jumped onto the pile of crates, expertly climbing up from one to the other. He then jumped even higher from the highest wooden box, and used one foot on the wall to get some rebound as he kicked off the wall and even higher into the air. He reached out his arm as much as he could, feeling the tips of his fingers reaching the windowsill above. The mechanic grinned as his plan turned out to be a success. He used the strength in his arms to pull up and kicked off the window sill to reach for the second window above. The fingers almost slipped from the metal surface this time, but he managed to hold on, gripping onto the windowsill. With gritted teeth, the head mechanic pulled himself up until he was holding the windowsill with both arms and his feet rested on the wall. He looked up only to realize the rooftop of the building was too high for him to reach from this position even if he jumped. However, Penguin didn't give up yet. Instead, he noticed the wall of the other house being close enough to use as jumping leverage. He smirked once again, before springing into the air towards the other building behind him. As soon as his foot touched the other wall, Penguin used all his leg strength to kick off the wall one more time back towards the rooftop of the original building. The kung-fu user easily flew towards the rooftop, grabbing onto its edges with both hands and pulling himself up with only his arms. As he finally climbed up onto the high building, the mechanic could hear his friends' voices below. He followed the sounds, running across the roof and jumping onto the other one, until he could see Bepo and the others running after the kid. Penguin kept up, jumping from one rooftop to another, until he finally had his chance. He noticed the child turned into another street which was parallel to the building he was standing on. The mechanic jumped down, using his feet and one hand to slide down the wall, slowing down his fall a little. He landed right in front of the running kind, eye to eye with them as he landed in a crouch.

The child yelped in fright at the sudden surprise in front and tried to quickly turn the other way and run but Penguin already had a hold of the kid's arm. At better inspection, he noticed it was a young boy, not older than 10, in ragged clothing and with messy brown hair. Two bright green eyes stared at him in horror as the boy desperately tried to pry away from Penguin's strong grip on his forearm but the mechanic wouldn't even budge.

"Hey, calm down, we won't hurt you," Penguin tried to calm the kid by grabbing his shoulders and turning him so they could look each other in the eyes. Even though Penguin's face was mostly hidden, which only added to his suspicious presence.

"D-don't…pirates…" The child started stuttering incoherently, deaf to Penguin's calming words as he still tried to escape. By now, Shachi, Bepo and Sai also joined the pair, circling around the boy with puzzled expressions.

"Well it's true that we're pirates but we actually came here to help you," Shachi scratched the back of his head as he gazed down at the boy.

"Actually we came here to kill the Baxter pirates, not necessarily to help the islanders. We're just doing this as our mission for the government," the young navigator corrected the mechanic of their true purpose why they were in this town in the first place. He ignored the warning stare he got from Shachi who was simply trying to calm the struggling boy in Penguin's grip. Whatever helped them and made the kid talk was good enough for Shachi to say, even if it was only half of the truth.

Surprisingly enough, the boy who paid no mind to their words, suddenly stopped after hearing Sai speaking and stared right into the navigator's eyes. "You…will kill Patton?"

Sai and the rest of the pirates glanced at each other, not sure how to read the shocked reaction that the kid just showed. Finally, Bepo decided to speak. "Yes, that's why we're here."

On the bear's surprise, the boy completely calmed down and simply stood before them with his head bowed down to stare at his feet. The heart pirates were still watching him nervously, unsure how to take his expressions. "In that case…." The boy started and looked up at them. The expression on his face completely changed, from a fearful one into a darkening fury. His eyes shone with killing intent, directed at the pirates. Even if he was only a kid, the pirates suddenly felt a chill and tensed as if they should prepare for battle. However, the next words that came out of the boy were completely unexpected. Still staring at them with those murderous eyes that weren't fit for a ten year-old, the boy spoke, "Take me with you."

"Eh?" Bepo couldn't hide his surprise as he looked at the child. "What are you talking about?"

Yet the boy's determination never faltered as if he was completely certain about what he was saying even if it sounded completely strange to everyone else. "I'll help you so take me with you! I want to be there! I want to see that bastard die with my own eyes, and if I can kill him myself I'll definitely do it!" The boy shouted suddenly, his fierce demeanor overflowing.

~…..~

As soon as Miyako and Law walked inside the large palace-like building made with stone and wood in architecture, they were surrounded by more pirates. It seemed like there was an infinite supply of small-fry men in the Baxter pirates' crew, as they kept coming and attacking them, yet all was in vain. The samurai and her captain simply kept reaping them easily, as they kept on walking through the maze of numerous hallways.

Finally they managed to catch a little break, as they walked alone through another corridor. Even though all these pirates were weak, there were many of them, which was still tiring and Law tried to save his devil fruit powers for when the need really arises. It was wasteful to use his energy on these thugs, yet a part of him started to suspect that that was exactly what the enemy was hoping for. As if Captain Patton already knew about the weaknesses of the ope ope fruit and prepared for it. By now it was obviously clear the captain knew the Heart pirates were coming, so thinking he already knew about Law and his crew wasn't unreasonable either. However, that brought a whole new set of questions; was there a mole in the Navy? How did the Baxter pirates know of this?

Trafalgar's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a sound beside him and his eyes fell on the Wano girl walking with her unsheathed sword next to him. Her eyes, that were only moments ago clearly and sharply focused on her enemies in front of her, were now glazed over as if she was also deep in thought. Every now and then she would fidget nervously beside him, as if something was making her uncomfortable.

"Is there a problem?" He couldn't help asking now that they were momentarily alone and safe from attackers.

Miyako twitched nervously as soon as she heard Law's voice address her. "Huh? No, not at all!" The girl shot back instantly, only adding to his suspicions that she was hiding something. However, Miyako just couldn't say it...what she was thinking right now. Because she was well aware that this was neither the time nor the place for it, yet the pesky thoughts wouldn't go away as they walked through the halls. As inappropriate as this setting was, this was the first time after that night that the two of them were alone together. Miyako's cheeks slightly flushed a red color as she remembered the night she confessed her love to the pirate captain. In the end, she was never able to get a clear answer out of him and since they were constantly busy or in danger, they didn't have any time to address that night at all. Even when Miyako found a small chance of approaching Law and mustered up all her courage to mention it, they would get interrupted; usually by Bepo who was constantly beside Law or some other crewmember, who would come in with a problem for the captain. Bit by bit, time passed and it became too awkward to mention anything about it and the girl only got more nervous thinking about it now. Even if she could gather some courage before, she was too embarrassed to do it anymore as she had no idea how to even begin talking about the matter. What's more fear started gripping at her heart recently; will she really be content by getting any answer from Law? What if it's something she doesn't want to hear? So instead, she unconsciously started avoiding him.

Miyako sighed deeply at those thoughts. _*Maybe it's better this way...I was too rash about the whole thing. No, well…it's not that I didn't mean it, but I might have just troubled him by saying it,*_ the girl sighed once more at that. At first, Miyako was content by just being able to become Trafalgar's equal…But as their time together kept flowing, it wasn't enough for her anymore. In their journey together, she noticed that she wanted more from the pirate captain. Not just to be acknowledged as an equal, but to capture this man's heart as well.

*_But I have no idea what he's really thinking. How does Law see me? A nakama, lover, just a toy for boredom? I can't tell at all what he really thinks of me but…he did save me countless times. He came back for me even all the way to the Tenryuubito palace, risking his own life. Still, I don't know if he really feels the same way I do. Am I just being shellfish, pushing my own feelings onto him?* _ Miyako glanced at the pirate captain walking beside her, but quickly looked back to the front before their eyes could meet. _*To make this prideful, arrogant man submit…what do I need to do? It probably won't be easy but…even if it's selfish, I still want his heart. Yet, in order to do that I can't stay indecisive like this, that much I know.* _The girl unconsciously balled her hands into fists while getting back her determination.

_*I need to attack openly!* _With such a fierce decision, the girl suddenly turned towards Law to look him straight in the eye. _*Even if it's not the right situation for this, I can't lose this chance or else it'll just be like before!*_ However, her sharp expression soon turned into a confused one when she almost bumped into Law considering how close his face was.

The captain had been observing the girl for a while, as different expressions crossed her face. She was still deep in thought, sometimes glaring at the distance before suddenly getting flustered. What was she thinking about? What's more, she kept glancing at him or fidgeting with her shirt as if nervous; it was obvious that whatever she was thinking had something to do with him, yet she so blatantly lied to his face just now and repudiated everything. It wasn't only now that she was avoiding his gaze either. These past few days the girl got the nerve to avoid him relentlessly. He pretended not to notice but irritation was slowly forming inside him. After all, she said something like _that_ not too long ago, yet now she's avoiding him as if pretending nothing happened. Was she only toying with him when she said it? Some plan to get his guard down? He could feel annoyance rising up inside him again as the girl kept on glancing at him from the side.

"You're lying," he simply stated in comment to her previous answer, but there was a sharp tone in his voice.

Miyako couldn't help but take a step back to create some distance between them. "W-what are you talking about?" She continued to feign ignorance, smiling nervously as the corner of her lips twitched in nervousness. She steadily avoided eye contact with him, her eyes darting everywhere beside into the intense grey ones before her.

"You've been stealing looks at me this whole time. Besides, haven't you been avoiding me for quite some time now?" Trafalgar didn't falter as he took a step forward again, determined to corner her.

In response Miyako just took another step back, putting both her hands in front of her protectively. "Eh? W-wait, why are you getting angry?!" The girl was getting more flustered by the second, suddenly confused about Law's complete change in demeanor. Her face would be comical to the third party if someone saw her now as she all-but-panicked in Law's presence. Wasn't he suddenly pressing the matter a bit too hard? _*I'm not ready for this after all!*_ She was so determined just now, but forgot all about it as the captain's behavior completely took her off guard. She wasn't prepared for this!

Before she could move away again, Law grabbed the girl's forearm. His voice was still sharp but perfectly clear as he kept eye contact with her. He wanted to look her dead I the eye so that she couldn't hide or avoid anything. It irritated him how she kept looking away from him. "Didn't I tell you before never to look away from me?" As strange as that sounded, it made Miyako actually look at him, mostly in surprise as she blinked at Law's words. Finally staring at her golden eyes directly, the man kept holding her forearm as if she would run away otherwise. "I won't let you escape this time. And I won't let you play ignorant about it either," even though he didn't clearly say what he was talking about, Miyako's sudden stiff expression said she understood. She gasped lightly despite herself, staring at the captain wide-eyed. However, the girl stayed quiet, be it from shock at his words or anxiousness from the subject.

Law didn't seem to mind her silence as he continued, still baring a rather irritated expression and a sharp tone to make sure she heard clearly every word he said. He didn't want any misunderstandings later. "What I'm telling you is that I want-" Yet the captain never had the chance to finish his thought as the wall behind the girl suddenly opened. A gaping darkness revealed behind her, along with numerous hands pulling her inside the emerging secret doors in the wall. The unexpected situation made Law's grip on Miyako falter for a moment in his surprise, but it was enough for those hands to rip her away and pull her backwards into the opening. The girl lost her balance as she fell backwards, the same expression of shock on her face that Law held. The whole scene happened in an instant, so quickly that neither had time to react, and in the next moment the secret doors closed again, showing nothing but a stone wall.

"Miyako-ya!" The pirate captain yelled and quickly banged onto the wall in hopes of opening the secret doors once again, but nothing happened.

~…..~

The samurai girl kept falling through something narrow, like a tunnel that made her tumble down through the darkness. Finally she stopped, groaning as she hit the cold, hard ground. She quickly stood up, checking to see if her katana was still intact, before looking at her surroundings. It was mostly dark, with a few candle lights set on the stone walls. It looked pretty different than her previous location just moments ago. She was in a room with wooden floors and wooden walls which were all decorated and painted in red and green colors. The decorations were set all around the walls, mostly covered in gold.

She was still a bit disoriented from her situation when she heard the first voice. Miyako gripped the hilt of her katana as soon as she felt the person's presence.

"Hehe, they let their guard down," a voice came from the darkness.

"We have her! Now all we have to do is order Trafalgar to surrender if he doesn't want his crewmember split in pieces!" Another man added.

"Oy, oy, first we need to capture her, don't get ahead of herself!" Another commented lazily.

Miyako suddenly understood, clenching her fists in a silent rage. It was more of those Baxter pirates' men, probably as weak as the previous ones. Instead of attacking them openly, they wanted to separate Law and Miyako and attack each one individually. If even one of them went down, they could just use them as a bargaining chip to get the other to surrender. Maybe even all of the Heart pirates if they were lucky enough to beat the captain. Not that it was a bad plan, but the reason why Miyako was so angry right now was a bit different from what the men expected. Perhaps they thought she was mad for getting caught in their trap like that, as they saw the girl stand up before them with her head lowered and the expression hidden behind her long bangs. Her one fist was still clenched while the other hand rested on her sword. That's why when the girl finally spoke, the pirates could only stare at her with puzzled expressions.

"So close…" Miyako muttered, her darkening form still standing in the same pose before them.

"Eh? What're ya mumblin' 'bout over there?" One of the pirates spat out, confused by the girl's barely audible words.

"Yeah, just be quiet and stay still. Be a good girl, you have nowhere to run," another man said as dozens Baxter pirates surrounded the samurai.

However, Miyako seemed as if she couldn't hear or see any of it. As if she was still in her own world somewhere. She just kept mumbling. "I was so close…Just a bit more and he would've said it…I would finally know what he thinks and would stop fretting over it…Just a bit longer…" Her head started lifting slowly as she kept on talking incoherently. A dark aura of pure intent to kill started swirling around her as her swordsman's spirit went wild. As she finally looked up at the men, her golden eyes blazed with fire as she seethed in rage. The killing intent in contrast created a cold pressure in the air which all of them could feel. Suddenly, the pirates didn't feel so confident anymore as some gulped or took a few steps back unconsciously, all of their instincts screaming for them to run while they still can. Miyako gritted her teeth. "And you ruined it!" She finally yelled in anger.

"Yaaaahhhh!" Screams of terror echoed through the dimly lit room, loud enough to be heard through the whole floor level of the pirates' base.

~….~

Penguin, Shachi, Bepo and Sai couldn't do much than stare at the young boy in front of them in shock. Finally, Shachi spoke up, waving his hand as if to dismiss everything they just heard from the boy's mouth. "Wait, wait, wait, that's impossible. Look kid, we can't be babysitting you while fighting the Baxter pirates, it's impossible! So go back home to your parents and-" The mechanic didn't finish when he noticed the kid's expression change at the mention of his parents. The boy clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth in anger, clenching his fists at his sides. The Heart Pirates looked at each other knowingly.

Wanting to change the atmosphere, Bepo joined in the conversation. "Now that you mention it, where are all the people in this town? Why is it so deserted?"

The kid glanced to the side, staring at some spot on the ground. "That bastard Patton took everyone away…as hostages," he answered.

"Wha?" Penguin just stared at the boy in disbelief.

"So they really _did_ know we were coming," Sai commented in an even tone, matter-of-factly.

"But how? Was there a leak? A spy in the Navy?" The younger mechanic kept asking loudly in the middle of the street. Not that there was anyone else here to hear him talk about the things that could easily get a person in jail for slander.

"Probably," Shachi shrugged as he responded.

The kid didn't know what they were talking about but he ignored their exchange as he continued, "The Baxter pirates took everyone so that they could threaten the Navy if they tried to overtake the island from them." The boy mumbled darkly. "But I doubt it'll matter now since the government sent pirates instead. You lot don't give two shits about us, anyway."

A smack at the back of his head came to the kid from Penguin. "Oy, watch yer tongue you little git! It's not like brats like you can do anything either!"

"Who ya callin' a brat, old man!?" The kid kicked the mechanic right in the shin with full force.

"Gya!" Penguin yelped in pain before grabbing the top of the boy's head with his large hand, gripping tightly to teach the kid a lesson. The two glared at each other, showing their teeth in a growl as they fought.

"Well he's right, though…" The navigator interrupted, looking at the kid. Indeed, Trafalgar wouldn't surrender just because Patton Baxter threatens him with some civilians. Perhaps that was exactly the reason why the government chose the Shichibukai for this job. If the marines came here they couldn't just turn their backs on the civilians here for the sake of their reputation as 'Justice' in this world. As such, they would have to deal with a hostage situation but the Navy obviously didn't want to be bothered by it. So instead, they sent the pirates to do their dirty work knowing Law would take care of Baxter pirates either way. Even if the Heart Pirates let the hostages die they wouldn't be prosecuted for it as a part of the Shichibukai, but the World Government could just simply let all the blame of society for such a heartless act fall onto the Hearts instead. Once again, it would only prove what evil the pirates in this world are, while the World Government would stay clean-handed and preserve their reputation in this.

Sai thought about this with a cold mind, not really caring which way their reputation went anyway. Shichibukai, pirate, outcast….it was all the same to him. In the end, the only person he truly followed was Law and that was enough for him. Even so, he mulled over the plans of the Word Government and the Navy in this case. He knew the Heart Pirates had to play the role of the Government dogs for a while until they achieve their goals, but this was as if being used by the marines as scape goats. Still, he doubted captain Law would care enough to save the islanders just to spite the Navy. Even though Law constantly defied the marines his priority was always to reach his own goals. He didn't care enough about his reputation nor would he be willing to do troublesome things just to save the civilians if he didn't really gain anything from it. "We're not heroes or some charity organization. Even though we're working for the Government right now it's nothing more than what a mercenary would do for a job. We're pirates. There is no reason for us to save any of you, our job is only to kill Patton Baxter and his men," the navigator answered flatly, shrugging his shoulders as if he was simply stating a fact of the matter.

Sai's answer was enough for Penguin and the boy to momentarily stop fighting and look at the pale, tattooed pirate in front of them. The mechanic sighed and let go of the kid, "Well, that's true," the pirate shrugged.

"I know that too…don't treat me like an idiot," the kid suddenly muttered darkly, staring down at his feet again. His shoes were already falling apart, as the leather looked patched up numerous time to try and keep them together for a while longer. "I know there's no way I can make you help the folks in town but…if I can kill Patton in time then…maybe nobody will die."

"That's naive brat…thinking nobody will die. There's no such thing in the real world," Penguin said it straightforwardly. There was no reason to try and spare the boy's feelings while pretending the world is such a fair place. It's better for the kid to learn while he's still young and not delude himself like that.

"I told you, not to call me a brat!" The boy argued instantly. "My name's Tolly!" He exclaimed in anger, glaring at the mechanic.

The Hearts ignored the dark glar, focusing on the conversation instead. "It's better if you go and hide somewhere till we kill that Patton pirate."

The boy now known as Tolly clenched his fists again. "Look at me...I know the world isn't a fair place." Indeed, by his ragged clothing and thin small frame for a 10-year-old it was obvious that life wasn't treating this kid very kindly. He looked like someone who didn't even know if he'll be able to find his next meal. "My parents were killed by Patton before they refused to go along with this tyranny on his island and I'm forced to live like an orphan alone here, trying to find some food every day. Living in poverty, the townspeople are too immersed in their own troubles with the Baxter pirates to worry about me as well. Everyone are paying high taxes and fear for their lives here. So at least….at least, let me avenge my parents and this town and kill Patton! I'll help you or lead you to them so…at least let me see it with my own eyes!" The boy yelled out in pure despair and determination at the same time. It was obvious this kid already made up his mind to kill Patton a long time ago and finally was presented a chance in the form of the Heart Pirates. But what was most surprising was that he would rather go kill Patton than even try and save the hostages. Or could it be that he gave up on that idea as soon as he saw he was dealing with pirates as the 'liberators' for this island? Having bad experiences with pirates up until now, the boy probably didn't even carry any hope that the pirates would go out of their way to help them. So instead, his hatred for the Baxter pirate was and thoughts of vengeance were everything he had left.

Shachi sighed. "Honestly, everyone's trying to use us for their own purposes….It's starting to piss me off," the mechanic grumbled, thinking about the Navy as well.

"Well in the end, it depends on our first mate," the navigator answered, staring back at Bepo who was mostly silent until now.

As if only registering it now, the kid gasped. "A bear!"

"Too slow!" Penguin yelled back, smacking the kid upside the head again.

"Sorry!" The polar bear bowed his head down in depression.

"You're too weak Bepo!" Shachi answered, thinking about the bear's weak personality when it came to confrontation.

"Do we really have time for this?" The navigator sighed.

After they all calmed down, Bepo hummed in though, returning back to their previous conversation. Indeed, he had to decide his next step. He knew the kid wanted to go after Patton but was that really the best choice now? Captain and the rest also went after Patton so they could already be fighting him at this very moment, but the bear firmly believed there was no way Law would lose. So would it really be so bad if Bepo and his group dealt with the hostage situation instead?

"Tolly…do you know where they're keeping the hostages?" The polar bear asked seriously.

The boy blinked a few times puzzled, not expecting the question. "Uh…yeah. When they were rounding everyone up, I managed to hide and escape their sight. Later I followed them to the place they tied up everyone and kept them there. They're in the Old Man's Mill," Tolly answered, remembering the name of the large, old mill just outside the town.

"In that case, take us there," the bear ordered.

"Eh?" Not only did Tolly make a questioning sound but everyone else as well.

"Oy, Bepo, you sure you want us to bother with that now? Shouldn't we be looking for the captain of Baxter Pirates instead?" Shachi tilted his head in question.

"Captain and the others will be fine…I'm sure of it. So we should take care of the Baxter pirates keeping the hostages. Besides…didn't they tell us to defeat _all_ the pirates," surprisingly, the bear used such a loophole in their mission to find a reason the help the townspeople.

Sai and the others couldn't help but smirk at this. Bepo could sometimes be surprisingly sharp. "Well…if we're just going there to kill the rest of the pirates…" The navigator commented, with a knowing smirk still on his features.

"W-what?" The kid was still completely baffled by this turn of events. All he could do was stare wide-eyed at the strange pirates before him who were all wearing amused expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong kid? You should hurry up and take us to that mill then…so we can do our job and get rid of the pirates, ya know," Shachi grinned even wider.

"The brat's speechless from gratitude," Penguin commented teasingly, flicking Tolly's forehead. Surprisingly enough, the action seemed to wake the boy up and bring him back to reality.

"Shut up, I told you not to call me a brat, old man!" The kid instantly fired back at the mechanic's comments.

~…~

Miyako silently cursed as she sliced the air once swiftly with her katana, making the blood it was stained with fall from the steel and splatter onto the floor. She took a piece of a dead man's shirt, carefully cleaning the sword before sheathing it back into its scabbard. "Honesty these people…can't believe them…wasting a perfect opportunity…" The girl was still muttering in irritation as she walked on, trying to find the exit from this building floor. She went out of the room where she fell down only to find herself in a maze of more hallways and rooms made similarly as the previous area. Everything was still made with painted red and green wood, along with golden and copper decorations on the walls. The decorum varied from dragon and phoenix shaped creatures to numerous flowers.

Suddenly, Miyako stopped as she felt another living presence. Her sharp eyes glared thorough the darkness of the barely lit space around her.

"That should be my line…honestly these guy are worthless. I thought they'd at least tire you out a bit," a whiney voice came from the darkness and a tall person stepped out before Miyako. The samurai blinked as the person before her looked strange and familiar at the same time. As they spoke, their voice was strained as if they were trying to make it sound higher than it actually was.

Beautiful long black hair flowed as the person stepped out in two black high-heel shoes. Two, defined long legs were strapped in fishnets, which ended with a skirt that reached to their thighs. The woman smirked, putting a gloved hand on her hip while looking down at Miyako from her obviously superior height. The woman wore a blood red corset instead of a top, but the chest it covered looked well defined and strangely toned. She smirked with her red lips, with the makeup and lipstick perfectly applied to her face. A hand with a black glove that went all the way to her elbow moved to her lips, to hide her smile as she chuckled in amusement. "I observed you fighting. You are quite a crude one, aren't you?" The woman commented in a sly tone.

The Wano girl felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance at the woman's words. _*Crude? Well so what if I am? I don't need to be girly anyway!* _Despite her thoughts, the girl seemed more irate than surprised now. Yet, there was something that still bothered her about the person before her. Something just wasn't right.

"To be honest, I'd rather like it if I was given the order to go fight that eye-candy, Trafalgar Law. He's totally my type too~" The woman of around 30 years-old whined with a sulky expression of a child. "But darling said to take care of you first, so there was no choice. I just hope I get to play with Surgeon of Death later," the woman sighed sadly, staring at Miyako as if she was disappointed by the sight before her.

The other girl could see the woman was doing it on purpose, trying to agitate her. However, the samurai stayed silent and calm, observing the other. Even as the woman spoke, her voice tone still sounded strange to Miyako and something about her appearance didn't seem right either. Finally, Miyako realized what it was.

"I hear you're the only girl in the Heart Pirates crew. That's so unfair, having that delicious captain all to yourself. It makes me mad…I think I'll take him away~" the woman cooed, chuckling again. "Such an ugly girl should just die here in the darkness!" As the woman said that she suddenly disappeared, charging with great speed at Miyako. The woman kicked her leg out aiming at Miyako's head, who quickly pulled out her sword again, blocking the high-heeled shoe from crushing her skull.

The samurai narrowed her eyes, keeping pressure on the sword as she felt the woman trying to break her defense with her one leg. "I don't want to hear that from a guy!" Miyako finally realized why the person felt familiar; they reminded her of those okama people she met when running from Marineford. Just like them, this person was actually a man.

The okama's eyes widened in surprise before glaring darkly at Miyako. "What, is it a woman's intuition? Well whatever…don't call me a man! I'm more of a woman than you'll ever be!" The okama yelled, stepping back to gain more balance before delivering a round kick towards Miyako's side who had to jump backwards to avoid it.

The samurai could feel the cutting pressure in the air even as she avoided the kick by a hair's width. Miyako's sleeve tore a little, forming a cut on the fabric. She narrowed her eyes and glared right back at the person in front of her. _*Haki…*_ She understood what the pressure behind that kick was right away. The samurai took a stance and aimed the tip of her katana at the okama's neck, preparing for battle.

~…..~

"Joshua!" Cody yelled as he saw his friend fly into a nearby wall before sliding onto the soft ground. The other medic gritted his teeth and stared back at the two strange twins in front of him. They hardly had a bruise on them while Cody and Josh already looked beaten and bruised all over. The reason was the strong force emitting from the twins every time the medics attacked which resulted in them not being able to even land a hit on the two Baxter pirates.

"I'm alright, let's go!" The redhead instantly stood up, glaring with a dark look at their two opponents and ignoring Cody's worried gaze. Before the taller medic could stop him, Joshua charged forward at the twins.

However, the same thing as before happened. As soon as Joshua came closer to deliver a punch, Clamor appeared before him and crossed his arms to block Joshua's hit. Then before the redhead could react, the twins turned around and switched places. Clangor used his armored fist to deliver a strong punch at the Heart Pirate. Even though Josh blocked just like Clamor did seconds ago, the force of Clangor's punch still ripped through Joshua's defense and sent him flying again. The redhead could feel numbing pain in his arms where he blocked the punch. It was no use; because both twins could use Busoshoku haki. Clamor used it to create a force of defensive armor around them, blocking every attack headed towards them. Then they would switch, and Clangor would attack with haki of his own, creating a powerful enough force to break the medics' defense and deliver hard and painful blows their way.

While they were distracted with Josh, Cody tried attacking as well, jumping towards the two to deliver a powerful kick. However, the twins suddenly yelled 'Spinning Top!" and the two leaned on each other's back, whirling so fast they both created a haki shield around them strong enough to blow Cody away onto the ground. The medic could feel the air running out of his lungs with force.

"There is no way of defeating us; for we make the perfect human! The ultimate weapon with supreme defense and offense powers together!" Clamor laughed as the twins stopped spinning and landed back on the ground.

The redheaded medic wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his overall, glaring at the twins. "Tch, say what you want, but the two of you are going down."

Clamor narrowed his eyes with a smirk. "Those are some words for a man that can't even land one hit," the pirate answered mockingly.

Joshua gritted his teeth in annoyance, starting to seethe with anger.

"Josh…" Cody called out to his friend calmly, giving him a silent warning to calm down and not act rashly.

"I know," the redhead answered, knowing exactly what Cody meant just now. He wasn't so foolish as to get himself killed due to his anger. Joshua might be a temperamental person by nature, but he was by no means a stupid one.

"It seems this won't be so easy after all," Cody murmured looking at the twins. "They can use haki against us while we don't have such power."

"Even so, that can't stop us. Dammit, we even said to the captain that we'll handle it! If we fail now, how can we ever look him in the eyes again!?" The redhead exclaimed in determination. They had to defeat these guys…they just _had_ to!

The taller medic stared at his nakama in surprise. "Josh…" He started, touched by his friend's words.

"Hn, such wonderful devotion to your captain! We respect that!" Clangor exclaimed honestly, grinning at the redhead who was already panting hard from the damage he took in this fight. "You should just change your names to Trafalgar boys, in that case!"

"Don't compare us with you, you morons!" The redhead yelled back angrily with clear irritation in his voice from just the thought of the twins' suggestion. He didn't want to be on the same level as those two, as his pride simply wouldn't allow it.

"I agree with my short friend here, I'm afraid. We just can't let you win this fight no matter what," Cody added, much more level-headed than the other medic.

"Oy, who you callin' short, you parrot head!?" The said redhead yelled back, even more annoyed now, as he commented on Cody's spiked hair that always seemed to defy gravity.

"Heh, if you think you can defeat us than try it. But there's no way you can win with your level of power against our haki! Our defense-offense system is perfect!" Clamor didn't look worried at all as he heard the medics' strong words.

"Yes, even though Busoshoku Haki can be beaten by pure force even without haki!" Clangor added.

"Idiot, don't tell them that!" His brother exclaimed in shock, reprimanding his twin.

"Whoa, I said it!" The other brother quickly slapped a hand over his mouth even though it was already too late.

The blue-haired medic sweat dropped, staring at the duo blankly. He wasn't sure how to even comment on this situation.

On the other hand, Joshua just stared at them with mouth agape and eyes wide with shock. "That's it, I definitely don't want to lose to these idiots! No way!" He finally yelled out as he regained his senses from the scene.

"Enough!" Clamor suddenly stopped the conversation with a booming voice. "We'll finish this now! Let's go, brother!"

"I'm ready, brother!" His twin answered, as both of them prepared their fighting stances. The two clutched their fists, making clanking sounds come from their spiked metal gauntlets.

"Sharp twister!" The two Baxter pirates yelled in unison, making perfectly synchronized movements as they charged towards the Heart Pirates.

"Aim for the one that is based on attack movements!" Cody shouted to Joshua as they prepared for the impact, planning to counterattack immediately.

"But which one is it? I can't tell!" The redhead answered in slight panic, unable to decide which man to attack.

Cody didn't answer, but instead kept his eyes trained on the two incoming attackers. He analyzed their swift movements, but it was hard to say which pirate was proficient in which haki skill until the very last moment. Will they be able to make it, though? Will Cody and Josh be able to realize which one to aim for and counterattack before the blow from the Baxter pirates hits them? They'll have to be fast; even quicker than before.

As the twins moved, suddenly all four fists came toward the two medics. Cody's eyes widened as he realized both pirates were about to attack them simultaneously.

"Idioooot! Just because we're more skillful with one doesn't mean we can't use the other! I can defend just as my brother can attack, too!" Clangor yelled with a wide grin right before both of the twins smashed the ground and the two medics with it. The force of their strong blow created a crater in the ground. As the dust finally cleared, two medics were barely holding their ground, their legs trembling from the pressure as they both held their arms in a block to protect their body from the incoming punches. However, as impressive as it was that the two could block two haki attacks with just their body strength, the Baxter pirates didn't stop there. "Metal shower!" Clamor yelled and both brothers started quickly sending strong, consecutive punches towards the medics. The strong blows filled with haki rained down on them until both Cody and Josh couldn't take it.

"Gaaah!" With a yell, the two Heart pirates were swept from their feet, their defense broken, and fell onto the ground with forceful blows hitting their bodies without stopping. They could feel the metal spikes ripping their skin and blood sprayed out from the wounds. When the rain of punches finally stopped, the Heart Pirates were left lying on the ground inside the dirt crater.

"Well that's that," Clamor nodded, satisfied with their results.

"They lasted long but in the end nobody can defeat the perfect weapon which is us," Clangor agreed beside his brother.

The two pirates turned from the medics, starting to walk away. However, a grip on Clangor's ankle stopped the man. "huh?" The man looked down below only to see Cody's hand firmly gripping his ankle.

"So you…can use haki…and we can't? Who…the fuck cares…?!" Josh muttered darkly, panting between his words. The shorter medic slowly started rising back to his feet while his whole body trembled in pain. Still, he didn't let his suffering win as he clenched his teeth along with his fist. Cody grabbed the other ankle of the man and held him in place, while Josh prepared a punch.

"Brother!" Clamor noticed what the two pirates were about to do and went to help his brother. He ran up to them in swift motions just as Cody pulled Clangor's ankles and made him fall heavily to the ground while Josh started swinging his arm to hit the man while he was down. However, as Clamor prepared to use his haki to push Josh away, the redhead's punch suddenly changed its course right into Clamor's head. Taken by surprise, the large man couldn't dodge nor block in time, taking the punch head on. Even with Joshua's lean and short form, the force of the punch at Clamor's nose sent him flying down right into his twin brother. His twin grunted in pain as the other landed onto him with his heavy mass and hard armor, rising dust into the air as they slammed into each other.

Cody finally let go of Clangor and Josh helped him up. The two smirked nodding at each other, but their celebration was short-lasting. As the dust started to clear, they could see two large figures standing up before them. This was far from over.

The Heart Pirates glared at the twins who returned the dark looks with their own. There was blood dripping down the corner of Clamor's mouth as his lip was cut. The side of Clangor's forehead was also bleeding with a cut right above his brow. The blood was dripping over his right eye, obstructing his vision from that side as he had to keep it half closed.

"You….you'll regret doing that," one of the brothers said darkly in a low, raspy voice.

In response, Joshua simply cracked his knuckles while Cody did the same with his neck, twisting it to the side. "Bring it on. We're going to surpass you, haki or not."

"Spinning top!" The two brothers yelled in unison again, leaning against each other back to back and spinning with their arms out to get more force and crate the shield of haki around them.

However, instead of jumping away and dodging their strange attack as usual, Cody ran towards them. As they flew towards them, the taller medic jumped onto the ground and slid towards their feet, kicking them with his own. The added object messed up their rhythm and the speed which they used to spin was now caused them both to lose their balance. The twins started falling down, still shrouded in their haki. With force and speed the two brothers collided, hitting each other accidentally with their own attacks. Clamor's defense and Clangor's attack haki collided, creating a blast that hit both of them and shook them to their core.

The two were disoriented from their own blows, unable to see what was above them until it was too late. Both Cody and Josh jumped into the air and were now falling down with speed towards the two brothers. The redhead had his fist clenched while Cody used his long leg to deliver a powerful kick their way. Both Heart Pirates hit the twins at the same time with everything they've got left. The brothers put up their haki defense again but it was much weaker than before now due to their injuries and exhaustion. The Heart pirates were exhausted as well but still they hit their opponents with every ounce of energy and strength left in their body. At first the shielding force wouldn't give but soon the twins couldn't keep their defenses up anymore and the Hearts fought through. They delivered their finishing blows to the twins, creating a hole in the ground where the two unmoving and now unconscious twins lay.

Josh and Cody landed back on their feet, stumbling backwards and falling on their bums on the ground. They were both panting hard, feeling pain and possible broken bones in their body.

"Tough…_pant_ bastards…_pant_…" The redhead commented, lying on his back on the ground, not caring about the dirt around him.

Cody smirked at his friend's statement. "Yeah…"

~…..~

"There it is, the Old Man's Mill," Tolly pointed towards an old stone building with a large windmill lazily turning on the wind.

In front of the building, a couple men were standing and guarding the parameter. "So the guys out front must be Baxter's men?" Bepo commented as he stared at three armed pirates standing in front of the building. Two were in the front while one was in the back, guarding the back door.

"How do we go about this?" The navigator whispered, looking at the nearby territory that they could use in their advantage.

Right now, the Heart pirates were hiding behind a house wall, dozen meters away from the mill together with the young boy. They were all inspecting their surroundings for any way they could sneak near the mill undetected and take out the pirates. However, they didn't know how many more were waiting inside, ready to take out the hostages if something goes amiss.

"We have to get closer."

"But how?"

Penguin looked up towards the roof of the mill. It was just outside of town, away from rest of the houses so it was hard to get closer unnoticed. There was a large tree right beside the mill, covering its roof with its branches. A few meters away, a thick forest started. If they could just climb up that tree and get to the roof of the mill undetected, they'd have an advantage.

"We'll need a distraction."

"I'll go," Tolly's voice whispered beside the group. The pirates gazed at him skeptically, considering could he really do it or not.

"It'll be dangerous, you might get hurt," Shachi warned the kid but Tolly looked completely determined.

"I can do it!" There was no scruple in his tone nor the look in his eyes.

Before they could stop him, the boy walked out of their shelter and appeared right before the two Baxter pirates guarding the front doors of the mill.

They both noticed him quickly, but didn't seem too worried about it. Instead, they were surprised they missed one islander. "Hey, kid, what are you doing here? Come here at once, didn't you hear captain's orders!?"

"Ya wanna die, kid!?" The other growled in irate when the boy refused to move from his spot. The pirate put a hand on the scabbard of his sword menacingly.

Tolly only smirked. "You think you can kill me, filthy bastards? Try and catch me if you can!"

"Why you!" One of the pirates ran after the kid, while the other aimed his gun at the boy to try and hit his legs.

Meanwhile, Penguin and Shachi quickly ran towards the side of the building, climbing the large oak tree in a few swift steps and were on the roof in no time. Bepo and Sai stayed behind to keep an eye on the situation outside in case Tolly needed help. Sai already pulled his rifle from the shoulder, keeping his aim on one of the pirates who was about to shoot at the kid. Before the pirate had the chance to do so, two hands pulled him up in the air, holding his head in an arm lock. The pirate could feel the oxygen disappearing from his lungs, as he continued to struggle and flail his legs in the air but all was in vain. The other who was still focused on yelling at the kid didn't notice his friend being strangled behind his back. What brought his attention was a loud thud as the limp body fell back onto the ground.

"Huh?" The other Baxter pirate glanced behind him in wonder, but just then a shadow jumped from the rooftop behind him. Just as he was about to look back to see what that was, two hands grabbed his chin and twisted with force, making the man's neck break in one swift motion.

Bepo and Sai looked at each other in satisfaction before they ran up to the Old Man's Mill as well. The navigator snuck, keeping to the wall, towards the back of the building, with his rifle in hands. He saw the last Baxter pirate looking around as he snuck behind his back. Clutching his rifle, the navigator subtly whistled to get the other's attention. Instinctively, the Baxter pirate turned around towards the sound, only to get a strong hit with the butt of the gun into his head. The strong hit completely disoriented him, making the man fall down onto this back and let go of the gun he was holding. Looking down at him, Sai swung with the rifle once again delivering a strong hit into the other man's head with the butt of his gun, crushing his skull.

The polar bear joined the navigator and peered inside the window while Shachi and Penguin snuck towards the front doors.

"Hey, what's all this commotion outside?" Suddenly, the front doors started to open as one of the pirates heard to noises from outside. The mechanics had to act quickly, glancing at each other for a second before Shachi delivered a hard kick in the man's stomach that sent him all the way back into the building. With a pained grunt the pirate crashed into the wooden stairs of the mill that led towards the upper floor.

"What the hell?!" Another Baxter pirate shouted in surprise as he saw two Heart Pirates standing at the front doors.

"Shoot them!"

However, no gun shots were heard behind the executive who ordered it. As he turned around he saw a large polar bear in an orange jumpsuit and a young man with a dark tattoo on his neck, who were just finishing off the last of the Baxter pirates' gunmen.

"Kyaa!" One of the tied up women from the hostage group screamed. "A bear!"

"Sorry," Bepo suddenly bowed his head down, stopping his fighting momentarily.

"Bepo, we don't have time for that!" Penguin yelled back, hitting another pirate in the head and sending him flying in a stack of hay.

The remaining Baxter pirates attack the Hearts with knives and swords but they all soon got taken out by their much stronger opponents.

"Stay back or I'll kill 'em!" One of the men exclaimed, taking an old man by his neck and putting a knife under it. He was glancing around at the Heart Pirates like a cornered animal which knew its end was nearing. Still, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Shachi and Penguin stopped and glanced at Bepo and Sai who were nearing the pirate from the other side. The man turned towards them, trying to keep all four pirates in his line of view. However, keeping an eye on the four pirates, the man didn't notice another person who snuck inside the mill, so light on their feet they could hardly be heard. Only when he felt the sharp pain in his back did the man look down, his eyes widening in shock. A boy was standing there behind him with such glaring dark eyes it was hard to think of him as only a kid. At first the pirate thought the boy simply bumped into him, but then noticed a sticky, wet feeling in his back along with the strong pain.

"Ungh…what?" The Baxter pirates groaned when he realized the boy rammed a knife in his back as hard as he could.

Still staring up at the pirate with a killing intent in his eyes, Tolly muttered out through gritted teeth. "Die, you pirate scum!"

The pirate gritted his teeth in both pain and anger, and pushed down the boy, letting go of the elder in his arms as well. He took the knife that was meant for the hostage and swung it at the kid, but never had the chance to bring it down at the boy that fell on the ground. Instead his eyes became completely white from the impact as he fell unconscious onto the ground. Behind him, Penguin stood with a clenched fist, obviously K.O.-ing the man easily.

"Pirate scum, huh? Well I guess I can't blame you," he shrugged at the kid, helping the boy up. Tolly thought for a second as he saw the mechanic's extended hand, but then silently took it and got back to his feet.

"T-Tolly?!" One of the townspeople exclaimed in surprise as they saw the orphan boy with some strange men who had a jolly roger different from the Baxter pirates.

The boy grinned for the first time that day. "Yeah, don't worry, you'll be ok now!"

"What's going on here?" The town mayor insisted on some answers as they all looked completely confused.

"Well for now it's enough to know that Patton is going down," the boy explained.

"What?"

Tolly's eyes became serious again. "I'm going to kill him no matter what. So you just all wait here till I return."

"Eeeh? Did you hit your head kid?! You can't just go and kill Patton, you'll be dead before you get close!" A man yelled back, looking as shocked from the kid's words as all of them.

"You want to end up like your parents!?" A woman shrieked in worry.

Tolly's fists clutched at his sides when his parents were mentioned. He bowed his head down to hide his expression. "I'm…definitely gonna do it…_for_ my parents, to avenge them! Even if I die, I'll-!"

Suddenly Tolly's eyes widened as he felt sharp pain in his abdomen. Penguin, who was standing beside him, punched the kid in the stomach hard enough to send him into unconsciousness.

"What did you do?!" A man from the town tried to break loose from the ropes they were all bound with and attack Penguin.

However, the mechanic didn't look worried at all. "I just put him to sleep for a while, he's too troublesome. There's no reason to die yet…" He scratched the back of his head before kicking a knife that was on the ground towards the hostages. "Free yourselves and wait till we finish the Baxter pirates. Then, do whatever you want," the mechanic shrugged uninterested by the hostages.

"He'll hate you for this, you know," Shachi sighed as he talked to Penguin, staring at the unconscious boy on the ground.

The younger mechanic gazed at the kid as well. "Well at least he'll be alive to do so, then."

"Why…did you save us?" A woman from the hostage group asked timidly, staring up at the Heart pirates.

The said pirates looked at each other as if thinking. Suddenly, Shachi sighed, scratching the back of his head. "We just felt like it, that's all."

The townspeople stared back at the Hearts as if the pirates were crazy.

"Besides, you were taken hostages because we were coming, right? Now I don't particularly care, but if that girl knew there were innocent civilians being held hostage because of her, she'd surely feel responsible and want to do something about that, right?" Penguin shrugged lazily.

"That…girl?" An elder asked quizzically.

The Heart Pirates sighed, all of them thinking of the same Wano girl staring at them with reprimanding golden eyes. Indeed, she would never let them hear the end of it if they didn't do something and she found out about it. Her sense of responsibility was just that intense.

Just then a sound of a den den mushi was heard. "B-boss…we're under attack by the Heart Pirates…we lost…the hostages…" Barely conscious and bleeding, one of the Baxter pirates managed to get his hands on a den den mushi, calling his captain.

"Arlond, what's happening out there?" The den den mushi narrowed his eyes dangerously while an unfamiliar deep voice sounded itself from the transponder snail.

"Ugh!" Before the pirate Arlond could answer, Sai hit him hard in the head with his rifle, sending the man back to unconsciousness.

"You're a nuisance, Arlond-san," Sai commented in his bored tone before taking the snail in his hands.

There was nothing but silence on both sides of the den den mushi before that deep voice was heard again. "You…Heart Pirates…You won't get out of this island alive."

Ignoring the man's statement, Sai talked into the transponder snail. "How did you know we're coming here anyway?"

A dark chuckle came from the den den mushi. "Don't underestimate the power of information and money, boy."

"Hn, it doesn't matter. Captain will kick your ass soon enough!" Bepo suddenly yelled into the snail before hanging up. He took the snail and set it free into the wild, removing the communicator from its little house. There was a rare frown on the bear's face as he still thought about the Baxter captain on the other side of the line.

"Don't worry Bepo, even if they know everything about us, captain Law will still win," Penguin grinned, putting a hand on the bear's shoulder. He was actually more worried about something else right now. His hidden gaze behind the rim of his hat traveled to the ground towards the 10 year-old-boy sleeping there. That kid was so set in his vengeance; he was even ready to discard his young life to beat this Patton guy. His hatred ran so deep, even his own life wasn't a priority anymore. Penguin sighed at that thought. _*It's too early for you to die kid. World is a large place, at least see some of it first.*_ The mechanic felt a nick of annoyance inside of him, aimed towards a certain pirate captain called Baxter. "Come on guys, let's go clean this island from some _pirate scum_," he stated sarcastically, using Tolly's words even though, ironically, the ones saving the islanders right now were also pirates.

"Hey, Penguin, I'm the first mate so don't start giving orders!" The bear complained loudly as the Heart Pirates walked out of Old Man's Mill, leaving the townspeople to look after the peculiar group with dumbfounded expressions.

~…~

A man stood alone in the room and sighed in exasperation as he put his den den mushi back in place. "So they failed, huh?" Patton Baxter turned around, showing a face of a man about thirty years old. His right eye was covered in a black eye patch though the rest of the right side of his face was completely scarred as well. He wore a dark red cloak above his simple clothes with two leather straps on his torso that carried two pistols. In a decorated wooden room, some music was playing on a record quietly from a gramophone.

The man sighed again, sitting back behind a large heavy table which was filled with all kinds of food and drink. Patton took a glass of red wine, drinking the whole contents of the crystal glass in one sip. Beside him there was a young, pretty woman in a simple dress, holding a silver tray of food. She was just a girl from the town, taken in as a servant for Patton's need. She was completely silent but obviously scared out of her wits as her whole body trembled while she put the new tray down onto the wooden table. "Honestly, they're all so useless! I guess it's like the saying goes; if you want something done, you need to do it yourself." He looked up at the young blonde next to him and grinned, showing shiny white teeth. "Right?" Suddenly he took the girl by her waist, bringing her down on his lap.

"Hya!" The woman yelped in surprise but didn't try to run away as the pirate held her down on his lap. He went after his glass again but only stared at it disappointedly as it was now empty. Seeing his look, the girl froze in terror. "S-s-sorry master! I will get you a refill right away!" She tried grabbing the pitch of wine with trembling hands as cold sweat flowed down her back. However, she winced in sheer fear when the man grabbed her fumbling hands. It wasn't a fast movement nor did he squeeze her hands too tightly so it would hurt, yet the girl still froze in fear.

"That's fine, we'll just use something else to fill the glass then," Patton chuckled with a calm voice. "You know…I really _hate_ being disappointed…" He took a knife from the table in one hand while holding the girl's wrist with the other. "Making sure my glass is always full is your job isn't it?"

"Y-yes?" The girl barely managed to speak, tears forming in her eyes. But not answering would only bring her more trouble.

"I even let you work in my nice home here yet you fail at your job," his tone was still completely calm. Even as he moved the knife over her wrist, making a thin but deep slice appear on the woman's hand. He moved her wrist above the glass, watching as the red liquid continued to flow into the glass. "So you see, you have to work hard not to disappoint me," he gripped her wrist harder so that more blood would come out. The woman screamed in pain as tears started filling her eyes. She was starting to feel lightheaded from the loss of blood but the captain didn't stop.

Suddenly, a step echoed through the room. "I see…So you wanted to use hostages in order to bargain with them for your life? But even if you still had them, that wouldn't help you at all," a new voiced came from the darkness as a man entered the room.

Patton glared at the tall man who was leaning against the doorframe of the room with his nodachi at his side. There was a smirk on the man's features as he kept his grey eyes trained on the other captain.

Baxter watched Trafalgar Law come into the room uninvited, while staring at the Baxter captain as if looking down on him. Patton's eyes narrowed at that sight. "So you managed to come all the way here, did you? Honestly, every last one of them disappoint me…He suddenly threw the girl from his lap and onto the ground, standing up slowly. He put one of his hands on the machete by his side while he took the glass filled with blood in the other and drank it all up easily as if it were really wine.

~….~

The Okama turned on his heel before aiming a series of strong kicks towards Miyako. Every hit was meant for his high-heel to pierce the samurai's defense and her head with it. "Okama kempo; la danse de rue!" He yelled in a high pitched voice, showering Miyako with numerous kicks. However, the girl moved her katana in accordance, blocking each of the kicks with her sword.

Finding an opening, Miyako swung her sword to move the man's leg to the side before stepping forward in order to slice the okama. However, the other jumped backwards into the air and tried kicking Miyako's chin with his long legs in the process.

The samurai barely blocked with her katana, but then charged forward as soon as she recuperated, seeing the okama land onto the ground again_. Ittoryu: 9 strikes! _Miyako aimed at nine vital points of the person in front, trying to slice each as she charged forward with lightning speed. Yet, the opponent blocked each one with his leg gazing down at the shorter girl in front. Suddenly, the okama stepped down on Miyako's katana, bringing it down onto the ground along with Miyako who had to bend down in the process. Before the girl had a chance to take it out, the okama hit the samurai girl hard beneath her chin and sent Miyako flying backwards onto the ground.

With a grunt of pain, the girl landed back onto the wooden floor, sliding across it. During that time, she let go of her katana and watched with panic as the man stepped on it. "It's useless, darling gave me the order to kill you and there is no way I can disappoint him," the okama chuckled. Miyako guessed by 'darling' the okama meant captain Patton Baxter. "Too bad, Trafalgar will be disappointed in you though. That just proves I'm the better woman here," the man grinned. "It's too bad that handsome Trafalgar will have to be killed too, but between them, darling is still better after all." Slowly, the okama started walking towards Miyako who was still on the floor.

The samurai girl could feel the metal taste of blood in her mouth from the previous hit, but her golden eyes were only trained on the katana on the floor thinking of the quickest way to get it back into her hands.

"So let Madame Tissou put you out of your misery," the okama chucked again, his long silky black hair swinging as he walked.

Miyako slowly stood up, glaring at the opponents in front of her. *_I didn't use this technique in some time now, but-* _

The tall man was soon right in front of Miyako, preparing to deliver the finishing strike. "Okama kempo; fleche!" His leg darted out towards Miyako with such speed that the regular human could hardly follow the movement with their eyes.

However, the samurai didn't get confused by the speed at all. Instead, she made a proper fighting stance even without the katana in her hands. Her arms moved to one side as if she was about to attack with an invisible weapon, while her body moved to the other, stepping forward towards the okama's attack. _'Ittouryu: Vanishing Sword!' _

The samurai girl seemed as if she simply passed right through the deadly leg attack by her opponent as a ghost flowing through the air and leaving an afterimage behind her. The okama's eyes widened in shock as she felt a chilling presence on her, as if the girl just literally passed through her. But that was physically impossible! While thinking these thoughts, the okama barely realized Miyako was no longer standing in front of her but was instead behind her. The samurai ran and jumped onto the ground, taking her sword, before rolling into a crouch behind her opponent. Her eyes shone with their golden color brightly as her long hair danced around her, while the girl moved the katana in front of her still in a crouch and turned sideways towards the man. _Ittouryu Technique; 8 gates of the Dragon! _In one move, Miyako leaped from the ground towards her enemy, aiming for the eight points of the other's body.

"Eh?" the okama just turned around in time to stare at the quickly approaching doom with wide eyes. He tried to block but wasn't fast enough to turn, as Miyako sliced at his body before passing him by.

The tall man started falling backwards with wide eyes and mouth agape, blood spurting from his body. With a thud, the okama fell backwards on his back with only whites seen in his eyes.

Miyako sharply swung her katana to the side once to let the blood fall from the metal before carefully sliding the sword back into the scabbard on her waist. "Sorry, but I don't have any intention of disappointing my captain either. There's still a lot I need to do," the samurai gave the limp body on the ground one last glance before turning around and stepping out of the room.

She found herself in a maze of hallways again and glanced around her. There was suddenly a troubled expression on the girl's features. "Well I said all that but….how do I get out of this place?" She tilted her head to the side in question, with her arms crossed on her chest. All the coldness in her gaze was gone as it was replaced by a comically troubled expression.

~…~

"Hmm, so even if I try and use this girl as a hostage I doubt you'll care, huh?" Patton sadly gazed down at the terrified blonde who was trying to crawl away from him on the ground.

Law took out his nodachi and smirked. "Well you can try." Of course if Patton did, Law would just slash both of them instantly, without batting an eye.

Baxter smirked back but his eyes held just a glint of nervousness in them. "Alright Trafalgar Law…let's see what you're made of," with that, Patton charged towards Trafalgar with his machete in hand.

"Room," the captain of the Heart Pirates slashed with his nodachi towards the other man, while the blue sphere circled around them. Just as Law thought the hit landed, Patton disappeared right before his eyes. To be more exact, Baxter created something that looked like a black hole in which he jumped, dodging Law's attack that way.

Trafalgar's eyes widened slightly when the black hole closed again and Baxter completely disappeared from his sight. Looking around for any sign of the other captain, Law didn't notice another black hole opening up behind him from the ground. Patton came up from it, swinging with his long machete at Law's back.

Luckily, the other captain's haki warned him in time of the man's presence and Law swiftly turned around to block the weapon with his own. *_A devil fruit?*_ that was the only explanation he could think of that would give Patton such an advantage. He could see Baxter's grin before his eyes, making Law narrow them once more. "Room!" His sphere that was broken before returned again but was smaller this time. Law tried to keep his breathing level but could feel some of his energy drain from his system. "Shambles!" He suddenly called out and Patton disappeared, only to be switched with a nearby chair by Law's powers. Even before Patton appeared there, a bit confused and disoriented, Law sliced the air with his nodachi towards the other captain.

Baxter used his haki-laced weapon to block one of Law's slice attacks before jumping backwards into another black hole that appeared right out of thin air. The hole closed behind him instantly, and reappeared right above Law. Trafalgar looked up and clicked his tongue in annoyance as Baxter came out and attacked with his haki, clashing his machete down onto Law who blocked with his nodachi.

"It's useless, I ate the ho-ru, ho-ru devil fruit and can teleport through these holes wherever I want. You'll never be able to land a hit." Even as the captain said this, Law kept his cool gaze on the pirate above and didn't say anything. However Patton noticed Law's breathing became more ragged and grinned with satisfaction. "I guess my men weren't completely useless after all. I know that using your devil fruit power takes away your energy, and makes it harder for you to use it after a while. The more you use it, the weaker it becomes. That's why I sent all those small fry at you, hoping to at least wear you out. I was right to do so!" The man attacked again, completely dropping out of the hole and above Trafalgar, as he smashed his haki power onto Law.

"Tch!" Trafalgar clutched his nodachi harder and swung to the side with it, sending Patton in the air and away from him. The other captain simply landed to the side before sending some of his haki slices flying towards Law.

The Heart Pirates captain did the same and the haki slashes smashed in the air between them, creating a blast that rose up all the dust in the air.

"Tact!" Even though blinded from the dust, Law could still feel the presence of the other man and rose up numerous wooden pinnacles from the floor where the man should be standing. In another moment, Patton's presence vanished. *_Did I hit him?!* _

Just then, Law felt it return right beneath his feet as the hole appeared there and Patton grabbed his leg. *_So I can't feel his presence when he's inside here!* _As Law thought that, he went to pierce inside the hole with his nodachi, only seeing Baxter's hand come out of it. However the other pirate puled at Law's leg, making him lose his balance and start falling. Another hand with a machete came out, swinging towards Law but the Heart Pirates used his powers to teleport instead, barely dodging the slash coming at him. Once again Baxter rose up from his black hole, chuckling all the while.

"Hole in one!" Baxter suddenly shouted and blasted a black hole from his hand.

Law felt a bad feeling about the attack and decided to dodge inside of blocking it. He jumped to the side, rolling onto the ground and landing in a crouch. The black hole nicked a wooden pillar that was behind him instead. Where the hole hit, the piece of the pillar was gone, creating a spherical cut instead. "Let's try that again," Patton grinned and started creating an ever bigger black hole than before.

"Like I'll let you!" Law growled and slashed the air a couple of times with his nodachi, his hits laced with haki and still using his devil fruit powers. However, using all that at once took even more energy out of him. Half a year ago he would already be spent, unable to use his devil fruit powers or haki anymore but the harsh training he went through paid off. He still wasn't so far gone as to lose his powers at a time like this.

However, Patton jumped into another hole to dodge then appeared right before Law, sending the other captain flying backwards with a kick in his stomach.

"Ugh!" Law grunted as he felt himself flying backwards but then noticed with the corner of his eye there was a black hole created in the air behind him. The captain flew right in and in the next instant found himself on the ground with Patton swinging with his machete right above him. Law's eyes widened when he realized there was no time for him the dodge the deadly attack going for his neck.

"Law!" A familiar high voice came to his ears as a clashing of metal echoed through the room. Before him, Miyako was standing with her katana, blocking the machete that was meant for him. The girl sighed in relief when she noticed heir captain was alright, glancing at him from the side. "Thank god I found this place in time."

Baxter's eyes narrowed dangerously at the newcomer hindering him. "You….didn't I send Tissou to deal with you?"

"He failed," Miyako answered coldly, glaring at Patton while still holding back his weapon with her own. The two swords scraped together, creating friction between them.

"Honestly, everyone is so disappointing today. How hard can it be to kill one little girl?" He commented mockingly as if talking to himself and completely ignoring Miyako.

The girl glared at him but stayed quiet, unimpressed by his taunting words. She wouldn't lose her head because of something trivial like that, anyway.

Suddenly, Baxter jumped away but then created a black hole next to him, pulling out one of the guns strapped at his torso. He let the gun get swallowed in the hole while another hole appeared right behind Miyako. The man shot from the gun, the bullets being transported into the other hole and right towards Miyako.

"Room!" Law yelled just as the samurai girl turned with wide eyes to see the bullets flying in front of her. Before they could hit, however, Miyako disappeared with Law's help and reappeared by the side of the once again standing captain.

"What was that?!"

"Be careful, he ate a devil fruit. He can create and transport anything or anyone through those black holes. It seems he can create them anywhere and even destroy the space when they hit," Trafalgar quickly explained, his eyes sharply glued to Baxter in front of them.

The girl glanced from one man to the other, but she looked more worried about Law than Patton's attacks right now. Trafalgar was panting and his Room just now was much smaller than she was used to seeing from him. "Are you ok, you look tired?"

As soon as she said it, Miyako regretted it as Law gave her a dark look. He didn't say anything but his gaze was enough for her to know to drop the topic. He didn't want to be saved by her; she knew that much. "Stay here, I'll deal with him on my own," Law finally said, stepping forward towards Patton.

"Eh!? But-!" She wanted to protest but his eyes full of killing intent were enough for her to realize there was no point in complaining. She sighed, staring at the man with her troubled expression. Still, she stayed silent, unmoving from her spot as Law went back into the battle.

"Kahahaha! How nice, so much pride you have!" Patton laughed at Law's actions. "However…your naïve if you think-" He started, creating a hole and sending it towards Miyako. "that I'll just leave her be!"

The samurai gasped in surprise, but jumped to the side, avoiding the attack that created a crater in the wall behind her. The part of the wall there just simply vanished as if teleported somewhere by the hole attack. With such a devil fruit power, there was nothing left but dodge or else her katana or body would end up the same way. Miyako gulped at the thought.

Seeing that Baxter had no intention of leaving her out of this, the girl clutched her katana and charged at him. "Why you-!" She muttered, swiftly appearing before the captain.

"Oy, I said not to get involved!" Law warned but it was too late, as Miyako already attacked the other pirate.

However, Baxter simply created a hole beneath the girl's feet, letting her fall into it. Miyako appeared out in the other part of the room, confused by the sudden change in her surroundings. Suddenly a hole opened up above her and a rain of haki filled pierces came out, made by Patton. Her eyes widened and she instantly put her katana above her, trying to block or dodge each one. As the attacks rained down onto her, Miyako could feel slices cutting at her skin every now and then. There were just too many of them to block all of them, and some ripped her flesh, making blood flow out of the wounds. She gritted her teeth, thought, and waited till the attacks stopped.

Meanwhile, Patton was just about to disappear into another hole in the air. Before it could close, Law sent a few slashes into it, hoping to get the man inside. Instead, another hole opened behind him and his own attacks came towards him. He managed to disappear and dodge using his powers in a nick of time. Law gritted his teeth and used his powers to create numerous boulders and sharp pieces of wood from the room. *_If I could only hit him once it would be enough,* _the captain thought irritably. His eyes caught a quick movement to his side, and Law used his powers again. Suddenly Patton found himself surrounded by various sharp objects flying towards him and about to crush him from all sides.

Baxter clicked his tongue and disappeared through another hole, but as he emerged out of it, Miyako quickly jumped after him and grabbed at him. "What!?" The captain exclaimed in surprise and the girl held his arm tightly.

"I won't let you run again! Law!" She yelled for her captain to act. The girl's clothing was ripped in some places, showing bloodied, red cuts.

"Let go, you bitch!" Baxter exclaimed in slight panic, but the hand with his machete was being held by the girl who let go of her katana and held his arms with both hands and all her strength. The man tried to dive back down into the hole but the girl kept pulling him up, determined to not let him go.

Her captain appeared right above Patton with his nodachi raised, not about to lose this opportunity. His glare was as cold and merciless as always, as if he was cutting down any insignificant bug whose life didn't matter to him.

"O-oy, wait!" Baxter shouted in panic, realizing he was about to be cut down.

Law's nodachi came down, slicing the flesh in front of it, as easily as butter. The Hearts captain's eyes widened as he saw blood splash out of the body. Miyako had the same shocked look as she watched the scene.

A tall woman with long black hair suddenly appeared in front of Baxter shielding him from the attack with her own body. The nodachi slashed through her deeply before Law pulled it out and stepped back in confusion.

Miyako instantly recognized the person that just appeared. _Madame Tissou! _

The okama fell back onto Baxter, his blood staining his captain and the floor around them.

"Tissou?" Even Patton seemed shocked as he realized his life was just saved.

The okama coughed, a painful expression on his face, as he tried to smile up at his captain. "I…was useful…after all….darling…" He managed to stutter through fits of coughs and ragged breaths.

Patton suddenly grinned in satisfaction. "Yeah, you did great Tissou. Nice work!" His grin was wide and gleeful even as he watched his subordinate die. Baxter was simply glad he didn't die; but there was no compassion for the crewmember who just gave his life to save his. Tissou's eyes closed with a smile on his face as the life disappeared completely from him. "I guess this disgusting guy wasn't a total disappointment after all," Patton stood up, discarding the body off of him as if it was a piece of trash.

Miyako's eyes widened in disbelief at his words. "How can you say that, wasn't he your comrade?! He gave his life to save yours!"

The look Patton gave her in return was completely void of any emotion. "So what? That's what the crew is supposed to do for their captain anyway."

The samurai stayed silent but her hands clenched into fists. She took back her katana in one hand, clenching the hilt in her palm hard enough for it to turn white.

"That guy was completely disgusting, calling me his darling. What the hell was with that anyway?!" Patton continued with a completely disgusted expression on his face. „No matter, he served his purpose and now I'll get to finish you once and for all."

The girl glared at the pirate captain with a deadly stare, filled with killing intentions. _*This bastard…To his own nakama…*_A dark aura swirled around her as she suddenly leaped at the pirate to cut him down.

However, the man grabbed a hold of Tissou's body, using it as a shield in front of him. Even though she knew the man was dead, for just a split second, Miyako hesitated, having mixed emotions about cutting through the body, but even that small moment was enough for Baxter to use in his advantage.

"Miyako!" Law saw what Patton was about to do and tried to move to create his Room but grunted in exhaustion when the sphere wouldn't start. His powers were slowly reaching their limit. He tried again, but it was already too late.

"Hole blaster!" Baxter yelled out his attack and simply tossed Tissou's body towards the girl. She dodged but it was too late as his attack already hit her and Law. He used air pressure to contain in a small hole, before releasing it through another portal hole. As it came out, the pressure was released and the blast hit the two Heart Pirates head on. Both Miyako and Law were sent flying backwards, landing hard in the ruble.

"Room!" Law tried again and this time managed to get himself away from the biggest part of the blast, but wasn't able to get to Miyako in time.

As soon as the dust cleared, Trafalgar could see the damage Patton's attack has done. The room was filled with ruble and pieces of broken furniture and wood. He saw Miyako sprawled on the ground, with a few sharp wooden pinnacles underneath her. She didn't look like she was stabbed with any but her physical condition was still unclear at this point to Law. She had her eyes closed and was lightly moving as if trying to regain her senses.

That's when Law noticed a shadow coming towards them. He clutched his nodachi and tried to move, but stopped in shock when he noticed his legs wouldn't budge. Looking down, he noticed he was standing right in one of Patton's black holes that the man probably created as soon as his other attack finished. Law's legs disappeared in the darkness of the hole all the way to his knees and he wasn't able to climb out or move. Struggling, he saw Patton walking towards them and gritted his teeth when he noticed the captain stopped in front of the barely conscious Miyako.

Baxter grinned as he saw the condition of the girl that was still lying on the ground. She had cuts and bruises on her pale skin, bleeding slightly from her head that she probably hit when she fell down from the blast. That's probably why she was so disoriented now, she could even have a concussion. Her clothes were ripped apart in some parts; her black stockings had large holes and slits on them and a part of her shirt was also missing, showing some skin underneath. The pirate licked his lips as he saw a part of her skirt lifted to show off one thigh. The pirate had a sickening grin on his lips when he moved closer to the young girl, a new idea in mind.

As Patton made one more step towards her, a cold voice sounded itself behind him. "Make one more step and I'll tear you to pieces," the voice sounded completely void of emotion, but that only made it sound more venomous. The tone was so dark, the room suddenly felt a lot colder and even Patton unconsciously felt a chill down his spine.

Baxter turned towards the source of that voice and stared at Trafalgar. The captain of the Heart Pirates was glaring back at the other man with such a deadly expression that it wouldn't be a surprise if he could kill someone with such a look.

It actually made Patton stop for a second and rethink his plan, but then the man remembered Law's legs were captured and he was unable to move. As if trying to mask his relief and nervousness, Baxter snickered amusedly. "I doubt you can do that in your position," as he said that, the captain once again turned towards Miyako and grabbed the front of her shirt to lift her off the ground with it. Then with a painful force strong enough to make all her air rush out of her lungs, Patton slammed her back down using even his haki. Her eyes widened in pain as she felt pieces of the floor get destroyed under her body and some of them stabbed into her. Miyako coughed, feeling blood in her mouth. "You and I are going to have some fun before I kill you," Baxter snickered putridly again and licked the girl's ear.

The samurai turned her head from him, trying to shield herself from the disgustingly wet feeling. She gritted her teeth, trying to struggle but Baxter was already using his weight to get on top of her and keep her from moving. She was still disoriented and too weak to get him off of her. "Struggle all you want, it just makes me more excited~" The man cooed, laughing. As she saw the look in his eyes, a sudden realization hit Miyako and a freezing chill went down her body. *_No…stop…no, don't'!* _

"I want to see you suffer more. You both will pay for destroying my lovely base and killing all my henchmen." Miyako could feel his hands on her as he still spoke in her ear, before licking the side of her face. She winced, more from unease than actual pain, as she continued to struggle uselessly. *_No, I don't want this!* _Fear traveled Miyako's veins, a feeling completely different than when she's fighting her opponents. As Patton's hands traveled down her sides and thighs, beneath her skirt, that fear only grew stronger. These things…it wasn't anything Law didn't do before yet it felt completely different. That thought brought the picture of a man in her thoughts, silently pleading for his help. *_Law! No…if it's not him…I don't want it, if it's not Law!* _The thought completely surprised even Miyako. When did she start thinking like that? From the 'I don't need anyone' to 'I want only Law,' her eyes widened as she realized this change just now.

She bit her lip and newfound determination entered her mind. *_No, I won't let this happen!* _She glared up at Baxter, ignoring her pain and hazy mind, seeing how he was already on top of her. Pushing him off wasn't working but Miyako had something else in mind. With all her might the girl moved her knee upwards as her leg rested just between his. The knee made contact with his most sensitive area and hard, making Patton release a choking surprised sound and stiffen completely. The girl used this chance to roll him off as he momentarily let go of her, and quickly leaped towards her captain.

Law's eyes widened as he saw the situation and the girl quickly grabbed both his hands, pulling him out of the strange black hole that was keeping him from moving. "Uuungh!" Miyako pulled as hard as she could, before both of them fell to the ground and Law was finally free.

"You….you little bitch! I'm going to rip you apart! I'm going to rape your dead body!" Patton roared numerous profanities as he finally managed to get up and walk off the pain in his groin. He raised both hands in the air. A grin appeared on his face as a large black hole started appearing. In wasn't a ball, but a thin surface with a round shape like a disc. It continued to grow in his hands.

Miyako however, took back her katana and stepped beside Law, glaring at the man in front of them with pure hatred. _*I'll kill him…this sick bastard, I'll definitely slice him to shreds!* _

"Miyako," Law's calm voice reached the girl, bringing her back from her dark thoughts. She looked up at him in wonder. The man was standing beside her, breathing hard but mostly uninjured, with his nodachi in one hand. "Don't get distracted," he warned in his usual tone. However, even as his voice seemed calm, the look in his eyes was so dark and full of hate that it was enough to bring anyone to their knees from pure fear. Law might want to kill this guy even more than her.

The girl looked back at what Patton was doing. *_This guy is sickening, but Law is right…getting angry now won't help, it'll just make me vulnerable. What I need to do now is end this man. Treating his crewmembers like objects to be used, and even doing that to me…* _Miyako shivered at the nauseating memory of his heat which was still fresh in her mind. It was completely different than when Law touched her. *_That reason is enough to kick this guy's ass into oblivion!* _

"Kahahah, I'll make you disappear from this world without any trace left!" Patton Baxter exclaimed at the two Heart Pirates, as his weapon was nearly done.

However, both Miyako and Law simply took a stance. "Room," Law created the blue sphere to surround them while swinging back his nodachi, to prepare for a slash. Meanwhile, Miyako sheathed back her sword and took a battojutsu stance. "As if we would just wait for you to do it," the samurai girl commented, both she and the captain thinking of the same thing.

Patton gritted his teeth as he saw the two were about to attack. "Well it's a bit incomplete and sooner than I expected, but this amount is enough to destroy you too! You don't even have a chance!" Baxter yelled back, releasing his black disk towards the pair as he threw it.

_Ittouryu Technique; Kiritateru! _Miyako released her strongest technique, while Law also swung his nodachi filled with both haki and using his ope ope powers. Their two attacks collided with Baxter's, creating a mighty blast. At first everything seemed at a standstill, with Miyako and Law gritting their teeth to hold out against the strange attack. Then with a roar from them, their attacks slashed through Patton's , making the thing explode and blast everything away. Their two slashes went through to captain Baxter, slicing his body at once. As the dust finally cleared, everything was in ruins. Patton was on the ground, lifeless. The two slices didn't only go through his attack and him, but sliced the whole room and building in half. The rooftop started falling as the whole base started crumbling to the ground. Miyako and Law who were panting hard and completely exhausted, watched as everything around them crumbled.

"We need to get out of here!" Miyako exclaimed, trying to see a way out but everything was falling apart. Even the ground beneath them started cracking and falling towards the floor below. The building was slowly caving in. "Can't you just teleport us!?"

"Room!" Law tried to create another sphere with his powers. The air circling around his palm appeared and it started expanding, only to disappear again. "Tch! Room!" Yelling louder, the captain tried again and a sphere appeared weakly around them. It was small, and it wasn't enough to teleport them out, but Law had another plan.

A large piece of the roof started falling onto them. Miyako slashed with her sword above, and cut the piece into smaller ones but it was still dangerous there. However, before they could move, the floor beneath them crumbled and both started falling down into the darkness.

Miyako's eyes widened when she felt Law grab her protectively and move his body to be closer to the ground when they hit. Unlike Patton who would let his people die for him without blinking an eye, Law was shielding her with his own body as they fell down. They hit a pole which was crushed beneath some walls and they rolled towards a piece of wall which was now horizontal and eased their fall a bit before the two finally fell onto the hard ground. Even with a few obstacles on the way, they still hit the floor hard enough to feel the numbing pain in their body. Miyako had it better as she fell on Trafalgar rather than directly on the ground. Her katana made a clanging sound as it fell beside them; luckily it stayed close and undamaged. Yet she didn't have much time to revel in that fact since she saw numerous large boulders and pieces of the building fall towards them. Her eyes widened in despair, before hearing Law groan under her in pain. He gritted his teeth to fight the pain in his shoulder and yelled Room!" Once again nothing happened. Miyako unconsciously tightened her grip on his coat. "Room!" He yelled again and a small sphere appeared just around them. "Tact!" the man yelled again. Everything went dark when the ground created a dome around them with Law's powers to shield them from everything that was falling down. Their stone shelter shook as rumbling noise of destruction raged outside.

When Miyako opened her eyes the darkness was so thick she wasn't even sure if she really did open them. The space was small and there wasn't much oxygen here. The heat and stuffiness was unbearable, but she felt for her surroundings until she felt the soft fabric of Law's coat beneath her fingers. "Law," she called out hoping that he was well and awake. It took some time but her eyes finally got used to the dark a bit, when he responded and shifted in his place.

"I'm fine," he sounded awfully exhausted. "But we're probably buried beneath the whole building. The air in here won't last long, either," even as he said that, Law kept his usual calm tone as if analyzing the situation. He wasn't panicking even in this event that could lead to their deaths.

"You can't use your powers anymore, right?" Miyako asked worriedly. She tried to feel her away to her sword and sighed in relief when she felt it. Still, the space was so confined she couldn't swing her sword to cut the stone surrounding them. Law didn't answer anything at her question, but that was enough for her to understand what that meant. She tried to use her hands to push away the ground around them.

"Don't. The whole thing might collapse on us if you do that," the captain warned quickly.

_*Well even if that wasn't the truth, I don't have enough strength to push this away anyway,*_ Miyako sighed sadly at her thoughts, wishing Jean Bart was here to help. *_That's it!*_ An idea crossed Miyako's mind and the girl looked back at Law through the darkness. She could already see his outlines now. "Law, do you have your den den mushi with you?!" She heard quick rustling of clothing and silently hoped the transponder snail wasn't broken by their fall. There were some more noises and soon a sound of a calling tone came out of the den den mushi. Miyako would've jumped from happiness if there was enough room to do so.

After a while, a voice came out of the other side and the call connected to the den den mushi in the submarine. It was none other than Jean Bart who waited at the submarine with a few other Heart Pirates. "Hello?" A deep, grunting voice came from the snail.

"Jean Bart-ya…" Law started explaining the situation, while Miyako smiled silently and sighed in utter relief one more time.

~…~

The pair waited silently in the darkness, trying to preserve the little oxygen they had left. The samurai girl felt sleepier as moments went by and a bit light headed, probably from how stuffy it was in this place.

"Thank you…for protecting me," she suddenly muttered through the darkness. There was no response from Law but she knew he heard her. "And I'm sorry…you were right. I _was_ avoiding you these past couple of days," she admitted a bit awkwardly. However, the fact that she couldn't see his face because of the darkness helped a lot.

"Why?" Law's voice cut through the silence.

Now it was Miyako's turn to go silent. *_Isn't it obvious why?*_ However, before she could answer, surprisingly, Law cut her off as he continued.

"I didn't protect you," he said a bit sharply.

*_Eh?_* Miyako blinked in question but her facial expression stayed hidden in the darkness.

"Just now I…couldn't protect you," Law's voice was still sharp as if he was angry but she couldn't tell at whom. There was clear venom in his tone. He was acting different than usual, but because she couldn't see his expression, she couldn't read what was going on with him. "That's why that bastard almost…" The captain stopped talking suddenly.

Even though he didn't finish, Miyako knew what Law meant by it. True, if she didn't act quick enough to stop Patton at that time, who knew what would have happened to her. The girl shivered at the idea, not even wanting to dwell on it. "Law...you don't have to protect me," she started, but Law kept silent. "We…your crewmembers, aren't here to be protected by you. We're here to fight beside you, to reach our mutual goal along with each of our own," what she said might have sounded rude, but Miyako hoped Law could understand what she was trying to tell him. "We're all training to become stronger not only to protect each other, but so others won't have to. That's why, you don't have to worry, even if you don't protect me, I'll still be fine…." She sighed, worried she might have come across differently than she intended to. Trafalgar was still silent beside her. "If I have to constantly be protected by you than my place in this crew is meaningless," she smiled softly even though her captain couldn't see it. "So you shouldn't feel bad or responsible, even if I get hurt. That just means I need to get stronger. I'm not saying I don't need you all, I do, but what I want is to fight side by side with everyone equally. I think that's what nakama should do. Sometimes when I'm in trouble you'll help me, and sometimes you won't be able to, but don't worry Law...in the end, I'll always find a way and be fine. The same goes both ways."

The silence dragged on forever in her mind and Miyako started feeling a bit awkward, thinking she was rude to say such things after all. She didn't mean it in a bad way but perhaps she came across like that after all. The subject was a bit hard to explain even inside her own head. Feeling uncertain, the girl opened her mouth to say something else and ease the atmosphere but she suddenly felt something pull her forward into comfortable softness. It took some time for her hazy mind to register that she was being embraced in Law's arms, feeling his warmth wrap around her. That was the first time Law actually hugged her, the first time he initiated it. Even though they did so many other things, this was a surprising first for her. She could barely see anything in the darkness, only outlines and moving shadows. But that only made her feel everything around her more, all of her senses suddenly heightened, as her heartbeat started thumping loudly. It felt like her heart would beat right out of her chest, as the sounds echoed in her ears.

One hand brought her closer towards that warmth, while the other entangled in her long hair, pulling her in. At first she thought he would kiss her, but instead, she felt his hot breath on her ear. There was nothing but silence and rustling of clothes around them, when Law's lips moved next to her ear and he whispered the words softly into it. It took some time for the words to reach Miyako's mind, but as they did the girl widened her golden eyes in shock and stayed completely still in her spot. Nothing else came out of Law's mouth, nor did he move after that. But those simple words still echoed in her mind, when small tears appeared in the corner of her widened eyes. She could feel her face becoming hot and Miyako was sure there was a deep blush on her face, but she still smiled gently with her vision hazy from the teardrops.

~…..~

Miyako didn't know how much time it passed when they finally heard muffled voices and rumbling sounds above them. The two called for the others, leading the crewmembers towards their small shelter.

As they heard more crumbing noises, Miyako had to squint her eyes and shield them from sudden light that burst into their space. Above them, pieces of stone and wood moved away and the face of Jean Bart and Munk appeared along with the other Heart Pirates.

"We found them!"

"They're here!"

"Get more men!"

The Heart Pirates yelled out, smiling in relief when they found Miyako and their captain more-or-less safe and sound.

Miyako also smiled in relief, happy to see everyone's faces. Some of them also looked a bit beaten up, like Cody and Joshua, but nobody was that seriously injured. They were all already patched up and in bandages. All that was left was to take care of Law and Miyako.

The two medics shared stories with the samurai girl of their own fight as they helped her bandage her wounds. Luckily nothing was broken and there was no internal bleeding, so there were only some cuts to heal.

"But seriously, what's with that shameless, half-naked appearance?" Joshua eyed her suspiciously since her clothes were mostly thorn.

The girl blushed and gave the medic a pout, putting her hands in front of her protectively. "Don't stare you pervert!" However, she didn't tell anyone what Patton almost did to her; and Law didn't mention anything either. She was thankful for that.

"Like there's something to stare at anyway," the redhead bit back in irritation.

"Now, now…" Cody tried to calm them down with a sheepish smile on his face.

Penguin sighed as he saw the usual troublesome group arguing and being loud. They were currently sitting on some crates at the docks in front of the yellow submarine, readying their departure. "Honestly, how did you guys get such injuries anyway? You need a lot more training to do obviously," he shrugged and tilted his head, giving off a high-and-mighty feel.

Josh and Miyako both glared at the mechanic, clenching their fists to deliver him a blow.

"I apologize deeply!" The said mechanic instantly took a step back as he noticed their dark auras. A hand on his shoulder stopped him and Penguin turned around to see Shachi pointing behind them. There, standing at the entrance to the town was a group of people, timidly looking at the Heart Pirates. The townspeople probably wanted to at least send their helpers off even though nobody seemed to dare and approach the pirates. That's when a small boy in ragged clothing came out from the crowd, slowly walking towards the Hearts.

Law, who was giving instructions to Sai, stopped and looked at the boy with questioning eyes. However, the kid didn't walk over to the captain, but to the mechanics instead.

"Tolly," Shachi nodded as a greeting to the young, scrawny kid in front of him.

The boy didn't acknowledge him but instead kept him head down, standing right in front of Penguin with his fists clenched at his sides. Penguin also stayed quiet, waiting for the boy to say something.

Finally tired of waiting, the younger head mechanic spoke up. "What is it, brat?" He knew the kid probably resented him for taking the opportunity to kill Patton from him. He doubted Tolly looked at it as 'saving his life,' as Penguin did.

Suddenly, Tolly swung his leg and hit Penguin right in the shin, hard. Even some of the Heart Pirates winced at the sound it created.

"Urk!" The mechanic choked up and started bouncing on one leg, holding his sore shin with both hands. "What the hell was that for, you damned brat!?"

"I told you not to call me 'brat,' you old man!" Tolly yelled back in anger and both the boy and Penguin glared at each other.

"What was that, you little-!? Who you callin' an old man!?"

"You're old so you're an old man!"

"Brat! Go eat some spinach and come back when you're stronger!"

"I will! I'll live and be much stronger than you and then kick your ass, just you wait!"

"Ha! I'll be waiting to see that day!"

The two yelled loudly at each other on the docks, completely oblivious to the surprised crowd around them. As they bickered, they both looked like kids trying to best the other. The puzzled spectators just kept staring at them in wonder. Miyako and the others also just gazed wide-eyed at the scene. Only Bepo, Shachi and Sai snickered at the sight of the arguing pair, satisfied how things turned out.

Trafalgar sighed, ignoring the loud pair and turned back to his head navigator. "Jean Bart, call the Navy and tell them our mission is done. They can come 'overtake' this island whenever. Tell them…cuffs won't be necessary to bring. We disposed of all the Baxter Pirates."

"Aye captain," Jean Bart nodded and turned to walk over to the navigation room to take the den den mushi and call the Navy.

Law looked back at the island and his crew. They did it; now Law is a full-fledged Shichibukai. After this, the real plan starts.

~…..~

"Well it's really official; you are a Shichibukai captain," Shachi sat down at the table in the galley where everyone in the crew was currently resting after eating dinner.

That's when Law who was silent all the while, took out a folder full of papers that said 'Classified' on it and presented it to his crewmembers.

"Huh? What's this?" One of the Hearts asked, tiling his hatted head.

It was the folder about SAD gas information that Law took with him at Abney Cove. Vegapunk's research on creating Devil Fruit zoan types. Law had been trying to find more information on it all with his contacts in the underworld, knowing that Doflamingo was now creating this gas for his own benefit to keep a deal with Kaido to whom he was providing these devil fruits. At that time in Abney Cove, Law was to steal samples and information on this Vegapunk's research on Joker's orders. What Law found out afterwards using his connections was that Doflamingo's subordinate Caesar Clown, a rogue scientist, has perfected this research and was no creating zoan devil fruits for Joker in a particular laboratory. But Law's information went even further than that as he knew exactly where Caesar was doing it.

His crew already knew that Doflamingo was using his resources to create the devil fruits and give them to Kaido who was creating a zoan army. Still, the captain didn't mention yet that they were the ones who got the vials of SAD for Joker to use at Abney Cove on the man's orders. Also, Law still wasn't able to find out what Joker got in return from that deal, but that wasn't a priority either.

"So you're saying, you know where those devil fruits are being made?"

Trafalgar nodded. "It is an island in a New World that doesn't even have a magnetic field so it doesn't show on the log pose. It's a perfect place; Punk Hazard," the captain explained calmly.

"But why do we care about this deal between Kaido and Doflamingo anyway? How does destroying this SAD gas help us?" Josh titled his head in wonder.

Law fell silent and Miyako could feel herself getting tense without even knowing why. Their captain started, "I always said; there is only two ways to survive in the New World; either get under the umbrella of one of the Yonko or constantly challenge them. If we destroy this SAD supply, not only will we handicap one of the Four Pirate Emperors, but also possibly destroy one of the Shichibukai; Donquixote Doflamingo. Isn't it time for the gears to start turning again…everything has been at a standstill since the War of the Best. The Government and the Yonko are all preparing their forces but nobody is doing anything." Law grinned menacingly as he continued. "It's time to set the gears in motion. Destroy the old system and create the new one in this world. There has only been an end of an era with Whitebeard's death….and we'll create a new one."

"Whaa, I'm all pumped up now!" Penguin raised his fist in the air with a wide grin on his face.

"Let's do this! Captain is right; it's time for us Heart Pirates to create some real havoc in the New World!"

A sliver of guilt appeared in Law's heart as he watched his comrades celebrate his words. They were also being used…used by him to get to his real objective; destroy Joker and make him pay for 13 years ago.

"So you're meaning to take down one of the Four Emperors?" Miyako stepped forward, asking the captain. She already knew more than the others, except for Bepo who wisely stayed silent through all of this, but that only made her more suspicious about this whole plan. Was this really what Law was after or was there something more to this story? She already knew that every time Trafalgar mentioned Doflamingo, there came a dark shadow over his eyes as if there is a deeper meaning to his plans concerning the older Shichibukai.

Trafalgar nodded. "If it all goes well, Doflamingo and Kaido will destroy each other. And even if Kaido survives, he'll be in a disadvantage afterwards…and that's a perfect chance for us to strike at him. We'll let Doflamingo do as much damage as he can before we finish it."

"So how tha we go 'bout tis then?" Munk asked, crossing his big arms on his chest.

"First you'll drop me off on Punk Hazard. I'll wait for my chance to destroy Caesar's research facility there. It's enough to just destroy the SAD gas and kidnap Caesar; that way they'll have no way of obtaining new devil fruits."

"Wait, wait. What do you mean 'drop off' captain? Aren't we going with you?" Cody asked a bit worried of his captain's plans.

Again, Law fell silent for a while before speaking up again. "No. If we all go, Caesar might suspect something. He needs to trust me in order to let me in on his research and give me an opportunity to destroy it."

"But we don't know how many men he'll have there!" The crew was unsettled by this plan.

"Then I ask you; what did we spend this two years training for? " Their captain's voice was sharper now as he became impatient with all their questions and interruptions. They should just listen to him and follow him as always. "I can deal with Caesar and his men on my own; I'm strong enough for at least that much," he sighed. The crew noticed the change in his tone as it became fiercer and gulped, calming down suddenly. The last thing they wanted was to anger their captain.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Sai asked.

"You will sail with the submarine to the island called Zo and wait for me there. After I'm finished with my work in Punk Hazard I will go to Dressrosa and then come to Zo. "

"Why there?" Jean Bart widened his eyes at the mention of a familiar name. He had heard about that island before.

Law, who was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees and leaning forward, entangled the fingers of his hands and clenched them tightly. A silent atmosphere fell around him and the crew as his mood seemed to darken, but not because of his men's questions this time. It was as if he was preparing to say something, his lips in a tight line. "Truth is, defeating Kaido is only one of our objectives…the other is destroying Doflamingo."

"Eh?" The whole crew blinked in surprise. "Aren't we just using Doflamingo to take out Kaido more easily?"

"Captain…" Bepo's weak voice came from the side as if he wanted to say something but was unsure how to do it. However, the polar bear didn't interrupt further and simply quieted down when he noticed Trafalgar's expression. Law was determined to do this.

The dark atmosphere stayed the same as their captain continued. "In the past I was actually Doflamingo's subordinate." He waited out as murmurs started from the crew. Some were in silent shock while others started whispering questions around them.

"What?" Penguin started weakly.

"It was before I made this crew of Heart Pirates and started going for One Piece. A lot has happened in the past but even when I started sailing under my own jolly roger, one objective still remained over these 13 years…To stop Doflamingo and completely destroy him," Trafalgar continued. "Right now he still doesn't know what I'm planning. He still sees me as one of his subordinates, but in truth I haven't seen myself like that for more than 10 years years."

Shachi gulped, realizing the seriousness of Law's words. There was just something dark and tense in the air that made the whole crew realize how serious Law was about this one mission. Perhaps it was the scent of vengeance. "Why? What happened?" The mechanic and one of the oldest crew members asked something nobody else dared to.

The pirate captain sighed again. "As I said…a lot happened in the past and you're right about what you're thinking; I'm after Doflamingo. It's not like I'm giving up the quest for One Piece or being a pirate, but I need to do this before I can continue. There's something…I definitely need to do. I finally have the chance I've been waiting for and enough strength to do it. I have leverage." A part of this was a lie; because Law knew he would have gladly given up One Piece and even his own life if that meant destroying Joker. His biggest goal never changed in these 13 years; to finish what Corazon started. Even Kaido, who he used as bait to lure the crew in his plans isn't even that important to him. Even if they don't defeat Kaido, Law would be content with just seeing Joker fall. That's why he kept pretending to be the subordinate of that despicable man for all these years…only to get this one chance. That meant, he wasn't allowed to fail! "However, I will understand if you don't want to do this with me. After all, you'll be risking a lot by doing this." Nevertheless, he promised himself one thing; even if he uses everyone else and lies to them in order to achieve his goal, he won't do it to his crewmembers. At least to his nakama, he'll ask them straight out. "With all that said…I ask you to risk your lives for my selfish goal!"

The Heart Pirates stood there with surprise in their eyes from everything they heard just now. Their captain was Doflamingo's subordinate but then something happened and he is now set to kill the other Shichibukai for some reason. They didn't know what happened as it seemed Trafalgar really didn't want to talk about it, but whatever it was it had to be something big for Law to keep these plans after all this time. A part of them really wanted to know what was it that steered Law down this path but they didn't want to pry either. It was obvious Law wasn't ready to tell them yet. The crew respected that; a lot of them had their own harsh backstories since becoming a pirate usually meant there weren't any other options to take. Even so, Law never asked about it, accepting them no matter who they were or where they came from. He never judged them so they couldn't do that to the captain either; they respected him too much.

After all these thoughts went through the crews mind, the men smirked. "Captain…don't we always risk our lives anyway? Being a pirate, sailing the seas…all of it means risking your life. We were ready for all that the moment we joined this crew," the Heart Pirates grinned, looking at the captain who was watching them with wide eyes now.

"We won't ask what happened 13 year ago, because we trust you. So if you say Donquixote Doflamingo is an enemy, that's enough for us!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else agreed, cheering at the speech.

All Law could do was stare at his crew in wonder as they showed absolute trust and loyalty to him. They didn't ask unnecessary questions, they simply accepted it. "You guys…"

In the back, the samurai girl who was hidden from view, showed a small satisfied smile.

"So? What's the plan?" Penguin asked with a grin on his face.

The grinning expression of his head mechanic brought Law back to reality and made him calm down again. With an amused chuckle, the captain shook his head lightly and closed his eyes before looking at his crew again. "Alright, here's what we'll do."

After that, Trafalgar explained to them that he will capture the scientist Caesar Clown and destroy SAD, used to produce the devil fruits SMILE, on Punk Hazard. After that he'll make a deal with Doflamingo to exchange Caesar for Donquixote quitting the Shichibukai. If the older Shichibukai refuses he'll lose Caesar and get wiped out by Kaido of the 100 Beasts. However, even if he accepts, he'll be hunted by the marines and captured by the Admirals. Law was sure Akainu was readily waiting for a chance to pull Doflamingo down since he hated the Shichibukai just as any other pirates. It was a lose-lose situation for Doffy while a sure win for Trafalgar. No matter how Joker acts, he'll be brought down. The exchange will take place on a small island North of Dressrosa called Green Bit. After that is done, Trafalgar will join his crew who will be waiting at a nearby island, Zo, for him. After that, they'll simply inform the marines of Doflamingo's whereabouts and Law will help finish him off as one of the Shichibukai.

Miyako clenched the hem of her shirt after she heard Law's plan. The Heart Pirates cheered, saying this like; "As expected of captain!" and "It's a full proof plan," but she wasn't so convinced. Law was going into the unknown all by himself, leaving them behind. He did tell them the truth and part of the story, but Miyako could see the reas reason why he was doing it himself; he was still trying to keep his crew out of this. He wanted to be the only one to go after Doflamingo and do this dangerous trade alone, in case something goes amiss. He was still pushing his crewmember away if the others couldn't see it.

If something does happen on Punk Hazard he'll be all alone. She didn't like that one bit. She knew how strong he has become, but unexpected things happen all the time. What's more, he'll be alone when facing Doflamingo in this exchange on the other man's territory, which is everything but ideal. Miyako remembered Law's expression when he first told her about Joker; it was an expression of the man determined to do whatever it takes. That's what worried her the most; she was afraid it meant sacrifice even his own life for this vengeance. The thought made her heart beat louder in her chest as anxiety started creeping up her spine. Law, who went even against his nature pretended to listen to Doflamingo's orders for all these years only to get a chance at destroying him. That fact was enough to be worried how far Law was willing to take this. He said that it was only a mile stone on his path as a pirate and that after this was done he will return to searching for One Piece but somehow Miyako thought it was only _if_ he survived this meeting with his nemesis.

"I don't like it." Everyone's eyes turned towards the source of that statement. Bepo was standing away from the group, looking at his captain with worried black eyes.

"Bepo?" Shachi questioned the bear with an askance expression.

The polar bear shook his head harshly. "Captain, I don't think you should go and do this alone. It's too dangerous!"

Everyone was silent for a while, as the crew's gaze traveled between the captain and his first mate. Finally, Law spoke up. "Bepo…I know you're worried but you should know best that we've all gotten stronger in these past two years. If I can't do even this much, how can I even call myself a captain," as always, Trafalgar was strict even on himself. That's what brought him this far, after all. "This plan is the best solution...Caesar Clown is a suspicious guy, he won't want to cooperate if he feels threatened," the captain explained everything to the bear in a reasonable manner. It was simply a logical course of action.

"But…at least let me come with you," still the bear was surprisingly stubborn about this. Perhaps he shared the same worries as Miyako.

Even more surprising was the fact that Law didn't lose his patience yet as he would with other crewmembers when they would question his judgment. Instead, he continued in an even voice. "Bringing a bear with me would fall under the category of being threatening, Bepo," the captain sighed.

"Ah…that's right. Sorry," as if only realizing it, the bear sadly bowed his head.

"Bepo, you of all should know what captain Law is capable of. There's no way he'd lose, right?" Cody grinned at the bear who gave the medic a questioning look. "Just trust him," the medic nodded.

"Let's have a party tonight!" Ari exclaimed suddenly.

Eli sighed by his side. "Ya just wanna have a party an drink, dontcha?"

"Whatever! I agree with my man Ari here!" Penguin suddenly swung his arm around Ari's shoulder, pulling them both forward with his weight. "We have to ceebrate the job well done, getting into the Shichibukai without a problem, and our plans going well without a hitch so far. Let's party tonight!"

"I'll go if there's fish!" Even Bepo joined in, some of his nervousness from before gone now. He was glad that everyone decided to stay by captain's side even though he was also worried about Law going on his own to Punk Hazard. Was there really no other way? However, the polar bear trusted his friend and captain, believing in his strength.

The samurai watched the sight before her with the Heart Pirates fervently discussing about the plan among themselves. They all looked excited to 'change how this world turns' as Law said. However, the girl just couldn't feel as excited as they were about this. Unable to take it, Miyako turned around and exited the galley, leaving the rowdy pirates behind. She didn't notice that a certain pirate captain was watching her back with an unreadable expression as she left.

~…~

Even as she stood outside on the deck, she could still hear the loud voices of the partying pirates in the galley. However, Miyako preferred to be alone right now to clear her head while breathing the fresh, night air. It was a bit chilly outside at this hour but that only helped her calm her thoughts and think about the whole situation rationally.

It's not that she didn't trust Law or believe in his strength. She knew better than most how strong the captain really was. But that still didn't change the fact that she was worried about him. Perhaps, if he was going on his own to deal with any other person, she wouldn't feel all this anxiety. But exactly because he was dealing with Doflamingo, Miyako felt this fear inside of her. She didn't know much about the older Shichibukai, but she knew how dangerous it is to have your emotions get in the way when fighting an opponent. And Law was probably in danger of just that since he'll be fighting a hated enemy he obviously has history with. She just couldn't stop thinking about that day when Law first told her about his relationship with Joker. At that time, there was so much darkness in Law's eyes, it was surprising even for this man they called the Surgeon of Death.

_*I don't like this….What…what if he doesn't come back? What if he doesn't make it back to Zo?* _These thoughts kept swirling in the girl's mind.

Suddenly, she remembered what Law whispered to her when they were trapped inside that shelter on the island. Unconsciously, she squeezed her hand to her chest, biting her lower lip. The events of that time came rushing back, remembering her own thoughts about the captain at that time. *_No…after everything I realized, I don't want him to go away now of all times!*_

That's when someone sighed behind her. "You are overthinking things again," the deep voice of her captain came from behind.

She partly turned towards him, giving him a sideways glance, but stayed silent as she watched the man walk over to her. Law stopped beside her, staring at the night before them. Still looking at the dark horizon, the man spoke again, "You should go back inside, you'll just catch a cold out here." Even if his words could be interpreted as concern, his voice stayed even as if he didn't really care either way. It was always hard to tell what this man was really thinking.

"What's that, doctor's orders?" The girl joked sarcastically, pretending that she wasn't upset about her troubling thoughts. She stole a glance at the captain, seeing he smirked at her words. However, her mask of unconcern didn't last long as he looked down at her feet sadly. "You're unfair…"

This time Law was the one who glanced at the girl, interesting what she was talking about. He didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"We made a deal, didn't we? You promised that you'll tell me the whole truth one day and I said that I'll wait for that day and form my own opinion on the matter when that day comes…when I have _all_ the facts. I promised to follow till then at least," she stopped for a while to take a breath before continuing. "But now you're going away on your own and I still don't know what to think about it all." Suddenly she looked up at him, anger in her burning golden eyes, "Don't go somewhere where I can't follow, you idiot!"

Law blinked at her words in wonder; unsure should he be more surprised about her feelings or the fact that she just dared to insult him. Finally he stepped closer to her and stared her right in the eyes, almost as if challenging her. "You think I won't be coming back?" It was as if he was silently asking her _'Do you think I'm that weak?'_

The girl gulped but stood her ground, returning his stare with her own determined one. "That's what I'm afraid of," she answered honestly. "It doesn't mean that I don't trust you, it just means that I don't want to find out if your plan will work or not."

"Coward," the captain said it so simply that Miyako wasn't sure if she heard it right. Her eyes widened as she felt insulted and was about to respond angrily, before Law cut her off. "Weren't you the one who said all that stuff about nakama fighting side by side. That even if you're not protected all the time, you'll still be fine…that that's what you worked for these past two years. Well I'm the same." He leaned towards her, so close she could feel his breath on her. "Didn't I already tell you to trust me more? Do I need to order it so you would listen?" His lips met hers as if wanting to shut her up before she had any chance to object.

However, instead of objecting, the girl grabbed his collar, pulling him into a deeper kiss as she closed her eyes. Miyako was clutching at his collar as if not wanting to let go. She could feel embarrassment mixed with excitement as her heart beat loudly in her chest. _*When did I start to feel like this; thinking that hugging and kissing wasn't enough anymore? When did I start wanting this man like this?*_

When they finally separated, both of them were breathing hard. Law gazed down at the girl's eyes, which had a glazed look in them. The way she was looking at him now was somehow different than before; almost longingly. It was enticing. Suddenly, Law covered her eyes with his tattooed hand. _*Don't stare at me like that or you'll seriously make me lose control.* _However, what actually passed his lips in his usual calm tone was completely different, "Come on, go inside before you seriously catch a cold. I don't want to nurse you back to health for the second time, it's a pain."

"What about you?" The girl tilted her head, clasping both hands around his one and removing it from her face, but she didn't let go afterwards.

"I'll stay here for a while longer," the captain simply stated. In reality he was worried that if he followed her now, he would drag her down to his quarters before she had a chance to protest.

Still holding his bigger hand in her warm grip, Miyako gave Law's hand a light squeeze. She was staring at the ground with a slight blush on her cheeks. "But then you'll catch a cold and that's no good either…so we should…together…"

Trafalgar was about to say something about how as a Northerner the cold didn't affect him the same, but stopped when the girl looked up at him again with that embarrassed gaze. She was doing it again; showing him that longing look in her eyes. He wasn't sure if she was doing it consciously or not, but it was starting to make little difference to him. He was a man that took pride in his patience, but after two years it was getting harder at times. Finally deciding, he clasped the girl's hand in his own and started walking from the deck, down the stairs of the submarine and towards his room. Noises of the partying, and already drunken crewmembers sounded from the galley, but the girl being dragged behind him didn't make a sound of protest.

Even when they entered his quarters and he closed the door behind them, Miyako didn't make a sound. Law walked over to her again and lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes. He just couldn't tell what the girl was thinking right now. His eyes narrowed skeptically, "What is it that you want?"

Miyako bit her lip as if choosing her words, before gripping the front of Law's yellow and black hoodie again. She lowered her head so that her forehead was resting on his chest. "I…I want you to be mine already!"

The girl's lips tightened in a line as she felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She couldn't even look up at Law right now. However, she suddenly felt his body shaking and sounds coming from above. It didn't take her long to realize what was happening. She suddenly pulled her head up and stared at him with a comically shocker expression. "You're laughing at me!" It was more of a statement than a question as she didn't know how else to react than to angrily state the obvious.

The captain stared down at her, grinning evilly with an amused look in his eyes. "Well you sure can say some embarrassing things." She wasn't sure was he teasing or mocking her at the moment; was there a difference anyway?

"You jerk!" Miyako already started to protest before Law cut her off again with another deep kiss. He pulled her head close, entangling both his arms in her hair and cupping her cheeks. He let his tongue lick along her lower lip. However the girl stubbornly kept her mouth closed as if trying to get him back for his teasing commentary. Losing patience, Law bit down on her lower lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough for her to gasp in surprise. Quickly, he took advantage of her opening and let his tongue slip in, twisting it around hers.

Even as he pulled away, he kept his hands on her head as if making sure she doesn't run away the first chance she gets. The girl was panting, with rosy cheeks from the warmth they just shared and glazed eyes of want in them. However she wasn't trying to run away as usual. Even Law's grey eyes were darker than before. "Are you ready to take responsibility for those words? After saying that and even coming to my room willingly…you can't object whatever I do to you," his voice was raspier than usual as he slowly felt his patience slipping away. If they go any further than this, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop later even if she begs him to.

However, Miyako's next words completely took him off guard. "Alright," she simply stated while looking at him with completely clear eyes. She knew exactly what he meant yet she answered like this.

Law's eyes widened as he was about to throw all caution to the wind, but his rational mind still prevailed and stopped him. He was cursing his own logically-working brain right now but he couldn't go forward without inquiring about this anomaly. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Not expecting his question, Miyako blinked in surprise and gazed up at him. "Eh?"

Making a bit of distance between them, Law continued. His voice was once again his usual one, as the conversation calmed him down a bit. "For someone who was so set on keeping her first time, even saying it should only be on your honeymoon…yet you're suddenly so ready."

"That's…" Miyako stared down at the floor again. "We've been through so much already, risking our lives and almost dying a couple of times. Even today…To be honest things changed a lot over these past two years, but I am certain about one thing more than ever," She looked back up at Law, straight into his eyes. "I wanted to properly show you my feelings. I don't want to regret not being able to convey my feelings to you."

Trafalgar sighed as he stared back at her. "Regret, huh? Are you planning my death or something? Don't just decide that for yourself…" He kept quiet for a while, looking troubled as he started talking again, "So regret over doing it is better, huh?"

Still with the same clear and determined expression, Miyako answered immediately. Her answer came out so naturally that it actually surprised the captain a little. "That won't happen." Seeing the man's questioning gaze, she continued with a confident smile on her face, "I don't know if I'll stay with the Heart Pirates forever and maybe one day our feelings will change; but I'm still certain that I won't regret it. I'm happy that my first time will be with you." The girl nodded, but then added decisively, "Even though you are sadistic and sometimes creepy."

Trafalgar's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her last words. And here she almost managed to seem cute for a while.

"Kya!" Miyako suddenly exclaimed as she was pulled and pushed down. Opening her eyes widely she realized she was lying on her back on the soft bed with Law on his hands and knees looming over her.

There was an evil smirk on his lips as he examined her like a predator. "Is that so? Yet you came here anyway. It really means that you're prepared whatever I do to you." He trailed off as he leaned down, capturing the girl's lips again before moving on to her neck and trailing kisses down her collarbone.

Miyako felt the heat rise in her as if all the warmth from Law's body seeped into her. She tried to stifle her moans and voice but every now and then, a wince or gasp would come out when Law hit a sensitive spot. She closed her eyes shut, feeling heat in her face. She was probably as red as a tomato. _*Wha! This is so embarrassing after all! Even though I came here mentally prepared…* _Her thoughts were cut off when Law's warm hands started moving up her stomach, moving her shirt up as well. Miyako's eyes opened suddenly as she felt his skin on her own. His tongue was still licking the vein on her neck while his one knee moved between her legs. Suddenly everything was happening so fast, she felt dizzy. _*It feels strange! It's too hot and I can't seem to calm down_!* "W-wai." She was cut off when she felt Law raise her shirt and reveal her bra underneath. The girl suddenly turned a few deeper shades of crimson.

"Wait!" Half shout half moan came out of her as she finally found the strength to push him off and sit up on the bed.

Law watched her with questioning eyes that were glazed over with want. His gaze alone was enough to make her shiver in anticipation. "What? Don't tell me you changed your mind?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"That's not it but…it's too fast! I'm not prepared," she objected fiercely. "A-at least let me…take off my own clothes and prepare myself."

It seemed Law was mulling over her request, but finally sighed and nodded! "Alright." Still watching her skeptically, he sat back to give her some space.

Miyako grabbed the hem of her shirt and was about to pull it up when she noticed Law's stare. "Don't look," she warned, suddenly feeling too exposed.

Law's eyes narrowed in response. "Don't order me around." He kept his firm gaze on Miyako as if giving her a warning.

However, the girl only returned his stare with her own, unprepared to go further if her certain conditions weren't met. Giving up, Law sighed and closed his eyes. "Fine." However, as he heard the rustling of clothes, Law was slowly losing his patience, becoming agitated. Why did he have to listen to her anyway? *_This is getting us nowhere,* _with that thought, the captain opened his eyes to see the sight before him. The first thing he noticed were the neatly folded clothes at the side of the bed, which almost made him laugh. It was so much like her, a Wano traditional girl, to do that. However his amusement vanished when he noticed the girl in front of him. Her back were turned to him, perfect and pale except for a few long pink lines. They were barely visible now but Law instantly remembered what they were; whiplashes. He felt a small sting of anger rise inside his chest at the memories. Despite himself, the captain reached for her back, trailing his fingertips over one of the scars.

The sudden touch startled her, making her straighten her back, as she gasped. She was only in her panties now, trying to hide her well-developed chest with her arms as she slightly turned back to look at the man behind her. Her cheeks turned even brighter red as she saw Law watching her with the corner of her eye. Realization hit her and the girl's eyes widened as she let out a yelp and quickly grabbed the sheets, throwing them over her head and hiding beneath them. She looked like nothing more than a lump underneath the white fabric; definitely not a sexy sight.

Law didn't know whether to sweat drop or chuckle at this point. „Oy...Come out from there," he called out in amusement.

„No way! You promised you'd keep your eyes closed!" A muffled voice came out from underneath.

Law sighed, suddenly feeling exasperated. _*Am I supposed to keep my eyes closed the entire time, then?*_ „No, I agreed on closing my eyes. I never said how long I will keep them closed." A smirk appeared on his lips as he answered her.

_*He's beating me on a technicality!?* _The girl almost chocked out in disbelief, but managed to leave the question in her thoughts only. Suddenly, the darkness was lifted from above her and she found herself face to face with Law. He got tired of waiting for her and simply pulled off the sheets off of her.

Before she had time to protest, he came closer, taking a strand of her long hair in his fingers. "Hn...you even let down your hair." Indeed, her red ribbon was neatly folded with the rest of her clothes. "You could've at least let me do that much."

"Eh? Well if you want, I can tie it bac-" She started to say but never got to finish as Law kissed her and pushed her down under him at the same time. Her long hair enveloped them as she fell on the soft matrass. Once again that heat arose inside her as she felt the captain's hands all over her now-naked body. It felt even more real than before; telling her that this was indeed happening now. *_What do I do…my heart is pounding so fast. I feel like I'm going to faint.*_ There was a suffocating feeling in her chest and she looked up at Law with teary eyes. "It's unfair…" She barely managed to squeeze out as Law lowered his head, his kisses and licks traveling down her body.

"Hm? What is?" Thinking he was interrupted again, the man stopped and looked back at the girl under him.

"B-Because, you still have all your clothes on," Miyako pouted slightly at the injustice. The only thing gone was his fuzzy hat, resting on his desk now. It's not fair that she was the only one feeing so overwhelmed and embarrassed. She knew Law had much more experience than her concerning this but at least she wanted to level the field a little.

Without a hint of embarrassment in his expression, Law pulled up his hoodie over his head and tossed it somewhere to the side. Miyako's eyes widened at the sight before her; his tanned, well-defined torso with tattoos painted all across his upper body and arms. The slightly disheveled back hair. His features and the deep grey eyes that watched her under him. It made Miyako's breath hitch as she forgot to breathe from the sight for a moment. *_Law…he really is handsome…* _She found herself thinking this with blushing cheeks, completely mesmerized by the sight before her. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a hand reached down and entangled in her hair, pulling her closer to the captain who bound her in a deep kiss again.

Reflexively, Miyako reached upwards, hugging the man's back and closing her eyes, ready to completely give herself to this man. *_Somehow…all the words up until now…They just aren't enough to convey these feelings. Even though I'm scared and a part of me wants to run away…but at the same time I don't want him to let me go. I don't even understand what's going on anymore. Being ashamed, or prideful, or any of these things…somehow in this moment, none of it matters anymore!*_

~…~

When Miyako opened her eyes in the morning, she found herself staring at the wall of an unfamiliar room that definitely wasn't her quarters. She scrunched her nose in confusion before the memories on the night before started rushing back to her. The scenes from last night made her whole face turn a bright shade of red as she felt the hotness in her cheeks. _*Whaaa, I can't believe I did that last night with Law! But more than that…I can't believe how much it hurt!* _From the embarrassment, the girl hid her face in the sheets and turned around sharply, only to feel acute pain in her lower regions. Her hips felt sore and stiff, and the girl had to stop moving immediately to ease the pain.

"What is it, does it hurt?" A lazy voice came from beside her as Miyako's tossing and turning woke the captain. He leaned on his one forearm and watched her with interest as her whole body, entangled in the sheets, quivered from the pain.

"I-it…it…doesn't hurt…" The girl squeezed out through gritted teeth, obviously acting tough.

Law raised an eyebrow skeptically, not believing her for even a second. "Is that so; in that case, why don't you get us some water?" He pointed at the small bathroom that was connected to his quarters.

The girl stiffened once again but this time because of a different reason. "T-that's not a problem," with a confident smirk she went to sit up in bed…and stopped. Even just sitting on a soft surface hurt like hell. She clutched the sheets that she was holding in front of her to conceal her nudity and swayed to the side, trying to keep her wincing voice inside.

The captain smirked evilly, rising one eyebrow in amusement. "Well?" He couldn't' help but tease her further as he saw the stubborn girl trying to ignore the pain.

"I told you it doesn't hurt!" The girl gave him a sulky expression, and whipped her head away from him. Wrapping the sheets around her, the girl took her first step out of bed and stood up. If sitting hurt like hell, then this was pure agony. She took a step forward, too stubborn to admit how much she was feeling every move she made.

Finally, the captain sighed, seeing that the bullheaded girl would rather endure the pain than admit her defeat. As she tried to move, she looked like a penguin waddling away; the thought almost made him laugh. Having decided that he tortured her enough for now, Law grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the bed.

"Wha!" Miyako couldn't help but screamed as she was suddenly pulled backwards and fell onto the soft mattress, enveloped in white sheets. She came eye to eye with the captain as he stared at her from above, his head upside down in her view.

"There's no need to act tough, it hurts for all women on their first time," Law simply stated without even changing his expression, unembarrassed by the topic at all. He sounded more like a doctor informing his patient, then a loving boyfriend. Well in Law's case, perhaps it was too much to compare him to a loving boyfriend anyway. Even just the word boyfriend and Law in the same sentence sounded weird to Miyako as she thought about these things.

Finally, the girl gave up on pretense and said with a bead of sweat on her forehead and a troubled expression, "I must say, I admire all the women who can do this more than once. They have to endure such pain…perhaps I have a new opinion on the brothel women in Wanokuni."

Trafalgar stared at the girl, who was still under him, with an expression of wonder as if she was talking crazy. Finally, he had to keep in his laughter as he understood what she meant. "Honestly, you're such a traditional woman." She doesn't even know how sex works, does she? Well at least not much besides basics. She wasn't completely lost last night but that's pretty much because Law took care of everything. Well that's not that bad either…that just means he can have his fun teaching her. He was sure teasing her will be a delight too. He had to conceal a devilish smirk that threatened to appear at these thoughts. _*Perhaps I should tell her it only hurts for the first time and gets better as you do it.* _He mulled over it for a while but then decided it would be more amusing to see her surprised expression when she finds out next time. Grabbing her chin, Law stared at her right in the eyes. "Well whatever…you'll understand next time."

Miyako's eyes widened at the statement. "Eh? Next time!?" She was about to protest but her objections only became muffled sounds as Trafalgar closed his mouth over her own in a kiss.

~…..~

Somehwere in the New World, a large ship sailed the waters. Another one, even bigger ship was slowly sailing beside it. The deck of the first ship was covered in blood and dead bodies. Only a few men stood there, alive and well. One of them sat in a large throne-like chair made of various metals and weapons.

"Heh, they were really idiots, attacking us like that…" A tall man with long blonde hair and a mask covering his face commented at the dead people around them.

"Boss, look at this morning's newspapers!" One of the Kid pirates tossed a piece of bloodied newspapers to his captain. Eustass Captain Kid took the papers and read the front page; _'A new Royal Shichibukai arises; Trafalgar Law!' _Under the large title was an article about the man called the Surgeon of Death and his bounty, together with the Heart Pirates.

Kid's expression changed into a dissatisfied one as he all but glared at the picture of the pirate in front of him. "That guy…what is he thinking? Did he go crazy; becoming the dog of the Government?"

~…..~

A young girl with bright pink hair kept eating in a restaurant without even taking a breath. "More food, dammit! Bring me more!" She yelled, stuffing two slices of pizza in her mouth, at once. "Hn?" Suddenly she saw a man sitting at the table next to hers reading a newspapers. The front page that was turned towards her read a large article of Trafalgar Law becoming one of the Shichibukai. Jewelry Bonney gulped down her food with a tall glass of beer. Taking the papers from the civilian beside her who look too frightened to response as soon as he recognized her, she stared at the article. "What is that guy panning now?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

~….~

Capone Bege sat behind his desk, smoking a cigar as he rested on his ship. Suddenly a man in a tuxedo from his crew entered after loud knocking, disturbing his peace. "Eh? What do you want?"

"Captain, look at this!? It's one of the Supernova…he became a Shichubukai!" The man exclaimed and presented the morning newspapers to his captain.

Capone's eyes narrowed as he read them. "Trafalgar, huh? How disappointing…to become a dog of the government."

~…~

"You're telling me they need men there!? Alright, dispatch a group of pirates immediately!" A man with make-up on and a large red nose ordered around some of his crewmembers.

"Yes, captain Buggy!"

"Buggy, look at this!" A tall man with a strange black hairdo turned into a number three showed his nakama the newspapers. "It's Law from the War at Marineford!" Mister 3 exclaimed and showed the article to a blue-haired pirate.

"Whaa? Law became a Shichibukai? What's up with that, even though I just became one myself!" Buggy protested loudly.

"I see! He must've heard that captain Buggy became a Shichibukai and wanted to follow your example!" One of the men in Buggy's crew exclaimed with sparking eyes. At this, the other crewmembers also awed in understanding, shouting and sheering for their captain. "As expected of captain Buggy! Hoooo!"

Mister 3 watched the dimwitted crew from the side while Buggy basked in their adoration, laughing with confidence and talking something about how Trafalgar will become his subordinate soon. _*There's no way any of that is true, though…*_ The man thought with a sweat drop.

~…~

All throughout the world, the news of Trafalgar Law becoming a Shichibukai spread out like wildfire. Civilians, marines, other pirates…everyone commented of this new situation on the busy streets.

That's why it wasn't strange when the news reached a certain tall man wearing a pink coat of boisterous feathers. Doflamingo sat in his chair on the balcony, enjoying the sunny day in Dressrosa, while he examined the morning papers. A wide grin appeared on his face as he stared at the young man on the front page. "You've grown….Law."

At that time nobody knew, that the eyes of Donquixote Doflamingo had already been turned towards the Surgeon of Death.

* * *

><p>That's it for this chapter! Thank you everyone for reading! Ninja Penguin is in action, while Cody and Josh are strong enough to fight haki users now! The training they all went thought, paid off! :D Also Miyako's and Law's relationship reached a new stage. ^^ What worried me a bit was how to do a bit with the Heart Pirates crew and how much will Law tell them about his history with Doflamingo. I hoped to see some indication of it in the manga but it seems that won't happen for quite some time. So I decided that he would tell them part of it, but leave the personal details out. So that's it for the newest chapter and next chapter is Punk Hazard finally!<p>

Thanks again for all the awesome reviews. I wanted to answer anyone but then realized, wow, there are really a lot of them! :O So I tried to answer as many as I could, but tried not to make it too long.

**TrafalgarDWatelLaw: **Thank you, I try to proofread my chapters but sometimes mistakes still elude me. Hopefully, it doesn't affect your reading and the story too much. I'll try to get better at grammar, though. Hehe yes, I actually have something like that in mind but since I need to move along to the cannon plot, I decided to let it wait until I can write some original fillers again. ^^

**Onepiecelawfan: **Thank you for the support and wonderful comments. I might be a slow writer though, so please bear with me. ^^'

**VodkaThief: **I took notice of it this time, thanks for warning me. :o

**GlassedGamer: **hahaha I agree, that _would_ be perfect! The atmosphere in the submarine would never be the same after that. :3 Also you wrote about wondering how they're first time would be; now you know. ;)

**Izzie: **Welcome back! Glad to have you back! :Dhaha Indeed, I think she'll have a blast seeing how Law is losing to Straw Hat's craziness. XD

**Lucy Jacob: **I'm glad you liked it. I know there's quite a lot of chapters to catch up on, but I hope they'll be interesting to read. ^^' And there's definitely gonna be more of Sai. ;)

**GloriousMissy: **hehe yeah, I must say I'll miss him and Josh now that the cannon plot is starting. I hope they get to meet the Straw Hats too one day. :D

**NightStar85: **Yeah, I definitely can't see Law as a married man, and going through any wedding ceremony. ^^' Well it seems a lot of people were wondering about their first, and hopefully I managed to pull it off. I don't think it was too rushed a decision on Miyako's part either.

**Flypool: **I hope you'll also like the rest. ^^

**Bioware: **hehe I think I'm getting good at surprising readers with unexpected twists. Bwahaha! :D

**Thedarkdoctorgirl: **Hey, welcome back! ^^ haha Great minds think alike! XD Well I don't feel like Miyako 'lost' even if she said "I love you" first. Because even though the two of them started out competitively, they're feelings slowly changed until the fact who said it first didn't even matter anymore. That's why Law didn't feel like he had won, either.

**Memarvo: **Guess I'm doing it whenever. XD I wish I knew a bit more info on Law and his crew from the cannon, but unfortunately I can't wait anymore to start the PH arc. It's been long enough, so I'm starting now. At least we'll get to find out more about Law's past before that.

**Yumisawamura: **haha well maybe not a pervert face but he definitely stared. XD Thanks, I think I can honestly say I'm better at fight scenes than love scenes. ^^' I think your take on the "I love you scene" is pretty accurate actually, yes. :) Somewhere along the lines, it stopped being a game for them. Haha I don't think he would get a nose bleed, but he would definitely be surprised. But I don't think Miyako would wear those clothes even if her life depended on it. ^^' Oh sorry, it means Name or Identity.

**Iluvninjas: **Ah~ Evil auto-correct strikes again.

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **haha That's a good message, indeed. :3 Yep, that's true, he can learn a thing or two from Miyako. ;)

**FloraChi: **Breathe! XD Thank _you_, for saying all that. ^^

**NoName: **hehe might be. It'll definitely be interesting to see how Law will react to Sanji and Momo around Miyako.

**Cocobear: **I searched for that word in the text but I couldn't find it anywhere. :O Wow, I think that is an awesome theory and you just gave me an excellent idea related to it. :D I think adding a tailor to the Heart Pirates would be a great idea, so with your permission I would like to add one (cause it was your idea). :)

At first I just wanted to make him sound really piratey, but sometimes when I think of him and his speech, I think of Haggis McMutton from a game called Monkey Island, who really is Scottish! So I guess there's some truth in Munk sounding Scottish.

**JustChan: **haha As I said before, you known me well. :P I think it's because Miyako cries so rarely so it's a special sight. ;) As for the time skip question; there are about two months until the full two years, but it's all according to plan so we can safely proceed onto PH.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Haha well I was actually grinning while reading your review. I'm happy that I could surprise you all and that I managed to make a confession without turning it too much into mush.

**Ubermarine: **Protagonist uses stab. It's super effective! :3

**Narumiyu: **hehe Thanks. Somehow, when there's Penguin involved, it's always perverted, yet hilarious. :P

**little101: **Ugh, I know, I'm also glad about that. I don't like too much lovey-dovey stuff either. ^^'

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I'm glad you like the chapter. As always I try to integrate some cannon facts into the original story (at least as much as I can find out from the manga ^^'). As for the ice crystal, indeed, the Heart pirates won't have to worry about being poor for a long time. It might come in handy later.

**Zod'a Quatique: **Thank you very much. I always try to make my chapters long enough, though I'm slow at writing and posting them. So I'm sorry since you had to wait long. ^^'


	57. Chapter 57

"**I don't like you!" **by **BloodyMarryMe**

**Disclaimer: **This story is rated T for violence and language. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.

So my exams are finally over, which means back to writing! Yay! This is the first chapter of the long-awaited Punk Hazard arc, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Have fun!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 57<strong>

„Are you sure we're keeping the right course?" Bepo kept peering over Sai's shoulder as the navigator sat at his control panel.

Sai sighed, already exasperated from the bear asking that every ten minutes. "Yes, I'm sure Bepo, we're heading for Punk Hazard."

"I'm just saying…there's no way we can be sure since it doesn't even show on the log pose," the bear shrugged his large shoulders.

"No, but that's what navigators are here for. Bart and I already calculated everything by using captain's information about this island and drawing it on the map of that part of the New World," the younger navigator reassured his first mate once more. "As usual, you worry too much," he added.

Bepo was about to say more but Jean Bart spoke up first. "He's right. Besides, you can already see it…Look, we're already in another climate," he nodded towards the main window of the navigational room, gazing at the grey, thick clouds before them. Light snow was already falling down as they reached a winter climate.

"So this is a winter island," Sai commented at the harsh change in weather.

"Not quite," the voice came from the large captain's chair facing the window. Law was staring at the horizon laid out before him, playing with the guard of his nodachi in one hand. "There are rumors that this was the place where admirals Aokiji and Sakazuki fought their battle for the succession of the Fleet Admiral position. It is said that the damage was so grand it only left ruins behind. Because of their logia powers, the whole place was either burnt or frozen. That's why half of Punk Hazard now is in deep snow while the other side is burning and filled with lava. Those two actually created two separate climates on one island with their abilities," Law explained in his usual monotone way. Even if he was impressed by that, he wasn't showing it.

On the other hand, Bepo shivered at the mere thought of it. "Those two are really crazy strong aren't they…" But then his mood suddenly changed. "Ah, but we don't have to worry about them anymore, now that you've become Shichibukai captain!" The bear exclaimed in relief, remembering that they were given amnesty from the government.

Law stayed silent, not commenting on what Bepo said. He only kept his gaze out at the distance, where the outline of a new island was already seen.

~…~

The kettle in the kitchen rattled as the unfinished stew inside slowly boiled over the fire. Munk was humming a tune as usual, while dicing some vegetables to prepare them for the crew's next meal.

"Ouch!" A voice exclaimed behind him and the large chef turned around to see the Wano girl sitting in her usual spot, nursing her bleeding finger. It seemed she cut herself while preparing some meat for the stew. Luckily the cut didn't look that deep and the bleeding stopped quickly, as Miyako put the finger under tap water.

"Tis been a long taime since ya cut yarself on duty, lass. Somethin' troublin' ya?"

Miyako sucked on her slightly sore finger, examining the shallow cut on her index digit. It was red but it'll heal soon. She went to one of the cabinets, taking out a small emergency aid kit. They didn't have it before, but when Miyako joined them Munk insisted they put one there. That's how often the girl would hurt herself at the beginning when she was still learning how to cook. "No…well…apart from the obvious," the girl sighed. They'll be reaching Punk Hazard soon, which meant they'll be leaving their captain behind on this island and moving on to Zo. Even after all this time that Miyako had to come to terms with that fact, she still couldn't. It just didn't feel right to her. I _wasn't_ right. She jumped, a bit startled when she felt Munk's heavy hand on her shoulder.

"It be fine! Cap'n be a strong man, he can take care o' 'imself. He ain't tha sort tho lose easy," the chef reassured her with a confident grin on his face. Even Munk didn't doubt Law, not even for a second. It made Miyako fee guilty since she felt like she was the only one having these worrying thoughts. She wasn't the only crewmember though; Bepo was trying to persuade Law to take him with him a couple of times more after Trafalgar announced his plan; it was the first time Miyako saw the bear so assertive towards Law. Needless to say, the first mate's efforts were futile.

Nevertheless, seeing Munk's cheerful face made Miyako feel better. She smiled and nodded at him. The man returned her smile with his own, giving her a good slap on the back. With his strength, it made air rush out of Miyako's lungs as she stumbled forward a bit. However, the chef didn't even seem to notice that as he laughed full heartedly. "So cheer up, will ya!"

~….~

The yellow submarine sailed closer to the snow-covered shore, as the navigators expertly avoided icebergs floating around in the sea. The snow was now falling stronger, piling up onto the thick layers of white already covering the island.

The doors of the submarine opened and a few Heart Pirates walked outside in thick coats, examining the island's shore. Everything seemed deserted and bared, covered under deep snow, as far as eyes could see.

"Are we even sure there are people here? Everything looks dead?" Penguin tilted his head in question, resting his hands on his hips.

"I'm sure," a voice came behind them, startling the crewmembers. They turned around to see Trafalgar Law leaning on the metal doorframe with his hands in the pockets of his long, black coat. The white hat on his head protected him from the snow and cold.

"Why is everything so barren?" Shachi asked the captain, following him as the man walked towards the railing. Behind him, Bepo walked out, only in his usual orange jumpsuit since his fur warmed him in this weather, carrying Law's nodachi in his paws.

"It must be because of the fight between Sakazuki and Kuzan, right?" The other mechanic shrugged his shoulders as he pointed out.

However, the captain shook his head. "Actually, this was one of the government's research facilities ran by Vegapunk in the past. However, it seems about four years ago there was an accident with some poison gas, which destroyed everything and everyone on the island. After this Punk Hazard was deserted; that must be why the admirals chose to fight here," Law explained to his crew.

"Is it even safe to be on the island then?" Bepo shivered at the thought.

"Well if those two could breathe there, then it should be ok. The gas must've dissolved by now," the dark doctor answered, unconcerned.

"The clouds on the other side of the island seem strange…" Sai commented as he walked out on the deck suddenly and neared the railing. He was watching the dark clouds on the other side, which produced thunder occasionally. "It's as you said captain, it's like the climate there is completely different than on this side. It must be really hot out there, judging by those clouds there," Sai commented. It was one of the few times he let go of his usual monotone voice as he actually sounded a bit impressed by this weather anomaly.

Law didn't answer but instead looked back at the snowy mountains of the islands, ready to head out.

"Captaaain!" Voices and running footsteps sounded from the inner parts of the submarine before all the Heart Pirates started rushing out onto the main deck.

"Don't push, step aside!"

"You step aside, moron!"

Some got stuck in the entrance, trying to hurry out at the same time.

Josh kicked Sam and Carl, who got stuck at the entrance, in the back making them fly face first onto the deck. "Don't block the entrance!" The redhead shouted impatiently, showing no mercy to his crewmembers.

Law blinked a few times at the sight of the whole crew standing before him on the submarine. They all wanted to see their captain off.

"Good luck captain!"

"Actually we have something to show you! A surprise, surprise!" Ari grinned excitedly.

The Shichibukai tilted his head in interest, silently asking what it was. The pirates just kept grinning mischievously but there were some murmurs and commotion in the back. Finally, one of the Heart pirates came out, holding something in his hands. It was Zeek, the tailor of the crew. Like everyone else he had the white overall with the sewed-on jolly roger of their crew on it. It was actually made by him just like all the uniforms and jolly roger signs on their clothing, including Law's. He was a shy one, mostly keeping to himself, with bright blue eyes and messy black hair, though his face was mostly hidden by the grey snow cap he always wore.

"That is, we-" Zeek started a bit too quietly as he suddenly felt all eyes on him, including captain's.

"Actually, we used some of the money we got from selling those ice crystals after what happened there and bought a bunch of materials…for our new uniforms!" Louis finished for him before the tailor could explain.

"Surprise!" Shachi smiled with a chuckle. "New uniforms for the whole crew!"

Zeek revealed what he was holding in his hand, showing a long overall similar to the ones they were wearing, except this one was black. It had their jolly roger sewed on the front and a large one in the back. "It's easier to take care of blood and other stains when it's black…especially since the mechanics always get theirs covered in oil," the made a pouting expression while staring at the group of mechanics in the crew.

"It can't be helped," Penguin shrugged defensively. "More importantly captain, we thought now that you are a Shichibukai we should change our image a little too. Maybe look a bit scarier!" He grinned at the thought.

"Is that really necessary? We already have Jean-Bart over here, for that," Cody interrupted with a matter-of-fact expression, pointing at the large navigator with a scruffy look. Indeed, Jean Bart's face and size could scare anyone.

"Oy…" The said navigator grunted in protest, giving the tall medic a slight glare.

"And don't worry captain, we'll even make Miyako wear one this time. And a hat too!" Josh added, pointing at the samurai.

"I refuse," the girl, however, flat out refused, turning away from the medic with her arms crossed on her chest.

"What?! Aren't you a part of the crew!? It's time to start looking like it, too!" The redhead shouted back.

"No way! I don't get why I have to wear a uniform to be a part of anything? Besides, you remember what happened last time, don't you? I'm not trying that thing ever again! I already told you!" Miyako remembered the awkward and still-painful memories of the time the crew persuaded her to try on the overall. After such an embarrassing display where she had Josh laugh at her for the rest of the day, she swore never again will she wear that hazardous thing!

Instead of blowing a fuse as everyone thought he would, the redhead stopped, suddenly calm. Then, a barely-continued chuckle passed his lips as he made an amused face, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter. He looked at the girl with a mixture of mocking pity and ridicule. "Yeah, I remember…"

Miyako's eye twitched at the annoying sight of the medic before her. She had to fight the urge to hit him and wipe that expression off his face. *_How irritating! That expression is so irritating, it makes me want to stab him!*_

"The uniforms are good," Law nodded approvingly at his crew, showing an amused smirk from Miyako's and Josh's antics. He wasn't one to give complements, so getting even that much of a response from captain made the crew's faces light up in happiness. Honestly, they were such a simple bunch. He then took his sword from Bepo's hands and addressed the Heart Pirates for one last time before setting off. It will be a while before they see each other. "Alright, men, listen up! We already went through the plan so you know what you have to do. We will meet at Zo in a few months!" His eyes darted across all his crewmembers, stopping a bit longer on the Wanokuni's samurai. She gave him an undefined gaze in return as she met his eyes, but he couldn't tell if she was still mad at the whole thing or has she finally accepted it. Well, it didn't matter anymore, for Law was going through with his plan either way.

"Aye, aye captain!" The crew called out, saluting their captain with enthusiasm. They watched him walk down the metal ramp of the submarine that connected the vessel with the shore. Without turning back, Trafalgar headed though the snow, disappearing in the mist and cold wind that rose up the snow high in the air.

"Aah, I'm so glad he liked it!"

"We're setting off too, right?"

"Alright guys, I'm in charge until captain gets back so you better all listen to me!"

"Sai, the map you drew for captain of Dressrosa and Green Bit better be accurate!"

"Tch, of course it's accurate, I drew it."

"Yeah but I saw it, it looks like shit. Sai, it's surprising how bad you draw considering you're a navigator."

"I don't want to hear that from you…"

There was a momentary chaos on the deck of the submarine as everyone talked, commented and fumbled around to get back into the warm submarine and to their posts. They also had to prepare for setting off. The crew all ran around, preparing to get off the island, making sure everything was in order. It wasn't long before the yellow submarine was slowly furthering away from Punk Hazard, leaving its captain behind.

~…~

Law walked, seemingly unaffected by the cold wind blowing in his face. The snow was swirling around, creating a cloud and obscuring his vision, but he still pushed while treading through the knee-high snow.

_*It has to be here somewhere…Caesar's research facility.*_ He blocked the wind, putting his hand in front of him and squinting his eyes in hopes he'll see better.

After a while, even he was starting to feel the coldness bite into his skin as he walked on, trying to find the place. Finally, an outline of something large was starting to show not far before him. *_This has to be it!* _

_Achoo!_

A small sound came from somewhere behind him. Law instantly stopped and turned around, already opening his nodachi slightly with his thumb on the guard. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as a shadow suddenly ran across the snow and hid behind a large boulder. The mist and the wind were so strong, Trafalgar didn't notice anyone before but now it was clear as day; he was being followed. He turned around again, feigning ignorance as he continued to walk, keeping his guard up. Suddenly, he whipped back around and created his blue sphere before using his powers; "Tact!" A large pinnacle appeared where the person was standing, he could feel it with his haki, but the person jumped and avoided it hastily. Law didn't stop there. He created numerous pinnacles out of the ground, creating a trap for the suspicious person. Finally, they were completely surrounded by the pinnacles, unable to get out. With that, the captain lunged forward unsheathing his nodachi at the same time and delivering one large slash where he estimated their torso would be. The pinnacles all got cut in half by the slice, just as he caught up with the trapped individual and was ready to slice them up. As he raised his nodachi high in the air for the second attack, Trafalgar's arms stopped. He stared at the now-visible person in silence, unsure what to make of the sight.

The girl wasn't affected by his attack. As if predicting it, she crouched down and avoided the slice by a split of hair, as it passed right above her head. Her golden eyes stared back at surprised grey ones, as she waited for her captain's reaction in silence.

"Miss Miyako….What do you think you're doing?" Law's voice was nothing but a hiss, definitively strained as he tried to control himself from sounding as angry as he was right now. Even the honorific, that was usually left out when the two of them were alone, was back now.

"I followed you," she stated it so simply as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with that fact. The girl stood back up, fixing her plated long winter coat that she was wearing. The hood fell down in all the commotion, exposing her bare skin to the cold.

"I can see that…" Trafalgar had do take a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt a headache coming, before opening them again and glaring at the girl with a deadly, dark expression. He sheathed back his nodachi, clutching it in one hand. "Why?"

"You guys are always saying how being a pirate means having total freedom. Doing what you want to do…well this is what I want to do. This is what I believe is the right thing to do," she was completely serious as she stared back at Law, taking on his deadly glare with determined eyes.

"So what you want to do is disobey my direct orders?" His voice was louder and colder now. The wind picked up as it started blowing around them even stronger than before. Even so, the two stood there in the cold motionlessly, their coats dancing behind them in the wind.

"I want to have my captain's back," she answered seriously.

They were both staring at each other intensely, but neither one was backing down. "Go back. Right now," there was no patience left in Trafalgar's voice. His face was clearly saying '_don't even think about disobeying me on this_.'

"Even if I go back now, they are already long gone. But even if they weren't, I wouldn't go back," Miyako said honestly.

Law stepped closer to her, eyeing her dangerously. "You have crossed the line…have you gone completely insane? I told you I can handle it and I certainly don't need you to _protect_ me," he hissed the words out.

"That's true…and if it's like that, I'll be content," the samurai nodded, closing her eyes for a second before returning her gaze on Law. "But I've seen it Law…that first day you told me about Doflamingo. That's why I couldn't…_wouldn't _let you go alone no matter how strong you are. Because it's _him_ you're dealing with this time."

Her captain narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Miyako's expression was completely serious as she spoke the next words, "You are willing to sacrifice everything to bring this man down. I saw the look in your eyes…even if it means your own death, you are determined to go through with this plan."

Law couldn't help but widen his eyes a bit at her answer. He didn't expect her to say that of all things; namely because he didn't expect her to notice how far he was actually willing to go. However, that didn't mean she could just disobey him and decide everything on her own! Even if he was willing to die for it, who said he would?! It was as if she wasn't only disrespecting him but also doubting his ability and strength. As if she thought so little of him that she was already writing him off as the loser against Doflamingo. Just the thought of it made the captain seethe with anger inside. "You don't understand…This isn't your fight in the first place. It has nothing to do with you so-"

"You're wrong!" Miyako suddenly shouted, cutting him off. Her eyes were burning with emotion again. "You are my captain so of course it's also my fight! I already decided it the first time I saw that dark look in your eyes, I decided to keep you from death through this. I knew you'd do something like this sooner or later…that's why I'm here. I know, it's only my own selfishness, but I'm fine with it, I'm fine with being selfish. I'm not here to protect you as if you are some weakling in need of protection, but I _am_ here to keep my captain from dying no matter what! You have your mission but I also have mine! And I'm staking my pride as a samurai of Wanokuni on it!" She had to shout now to overpower the loud noises of the wind.

The snow still swirled around them, creating white twisters. Law simply stared at her, slightly startled by her speech. This wasn't just one of her impulses when she acted according to the present situation. No, she has given this a lot of thought….she probably decided on this a long time ago. Trafalgar could see it in her burning eyes; she was going through with this no matter what. Even if he told her not to, she would follow him. He had never before seen Miyako look as determined as she did now. The captain sighed exasperated by the whole conversation but surprisingly, he felt calmer now. Perhaps he didn't even possess the strength to fight her on this anymore. Besides, they could argue as much as they want right now, but their situation won't change; she was here and that was the fact of the matter. "Fine..." He expected her face to light up a little, but she stayed as serious as before, only nodding at him. His eyes narrowed warningly as he continued, "But you are to follow me, silently. When we enter, don't speak unless spoken to. Do you understand? Don't even move unless I give you my permission to do so!? If Caesar gets suspicious our whole plan will be ruined," he emphasized the importance of this.

"I understand…captain," for the first time Miyako gave a barely visible, content smile, nodding her head in understanding once again.

In response, her captain only sighed once more, before turning around and walking towards the research facility.

~…~

The doors of Miyako's quarters opened as the redhead lazily waked in, yawning loudly. "Oy Miyako, Munk sent me to get you. You're late for your duty, the galley will be open for dinner soon," he stopped when he noticed the room was completely vacant. The girl's things were still here but there was no sign of the samurai. *_That's strange,*_ Josh thought but didn't put much importance on it yet. Instead, he turned and exited the room, walking towards the navigator's room. They were under the water now so she couldn't be on the deck, but where else would the girl be?

Jean Bart and Sai were steering the submarine as usual, sailing on a slow underwater current.

Josh opened the doors and leaned on the doorframe, searching around the room with his gaze. Soon his expression turned into a confused frown.

"What's wrong Joshua?" Sai asked. Next to him, Jean Bart gave the medic a questioning gaze, but stayed quiet.

"No, well I can't find that girl anywhere? Did you see Miyako lately?" Josh muttered in thought, getting a bit suspicious now. *_Perhaps she went to the galley already and we passed each other without meeting?* _It wasn't very convincing even as Joshua thought it, but he couldn't find a better explanation for the girl's sudden disappearance.

"What's going on?" Bepo suddenly walked over, keeping an eye on their navigation every now and then now that he was in charge.

"He's looking for Miya-chan but we haven't seen her either, right Bart?" the younger navigator turned in his chair towards the larger man who simply grunted and shook his head.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her for quite some time either…" Bepo trailed off, putting a claw on his lips in thought.

"Let's check the engine room," the medic suggested, walking a bit hurriedly down to the lowest level of the submarine. He had a bad feeling about this and his intuition was rarely wrong.

However, both head mechanics simply shook their heads and shrugged. They haven't seen the samurai either.

Bepo and Josh stared at each other and gulped, slowly starting to realize what is going on.

~…~

Cody stood on a chair in the infirmary, trying to change an annoyingly flickering light bulb. Even with his tall stature he had trouble reaching it, so he balanced with one foot on the very backrest of the chair. He sighed in annoyance. "Isn't this supposed to be the mechanics' job on the crew?"

"Cody!" Suddenly the doors of the infirmary slammed open and both Josh and Bepo rushed inside at the same time, practically screaming in unison.

The poor medic was so startled by this he jumped in place, which caused him to lose balance on the chair. "Wha!" The pirate started falling backwards, hopelessly flailing his hands to try and regain his balance or at least grab onto something. Alas there was nothing but air and Cody found himself on the floor with a sore butt. "Tsk…" He clicked his tongue in pain and hissed. He slowly stood up, rubbing his ass while he put the chair back in its proper place. "What's with you guys, so suddenly?"

"We tried to find Miyako but she was nowhere to seen and I'm worried she was left behind on the island and what should I do…?!"

"The woman is nowhere to be found and I have a very bad feeling about this, she must've gone off on her own again, I just know it, she definitely did something…!"

Both pirates started yelling at the same time, incoherent words rushing out of them. Cody could only stand there and blink at them in puzzlement, not understanding anything they were trying to say. The two weren't stopping either, as they just kept on with their own rambling. "Enough!" Finally, the bluehead had enough of this chaos shouted to stop Bepo and Josh from continuing on. "I have no idea what you're trying to say, so just speak up clearly…one of you!"

"Miyako is gone!" Both Bepo and Josh yelled in perfect unity with panic in their expressions.

~…~

Miyako took down the hood of her coat and looked at the large metal doors before them. Both her and Law were standing right outside the research facility where Caesar's laboratory should be.

"Uh…should we ring the bell?" Strangely enough, there was a white button on the side of the doors, used for ringing.

Law looked up at the upper right corner of the doorframe, examining the small den den mushi which stared right at them, sending the visual picture to the control room inside. "I believe they are already aware of our presence," he stated.

As if confirming his statement, the heavy doors started slowly opening, showing a gaping darkness inside. Miyako narrowed her eyes and put a hand on the hilt of her katana. Just then, a clicking noise of loaded guns sounded off in the dark room ahead. Dozen men were standing there, aiming their rifles at the two pirates. They all had strange yellow suits on them, covering their faces with gas masks. Some of them had large tanks on their backs which connected to their guns with a single hose.

"Stand down," Law warned her quietly as he saw her tension. Instantly, the samurai removed the hand from the katana, obeying her captain.

"Why are you here, Shichibukai Trafalgar Law?!" One of the men shouted, his voice muffled under the suit.

Law took a step forward, ignoring the tension in the cold room. "I'm here to see Caesar Clown," he answered in a voice that seeped authority.

"Master? What do you want with him!?" For a while there was a complete standstill from both sides before the strange men exchanged glances, murmuring something among themselves. Finally one of them pulled out a den den mushi and turned from Law and Miyako, talking into the transponder snail with someone. Even while straining, Miyako couldn't hear anything they were talking about but soon the man faced the pair once more. "Come with us!" The man finally said and the group started leading the two through the room.

As they walked Miyako's eyes got used to the darkness in the room and she had time to observe it more carefully. Even though it was already inside the building, the room was the same freezing temperature as the outside. It was wide and had a high ceiling, but there wasn't anything inside it. The room wasn't furnished and it didn't even have windows. That's when Miyako noticed an outline of the shadow at the nearby wall. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus her vision through the darkness, staring at the wall.

The girl gasped, her eyes suddenly wide, as she realized the shadow was actually a person. Well, she wasn't quite sure it could be called a person or was it actually a monster. It was large, like a giant, and had disfigured features. What was most surprising was that the person was inside the wall, which was completely covered in ice. It was frozen inside! What's more, there were more of those frozen, giant creatures throughout the room, trapped inside the ice walls. Miyako took a step back from the wall only for her eyes to accidentally dart towards the floor. That's when she realized the ground was also made out of thick ice and those creatures were also beneath it. Having a bad feeling, Miyako looked up and her suspicions were confirmed; there were more frozen corpses inside the roof of the room. The samurai grimaced in unease. *_What's up with this creepy room!?* _

Seeing Miyako fidget around at the back of the group, Law turned to look at her with warning eyes. "Don't get left behind, keep up."

The girl jogged on until she was beside him again. "What kind of guy is this Caesar? I think he has some weird hobbies," she whispered to her captain, still gazing around the room with nervousness. She never saw anything like it.

Trafalgar, on the other hand, didn't look affected by their surroundings one bit. He just kept walking forward casually, ignoring the frozen corpses around them. "You better get used to it…we'll be spending a while here, after all," he warned, giving her a look that obviously stated '_you're the one who wanted to come along no matter what so don't dare complain now.'_

Miyako sweat-dropped. *_Ah…he's still mad…*_

When they finally walked out of that room, they found themselves inside a wide hall of the research facility. It was a bit warmer there, with metal walls surrounding them covered in pipes and wires. As they walked on through a labyrinth of halls, Miyako noticed there was a den den mushi watching them set in every hallway. Someone was observing their every move.

It took some time as they walked through the lab, but finally they arrived in a large round room. On one side it was filled with screens showing numerous parts of the laboratory though the den den mushi. Some were even showing the outside scenery around the building. There was a metal counter with a few stools near the screen set. Cabinets and some machines Miyako couldn't decipher were around the room but there wasn't much furniture. The only thing in the middle of the room was a small table with a few sofas placed around it.

"Master, we brought them here as you instructed!" The man in the yellow suit spoke up, leading the group.

That's when the two pirates noticed someone on the far side of the room as he slowly walked towards them. No, not walked…floated. The strange looking man was hovering above ground, his lover body engulfed and hidden by smoke. Actually, Miyako wasn't even sure where his body begun and the smoke ended; it seemed as the two were fused together.

*_A logia user?*_ That was her first thought as she saw this strange sight.

The man called 'Master' by his henchmen was tall and reminded Miyako of satires she often read about in books. Just like them he had two large horns on the top of his head which was covered in black, wild mane of hair. He wore a white coat that appropriately spelled 'Gas' on either side and gloves with his initials CC on them. What interested Miyako even more were the bright yellow eyes that completely opposed his pale complexion.

"Trafalgar Law…" The man came over to them, towering over Law. The pirate captain was definitively not a short man yet the other easily won in height between them. "What brings a Shichibukai here?" There was obvious suspicion in the man's eyes.

"Caesar…" Trafalgar answered as if saying his greeting to the rogue scientist. "I didn't come here on Shichibukai duty, I'm here for my own interests," the pirate answered without blinking an eye. Well, what he said wasn't a _complete_ lie.

"Hmmm?" A slightly high tone came out of the skeptical scientist. "What business would you have here?"

"This laboratory belonged to Vegapunk, didn't it? I hear there's some interesting research left behind here…I want to examine it."

Caesar's eyes narrowed at the mention of the other doctor. "Vegapunk?" He hissed the name. "Ha! That fool shouldn't even be called a scientist! What does he know?! He left this place...abandoned it, along with the wonderful gas research we did here! That guy's just an idiot!" It seemed Caesar Clown had some personal issues with the other scientist as he talked about the man with pure loathing.

"Well I don't care either way…I just want to research this place and take any knowledge I can find here. As a doctor, I'm highly interested in it," Law grinned darkly.

However, Caesar was a suspicious man by nature. "Hmmm?" He leaned in closer to Law examining his face but couldn't find any trace of nervousness or dishonesty in the other man's expression. So he turned his attention to the one next to the captain; Miyako. "Then what about her? Is she a doctor too?"

Miyako was storming her brain to find a suitable answer in this situation when another voice came from behind them. "Burning-Eyed Miyako, bounty; 210 million Beri. She is one of the Heart Pirates…a crewmember of Trafalgar Law the Shichibukai, also known as the Surgeon of Death, bounty; 440,000,000 Beri."

Everyone turned to look at the person who spoke up. It was a young woman with thick glasses covering her eyes and green, wavy, long hair. She was quite tall and well-built. The woman held a book in her hands, as if she just read all that information from it.

"Monet, huh?" Caesar commented on the woman's presence flatly, as if expecting her to show up.

Law gave the woman an unreadable look but after a while turned his attention back to the gas logia user. "You don't have to worry about her, she's simply here as my assistant...a right hand, that's all," Trafalgar commented on Miyako's presence which they discussed before being interrupted by the green-haired woman.

"Assistant? I guess she's like my assistant Monet then…" Caesar still gazed at Miyako a bit suspiciously while rubbing his chin in thought, but he didn't enquire about it further. It seemed that explanation satisfied him for now.

Finally, the scientist went back to sit on one of the sofas. Silently he offered the other sofa to Miyako and Law who sat down wordlessly.

While Law and the gas scientist talked, Miyako's gaze traveled back to the peculiar woman who sat at the counter and started scribbling something in her book. _*She seems to know a lot about us, I just hope she doesn't know a bit too much,* _even with those thoughts the girl kept her expression calm as to not arouse suspicion from the others.

Meanwhile, the Shichibukai and the logia continued their conversation. "As I was saying, I believe there can be a lot of useful information found here…about the government's plans as well since this was one of their laboratories. So I ask free roam around this island. We won't meddle in each other's business; it's as simple as that. However, as a sign of my good will, I'll help you with your research if you need anything." To Miyako Law sounded very unusual, going as far as offering help to the scientist but luckily Monet and Caesar didn't know the captain's usual nature. Of course the samurai didn't comment on his behavior either.

Once again, before Caesar spoke, Monet interrupted. "He is from North Blue, a doctor. He ate the paramecia-type ope ope fruit…he might be useful to us." She turned back to the surgeon and stared at him. "There are a lot of people here paralyzed by the gas after an accident a few years ago. They can't use their legs anymore. Can you heal them?" For the first time, she removed her glasses showing two piercing yellow eyes underneath. They reminded Miyako of some predator bird or a snake, eyeing her prey and calculating its demise. Everything about the woman screamed 'a calculating harpy.'

"Heh, that would actually be pretty useful…." The gas scientist commented, a small smirk appearing on his face. "It would be great for my subordinates to be a bit more useful for a change."

Monet then turned to look at Miyako. "And Suzune Miyako…she is an expert swordswoman from Wano, we could use her fighting skills if something goes wrong here," the woman smirked, eyeing the samurai girl like a piece of useful data before licking her lips ominously. It made Miyako want to gag as goosebumps appeared on her skin, but she held the feeling in.

The samurai narrowed her eyes at the woman. "If my captain gives me the order I will listen to it…even if it's to play as your bodyguard," she answered calmly, but there was a cold tone in her voice.

"Remember, it would be bad for me if anyone knew I was here, too. Especially the Navy. So don't utter a word about me being here to anyone….including Joker," the captain of the Heart Pirates narrowed his eyes as he stared at Caesar warningly.

"You…How much do you know exactly?" The scientist hissed, unsure whether to be wary or amused about this turn of events. However, he understood Law was right. Even as a Shichibukai he didn't have the right to be on Punk Hazard, a government facility, which would spell trouble for his title if the Navy found out about his involvement on this island. That thought made the scientist relax a little, realizing both of them were practically in the same boat.

"So, do we have a deal?" Instead of answering him, Trafalgar enquired with a questioning but dark stare, wanting to wrap this up. It was actually amusing to him that Caesar was creating here the same SMILE using the information that none other than Law himself acquired for the scientist under Doflamingo's orders. The logia user wasn't even aware of that fact but Law pretended he didn't know anything Clown was working on. Luckily for him, the scientist was offering to tell him by himself and was even asking Law for his help; that will make this whole plan even easier than he expected. The Shichibukai had to suppress from ginning at the thought.

"Not quite yet," the scientist answered thoughtfully. Law's eyes darkened at the answer but he wordlessly gave Caesar a questioning look for the other to explain himself. "I still need something to make sure you won't betray me, Law. After all, the research I'm doing here on Punk Hazard isn't something that should leak out to the public. If the Navy finds out…and you _are_ a Shichibukai after all. So I'll need a bit more than just your word…a precaution if you will," the gas man gave the other a wide grin. He was definitely planning something.

However, Law didn't want to lose the strings he was holding. He wanted to be the one to control the direction of this conversation, including the conditions. "In that case I have an idea…" With that the man did something completely unexpected; he created a blue sphere around them, making everyone stare at him on edge by the sudden use of his powers. He turned his fingers towards his heart and said one word. "Mes." He pushed his fingers towards his chest, until they were actually going inside him. The captain gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he pulled out a cube out of his chest. Inside it was his own beating heart.

"Law!" Miyako couldn't help but sit up in her sofa, staring at her captain in shock. What was he thinking?!

Ignoring the burning pain in his chest, the captain continued. His dark eyes were hidden beneath the rim of hit hat as he talked. "I don't know how much you know about my abilities, but with this you can crush my heart in your hand and kill me. This will be your reassurance."

Caesar and Monet seemed speechless from surprise for a moment but then suddenly the scientist ginned widely before bursting into laughter. "Shololololololo! Nice thinking Law. Alright, in that case, I will also give you the heart of my assistant in return," he pointed at Monet with a grin. "However! The same goes for your swordswoman here. I don't trust her yet. So Monet will be taking her heart and I will be taking yours, while you will get Monet's heart. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes, it's fine," Trafalgar answered without looking at Miyako who was sitting by his side.

~…..~

The green haired woman walked casually through the halls with Miyako following right behind her. Finally, she stopped and gazed at the metal doors before her. Monet turned around to face the samurai, smiling slightly. "This will be your room…Suzune Miyako, right?"

The other girl nodded, and peered inside as Monet opened the doors of her new room for her. It was a simple and small room, with metal walls and floor that actually reminded her a lot of her quarters at the submarine. It was differently furnished, with a simple bed, a closet and a desk with a chair next to it. There were also a few shelves above the bed, nailed to the metal wall. However, to Miyako it didn't really matter what kind of a room it was; she wasn't intending to feel at home here any time soon. True, Law said they'll be spending the next few months here but Miyako kept herself prepared for anything, including leaving this place as soon as Law gives the order.

"Cozy…" The samurai commented sarcastically with a frown on her face and stepped inside the room.

Monet smirked, observing the girl all the while with those snake-looking eyes of hers. "I hope you'll get used to it…it seems you'll be staying here for quite some time," the woman answered in an amused tone.

To Miyako her every word sounded like some kind of test, as if probing into her real goals on Punk Hazard. However, the Wano girl stayed calm and collected, mindful of how much she reveals to the other woman. "Why do you think that?"

"Certainly you didn't come all this way to leave so soon. Besides, your captain seems very interested in this research facility and there are indeed a lot of data he can collect. He'll be busy for a while," Monet answered with a shrug before continuing. "However, you don't look like a scientist. Are you here only as a bodyguard…muscle for his brain?" The woman smirked, taunting the samurai as she talked like she doubted the girl's intelligence and usefulness here.

Miyako kept calm, her expression almost bored as if she found it tiresome to speak with this woman. Still her tone was a bit colder than before. "I will use my sword to the best of my ability if need be…even though, I might not have the ability of a _secretary_ like you," the girl answered, taunting Monet while degrading the woman's own position in this laboratory. At least bodyguard beats secretary in her opinion.

Monet smirked at the girl's answer but didn't go further into that topic. Instead, she changed the subject. "Your captain's room will be just across the hall, there," she pointed at the doors across Miyako's.

That fact actually made the girl feel a bit better, knowing Law would be close by in case of any emergency. She still didn't know what exactly they were dealing with and she definitely didn't trust these people. What's more, it seemed Caesar had his men stationed on every corner, making it hard to stay inconspicuous. The scientist was really a cautious man, as Law said. But Trafalgar actually took care of that problem, asking for free access around the island. With that deal, he could move about and research anything he wanted without looking suspicious. What's more, he actually infiltrated into Caesar's research, making the scientist ask for his help and that way allow Law to find out everything about SMILE that he needed to. Miyako couldn't help but feel impressed by how well Trafalgar played his cards, making everything go his way exactly as he predicted. Even now, the gas logia was leading Law on a tour around the facility, showing him exactly what the SMILE research was all about. Of course, Caesar had no idea Law already knew far more about it than he let on, as he was actually the one who stole SAD vials from Vegapunk's laboratory at Abney Cove. The irony almost made Miyako chuckle, but she contained herself seeing that Monet was still keeping an eye on her.

It was obvious the two women didn't trust each other; whether it was simply women intuition or something else. Miyako couldn't put a finger on the reason yet but just in case she decided to keep an especially close eye on Monet. Unconsciously her hand moved over to her chest where a gaping hole was hidden underneath her shirt. There was nothing inside; no beating could be felt from the gaping place. The samurai glanced at Monet again, remembering that this woman held Miyako's heart in her hands….literally.

~…..~

"Sholololo! And here it is," Caesar Clown hovered on his gas over to a sole glass container placed in the middle of the room.

Trafalgar walked into the large round room after the scientist, examining the inside of the said contraption. There was a fruit placed on a metal circle inside the glass, held by four thin needles. The fruit had an appearance of a large blue apple with grey spots all over it.

"And this is the SMILE you were talking about," Law pretended to guess going by the information Cesar just told him about his work.

"Indeed, the one I managed to create all by myself using the SAD gas! Aren't I amazing? Sholololo!" The gas logia laughed in pride, marveling his product. "It does take a long time to create unfortunately, we're still working on it," he added.

_*All by yourself? Didn't you just take the original research from Vegapunk?*_ Law thought sarcastically, but of course kept those thoughts to himself. "How many did you make already?" Trafalgar asked lightly, pretending to only satisfying his curiosity. He had the rough estimation given through torture by one of Kaido's men, Jonna, but he wanted to be certain and what better method than to ask the producer himself.

With a wide grin, the scientist spoke. "Five hundred. As I said, I'm still working on making the production quicker. We've had some…setbacks while researching and manufacturing it, but it's all for the sake of science. There has to be sacrifices," the scientist shrugged wide a wide grin, obviously not truly bothered by the men that lost their lives in the process.

Law smirked. "Hn, so you are that kind of man…? Well, not that I care really. As I said, I'm only interested in collecting data here. What you do with your subordinates is none of my business," the captain answered, keeping a nonchalant expression.

"Shololo...I see. I think we'll get along together just fine…Law," the logia commented with a devilish smirk on his purplish lips.

"Master!" Suddenly, one of the yellow suits called out, entering the room.

"Hmm? What is it?" Caesar turned towards his subordinate with an interested gaze.

"We got a new shipment, it's the-" The man stopped talking as he realized his master wasn't alone in the room. Uncertain, the yellow suit looked back at Law, not sure if he should proceed in front this stranger.

Law saw the unsure look the man was giving him, but stayed quiet. Even though he was interested, he didn't want to appear as if prying. Realizing what the problem was, Caesar glanced between Trafalgar and his subordinate for a moment. "Ah, that. It's alright, you can talk in front of him. He's one of us now," Clown answered with a smirk.

"Ah, I see…In that case, the ship with the new children arrived," the other continued.

Trafalgar narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Children?"

"Shololo…yes well, that is for another research I'm working on. Come, I'll show you," the scientist laughed, amused by Law's interest in his work. He couldn't help but feel proud as he boasted on about his important work here that wouldn't be able to go on without him, while they walked towards the main entrance of the laboratory.

~…..~

Trafalgar and Miyako soon learned that the whole structure of the building was separated into numerous rooms, divided by thick doors that could withstand large blasts and prevent any hazardous material from leaking from one room to the other. The whole research facility had safety measures so that any part of the laboratory could be closed down in case of an emergency, preventing another disaster. Each room of the lab was named by a letter, making easier to orientate.

"Law!" The samurai called out as they met inside of room A which was the entrance room of the laboratory. Another large door was the only exit to the outside and they were automated; they could only be opened by a mechanism inside of room A or from the control room. There was just no way such heavy doors could be manually opened.

The Dark Doctor turned to see his crewmember and Monet walking towards them, heading for the exit as well.

"Ah, Monet, so you heard about it too," the scientist greeted his secretary.

The woman fixed the glasses on her nose and nodded. "Yes, they informed me of the new arrival."

Miyako frowned, staring at Caesar and Monet suspiciously. "What is this all about?" Suddenly, one of those men in yellow suits came to them as she was still talking to Monet and informed them about some ship coming. Unlike Monet who immediately understood, Miyako had no idea what was going on. The samurai tried to ask but the secretary simply chuckled with amusement and told her to wait and see.

Slowly the entrance doors started opening, lifting up to reveal the snowy scenery of the outside. Miyako was glad to still be wearing her winter coat as strong, cold wind started biting her skin. She shivered from the sudden change in temperature before stepping towards the outside. The men in yellow suits ran passed her to the outside, Caesar and Monet following them. The samurai and the Shichibukai exchanged quizzical glances before following their new partners.

Outside, there was a newly arrived ship in the frozen bay. The plank was lowered, and people were already disembarking the ship, while the yellow suits helped them out on the snow-covered shore. There were more of those men in suits walking from the ships, holding those gas rifles in their hands.

That's when Miyako finally realized, they were surrounding a group of children who were fearfully stepping out on shore. "Kids?" She couldn't help but ask out loud.

"That's right, new brats-I mean, new children have come," one of Caesar's men answered.

"But why?" The girl continued with the questions, not understanding why there would ever be children on such a dangerous island as Punk Hazard.

"Hehe, it's Master's new project," the man grinned and snickered, but Miyako obviously didn't understand the humor behind it. She frowned.

Caesar Clown came forward towards the unsuspecting children. They were of all ages, but none probably older than ten. They were all differently dressed as if they didn't even come from the same island and culture. Some were dark-skinned while others were blonde and pale. The only thing these children seemed to have in common was that they all looked scared.

"I want my mommy…" One of them cried.

"Now, now, children, didn't my men explain to you why you were here?" The gas scientist started with a large smile on his face. He hid all his pervious malice that Miyako saw in him.

"They said we were sick and brought us here," a young girl answered quietly.

"Shololo, that's right! You are all very sick. And if you stay with your parents or siblings, you will make them sick too. That's why you will stay here until you get better. But don't fear, for I can cure you! I will help you all!" The scientist answered loud enough for all in the group to hear.

"And…and when we get better, we can go back home?" A boy asked timidly.

For a while, Caesar was silent but then a large grin spread across his face. "That's right," he answered, with hidden venom in his voice.

There was definitely something wrong with this scene…Miyako just felt something wasn't right. But she didn't have any right to call them out on it; she couldn't in fear of compromising Law's position here.

"Now, Monet here will help you get to your new room. You'll see, everything will be just fine, dear children!" The gas logia spread his arms wide as if inviting them to come along.

The kids stared at each other silently, still uncertain about all of this, but they had no choice but to follow the adults. The outside was freezing, with strong wind blowing on their skin. They couldn't stay here anyway.

Monet, a tall woman with a gentle smile on her face, knelt down to be eye to eye with one of the girls. "Come, there are a lot more children like you inside. You can meet them and make friends here. I'm sure we'll all get along, fufu," the woman smiled with a chuckle.

"Take them to the Biscuits Room," Caesar ordered to Monet and his men. "I'll come to take their blood samples, shortly," he added.

"Come on, kids, we'll take you to the others!" The yellow suits started leading the kids away, inside the research facility.

"Caesar, what's the meaning of this?" The surgeon narrowed his eyes, gazing at the scientist.

"Shololo, those kids think they are being treated here for their sickness."

"They're sick?" Miyako walked over to them, frowning at the scientist with a questioning stare.

"No, actually they're perfectly fine. Sholololo! But it's the best excuse to keep them here and use them as guanine pigs for my new project!" The man laughed evilly, completely reverting his personality for 180 degrees from how he acted in front of the children.

Miyako's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth, but Caesar continued before she could protest.

"I would usually be worried about you finding out Law, since you're a Shichibukai, but since you're risking your title being here just like me, I suppose it's fine. The way I see it, you can't tell anyone unless you want to be taken down with me as well. As I said, we're in it together now." He stared at Trafalgar tauntingly, to see if the captain will protest.

However, Law simply shrugged his shoulders. "I already told you I don't care what you do. We're here for our own goals. Just like you said; it would be a problem for me too is the Navy comes here." The Shichibukai didn't seem bothered about all this in the least.

Another wide grin appeared on Caesar's face as his eyes sparkled with a devilish gleam. "You really are just a pirate first and foremost, aren't you Law?"

Trafalgar didn't answer anything, only gave the scientist one of his infamous smirks.

That's when Miyako realized she couldn't say anything about this. Even if she didn't like it, even if they were experimenting with innocent children right in front of her eyes, she couldn't do or say anything to Caesar or she would expose them both. Unconsciously, she balled her hands into fists at her sides. _*No…I was prepared for this. I already decided to be here, no matter what! Even if this is happening, I can't deter from my own goal here,* _she thought with newfound determination. She'll just have to grit her teeth and bear it.

The group turned back to walk inside and take shelter from the cold weather. They followed the first group that was leading the children. Meanwhile, Caesar explained his 'new project' as he called it. "I am devising a new kind of warfare. A new weapon," he started. "Of course those idiots from the Government would never acknowledge my great research; they have no idea what the future needs! But luckily, there are enough people in the underworld who would pay good price for a new kind of weapon," he grinned.

"So what are you doing to them?" Miyako asked, referring to the children, her voice sounding emotionless. She has reached her resolve already.

"I am trying out a new drug that would create giants! Just think about it; you could have a whole army of unstoppable giants! Who would able to beat that!? Sholololo!" Caesar explained, laughing loudly.

"Artificial giants," Law commented, thinking about the possibilities.

"Yes. However, I still haven't perfected it. That's why I need more children for my research. I can only experiment on them since I need humans that are still growing. Then I can use the drug to accelerate their growth until it excels so much that they grow into giants," the scientist smiled with satisfaction as they walked inside the facility again. Behind them, the large doors lowered and closed, leaving them in a dim-lighted room.

"But where do you even find them?" Miyako asked the scientist as they walked through the halls.

"Shololo, we have our ways. It's enough to tell those gullible parents we're from the government and that their kids need treatment, and they practically give them to us! Sholololo!" The man laughed, his strange voice bouncing of the walls. His smirk faltered a bit at another thought, "Though there are some more skeptical than the others…but we have our ways to deal with them as well."

_*So they kidnap them! But how do they make the parents believe that they're really from the government…? Do they have someone on the inside?* _Miyako's thoughts were cut off by laughter of children. Her golden eyes widened and she blinked in puzzlement. She didn't see that room before.

"This is the Biscuits room, where we keep….the sick children," the gas logia said sarcastically with malice in his yellow eyes. He opened the doors and gave Law and Miyako a view inside.

Miyako's eyes widened at the sight. The room was large, painted in bright colors and filled with toys. It was also filled with children of all sizes. Indeed; _all_ sizes. Some looked quite young, yet were much larger than any adult. They really looked like children of giants. The whole scene was completely out of place here on Punk Hazard. The kids were playing together or with the toys, with cheerful smiles on their faces.

Monet was already there, talking to the new group of arrivals and introducing them to the others. One of the kids was crying, asking for his mother, but Monet reassured him with a gentle voice and soothing words. It was a completely bizarre sight.

What's more, when Caesar opened the doors, the children looked at him and their faces brightened up. "Master!" They all exclaimed, leaving their toys and running over to the scientist. Miyako couldn't believe her eyes. They surrounded him, smiling and talking to him.

"Are we getting better Master?"

"Can we leave soon?"

"Shololo, of course. Don't worry, dear children, it won't take long," Caesar answered with a wide smile, opening his arms as to try and embrace the children that huddled around him.

"Master is really kind to everyone, isn't he?" One of the yellow suits said with a happy voice. It seemed like everyone adored Caesar, even calling him 'Master.' He had them all perfectly fooled and it made Miyako feel disgusted.

"Honestly, this…" she muttered quietly, glaring at the scene before her. Only Law heard her who was standing beside her.

"Remember, it's of no concern of ours," he reminded her of her position here.

Miyako bit her lower lip in irritation, but she stayed calm on the outside. "I know," was all she said in response, in that cold tone she sometimes used. She had to keep her feelings about this buried and go on. She was a pirate after all, and she had to act as one in front of the people here. She wasn't allowed to sympathize with these children; it was too dangerous for their plan. That's why she put on her best mask and stayed collected, as if she was completely unconcerned by all this.

Suddenly, she felt someone tug on her long coat. She looked down to see a small girl of no more than five years. She had a small pony tail with orange hair and big black eyes. She looked pale and small, but she gave Miyako a large smile, showing one of her teeth was missing. "Hello," the girl kept staring up at Miyako with a smile.

The samurai wasn't sure how to respond. She just decided not to get attached to these children as to not ruin their cover, yet one of them was now clinging to her clothes. "….Hello…" After a long silence Miyako answered, showing the girl an unreadable expression.

"My name is Rachel? What about you?" The girl continued to smile, tilting her head with curiosity. Her large eyes were full of wonder.

"….It's Miyako," the samurai continued, trying to give the girl a cold shoulder.

However, the kid just wouldn't get the hint. "Is that a sword on your waist? Are you a swordsman? I never saw a girl swordsman," she continued to ask questions one after the other. "Where are you from?"

The Wano girl grimaced at the rush of questions coming her way. "You talk too much, kid," she answered with a frown.

Still, the girl wasn't insulated or deterred by that comment in the slightest. Instead she giggled and tugged at Miyako's coat again. "You have pretty eyes," she commented, amused.

"…" For a while Miyako could only stay speechless, not sure how to react or how to get rid of the kid. She didn't really want to scare the girl or anything but she didn't want to get particularly close to her either. Staring down at those large dark eyes, gazing up at her with interest and innocence, Miyako sighed and closed her own. Finally, she put a hand on the girl's head and ruffled her hair, making the girl giggle. "Go play with your friends," she finally said and nodded at the other children.

The girl smiled. "Bye bye Miyako!" She called out and ran back to the other side of the room, where Monet was still taking care of the newcomers.

Miyako sighed again, suddenly feeling tired. She felt Law's eyes on her and turned to see him staring at her with an unreadable expression. "What?" She frowned.

The captain gave her an amused smirk before returning his silent gaze back to the room, without a word.

~…~

Miyako was bored. She didn't think it would be possible after only a few days in this place, but it was true. There just wasn't anything to do here for her. Law and her were still unsuspected by Caesar and it seems that the scientist was slowly starting to trust them. He worked with Law on his SMILE research, showing him all his data so far. Miyako tried reading the information about the artificial devil fruits but even though she understood the concept, she wouldn't be able to make one even in her dreams. She wasn't a scientist nor a doctor so she didn't know a lot of the jargon used in those documents. Just like Monet, she was there mostly to help with technical problems; or assist Law in his research when there was something she could actually do. Mostly, it was bringing him documents, or rewriting something from Vegapunk's old research files.

That's how the days went by in this research facility, out in the middle of nowhere on the island that wasn't even on the map. Thinking of this, something occurred to the samurai girl. "Where _is_ Law anyway?" The question was directed to one of Caesar's many men.

She was currently sitting in the control room, as the scientist instructed her to keep an eye on the video screens and make sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on around the area, while everyone else were busy.

The man next to her still had his hazard-suit on but without the usual mask covering his head. He was rather ugly with a bumpy bold head and small, mean-looking eyes. "Law-san went with Monet to see the sick prisoners. The rumor is that he might be able to heal them and bring back their walking abilities," the man grinned widely with happiness. "I guess you and Law-san coming here is almost as much of a blessing as Master being here!"

Miyako, who was casually sitting at the desk with her chin resting in her palm, glanced at the elated man beside her. _*Here we go again; master this, master that. These guys all love that creepy gas guy.* _

As if on cue to confirm her thoughts, the man started talking in praise of his master. "You see, after the accident with that gas, all of us prisoners were left behind here on this island to rot by the stinkin' government. A lot of us were even paralyzed from the waist down, losing our ability to walk. We barely survived here, dragging around and eating what was left in the storage room. But then Master came one day and he even made contraptions for us to let us move about; we could float around the air with harnesses and balloons! It's amazing!" The man, however, had his legs working normally. He must've been one of the lucky ones, surviving the incident without harsh consequences.

Still, what Miyako didn't understand was; did these prisoners even know that Caesar was responsible for that incident four years ago? He was the one who worked with Vegapunk to experiment on these men, in the first place. Could it be, they didn't even know that much; that their 'savior' was actually the same man who put them in this position in the first place. The girl sighed tiredly at the thought, while the man beside her continued on about how 'Master' was a great guy.

~…~

"It's here," Monet said as she opened large, winged doors to a room. Law stepped inside before her, seeing a sorry sight. It was filled with men who were either lying in beds with their bodies paralyzed, or floating around with hovering contraptions made with balloons. "Caesar filled the balloons with his gas, making them lighter than air so they would be able to rise and keep the people up at all times. Still, as you can guess it's far from ideal."

"And you want me to heal these ex-prisoners," the Shichibukai repeated their earlier conversation.

The tall woman fixed her thick glasses and smirked. "Indeed. Can you do it?" There was a bit of taunting masked under her innocent question as if she was testing his abilities.

He heard the hidden tone in her voice easily and narrowed his eyes as his abilities were questioned. "I'll need to inspect them first," as he finished, he walked over to one of the men lying in the bed.

"W-will you really be able to help us?" The man said, uncovering his legs.

"Just be quiet and relax," the Dark Doctor answered coldly, as he touched the man's leg, pushing at the flesh on some points. He then struck lightly just below the man's knee, waiting for a reaction that never came. The doctor frowned, obviously not pleased. Behind him, he could feel Monet's presence as she loomed over him, watching his every move with those sharp eyes. He turned around towards the woman casually. "Go prepare the operating table in room C. Also, get Miss Miyako to join us," he ordered swiftly.

"What is it, can you save us?!" one of the prisoners asked hurriedly but got no answer. Law ignored him and started exiting the room.

Monet followed as the Surgeon of Death gave one final order. "Also, prepare one of them for surgery. I need to examine them more closely."

~…~

of ddeath sadistic smirk appeared on the doctor've with those sharp eyes. s abilities were questioned. yako wiped the sweat from her brow but it didn't do her much good. She felt like her skin was melting as the heat attacked her. What was going on? Less than two hours ago she was freezing from the cold, but then simply crossing a lake and walking a bit further she suddenly entered inferno. The samurai remembered how she came here, on the other side of Punk Hazard.

_Law put down the bloodied scalpel, turning away from the operating table. On it was one of the ex-prisoners, his legs sewed back up where the surgeon made his incisions._

"_Well?" Monet walked over, followed by the samurai girl. Both of them were wearing white rubber gloves and surgical masks, even though they weren't needed for the operation._

_The doctor took off his bloodied gloves and the mask, leaving the man under heavy anesthesia to sleep on the table until it wears off. "Their legs are too damaged, the gas completely destroyed their nerves. Their legs can't be saved," Trafalgar answered casually, without a hint of empathy in his voice. _

"_So there's nothing you can do?" Miyako asked, looking at the man on the table. _

"_I didn't say that…" Trafalgar started, bringing out interested stares from the two women. "Their legs can't be saved but there is a way…I can simply replace them with healthy ones by using my powers," he explained._

_Monet's eyes widened in slight surprise. It was rare that this woman showed this kid of expression, which meant she definitely didn't expect this answer. "Replace them?" _

"_I can fix their torsos onto anything you want…so if there is something better to use than these floating devices, I can use it," Trafalgar continued, explaining how his ope ope powers worked._

_Monet tapped her index finger on her lips before an idea came to mind. Her lips instantly pulled back into a mischievous smile. "Very well…We can work with that."_

_Miyako titled her head, looking at the other woman questioningly. "You have an idea?"_

_The green haired woman simply started walking out of the room, giving Miyako a sideways glance. "I know what we can use. Come Suzune, your skills might be needed," she smirked, continuing to walk._

_The said samurai glared at the woman's back, not liking how the other woman spoke to her. She gave Law a glance, but they both stayed silent, before she went to follow Monet, leaving her captain behind._

Miyako sighed, taking off her coat. She couldn't take the heat anymore. She came here with Monet and a few of Caesar's men, but she still had no idea what they were doing here. This was the leftover of Vegapunk's laboratory that blew up, but the land was completely barren with nothing but molted lava and fires all around. The heat was so suffocating, it was hard to breathe.

"What are we doing here?" The samurai finally asked the other woman, slowly losing patience.

"There was a special closed-off reserve where Vegapunk kept numerous animals for research and experimenting purposes. They had their own little space with food and water; so they might still be here if they survived," Monet explained.

Miyako looked around noticing the men were holding ropes, cages and those stun-gas rifles. So they were planning to catch them. "And you want to bring these animals back with us because…" the girl trailed off with a raised eyebrow, not sure where Monet's idea was taking them.

The other woman simply smirked, "To use their body parts." The calm and amused look with which Monet said this gave Miyako goosebumps. She was sure that the woman would have the same look even if she was talking about humans instead. Before the samurai could ask what she meant, Monet continued, "Law said healthy legs would do, but he didn't say it had to be from other humans. We can use animal body parts to help the prisoners."

Finally understanding, Miyako widened her eyes. "You want to attach animal legs to the prisoners? Can that even work?"

"It can….if Law can make it work. It depends on his skill," the woman answered with a sly smile.

The samurai sighed, "And you brought me here to help you catch animals?" The girl was slightly disappointed by her task. She was an expert swordswoman, yet she was asked to run around after Punk Hazard's wildlife.

"Fufufu, not quite," Monet put her finger on her lips as if trying to hide her amused expression. "You see, we don't really come to this side of Punk Hazard much…it's very dangerous to be out here."

"I'll say, it's like four hundred degrees out here," the samurai muttered darkly.

However, Caesar's assistant shook her head. "No, that's not why."

Silently, Miyako's raised her eyebrow questioningly. She didn't have to ask though, because the reason soon appeared before them.

"It's because of this," Monet pointed at the sky where a large shadow was currently above them and lowering its large body.

"It's here! The dragon is here!" One of the yellow suits yelled and they all prepared their rifles.

Miyako could only watch with eyes wide and mouth agape as darkness from the large beast's shadow covered them. They were little more than specs compared to its size. She couldn't even find the words to speak at the moment, while chaos started around her. The men were running around, preparing their guns to shoot at the large beast or trying to get away from where it was about to land.

"N-no way…a d-dragon? A real dragon!?" Miyako could only stare at the animal she only heard about in tales till now. A beast that was only alive in legends, usually hoarding its gold and destroying everything in its sight with the breath of fire. Her mind could hardly believe it, but there was little to doubt as she saw the scaly, gleaming skin of the monster, a long destructive tail and two large wings flapping in the air.

Strangely, Monet stayed calm and seemed amused by Miyako's shocked expression. "It's not real of course; it's one of Vegapunk's creations left on this island after the incident. It's artificial...but it looks pretty real, doesn't it? Fufu," she chucked. "Because it attacks everyone in sight, it's hard to get by. The men always need to sneak around so they aren't noticed, but today we need more time to get all the animals across so it's not possible," she continued to explain. "That is why we need you….to distract it while we work. Keep it busy for a while."

Just then the dragon finally landed, creating a strong gust of wind around it that knocked over some of Caesar's men. Miyako and Monet were standing a bit further away so they weren't affected, but they still felt the strong air wash over them. Miyako felt her hair and clothes dance behind her from the strong wind of the dragon's wings as it finally set its huge body on the ground.

Before she realized, Monet and the others were already running in the back, going for the part of the facility with the animal reserve. "Ah, but don't kill it!" The green haired woman shouted back as if just remembering.

Thinking she misheard something, the samurai girl turned back to the woman with a perplexed expression. "Eh!?"

"Because it's usefull….it guards this part of the island from possible enemies. So it's good to have it around," Monet explained with a shrug, completely unconcerned about the fact that she just left one single swordswoman to fight against a large dragon.

"Eeeehhhh?!" Miyako's eyes widened even more, as her brain just couldn't believe the information she was currently receiving.

She wanted to protest some more but Monet was already gone with the rest of Caesar's men, leaving Miyako to fend for herself. Besides, she could feel movement from the beast behind her. Putting a hand on her trusted katana, the samurai slowly turned around, looking at the dragon. The monster lowered its head and stretched its long neck towards her. Its snout alone was bigger than the samurai girl, showing rows of razor sharp teeth. On its head it had two hard horns and spikes all along its body. It smacked the ground with its tail once, making a small earthquake around them and focused its large yellow eyes onto the human which was only a few meters from its face. With a loud puff, it let out smoke from its large nostrils, making the smoke envelope the human girl as it passed her with a rush.

The action made Miyako cough and try to blow it out of the way by flailing her arm in the air. Her other was still safely resting on the guard of the katana. The girl blinked her eyes a few times, which were now watery from the smoke, and stared right back at the legendary monster. "It seems I have to distract you long enough for them to finish, but I can't kill you, so I need to hold back…that might prove a bit challenging." She stared back at the dragon and her mouth formed a large smirk, with her golden eyes gleaming from excitement. Who would have thought that one day she would be testing her swordsmanship skills on a dragon. The thought made adrenaline rush through her body. "Alright. Let's do this."

As if understanding her, the dragon opened its large maws and came at her, trying to bite her. Miyako swiftly moved from the way, dodging to the side and pulling out her katana in the process. Behind her, the dragon bit a mouthful of stone from a wall, completely destroying it and turning it into nothing but ruble. The samurai understood that only one bite with those strong jaws was enough to completely tear her body. It didn't matter whether this dragon was real or artificial; it was still equally dangerous.

Gripping Yawarakai-Te, Miyako landed on the ground and instantly moved to attack by leaping off the floor and towards the dragon's feet. However, before she could slice its leg, the beast blocked with the claws of its front leg. For a while they stood in a standstill, but the dragon overpowered the girl in strength and sent her flying into a wall. She moved her body in the air, landing with her feet on the wall and using it as a stepping point to leap forward towards the dragon again. This time she was aiming for its side, where the ribs should be, but she soon felt movement on her side with her haki. Twisting her body in the air again, she blocked with both hands on her katana as the spiky tail of the dragon rushed towards her. The samurai managed to block the deadly blow but was still sent flying into the wall again by the powerful hit. The speed was too quick for her to move in the air this time and she hit the wall hard, destroying some of it in the process. The building remains were already old and fragile here so they easily crumbled under the impact, sending dust and stones on top of the girl.

Miyako coughed, staggering out of the rubble and standing back on her feet while clutching her katana. She could feel numbing pain in her ribs and back where she hit the wall. If the stone was harder, she would probably have a few broken ribs now but luckily the buildings here were already worn out from heat and time. Somewhere in the distance a thunder rumbled and a lightning hit, but both beast and human kept their eyes locked onto each other in sharp focus.

Suddenly the dragon opened its mouth and a loud roar came out, as if shouting towards the sky. Miyako saw a bright light appearing from the dragon's open mouth and her eyes widened when she realized what it was. Having no time to escape, the girl quickly jumped over some rubble and found shelter behind the remains of the stone wall. Only seconds later, fire enveloped the whole area, melting everything that it touched.

"Aaah!" Miyako crouched and formed a ball of her body as she felt rising heat everywhere behind her. She felt the deadly heat on her skin even from her sheltered area. The stone behind her slowly started to melt, unable to withstand much more of the scorching onslaught. *_Unbelievable! It can even breathe fire!*_

Luckily the fire attack ended before Miyako's shelter completely melted away, leaving her exposed. Gritting her teeth, the girl leaped out of her shelter with determination, seeing the dragon before her. She suddenly started running towards it, moving with lightning speed._ *You might be stronger, but I'm faster! It's no use if you can't even hit me!* _

The dragon went to bite her again, but she jumped high in the air, appearing above its head. The girl clutched her katana with both hands and raised it high above her head. _Ittouryu technique: Heavenly strike! _She was just about to use her attack to cut off the dragon's head when she remembered Monet's words; _Don't kill it!_

"Tch", with an annoyed click of her tongue the girl turned her katana so the blunt side was aimed at the creature. With all her strength while she was falling towards it, the samurai brought her sword down onto its head. "Haaa!" With a loud shout, the power of her strike hit the head of the dragon full force, bringing its head down to crash into the ground. Miyako landed in front of the best with a sigh, thinking it was over.

However, the girl relaxed to soon as the dragon was much durable than that. Soon, Miyako realized it hardly had a wound from her attack. Its scaly skin was exceptionally hard. The beast started rising back on its feet again with a low growl.

It suddenly flapped its wings, sending a large gust of wind Miyako's way as it stood back up with a loud, angry roar. The wind from its wide wings knocked the girl off her feet. Just then, the dragon let its whole body fall down where Miyako was sitting, hoping to crush her beneath the heavy body. Realizing this, the girl barely managed to jump out of the way, only to be met with the large tail that came towards her. She blocked with her katana, using her free hand to push the blunt edge of the katana and get a better hold, as the metal scraped against the hard spike on the tail. The girl bit her lower lip as she tried to match the strength of its tail, but she knew she couldn't hold out for much longer.

Her rushed thoughts were interrupted when the dragon opened its mouth again, ready to breathe fire and turn her into ashes. The fire burst out from its jaws, accidentally inflaming the end part of the dragon's tail as well. The dragon growled in pain and raised his tail towards his face, blowing air on it in hopes to make it sting less. That's when the monster noticed there was no sign of the girl below; was she completely obliterated by the fire? It looked around the ruins of the laboratory but there was no trace of the human.

"Up here!" The girl suddenly called out as she stood on the dragon's back with her katana held high.

The beast growled again and tried getting rid of her by shaking its body, but Miyako was gripping onto its scaly back. She used the spikes on the monster's back to hold onto. Irritated, the dragon flapped his large wings and set off the ground with a few strong moves of its wings. It rose high up in the air before making a sharp turn to the side.

"Whoa!" Miyako almost fell off. She had to sheath her katana and grab at the dragon's back with both hands. _*It's trying to throw me off!*_

The dragon made a sharp circle before turning completely so it was sailing through the sky on its back, flapping its wings to keep itself from losing height. The position made Miyako dangle, flailing her legs in the air as she gripped the dragon's back with all her might.

"Wha-! This is bad…I'm going to fall…" She gritted her teeth, feeling her fingers slide across the scaly surface. Suddenly the dragon turned sharply again back to its original posture and the strong twist made the samurai let go of its back and fly high in the air. She started falling alongside its body, unsuccessfully trying to get a grip on its back again. She felt burning pain under her fingertips from the friction her actions caused. So instead, she pulled out her sword from its scabbard once more. _*In that case-* _With a grunt, Miyako stabbed the sword into the dragon's side. At first it wouldn't give way since the dragon's skin was too thick, but the exceptional craft with which Yawarakai-Te was made ensured that it was sharp enough to cut through anything, if the samurai was skillful enough. Finally, even the strong red scales of the dragon couldn't withstand the cutting edge of the katana and the sword pierced through the dragon's flesh.

The fiery monster roared loudly, twisting in the air as Miyako continued to fall, slicing along the side of the dragon as she tried to stop herself. Finally the katana pierced deep enough to stop the girl's fall, staying lodged near the dragon's back leg. The dragon twitched its leg in pain and roared again. It started losing focus from the pain as it still kept trying to get rid of the pesky human. It went off the course, not observing its surroundings carefully and started swaying from side to side in the air. It kept its stare on Miyako while wavering in the air, still flying high above, but seeming more unsteady than before. It was trying to bite at the girl dangling from its back leg, but wasn't able to reach as the girl kept swaying her body and dodging every attack. That's why it didn't notice the large building up ahead until it was too late.

Miyako turned her head to see the building before them and gasped in surprise when she realized they were nearing it with speed. There was no time to change course and the dragon didn't even notice until it already collided its large body into the facility. The dragon smashed into the wall, making the large building crumble down. Its wings got stuck and the monster started falling, enveloped in metal, stone and dust.

"Kyaaa!" Miyako screamed and squeezed her eyes shut when they collided with the wall in front of them. They started falling down and the girl soon realized she would be squashed like a fly under the dragon if she didn't act fast. Before they smashed into the ground, Miyako pulled herself up on the dragon's body and pull her katana out of the beast in the process. She used the large body as leverage to leap from it and jump high in the air. She looked downwards, seeing the huge mass of a body twitching, covered in ruble and hidden away by dust. Miyako didn't wait for the dragon to get its senses back again. She could see it was already disoriented from colliding so hard with the building and decided to use this chance. *_It's time to finish this!* _

_Ittoryu no Haki: 9 strikes! _Slicing the air in front of her, Miyako delivered nine strikes of haki downwards, towards the lying dragon. The blasts hit the beast head on, smashing it further into the ground. It seemed that was the last straw; the dragon tried to get up, but collapsed back down with a deep whine and a spaced out look in its glazed-over eyes. It was still breathing, but completely unconscious.

Miyako landed on its big body and looked at the beast's face. Its eyes were still open but only whites could be seen. Its long tongue was protruding out of its mouth as the beast breathed deeply. The girl sighed and sheathed back her katana. She jumped off of the dragon's body and stumbled a bit when the pain in her side hit her again. She was still feeling the consequences from her hitting the wall before. She poked her side and winced instantly from the sharp pain that hit her. _*Ouch! I'll have to ask Law to look at this later.* _

~….~

When Monet returned with the armed men in yellow suits, they were dragging with them captured animals. There was a large variety of animals such as oxen, snow leopards and even horses. There were even more unusual kinds like caprions; animals which looked like goats but were much larger, with three purple large and sharp horns on their heads and they walked on their two hind legs.

The green haired woman looked around the fiery area but it didn't take long before she spotted the one she was looking for; the samurai girl. Suzune was currently sitting on a large dragon which was still unconscious and sleeping peacefully under her. It was rolled on its side and the girl was casually sitting on its rib aerea, leaning against her sheathed katana. The girl had the top of her kimono lowered down and her chest was covered with bandages, which Wano women often used instead of bras to cover up. The girl's long dark hair was in complete disarray, still tied with the red ribbon which helped a bit to contain the mess happening there. Her skin didn't look burned but there were black stains on her clothes, torso and face, probably from ashes.

When the girl noticed Monet and the others, she jumped down and winced a bit at the action. She didn't look awfully injured, but obviously she didn't come out of this fight unscathed either. As she walked towards them, tying her katana back with the sash at her waist, her black boots echoed with every step on the hot stone below her. It was quite an unusual sight; seeing those knee-high boots together with the traditional kimono of her homeland. It just didn't fit, but Miyako simply answered when asked that it was easier to move in those.

"I see you managed to defeat the dragon," Caesar's assistant commented with an amused glance at the sleeping beast.

Miyako followed Monet's glance towards the beast and sighed. "It's not dead, just unconscious…as you requested," she added sarcastically with a snarky tone in her voice. She wasn't even trying to mask her bitterness. The girl looked like she was waiting for a while, already impatient from the heat. She tried escaping the swelter by taking off the top of her kimono, but it didn't help much. She was still sweating profoundly in this stuffy, hot air. "Are we ready to go? I want to take a shower."

Monet smirked at the girl's words before answering, "Indeed. We've found enough animals to take back. The rest is up to Law now...I wonder if he can do it," the other woman almost sang with amusement in her tone as she deliberately questioned Miyako's captain in front of her. Monet's eyes narrowed a bit as she taunted the samurai, putting a hand to her mouth as she chuckled.

The samurai narrowed her eyes as well, but out of irritation instead of amusement. She didn't like the way Monet was talking about her captain; questioning his strength. Miyako was one of the people that knew well what he went through these past two years to get to this point and become strong. That's why it annoyed her when others expressed their doubts towards Law like this. "He can do it," she said curtly, with a tone that clearly stated not to question her captain and a dark look to go along with it.

"Oh my, you have such faith in your captain…how sweet," Monet commented with a mocking smile but didn't go any further than that with the topic. She turned around and went to the boat that was awaiting them. They still had to cross the lake and walk over the frozen wasteland on the other side.

The samurai frowned as she watch the other woman leave but soon grabbed her winter coat, which was discarded on the ground, and went after her. _*I'm not going to get along with this one, for sure,* _the Wano girl sighed once again, closing her eyes and shaking her head as she left the large dragon behind her and moved on.

~….~

Miyako discarded her coat, which she simply draped over her shoulders on the way back, on the sofa in the large B room before proceeding to room C where Law was preparing for the operation. He was about to cut off the leg of animals and stick them to the torsos of human prisoners with his ope powers. Just the thought of it sounded a bit disgusting to her, but Miyako was already used to seeing Law's eerie creations with his powers in numerous battles they fought together. He would always cut his enemies into pieces and often sow them back together with his powers, making a jumble of limbs and other objects which created disfigured masses of flesh. The first time she saw it, Miyako was appalled by the sight, but she was already used to it by now. This time she felt a bit bad for the animals but Caesar told her he could use them for his research anyway; though that didn't really make her feel any better really. Maybe it would have been better to just put them out of their misery when Law finishes with them, but she didn't really have a say in the matter.

Still in her slightly messy form with the upper part of her kimono down, the girl walked across the facility. She still felt gross from the sweat and dust on her and wanted to go to her room quickly and take a quick shower, but didn't get a chance to. As soon as she got back, she was instructed to help Monet and the men take the animals to Law.

Entering the operating room she saw the Dark Doctor already waiting for them. As soon as he saw her, he raised his eyebrow at her questioningly. "What's with that appearance?" Rather bluntly, the captain asked.

She felt her eyebrow twitch in slight annoyance, but a corner of her mouth pulled up into a mocking grin. "Ah, this is my I-just-fought-a-dragon-look, isn't it sexy?" She answered sarcastically, with a hint of irritation in her voice. She already had a hard time today and didn't really need Law's comments right now. Still, she was expecting the man to say something in return to her snarky joke. Something like; '_Your view of sexiness must be distorted'_ or '_What sexy? You look like you just rolled around in the dirt'_ but unexpectedly, the captain stayed quiet in response to her comment. Instead, he just kept his silent gaze on her as if he wanted to say something, or rather, was thinking about her words seriously.

His stare just made Miyako more alarmed as he made her feel awkward suddenly. "Don't think about it seriously! You should make some mocking comment or a teasing joke as you always do! You're freaking me out now!" She exclaimed, suddenly getting red in the face.

"Fufu…Oh my…" Monet interrupted the scene with her own sly comment as she watched the two with amusement.

"Ah…are we interrupting?" A man next to her asked with uncertainty, as he dragged a leopard in chains behind him. The animal was fighting but was completely restricted, with a muzzle over its snout, which prevented it from attacking.

Miyako's lips tightened and formed a thin line as she stayed completely quiet, with an obvious blush on her face. Monet's sly stare on her only made her more embarrassed by the situation.

Finally, Law smirked and decided to save the girl by breaking the awkward atmosphere with his words. "No, it's nothing. Come on, let's start." He turned away and glanced at the man lying on the operating table, still conscious. "Room," the captain called out and created a blue sphere that enveloped the paralyzed man and the leopard. Taking his nodachi with the other hand, the doctor unsheathed it and held it high in the air. A wide, excited grin appeared on the surgeon's face before he swung his sword. "This will probably hurt," he warned though he didn't look worried about the man's safety in the least.

Miyako's eyes widened as she saw Law work. The blue light of his sphere was flashing, reflecting off of the metal in the room and giving the girl a pale, blue glow on her skin. Trafalgar sliced the man in half, dividing his legs from the body and ignoring the screams of pain that the action created. He did the same to the animal, which tried to flee, but its attempts were completely futile. Soon the leopard was wriggling on the floor, without its lower body which was now being transferred to the human. With a simple move of his hand, the Shichibukai attached the animal legs to the man's torso and it stayed stuck like that as if it fit perfectly. The leopard was left on the floor wincing in pain, its muffled growls capturing Miyako's attention. Surprisingly there was no blood and both the animal and human were alright, even though cutting somebody in half would usually spell instant death for them. The whole time while he worked, the pirate captain had a wide grin on his face and an excited gleam in his grey eyes.

"W-whoa!" The ex-prisoner yelled in surprise and excitement as he tried getting up from the table. However, as soon as he lifted himself up, he fell back on the floor. His new four legs kept twitching and flailing helplessly as he grunted, trying to get up.

"You'll need to learn how to use them so it might take a while," the surgeon explained. "Still, once you do, they should work just fine," he added.

"Uncanny," Monet commented breathlessly with an exciting grin on her face. No doubt that later she will scribble everything she just saw in that large book of information of hers. She was always writing something in there, examining the people around her but she would never let anyone see what was really written inside. That just made her more suspicious in Miyako's eyes. The samurai frowned as the other woman kept staring at Law while he worked, and licked her lips like a predator while burning a hole in his back with those snake eyes of hers. Miyako couldn't tell if Monet was this interested in Law's work or the man himself but she didn't feel like finding out anyway.

The samurai girl decided that she saw enough and turned to walk out of the room. "Well then, if my job is done for now…I really want to take that shower," she commented and started heading out without waiting for Monet's response.

~…..~

As the samurai walked down the halls of the research facility, she passed by a certain large room with closed doors. Inside, she could hear loud noises of children's laughter. Silently, the girl stopped in front of the doors, with her gaze lowered towards the ground. She could hear children running around and plying inside. A part of her wanted to go in, but what then? She couldn't save them, she couldn't help them. She couldn't do anything for them. Miyako already knew the best thing for her own goals was to leave them be and not get attached. _*Don't think about it. Don't let it bother you.* _She fought her impulses, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. With a dark, quiet expression the girl started walking again, ignoring the sounds coming from behind her.

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><p>That's it for this chapter! The first chapter of the Punk Hazard Arc is over and I hope you liked it. :) There are no Straw Hats yet because first I want to integrate Miyako into this place and the story more. They have about two months to spend here before the Straw Hats arrival (though of course there will be a time skip, since I won't be writing chapters for all those two months :P).<p>

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review or pm me!

This time I actually replied to everyone's review instead of writing it here, so I'll just put here the ones who don't have an account or something so I couldn't respond. But it all reminded me why I like the old way better so I think I'll return to the old system after all. ^^' Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews!

**Ilovelaw: **Since Law loves harassing her, I'm sure there will be more of that in the future. :P

**Izzie: **Wha! I killed Izzie! Don't die, come back, come back!

Yep, and finally PH! :D and Cora-saaaan! Even though I knew he'd die it still hurt. Ah, if it managed to make you feel uneasy than that's good; I always like getting reactions out of the readers!

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **That's ok, I'm glad you still read it. ^^ I agree, it's waaay to soon to even think about children, I don't think it would really fit in the story either. Thank you! Thanks for reviewing! I follow both, so I know what you mean. Cora-san~

p.s. Did you know your private messaging feature is disabled? :o

**Yumi sawamura: **Whaa, I have a feeling I killed half of my readers with this chapter…

Thank you! I wanted to show Cody's and Josh's improvement in their strength since they didn't really get to shine lately. No, Bepo is a worrywart, and he's the only one who actually knows Law's past and true goals, so of course he'll be worried about Law going against Doffy all by himself. Lol You might be right. Though calling someone "that guy" definitely isn't polite. XD I think Miyako will have a hard time around Sanji too. ^^'

**Lawismyhusband: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the story, I hope you'll find it even more enjoyable in the future. :D Ah, no, I feel it's too early for there to be a child so I'm not planning on doing that for now.

**Onepiecelawfan: **"I love you" :)

**Bizzy: **Yeah, parts of it I did cause I was reading Kyou and just thought…It's perfect! . Funny part is; the part with taking her own clothes I even wrote before and then saw it was similar in Kyou. I think Tsubaki and Miyako are very much alike. XD

**Guest: **lol I kept it T rated though. ;) Thank you for reading, I hope you like the next one too.

**Anima: **Hope you didn't have to wait long~


	58. Chapter 58

'**I don't like you' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. The OC Suzune Miyako is mine. This story is rated T for violence and blood.

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><p>Hello, here's the next chapter. I have more time to write now, though I'm a bit afraid I'll catch up to the cannon plot in the manga too fast. ^^' This one isn't very long, but I hope you'll still enjoy it!<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 58<strong>

Miyako walked down the vast hallways of the research facility when a hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a room. „Whoa!" The girl yelped as she was dragged inside a small, dark space. The room was probably used for some research before but didn't seem to be in use anymore. Rather, it seemed it was more of a storage space for supplies now. The girl blinked when she realized the man who pulled her in was none other than her captain.

„Law, what are you doing here?" However when she saw his warning expression, she instantly lowered her voice to a whisper. It seems he wanted her to keep it down, which meant it was something that Caesar and his men shouldn't hear. „What's going on," she asked, this time in a whisper.

The Shichibukai wasn't whispering, but he kept his voice low just in case. „I have a task for you." He glanced outside the hall to make sure nobody was passing by, before closing the doors of the room further. Still, he didn't close them shut completely, so they could hear in case someone was coming down the corridor. Once done, the captain turned back to the puzzled samurai. „There are kairoseki chains in the facility. I want to replace them with normal ones without anyone noticing. Just in case something happens...The kairoseki cuffs are kept in room D. I need you to go find me as many normal handcuffs as you can so I can replace them and bring them to that storage room," the captain explained.

The girl's expression turned more serious as she listened. She wanted to be of help to Trafalgar while they were here, so she didn't want to mess anything up now. She wanted to do this right for him. "I understand, I'll make sure nobody suspects anything," she nodded firmly and turned around to leave. Before she could, a hand on her wrist stopped her. The girl blinked in surprise and turned to glance at Law questioningly.

He had a serious expression, with his lips in a tight line as if something was bothering him but he didn't want to show it. Yet, Miyako could usually tell her captain's moods by now. Before she could ask, the man warned her, "Be careful."

The girl stared at him for a while before she smiled in relief.

Seeing Miyako's unusual expression, the Dark Doctor furrowed his eyebrows in interest. "What is it?"

As if a little embarrassed, Miyako looked down, still smiling faintly. "No, well…I'm just glad. You seemed a bit cold towards me ever since we arrived to Punk Hazard, so I thought you were still mad I followed you," she answered honestly, peering at him from underneath her bangs.

For a while, Trafalgar stayed quiet before sighing and closing his eyes as if he suddenly felt exasperated. "It's better…not to let them know too much," he finally answered shortly.

However, Miyako didn't seem to quite catch his meaning, so she titled her head and stared at him in question. Her focused glance was obviously sending him a message she was still puzzled by his words.

Law scowled, not liking that he needed to explain himself. "If something goes wrong, I'm sure they'll try to use any of our weaknesses…so it's better if they don't know about us. It can be a risk factor later," he explained in a calm tone. He didn't seem even a bit embarrassed about what he just said. Instead he had an almost bored expression on his face, as if tired from needing to explain himself deeper.

Still, there was a dangerous thought in his mind that just wouldn't leave him be ever since they both set foot on this island. _What if Doflamingo finds out about Miyako? _That's why he wanted his crew to stay behind and be well out of reach of Doflamingo's claws once his plans are set into motion. Right now, he still has the element of surprise, but the older Shichibukai will sooner or later realize what Law is doing and do everything in his power to stop him. At that time, he won't be only going after Law but the ones closest to him as well; and right now that's Miyako, one of his nakama. Law knew it was already too late to do anything about that fact since Miyako was already here with him, but at least he didn't want to attract any attention to her more than necessary. If Doflamingo would find out about their relationship, the conniving Shichibukai would try to dig his claws into the samurai girl for sure. Law wanted to protect her from that at least.

The girl's smile didn't fade as she heard the captain's explanation. She understood he was worried about her; even acting distant towards her on purpose in front of others so they wouldn't suspect anything. "I see. Don't worry, I'll be careful, Law," with a gentle smile, she reassured him.

"Hn," the captain simply nodded approvingly, trying to pretend he didn't notice her knowing gaze towards him.

Still trying to contain her smirk, Miyako turned around to leave for real this time. "Well then, I'll-" she touched the handle of the doors just when they both heard muffled voices from the other side. She gasped and was once again quickly pulled away from the doors by Law as he dragged them back into the shadows of the small room.

There were two men talking as they passed by in the hallway. Suddenly, their footsteps stopped in front of the doors and Miyako felt her whole body stiffen.

"Hey, why are these doors open?" One of the men outside said in a low grumble.

Miyako could just imagine the two men in yellow suits talking, staring at the slightly opened doors. She held her breath, afraid to make any sound. She was currently pushed against the wall, with Law looming over her, holding her in place with his own arm while the other rested on his nodachi just in case something goes terribly wrong. He was pushing against her body with his own, both of them staying completely still in the shadows. Unconsciously, Miyako gripped the captain's sleeve tighter in suspense as a pair of footsteps started nearing the small storage room. The girl could hear her own heart beat loudly in her chest, she could hear every sound of the steps the men made, she was conscious of every small change in temperature as Law's body held her own so he would make sure she keeps still, she could even feel his chest move up and down as he breathed and felt his scent near her.

One of the men was just outside of the doors now. He put a hand on the doorknob and the pair inside prepared themselves to be found out. Law needed to think of an excuse for them being in here and fast, if he didn't want to raise any suspicions. However, it will be hard since Caesar was a careful man and he just finally started to trust Law a bit more. That's when the doors moved, but they did not to open. Instead, the man closed them completely.

"I guess someone must've forgotten to close them properly, the idiot," the man said in a muffled tone from the other side. The other answered something incoherent and they both continued to walk away, talking among themselves.

The girl felt all her excitement rush out of her at once and she sighed deeply in relief, practically sagging against Law's body. Her senses were still high from the residual adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"We were lucky…" Law commented with an annoyed click of his tongue. He couldn't believe he almost let himself be caught in such a situation. He cursed his carelessness, _*I should've been more careful!* _

The comment made Miyako turn her attention back to her captain, realizing only now how close they actually were. She felt some hotness rise to her cheeks at the thought_. *What am I thinking at a time like this? I should be more serious,* _she scolded herself but her senses were already too aware of the man in front of her. He still wasn't letting go, probably too immersed in his own thoughts.

Miyako justified her thoughts by the fact that Law and her had no time to be alone ever since they came here. What's more he was being distant to keep their relationship a secret, not wanting their enemies to use that fact to their advantage later. She understood all that and was fine with it. It was the way it had to be. But still…there was an annoying bug in the back of her mind, telling her she wanted a bit more time with just Law. Even though she knew there was no time to waste, sometimes she just wanted to move away from Caesar, this whole facility and Monet. _Especially, Monet_. The girl frowned at the thought. It seemed the woman constantly teased them with her smug comments, especially Law. She was getting a bit too close to the young Shichibukai in Miyako's opinion.

Shaking off her dark thoughts, the girl looked up at her captain again. He was staring at the doors, making sure it was clear to go outside again. His face was turned from her so she had a view of his handsome profile. She could see his strained neck and the smooth tanned skin.

"Alright, we seem to be fine now," he said, heading to step towards the doors. However, a small tug on his sleeve stopped him. Law looked down to see the samurai girl holding onto the sleeve of his winter coat. He stared back at Miyako questioningly, but she had her head lowered down, hiding her expression beneath her long bangs. Interested, the captain stayed put, but the girl also stayed silent as if undecided in her actions. However, as she didn't explain herself, Law pressed on, "What is it?"

Miyako stayed silent before him, clutching on his sleeve while unmoving form her spot. As if only know realizing what she did, still uncertain, she weakly let go with an awkward smile. "Ah! Sorry…it's nothing," she lied, lowering her head again as she spoke. She let go of him completely, albeit hesitantly.

The captain sighed as if reading right through her and her thoughts. Without hesitation he pulled her closer, making her forehead rest on his chest. As opposed to her, he didn't seem awkward in doing so at all. Then again, Law was much blunter with his words and actions than she was; he knew sometimes Miyako had trouble saying what she truly wanted, especially in cases such as these. Since the captain was already used to it, he could read her pretty well. "Why are you so hesitant?"

The girl kept quiet for a while, turning her eyes to the floor beside them. "I'm not particularly…," she answered in a soft mutter. Despite her words, her one hand moved to his chest, but didn't push him away. She felt him sigh again underneath her hand, as his chest moved.

Surprisingly, he gently brushed a loose strand off her face. "Did I make you uneasy?" In his own way, she understood he was trying to comfort her. It was obvious he already knew what she was thinking about. His demeanor shifted suddenly. "What is it that you want?" There was an amused tone in his soft voice now, as if he was teasing her or testing her…maybe both. In any case, Miyako was sure if she would to look up, she would see his smirking face staring down at her. That thought made her somewhat annoyed, wanting to erase his smug expression.

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, before looking up at the Shichibukai. _*Jeez, this is your fault anyway!* _She grabbed his collar with her other hand and lifted herself on the tips of her toes. As she lifted her head, their lips easily met in a kiss. The kiss itself didn't last long, but Miyako actually felt better afterwards. She knew this was one of the few rare moments that they will get together for a long time, so she wanted to treasure it a bit longer, yet she knew they had to move out soon. With newfound determination she stepped away and stared at Law with a confident gaze, "I'm going to get those chains for you without problems," she peered outside, checking if the coast was clear before opening the doors. Before heading out she gave a soft scowl to her captain as she continued, "so you can count on me. Rely on me even more from now on," the girl finished.

Law blinked a few times in surprise before his smirk widened. He tilted his head to the side, slightly narrowing his eyes with an amused look. "Alright. But you better be prepared then, I might work you to the bone," he answered before the girl disappeared out the doors.

Miyako jogged down the corridor, glancing behind to see that Law didn't move out from his spot yet. He was giving her some time to move away before he comes out, so that they wouldn't seem suspicious together if noticed. The girl blushed at his words; she didn't know why but something in that sly look he gave her made her feel embarrassed with goosebumps appearing on her body.

~…..~

_*Chains, chains, where are you chains?* _Miyako was rummaging though some old crates in another storage room. Even though she acted all confident in front of Law, the truth was that this research facility had numerous small rooms where the men kept supplies in some crates with old junk from the time the government was still here. Caesar had a set of sea stone handcuffs in a visible place for possible use so the ordinary ones were left somewhere, forgotten. That's why Miyako didn't have such an easy time finding them as she first thought. *_Still, I can't give up. Law's counting on me,*_ with determination she continued her search throughout the laboratory.

She carefully avoided any people as she would slip in another room, searching for the handcuffs. She didn't really want to explain her presence there nor make up lies on the spot to cover for herself. It was easier to just try and sneak in, unnoticed. A few times Caesar's men would pass by the rooms and the girl would instantly stop, hiding herself and keeping silent. As soon as they would pass, she would continue.

Truthfully, Miyako wasn't that worried about the ex-prisoners. She was more worried about being discovered by Monet or Caesar; two people with skeptical minds and sharp senses in this place. They probably wouldn't take lightly to her sneaking around like this and would question her thoroughly. What's more, the assistant had Miyako's heart which meant she could easily bargain with the samurai's life if she wanted. Luckily, Law went through the task of keeping Caesar busy as the two went through the logia's research together, and Monet was in the Biscuits Room at the moment, which gave Miyako a perfect opportunity to act. However, she couldn't keep tabs on them both while searching around so the samurai stayed careful of her surroundings at all times.

_*Where are they!?* _The girl cursed. Suddenly, she felt something cold underneath her hand as she rummaged through yet another box. At first it didn't give way when she pulled, being tangled with numerous other items in there, so the samurai pulled harder with all her strength. "Come….on," she grunted, feeling the item move under her fingertips. Finally it was released from the other junk and Miyako was able to pull it out. In the process, she lost her balance and fell backwards onto her behind, slamming into another crate which was stacked on top of numerous others. As she fell down, the column of crates swayed dangerously and the girl winced. The first crate fell down next to her, but luckily the others didn't. A loud noise echoed through the room, followed by an even louder clanking sound as something metal hit the floor. The first thing Miyako noticed was the item in her hands, which she so desperately tried to pull out. With disappointment, she stared at a metal pipe. The girl sighed in irritation before staring down at the ground, where the items from the fallen crate scattered. Her eyes widened and her face brightened up. Sprawled across the floor were numerous heavy chains and handcuffs. *_Lucky!* _The girl stopped herself from yelping in excitement as she stared at the mess around her. However her excitement was soon cut short when she heard footsteps and voices.

"What was that noise just now?" One of the men exclaimed and they ran towards the storage room. The girl gasped, biting her lower lip at her predicament. She was surrounded by opened creates and chains; how was she to explain this?

~…..~

"You lot better be careful with the H2S over there, we don't want another incident," Caesar Clown warned his subordinates as people in yellow suits kept working in a large room of the laboratory. Around them were diverse glass vials filled with different, colorful substances. All these were here for Caesar's numerous researches, mainly connected to new warfare weapons. The men worked with the vials expertly, already having some skill in the field as they were thought by Cesar what to do. They were mostly just manual labor, though. Trafalgar doubted Caesar was so trusting to actually explain to them what and why there were doing things, as long as they served their purpose.

The scientist usually watched over their work to make sure everything was in order, unless he was also working on new formulas for his research. However, the words of the logia brought Law's attention to a specific, tightly closed vial filled with purple, thick liquid inside. It was on a special stand so it wouldn't accidentally fall and break, spilling the hazardous contents inside. The amount in one vial wasn't that much and probably wouldn't do that much damage if it was let out, but Law instantly got an idea. He needed a distraction anyway, to find the appropriate time and exchange the kairoseki shackles. If everything went as planned with Miyako, she should've found the regular ones by now. So all he had to do is meet up with her and take her normal chains, then rush to room D and replace them. However, to do that without being noticed by the men working in the control room who kept a close watch on the den den mushi monitors, he needed a larger distraction. He needed to set his plan into motion now and could only trust Miyako that she kept her end of the deal as planned and finished on time. Otherwise, his efforts will go to waste.

*_Now only to find the right moment,*_ the captain thought as he looked around the room. He was here in pretense of being interested in Caesar's work but also collecting more data from Vegapunk's laboratory, to find out more about Government's plans. He's been using that excuse ever since he got here, poking around the lab and examining everything to his heart's content. Now that he even helped Caesar by giving the ex-prisoners new legs, which the men have gotten used to by now, he earned more trust points with the scientist, gaining more freedom to do as he pleased in the facility.

His thoughts were interrupted by a new voice of a woman who entered the room. "Is everything in order here?" Monet asked, fixing her thick glasses.

"Ah, Monet, you're here," the logia greeted her, though he barely paid attention to the newcomer as he stayed focused on the men at work.

"You _did_ call for me," the woman answered with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right. I need you to keep an eye on these guys since I'm off to work on my new…_project_," Caesar answered with a grin, but stayed mysterious about the new research he was working on. He was absent a lot lately, keeping himself in his private lab and working on something involving gas again. But this time he didn't even share that information with Law.

While the pair talked, nobody noticed that a small vial nobody was paying attention to disappeared, or rather, was switched with another vial which was currently over the lit burner. Also, nobody noticed Law's twitch of his finger as he used his devil fruit powers for that to happen. The vials were similar in color but the substance inside was different, since the one which was now over the flame was the liquefied hydrogen sulfide, commonly known as H2S. Law had enough knowledge in chemistry to know that this substance was flammable and was now put over a too strong flame without control measures. It was simply a matter of time now. Trafalgar prepared himself to use his powers and get out of the room as soon as he gets the chance. Casually he started strolling closer to the exit and away from Caesar and Monet so he wouldn't be seen using his powers.

When the explosion happened, the whole lab was suddenly brought into chaos. There was smoke everywhere and the sudden burst of fire led to more vials breaking with different substances and gasses filling the air. Over the explosion and mess, Trafalgar could hear panicked screams.

"What?! What the hell is happening!? What did you do, you useless subordinates!?" Forgetting himself, Caesar shouted in anger, ordering the panicked men around. Most of them were wearing hazardous suits already, saving them from most of the deadly gasses, but the large fire that rose out of the explosion was enough for them to fall into a frenzy. The master kept ordering his subordinates around, shouting in complete rage and disbelief. Since he was already a gas-man, the substances didn't affect him so he just focused on trying to restore order in his laboratory.

"Gyaaa, Master help me! It's burning through my suit and clothes! Gyaa!" One of the men was rolling on the floor as he was covered in a pink substance which was smoking while it slowly corroded his suit and the body underneath.

"It's hot! It's hot!" Another man ran around burning since he was caught in the explosion and set on fire. Finally, he remembered through his panicked mind to fall on the floor and start rolling around in hopes of extinguishing the fire. Unfortunately, it was already too late and his burning body on the floor took out a few others who were running away, pulling them down on the ground. As people ran for the exit unable to even see before them from all the smoke, they stepped on the ones who were lying on the floor, breaking their bones with their rushed feet.

Caesar simply looked away from them, completely uninterested in his dying men. "Tch," he scowled with irritation. _*You are ruining my life's work, you simpleminded bastards,*_ he cursed at his subordinates, seeing a few of them lying on the ground either dead or unconscious. He stared at the scene through the smoke, until he saw the green haired woman on the ground. She was bleeding from her head, suffering an injury from the explosion, but every now and then she would cough, showing signs of life. *_Damn, even Monet!* _The scientist grabbed her and easily lifted her up before rushing towards the exit. Before completely leaving the smoking room engulfed in flame, he used his gas powers while stretching out his one free arm. Slowly, Caesar started sucking out the oxygen from the room. It took some time since the lab was big, but soon the fire died out from lack of oxygen. Hurriedly, he left the lab and rushed through the hallway.

A few of his men came running towards him with baffled expressions. "What happened, Master!?"

Without explaining first, the scientist ordered, "Quick, close off the lab!"

The few men blinked in surprise at their master's words. "Eh..? But there are people still inside-," one tried to reason with the logia user, but the scientist cut him off in a high-pitched shout.

"It doesn't matter, just close the damned doors!" When Caesar noticed his subordinates' shocked expressions he quickly collected himself and mellowed down. With a calmed tone he explained, "If the deadly gasses from inside spread, all of you will die as well. It can't be helped; for the sake of many we will have to sacrifice a few," with a faked saddened expression the gas logia explained. Fake tears ran down his eyes while he spoke.

"I see...I'm sorry I doubted you, master!"

"We'll close off that area immediately!"

The men nodded in relief, once again certain that their master was a wonderful man. How hard it must be for their poor master to make such a tough decision just to save them. He was truly a great man! With such thoughts the men went to close off the laboratory with thick, heavy gates that would prevent any gas from leaking through.

That's when Caesar remembered he was still carrying his assistant and he looked around, looking for a certain doctor. He found Trafalgar not far away from the scene, staring at the direction of the lab. Nobody noticed it, but just after the explosion, Law created his blue sphere hidden by thick smoke and teleported from the room to a safe distance. His plan worked out perfectly.

"Law!" The scientist called the doctor over and the pirate walked over in a hurried step. He already noticed the barely conscious woman in Caesar's arms. "Monet got injured, go treat her," the logia ordered.

The Shichibukai's eyes narrowed at the ordering tone in the scientist's voice. He tilted his head to the side and stared at the logia coldly. "I already helped you with the prisoners. I don't remember becoming your subordinate nor your personal physician," he talked back with an uninterested gaze.

Caesar gritted his teeth in irritation but he understood what Law meant. Obviously, the pirate captain didn't like to be ordered around and wouldn't stand for it even from the scientist. "Fine, it's just a favor! Do me this favor then!" The logia cursed at those uncharacteristic words. *_Dammit, if Monet wasn't also one of Joker's subordinates I wouldn't even care. But if she dies, Joker will hold me responsible!* _With those selfish thoughts of self-preservation, Caesar pleaded with the Surgeon of Death.

"Fine," with a sigh the pirate answered. "Get her in the infirmary and have your men prepare the operating room for me," he ordered, seeing as the logia gave his assistant to one of his men to take care of her. Meanwhile, Caesar stayed behind to try and control the mess while Law left and followed behind the men who took Monet.

The Shichibukai thought of his options as his plans were slightly changed. He intended to slip passed them during the chaos and go meet with Miyako to replace the chains, but now he had this case to handle. *_Still, I have some time. They'll need a few minutes to prepare the patient anyway,* _with that thought Trafalgar changed course and disappeared, unnoticed by the men hurrying to prepare for the operation.

~…..~

The samurai girl heard running footsteps coming closer to the room she was currently in. How will she explain this once they find her? Was there any place to hide in here? Even if she had time to think about these things, there was no time to act upon it anymore. She prepared for the worst.

Just then a much louder noise sounded itself somewhere far on the other side of the facility. It was loud enough for all to hear, creating a small earthquake as the walls of the building shuddered. The footsteps coming towards Miyako stopped and were replaced by confused shouts and a sound of a wailing noise from the facility's alarm set in case of an emergency.

"What's going on!?"

"Something happened in sector C!"

"There's been an explosion!"

"Master! Master was there, what about Master!? Is he alright!?"

Frightened yells continued over the loud noises, as Caesar's men ran around trying to get to the laboratory in question. Luckily, in all the chaos Miyako and the storage room were completely forgotten. Realizing what was happening from the few words she managed to pick out from their panic-stricken shouts, Miyako sighed in relief as everyone ran the other way. However, her calm state of mind didn't last long when she remembered a certain part of the conversation she just heard. _*Law was with Caesar! So was he involved too?!* _The girl gasped at the realization, quickly standing up from the ground and ready to run over to the laboratory with the rest of the men to help out and see for herself if her captain was alright. Just as she was about to storm out of the room, the girl stopped. Slowly, with a hesitant stare, she turned around to look at the chains on the ground. *_But Law asked me to find those…If I leave them now, I might not get another chance. What if he's already waiting for me?*_ Another set of thoughts entered her mind as she continued to think about numerous possibilities.*_But what if he's hurt…? What if he needs my help?*_ Miyako bit her bottom lip as she felt torn between her emotions and her duty. _*Still, even if he's hurt, could I really be of any use? I'm not a doctor anyway,*_ the girl's mind kept brainstorming for an answer and she clenched her fist in frustration. _*Dammit!*_ She ignored the feeling of helplessness rising inside of her and decided to do what she could for now.

She went back into the room and started filling the crate with the chains again. When it was full, the girl lifted the wooden box with a deep grunt. *_Wow, I knew this would be heavy but not this much…* _She staggered a little at first, trying to catch her balance and not fall down on her ass again from the heavy load in her arms. Still fighting the weight of it, the girl suddenly caught a sight with the corner of her eyes. In the dark corner, there was a small red trolley, just waiting to be used. With a grin, she got an idea.

Miyako peered out of the storage room at the scene around the largest room in the facility, room B. Even though she was still being careful, it didn't seem like anyone noticed her. They were all too enveloped in the tragedy that just occurred, still running around and trying to get it under control. Miyako didn't see any casualties brought out of the laboratory and there was no trace of Law, Caesar and Monet, either.

Deeming it safe enough, the girl pushed the hand truck with the crate on it out of the room and continued pushing it down the hall. _*But where should I go? Should I leave it in Law's quarters?*_ Deciding her new destination, Miyako pushed the trolley towards their rooms. A few of Caesar's men passed her by but nobody seemed to even notice the girl or what she was doing.

Just in case, she still tried to keep as low as possible. She stopped behind one corner and peered around it before running with the trolley to the opposite side and hiding behind another corner. She could see the closed off laboratory up ahead and Caesar ordering the men around with angry shouts. The girl couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw the man acting completely different from his usual 'loving' self, now that a crisis was at hand. Turning around to find the safest route to Law's room, the girl almost bumped into someone.

_*Dammit!*_ Thinking she was done for and will have to make up some explanation on the spot, she looked up at the man before her. However, her eyes widened in relief instead of worry when she recognized him. "Law! You're alright!"

The Shichibukai simply smirked before her. "Of course. Who do you think planned all this in the first place," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Don't tell me, you-" The girl gasped out in surprise but her thoughts were cut off by the captain.

"Enough about that, we don't have time. Hurry, do you have the chains?" Law was glancing around, trying to get this over with before anyone noticed he was missing. He didn't have much time before he had to be in the infirmary room to take care of Monet.

Miyako nodded, glad that she obviously made the right choice by taking the chains with her. "Yeah, they're here," she answered. "But can you make it while they're all still distracted?"

The captain smirked, but didn't say anything. Instead, he opened his fist. "Room!" He called out his powers, creating a large sphere around them. In another hand he was still holding his nodachi, which he rested on his shoulder again. Just before using his powers, Law glanced at the girl in front of him. He smirked at her once more. "You did well," with those words, Law suddenly disappeared along with the crate of chains.

The girl was still surprised by her captain's last words to her which left a content feeling in her chest. That's why she blinked in shock when the man suddenly disappeared, but it didn't take long before she understood what just happened. Law already teleported himself into the room D where the kairoseki chains were. The rest was up to him, but the girl had no doubt that the captain would make it. After all, he already succeeded in doing this much on his own. Miyako exhaled with a slight chuckle before shaking her head. She turned around to see Caesar completely out of it in rage. She couldn't help but be amused at the sight as the scientist seethed, yet still tried to fool his subordinates so they would think he was a worthy man who cared for their wellbeing. "Well I guess I should play my part too then," she sighed, not really caring either way. She went to the logia user and his men, pretending to care as she asked what can she do to help out in this situation.

~…..~

The prisoners prepared the small infirmary in the research facility, setting up the operating table and putting Monet on it. She was still in and out of consciousness, groaning in pain every now and then. One of the men placed the oxygen mask on her face as she seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Where is Law-san? Monet-san is getting worse here!"

"Eh? He was right behind me though….did he get called away somewhere else?"

"But Monet-san has no time for that!"

The men in the room glanced at one another in confusion since the surgeon wasn't here like he was supposed to be. Only now when the patient was ready, did they notice the man's missing presence.

Just then, the winged doors of the infirmary opened loudly and Trafalgar Law entered casually as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "If you have time to comment about me, rather prepare the operating tools," still waking towards the table, Law put on a pair of rubber gloves and a surgical mask. "Somebody, give me a scalpel," he ordered and opened his palm while waiting impatiently. There was no room for questions in his authority-filled voice.

"A-ah…right!" Still confused, but taken in by the doctor's pace, the men rushed over to help him with the instruments. Soon, he's small tardiness was completely forgotten as Law continued working on his patient.

~…~

The first thing Monet felt when she slowly opened her eyes was confusion. She was lying on an infirmary bed, in a brightly lit room that irritated her still-pained eyes. She had to blink away the tears in the corners of her hazy eyes before she got used to it. Turning her head, she noticed a familiar form working on something with his back turned to her.

_*Law? Where-?* _She opened her mouth to voice out her questions, but nothing came out. That only strengthened her confused state as she furrowed her eyebrows in a deep frown.

A voice cut off her thoughts as one of the men ran beside her. "Law-san, she's waking up!"

The figure in front of her turned to show a face of the Shichibukai Trafalgar Law. He set some bloodied instruments to the side and casually walked over to her bed.

The green haired woman tried speaking again but nothing came out. However, the look in Law's eyes stopped her from trying again.

"It's useless to speak now, your voice isn't back yet. It's been damaged by smoke and gas, but it will heal after some time. You'll get your voice back," the doctor reassured her in a blunt tone of someone who was simply delivering facts. That tone didn't change even as he continued on with more dire news. "However-"

Monet just sighed out in relief when her body stiffened in tension again. The surgeon didn't seem to be finished yet, which brought a sense of dread to the woman.

"You did breathe in some of the H2S gas which was leaked. Because of that, some of your nerves were destroyed; I wasn't able to save them anymore, it was too late. I had to amputate your limbs," the doctor continued in a blunt tone, completely without empathy towards the patient. There was no emotion or guilt in his tone, even though he was the one responsible for the accident and her state in the first place. "However, after talking to Caesar, there was one solution to this…" He lowered his gaze down to Monet's limbs.

The woman widened her eyes at the news, and followed the doctor's gaze. She could feel strange numbness in her arms and legs, which she became aware of after Law had mentioned all this. Her eyes widened even more as she saw the sight next to her body. Indeed, her arms and legs were completely gone. Yet, to say her _limbs_ were completely gone wouldn't be quite right. The woman stared at two large, snow-white wings by her side and legs of a bird to match. She tried to lift one leg and somehow managed after a painful struggle, only to see sharp claws replacing her usual toes. It didn't take long for Monet to realize what had happened after her operation; Law saved her life by keeping the gas' effects from spreading, but her limbs were too far gone already. So instead, he performed the same operation he did with the ex-prisoners; he replaced her worthless limbs with animal ones. What's more, the new limbs were obviously taken from some large bird since the wings were large enough to cover her whole body. A fleeting thought crossed Monet's mind, wondering if she could even fly with these.

Even so, there was still clear shock in Monet's mind. Even for the usual cool-tempered woman, having suddenly woken up with animal limbs was a large impact on her state. She couldn't stop staring at the feathery appendages next to her and she unconsciously swayed them from side to side, examining their movements. _*My arms…replaced by this? And my legs…my legs are now...*_ Her gaze trailed down to two, large bird legs. *_I'm a monster now. Just like those prisoners…How did this happen!?* _Her mind rushed back to the memories in the laboratory. She couldn't even decipher what happened; one moment she was talking to Caesar and the next she was blasted across the room and felt a sharp pain in her head. Everything was hazy after that; with a jumble of mixed sounds and voices around her, while darkness and light exchanged before her eyes. _*Can I really live like this? What will Young Master say when he sees me like this?!*_ The face of Donquixote Doflamingo flashed through her mind as her panicked thought arose once more. _*Will I be able to serve him in this state?* _She couldn't help but feel doubt and fear in her heart at those thought. What if she was of no use to her beloved young master anymore? Her life wouldn't have meaning anymore!

That's when Law's words cut off her disarray of thoughts once more as if he was already aware about what she was thinking. Perhaps he could see it in her worried gaze or the paleness of her face. "You'll get used to your new limbs just like the rest of the prisoners. Other than that, you will be kept here for observation for a while longer until your body recovers."

Monet lowered her gaze before looking up at the surgeon again. She was trying to say something again, but her broken throat just wouldn't let her. Instead, she mouthed one simple word; '_Why_?'

It seemed enough for Law to understand; she was asking why he helped her. After all, he had no obligation to do so and no apparent reason either. "That scientist asked me to as a favor. I figured, him owing me one wouldn't be a bad thing," the doctor smirked evilly with a bemused gleam in his eyes. "That's the only reason," he added, which only proved Monet's sentiment that this man really didn't care whether she lived or died at the end of the day. He was here for his own goals and causes, but even though they were put under the same roof, that didn't made them nakama. Yet, Monet was fine with that notion since she shared the same one. The relationship between Law and Caesar, including everyone else involved between those two, was strictly professional.

Not waiting for the woman's answer, Trafalgar turned around to leave the infirmary. "These guys will stay with you if you need something. I have other work to do, so I'll be going now," he simply explained and left the room, leaving the patient behind without even turning back.

~…~

"Oy, Suzune!" Caesar called out to the samurai girl who stopped in her tracks and turned around in interest. Even a few days after the lab incident, the scientist was still in a foul mood. He was frowning a lot while brooding over what could have gone wrong in there. Not much was clear as of yet but it seems Caesar assigned the accident to human error of one of his henchmen. '_Some fool must have mixed the vials and put the wrong one on the gas burner;_' was what the scientist said when asked, after he calmed down a bit. He was still looking for the man responsible, though there was a good chance the guy was already dead. There weren't many survivors left to tell the tale of what happened in the laboratory, especially since the logia ordered to close off that space immediately, leaving his subordinates inside to die in agony.

The tall man hovered over on his smoky body, towering over the samurai girl. "Go take two more men and hand this to the children in the Biscuits Room. Make sure every child gets one. It's important so you better not mess up!"

Only now did Miyako realize he was holding two large bags in his hands. Both cloth bags were filled to the brim with something. The girl frowned at the ordering tone in the man's voice. _*I only listen to Law's orders, I don't serve you, you creepy gas-man!*_ She wanted to spit those words back into his face, but didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for Law. The logia was already tense from the earlier happenings so she didn't want to fuel the fire any more than this. However, Miyako couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth when he mentioned those children. Ever since she came in this facility and learnt of those poor kids, she tried her best to avoid that room and any contact with them. She didn't want to be a part of that any more than necessary if she could help it. With a sigh, she tried to keep her irritation under control and managed to mask it over with a bored expression as she stared back at the logia scientist. "Can't some of your other men do it? "

"Tch, it's because they can't is why I'm telling you," the gas man instantly answered in that high-pitched voice of his. "Monet would usually go, but she's still recovering and if I leave it up to those clumsy prisoners, they might just scare the children! Everyone's busy clearing up the mess from the laboratory now that we could finally unseal it. I don't have many men to spare," he explained, practically pushing the two heavy bags into Miyako.

Before she could protest further, the scientist left on his own way while she was left with two full bags of…what? The girl peered inside one of them, blinking in utter surprise. _*Candy?* _Colorful wrappers of what appeared to be bonbons were filling up the bag. *_Caesar doesn't really seem like the type to give children treats, though?* _Miyako didn't really get it but seeing there was no room to argue, she sighed and took both bags, dragging them behind her until she found two henchmen to help her take the candy to the Biscuits Room.

As soon as the kid saw them, they rushed towards the trio with smiling faces. They were probably lonely in this one room from which their whole world consisted of. That's why any connection to the outside world was exciting for them.

"Miyao-oneechan!" the orange-haired girl Miyako once met before ran over to her, happily grining from ear to ear.

"It's Miyako," the samurai corrected in an exasperated tone. "And what's with the 'oneechan'? I don't remember having any siblings," as always, Miyako tried keeping her distance by acting cold towards the kids.

However, the girl before her appeared to be completely oblivious to that fact or simply ignored it. Instead, Rachel stared silently at the samurai with an unwavering gaze. She seemed to be thinking about something very seriously until she spoke again. "Then…Miya-ne," she finally decided on the nickname, abbreviating both the name and the title of the 'big sister.'

"That's not what I meant!" The samurai girl couldn't keep her cool at the sudden outrageous nickname. _*And why am I once again back to being Miya!?*_ She screamed in her mind as the memory of her old nickname on the Heart Pirates' submarine returned to her.

However, Rachel felt none of the irritation coming from the woman as she simply laughed loudly, amused by Miyako's outburst.

One of the men in yellow suits, that Miyako brought with her, stepped towards the center of the room, opening one of the bags he was holding. "Here, brats-," he started but stopped in his words when he noticed Miyako's harsh glare on him. He smiled sheepishly and tried again, "Uh, I mean, here, dear children, candy for you!"

"Candy?" At that word, all heads turned towards the three adults, leaving everything else behind. By the looks of it, most children already knew what this is about as they instantly ran over to the bags with bright, excited smiles. "Candy! It's the candy!" They exclaimed, pushing against each other to reach the bags as soon as possible. Some of the children were already as large as the children of giants, making the chaos even bigger as they easily pushed smaller children out of the way, who started crying in return. If this went on, someone would surely get hurt.

Seeing that there was chaos slowly creating in the room, Miyako shouted with a stern voice, "Stop pushing! Get in a line so everyone gets one! If you don't behave, you won't get any!" She threatened, even though that was a lie since Caesar instructed her to give each kid one no matter what. She found it strange that it was so important to him, but didn't want to dwell on it any deeper. It was better for her not to know so she wouldn't have to drown in guilt for it, afterwards. However, her threat worked even better than she expected. The frightened expressions on the kids' faces looked like she just told them they will be beaten if they didn't listen. It was as if she just showed them a glimpse of the ultimate punishment.

Getting the situation under control and collecting themselves again, the two ex-prisoners shouted as well. "Y-yeah, that's right! So you better behave!"

It only took a few moments for two lines to form as things were once again back in order. Each man was standing in front of a large bag and handed out candy to the kids in their line, while Miyako stood in the middle making sure there were no other incidents and that every child gets one. The kids would open the wrappers hastily and stuff the bonbon in their mouths as soon as they would get it. Were they so sugar-crazed? She noticed Rachel happily standing on the side with her own as she slowly unwrapped it.

Inside was what looked to be a red, hard candy. Miyako knelt beside her, interested as she examined the candy. "Do you often get this?"

The girl smiled and nodded, making her small pony-tail dance around by the action. "Yeah, every day. It's because Master-sama is so nice," she added.

"Hn," Miyako hummed and reached for what really looked like simple candy in the girl's small hands, wanting to examine it for a while.

"No!" The loud scream of the high-pitched voice echoed throughout the room, making all heads turn in their direction. Even Miyako was surprised by the sudden and strong reaction from the small five-year old.

"Eh?" Unable to really voice out her confusion, the samurai just let out a questioning sound.

The girl put the candy in her mouth almost urgently as if making sure Miyako doesn't take it away. "If minfe, you can'f hafe if!" She said decisively with her mouth full.

_*It's not like I would take it away,*_ the samurai thought and furrowed her eyebrows in slight annoyance. Yet more than irritation, she felt surprise from the small girl's almost-angry outburst. It's like the girl was afraid that she'd lose the candy, even acting out to prevent that. Rachel was usually a happy-go-lucky girl and didn't seem that possessive about her toys. She didn't have a problem sharing anything else with other kids so this really seemed uncharacteristic for the young girl. "A-ah…sorry…I didn't mean to take it away from you," the woman finally said, still looking suspiciously at the girl munching on the treat.

With a loud gulp, the girl swallowed the candy. "That's ok. I know Miya-ne is kind, so she wouldn't do that," the girl smiled at the samurai, showing that missing tooth of hers. Once again she was back to acting normal as if nothing happened. That only brought more questions to Miyako's mind but she put them behind for now and simply scoffed at the weird nickname she was once again referred with. "Why you-" Miyako started, but left the sentence hang in the air unfinished as she ruffled the girl's orange hair and stood up. The girl giggled at the action, not minding in the least that her hair was now in disarray.

Looking around, Miyako could see the rest of the kids got their candies as well and both bags were empty. Turning towards the two ex-prisoners, she nodded toward the exit. "Come on, let's go," she called to them and they nodded, following the samurai.

While she walked out, she could hear Rachel's high voice behind her. "Bye, bye, Miya-ne! Come play with us sometimes!"

The samurai felt a hot feeling in her chest that she battled to suppress from overwhelming her. She didn't want to turn around to see that wide smile by the naïve girl who trusted her so blindly. Her instincts were telling her one thing while her reason screamed in disagreement. Sighing as she finally lost a battle with herself, Miyako lifted one hand and waved casually without turning her back to the kid or stopping her walk towards the exit.

Just as she closed the large doors of the Biscuits Room behind her, her attention was averted to the sounds of voices and a familiar laugh.

"Sholololo!"

Miyako turned her head to see a large group approaching her. She could see Caesar floating at the front of the group with Law by his side. Behind him Miyako noticed a new group of children timidly following them, surrounded by a few men in yellow suits. She frowned at the sight. *_More children? Don't you have enough already?* _The girl thought in aggravation, but of course couldn't voice out her complaints.

"Come, dear children! This will be your new home from now on! Ah, Suzune, you're done, are you?" Caesar's voice was completely different now; his usual tense tone was completely gone. Instead, he smiled widely with every sweet lie he produced out of his mouth.

The woman nodded, but stayed quiet as she observed the group. The logia opened the doors for the kids, while his men pushed the poor children inside. "See, there are many sick younglings like yourselves here so you won't be lonely," Caesar continued.

Miyako watched the children go in until a certain boy caught her eye. Her eyes widened as her face instantly paled. She couldn't help herself even though she knew it was better to contain her bewilderment before someone notices.

However, somebody did notice after all. Law, who was standing next to her with his nodachi rested against his shoulder, watched her face closely as the girl completely tensed. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, as asked in a low tone so only she could hear, "What is it?"

The girl jerked back into reality at her captain's voice, but she soon looked down guiltily as she tried to keep a straight face. "No…It's nothing," she lied. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to explain how she was feeling right now anyway and she knew it was better not to show that it was bothering her.

She cast one last subtle glance towers the child in the group. The boy who was wearing an unusual set of clothing, along with an even more unusual hair-style. He had a simple yukata on with hard-wood sandals covering his feet. His front head was shaved, leaving a small topknot of dark hair at the back. Even though he stood out from the other kids in his appearance, to Miyako it was the most usual sight that she was used to seeing in her everyday life before; the sight of a Wanokuni child. The boy in front of her was one from her own homeland, there was no mistake about it.

* * *

><p>As I said, this chapter is pretty short, but we got to see a few things from cannon explained. I always wondered if Monet lost her limbs in an accident or did she ask Law deliberately to change her. But it's hard to believe that she'd want her legs and arms cut off and replaced deliberately so I came up with this instead.<p>

Thank you for all of your lovely reviews! If you have any comments or questions, please review or pm me.

**Mervph: **I listened to it, and I can kinda see it too in some verses.

**Thedarkdoctorgirl: **Because he really _did_ find her look sexy. ;) That was his; '_Now that you mention it…'_stare.

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **It might be sooner than you think. ;) Yep, it's going to be interesting seeing everyone's relationship with Miyako.

**Onepiecelawfan: **Thanks, I'll check it out. Yeah, they must've suffered like that. :(

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **I think she might have been interested in his abilities, but I also don't think she _liked_ him in that way. I think she just has a bit of a teasing personality.

**Bioware: **Thank you very much, I also hope you will like it. :D

**BatmanSwim2016: **Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **haha And then when they finally betray Caesar, it'll be; "Let it go, let it goo!" XD You said it! Maybe he's not sure either. XP heh A honeymoon at Punk Hazard; have a romantic time while kidnapping your nemesis' henchman to use him as a decoy!

**Memarvo: **female :)

**Zecrea: **Yep, Zoro and Luffy aren't the only ones who can defeat a dragon…ha! XP I'm looking forward to their interactions too! Well you already know now, but I'll still answer; no, he comes in this chapter (58).

**Cocobear: **Thanks so much for the idea! :D And so we got a new crew member introduced too! ^^ Yep, Monet having Miyako's heart will complicate things.

**Chocogirl24: **Thank you very much, I hope you will also like the future chapters.

**Iluvninjas: **Yes, I just hope I don't go too fast and end up catching up to the cannon story too soon. They're really going slow in this Arc, after all. :/ Yep, it's the newest fashion. :3

**Wicken25: **There is a time skip, but I can't rush too much. :)

**Someone: **Thank you ^^

**Bizzy: **yep, they did, thank you. ^^ Really? I kinda like his laugh XD I like that most characters in One Piece have their own unique laughter.

**Akai gousto: **Yep, I agree, fun times await us when there are Straw Hats ahead. XD Thank you very much for your review!


	59. Chapter 59

'**I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters! I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood and violence, and some suggestive themes.

Hey guys! First, thank you all for the lovely, happy wishes for holidays. Secondly, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy (soon to be) New Year! All the best for the holidays and I hope you are all enjoying them! :D

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 59<strong>

The samurai couldn't help but grumble as she turned another corner, carrying a box of syringes in her hands. "Why do I always get stuck with the manual labor around here…? That Monet is already well enough to help out at least," the girl muttered in annoyance. Ever since the accident more than a month ago, Monet has been getting used to her new limbs, so Miyako did all the work in her stead around the lab. However, the bird woman was already well enough and seemed completely used to her new appendages now. Miyako still remembered the first time she saw Monet's new appearance after hearing she got into the accident in Caesar's laboratory.

_Monet was finally out of the bed and the doctor, rather Trafalgar, gave her permission to get out of the infirmary today. She had to undergo a rigorous physical therapy while she was there, to get used to walking around on bird feet, but it appeared to have worked. Even though still a bit unsteady, Monet managed to get on her feet and walk out of the infirmary. She went to sector B, the largest room in the building, where Caesar, Miyako and Law were discussing something._

"_Aah, Monet, so you're with us again," Caesar exclaimed upon seeing her, grinning widely. He was glad to have his assistant back, at least. _

_Miyako turned to look at the new Monet for the first time and had to take some time adjusting to the sight before her. She already saw the half human-half animal prisoners around here so it dampened some of the shock, but what surprised Miyako was how much this new look suited the woman. Still, she doubted Monet would want to hear that. But the woman with her already sharp eyes of a predator, now had birds claws on her feet, and large white wings. If Miyako had to describe the woman in one word it would be; harpy. The woman looked just like one. She could see that Monet was still a bit unsure about her appearance and doubted how useful it could be in the future. It must've been a shock for the woman. Even Miyako, who didn't like the woman, could sympathize with that. "It's…uhh…interesting…" She couldn't find better words to describe Monet at this moment. A meaner part of her wanted to make some snarky comment at the appearance, as vengeance for all the smug taunts she received from Monet over the past month. However, the samurai girl quickly reminded herself that it probably wasn't a best idea to piss off a person who held your heart in their hands. It was probably better not to additionally tick the woman off, which could be followed by Miyako getting her heart stabbed. _

It has already been two months since she and Law came to Punk Hazard, and she was already pretty used to the life here. Every day she had some tasks to do, or helped Law in some plans which were only meant to be shared between them. Not for a moment did she forget that they had a mission of their own around here.

Turning another corner, Miyako walked into a large room. The room was barely furnished, but had numerous electronic equipment around. There was one specific piece of equipment that stood at the center of the room. It was a large metal stand with a glass case keeping an object inside. The object was propped carefully in the middle of the container; a single piece of large fruit. Specifically, it was the prototype of the artificial devil fruit, the first one from which Caesar continued his research on making SMILEs. The girl set the box she was carrying on a nearby counter and was about to leave, when a movement in the shadows caught her eye. Her thoughts were immediately cut off as she returned to reality by the suspicious movement.

She turned around and reflexively put one hand on the hilt of her katana. "Who's there?" Miyako called out, watching her surroundings with sharp eyes. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and turned around quickly. The shadow was just about to slip towards the exit and run away, but the girl swiftly caught the back of their collar, making them stay put. "Got you!"

"Ack!" A surprised yelp came from the small, captured form. "Let me go!" They struggled, but it was no use. They couldn't escape the girl's strong hold on their collar.

Miyako simply sighed as her body relaxed. "So it's you again, huh?" She looked down at the small boy before her. She was currently holding onto the back collar of his yukata, as the dark-haired boy struggled. "How many times do I need to tell you not to sneak around the facility like this. You should stay in the Biscuits Room, Momonosuke!" She scolded the young Wano boy firmly, finally letting go of his yukata.

"How insolent! To think that a mere woman would reprimand _me_, a future samurai! And a one from Wano no less! You should know your place, woman!" The kid yelled angrily, adjusting his clothes.

Miyako's eyebrow twitched as a dark aura suddenly appeared around her. The tension in the air could clearly be felt as a dark cloud surrounded them both. Her eyes became much colder and harsher as she looked down at the boy. "What was that Momonosuke-kun, I couldn't quite hear you. Mind repeating that?" Even though she clearly heard every word, the girl decided to give him another chance to correct his words. Even so, her hand was slowly clenching into a fist and rising in the air ominously.

The boy gulped loudly, seeing the change in Miyako. "I-I apologize, profoundly!" The boy exclaimed loudly, with sweat on his forehead and a frightened look in his eyes. It seems his earlier pride was completely replaced by fear of the girl before him. His fear was understandable though. The first time Momonosuke and Miyako met, it had been in similar circumstances. Momonosuke tried to sneak out of the Biscuits Room and when Miyako noticed and caught him, he called her a rude witch who didn't know her place. That resulted in Miyako's pissed off mode awakening and she socked him over his head, leaving a nice bump that hurt him for days. Even tears appeared in the corner of the boy's eyes and he had to use all his restraint to fight them. After that incident, whenever Momonosuke saw Miyako's angry, dark side appear he would stay well away from her or apologize immediately.

It seemed the apology alone was enough to calm the girl as she lowered her fist and sighed exasperatedly instead. "Anyway, come on, you can't be in here," she lightly pushed on his back to lead him out of the room.

Just as they were about to come out, two men in yellow suits appeared before them. "Who's here, this is an off-limit zone!" One of them yelled and then saw the two figures inside.

"Ah, Suzune-san, it's you! We just heard voices so we came to check it out. Ack!" Just then he noticed the little Wanokuni boy. "You again! Didn't we warn you not to sneak around the facility! Come with us, this time you'll seriously get punished!"

The other man already stepped forward and grabbed Momonosuke by the hand, trying to drag him away.

"No! Let me go, you insolent-!" The boy tried his best to struggle, but he was already weak and famished to begin with.

"Wait," suddenly Miyako intervened and the two men stopped pulling on the boy.

"But Suzune-san, this brat should be punished!" The ex-prisoner protested in confusion.

Yet Miyako's voice stayed calm as she answered, "That's right. But we don't have to waste our time and energy on this brat. I was just about to do it myself here, anyway." She turned around towards Momonosuke, raising her clenched fist again. She could see the worried gaze in the boy's eyes. "I told you not to go in here, didn't I!?" She threw her fist down, slamming the top of his head with it.

"Ow!" The boy yelped, rubbing the top of his shaved head.

"Heh, that's what you get for crossing us! Come on, we'll take him away to the Biscuits Room." Obviously pleased by the punishment, the men calmed down and went to take Momonosuke back to the children's area.

Momonosuke walked beside the two yellow-suits, ignoring their preaching about how he should listen to adults. He glanced one last time behind him to see the girl standing there and watching them leave. When she saw his stare, she smirked at him knowingly and Momonosuke quickly turned his head away again. He was still thinking about what just happened; the truth was, Miyako saved him just now. His head didn't hurt at all as he actually didn't get hit by her fist. He knew how Miyako hit when she's angry and this was nothing but a light tap, made to look more painful than it actually was. He pretended to be hurt as he soon realized he had to play along, but the girl actually stopped her hand inches from his head and only tapped her fist lightly. She did it to save him from the real punishment he would receive from Caesar's men. They all hated him here because he was always creating trouble for them. He would sneak off and refused to eat his meals. In fact, he barely had anything to eat since he got there. He didn't even want to try those candies they were given by the adults, no matter how much the other kids loved them. That's why he was always treated like a thorn in their side by Caesar's men, whenever nobody was looking. Usually they always pretended to be kind to the children, but Momonosuke knew it was all a ruse. They didn't like the kids at all!

What just happened reminded him of the time shortly after meeting the swordswoman. During that time, he was already scared of her after experiencing her wrath, and would always avoid her by any means necessary. He wouldn't approach her or talk to her, but the woman didn't seem upset by it at all. She would just leave him be as he glared at her from the side, murmuring something about getting revenge.

"_Eat it already, you stupid brat!"_ _One of the men in yellow suits finally got fed up by Momonosuke's behavior as he kicked the food tray meant for the kid. The food spilled everywhere around the two as the metallic sound of the tray echoed inside the empty room. "There, if you ain't gonna eat it anyway!" He yelled, stepping onto the food on the floor._

_Momonosuke couldn't help but gulp at the painful sight of perfectly good food going to waste. His stomach rumbled loudly in protest. Even so, the boy still refused to eat, staying stubbornly silent. _

"_What's going on here?" Miyako walked into the room, watching the two figures there._

_Suddenly, Momonosuke's whole body tensed as he remembered their previous encounter where he got a painfully sore head. *Oh no, it's that Devil Woman! I'm done for, now!* Even so, the boy stood firm in his spot bravely, and simply glared at the woman as usual. Still, it was hard to look decisive when your whole body is already so worn out. How many weeks has it been since last time he ate something concrete? _

"_Suzune-san! This bra-I mean kid, won't eat at all! He won't even take his medicine or candy!" The man complained angrily through gritted teeth._

_On the other hand, Miyako stayed calm while she watched the scene before here. Momonosuke was sure she was about to beat him to death or at least until he complies, but that didn't happen either. Instead, she nodded to the ex-prisoner. "It's ok, I'll handle it. You can leave."_

"_Eh, but-?" The man wanted to protest, but after seeing Miyako's gaze, he shut his mouth and nodded. "I understand. Then, I'll leave it to you." Calming down a bit, the man turned and left the room with one final glare in the kid's direction, before leaving Miyako and Momonosuke alone. _

_Momonosuke was still standing with his fists clenched at his sides, ready for anything. He was on his guard, prepared to fight the woman if necessary. However, Miyako simply sat on the ground before him with her legs crossed. The boy blinked in confusion, as they both stayed silent. He watched the girl pull something out and started to unwrap one of the items in her hand. _

"_Actually, I was just about to have lunch too," the girl started. She took out two rice balls and started unwrapping one. As she did so, a smile appeared on her face. "Mmm, looks good doesn't it?" She looked up at the boy before her, still smiling in content. She offered it to the boy casually, without a word. _

_Momonosuke gulped, feeling saliva in his mouth as he stared at the onigiri like it was the most precious thing in the world. His eyes were completely glued to the piece of food, but he stayed motionless. Suddenly with a turn of his head, he spat out, "I'm not hungry!" It was an obvious lie to both of them, but Miyako didn't call him out on it. _

_Instead, the girl just shrugged and started biting on the rice ball. She hummed in satisfaction from the taste. "It's omelet flavor," she commented, seemingly to no one. _

_Listening to the sounds of munching and chewing, Momonosuke couldn't help but sneak a glance at Miyako. She was slowly eating the onigiri, savoring each bite, as if purposely torturing him. *What a horrible woman!* _

"_You know…I'm from Wanokuni too," the girl started._

_Momonosuke frowned. "I know…I noticed by your features. Yet, you even carry a sword even though you are a woman from Wano and know our customs! How unsightly," he couldn't help but answer with a snide remark. He thought he would certainly get hit this time again, but it didn't happen. Instead, the girl just kept on eating the rice ball and talking in between bites._

"_So I know how important pride is to our people. Especially, to a son of a samurai," she added. _

_Momonosuke's eyes widened at that comment. How could she tell that he was a son of a samurai? "How did you-?" He started, but Miyako interrupted as she continued._

"_However, there can be a thin line between pride and foolishness. A person has to ask themselves; what is it that is worth dying for? Is pride worth it then? Your name is Momonosuke, right? Well then Momonosuke-kun, are you content with starving here in this place for the sake of your pride? Because that sounds like a pretty pathetic death to me…especially for a future samurai," the girl finished, eating the last of her onigiri. _

_Momonosuke, however, stayed quiet but there was a dilemma in his hazy eyes. He was obviously thinking about her words. _

"_Well… if you are too prideful to take food from me, then find your own way of surviving in this place…no matter what," she smirked and gave the kid a knowing glance. There was something in her eyes; a silent message meant for him to decipher. As she said that, Miyako stood up. The other onigiri fell from her lap as she did so, but the girl didn't seem to notice as she turned away from Momonosuke and started walking out of the room. _

_The child noticed the still-wrapped up rice ball and called out to the girl. "Ah, you dropped it! Hey!" He yelled loud and clear enough for her to hear yet Miyako pretended not to hear him. She was ignoring him, still walking out of the room until she disappeared from his sight. Momonosuke looked down at the abandoned rice ball. The woman's words still echoed inside his mind; 'Then find your own way of surviving in this place…no matter what.' He could still remember the look she gave him at that moment. Gritting his teeth, the boy slowly reached for the rice ball and grabbed it in his hand. He fought himself, his body and mind having a large dilemma of what to do next. His pride yelled at him not to succumb to that woman's words, but he's body only answered with pain of starvation at that thought._

"_Dammit!" With that one word full of frustration, the boy unwrapped the onigiri and took a large bite at it with tears in his eyes. Even though he hated a part of himself for listening to that woman, he still couldn't stop his mouth from chewing as only one thought crossed his mind; 'It's good.'_

Momonosuke lowered his gaze while walking as he remembered that day. *_That time, I'm sure she pretended to drop that onigiri on purpose,* _he thought. After that Momonosuke still wouldn't eat the food he was given in here by Caesar's men but every now and then, Miyako would come visit him and accidentally 'drop' an onigiri or something similar. It was never enough to fill his stomach since they both knew he would never accept any real meal directly from the woman. So all she could do was to play this game of 'accidentally' leaving some of her lunch behind. Even if it wasn't enough to fill the boy, it was enough to keep him from starving to death. Like so, the time went and he survived almost a whole month in this place. That situation wasn't the only time the girl helped him either. After that, Momonosuke became less frightened and more conscious of the Wano girl so he would watch her sometimes, silently sitting in his corner of the Biscuits Room. One day he even caught her lying to that strange bird-woman Monet; the green haired woman asked Miyako if he had took his candy properly and Miyako nodded in confirmation. However, the Wano girl slipped the candy into her back pocket instead and never gave it to Momonosuke who never wanted to take it anyway. Still, he was sure they would make him eat it even unwillingly if they knew he wasn't taking it. Miyako was covering for him, but her reasons were still unclear to the boy.

As he continued to walk down the hallways, followed by the two yellow suits, a thought appeared in Momonosuke's mind. _*Miyako-dono…she's different than the rest of the adults here. They all pretend to be really nice, but are actually mean and only want to fool us. I can tell their true nature! But Miyako-dono is completely opposite. It's like she's porously pretending to be cold and keeps a distance, but she's actually much nicer than she lets on. I wonder why that is…?* _The boy's thoughts got interrupted when he realized they were already standing in front of the Biscuits Room.

"Come on kid, get inside." One of the men ordered and opened the large doors in front of the Wano boy.

Momonosuke could see the children happily playing inside, seemingly oblivious of anything. They were all told the same thing; that they were sick and needed to stay here if they wanted to get better. But how much of that was actually true? Momonosuke wasn't supposed to be a part of that group on the ship to begin with so he knew that he wasn't sick. But what about the rest? In all three weeks that he was here, he didn't notice any difference in the children around him. Were they really getting any better? Were they really even sick? The light from inside the room splashed onto his face and illuminated him as he listened to the children's voices inside. With a sigh, Momonosuke walked inside the Biscuits room.

~…~

Miyako suddenly felt exhausted as she walked back to her room. She closed her eyes while still walking and turned the door knob of the room. Without even looking around, the girl fell face first into the soft mattress of the bed before her. She let out a long sigh, thinking she was finally able to rest for a while. However, that thought soon vanished when she felt something amiss in the room, even before she heard the low voice next to her.

"Do you need something?"

Miyako quickly shot up and turned her head towards the origin of the familiar voice. "Law! What are you doing in my room?" She blinked in confusion, staring at the man who was casually sitting in the chair behind his desk, reading a thick book he found in Vegapunk's laboratory.

"This is _my_ room," the captain corrected her in a deadpan voice.

At first Miyako couldn't understand what she just heard from him so she just kept staring at the captain with a puzzled expression. Then, as if a light bulb lit over her head, she gasped and glanced around the room. Indeed, it was similar, but this wasn't her room. It was Trafalgar's! Sheepishly smiling, the girl scratched her head as she rested her other elbow on the bed to prop herself up. "Tehe, I made a mistake…" Even as she said that, the girl kept lying on the bed propped with her elbows as her chin rested on her intertwined hands. For a while, silence fell upon the room.

Finally, the doctor broke it. "You have no intention of moving, do you?" He had to hold back a sweat drop as he watched the girl sprawled on his bed. It was more of a statement than a question anyway.

"But I'm tired~" Miyako all but whined, her head hitting the mattress again as she groaned. "At least let me rest here for a while," she added, her voice muffled by the sheets.

"Are you a child? Law smirked as the girl reverted to her childlike self as she sometimes would, flailing her legs in the air while her face was buried in the mattress. It would often happen when she would get teased by Joshua, and they would always engage in a childish fight that usually ended badly if somebody didn't stop them in time. It's not that he particularly disliked this side of the girl, actually it rather amused him at times, though he could live without the constant bickering between the samurai and his redheaded medic. With those thoughts, Law took the black cup that was on his desk and took a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

One thing Miyako didn't like was to be called a child; she was already 21 and could take down a dragon by herself for goodness sake! Girls much younger than her were already treated as women even eligible for marriage in Wano, and even though Miyako had no interest in such things, she still didn't like to be treated as a mere child. She scowled, looking at the captain as he drank from his cup with an amused expression. She wanted to wipe that smug look from his face. "Law, are you sure you want to call me a child so casually? After all, wouldn't that make you one of those…you know, a pedophile?" She commented bluntly with a completely innocent face, trying to hide her amusement. It was particularly hard to do that when the captain chocked on his coffee in surprise of her words, almost spitting the liquid out, and coughed a few times until he caught his breath again.

Trafalgar tried to keep his cool, but his tanned face looked just a shade paler than usual. His grey eyes were watching Miyako in disbelief, not in the least expecting the girl to say such a thing all of a sudden. "What are you saying?!" He tried to keep his tone level and calm, but it was harder than usual. His voice was still a bit raspy from the previous coughing and chocking on his beverage, though the captain slickly ignored his sudden outburst, pretending it didn't even happen. However, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance when he saw the girl's satisfied smirk as she gazed at him victoriously.

The girl chuckled, still smirking as she said, "Revenge~," in a singing tone, while sitting on the bed. With an overdramatic sigh, she leaned on the backrest of the captain's chair, still sitting on the bed. The room wasn't very big so she had no problem doing so, even with Law sitting in that same chair. Her eyes glazed over as her gaze became distant, while she stared at the ceiling. For a while, the girl stayed quiet, seemingly deep in her own thoughts. "Say…I wonder what those guys are doing right now. They must've reached Zo by now," she started, a bit softer than before.

Law stayed quiet as he examined the girl who appeared to be miles away in her thoughts. So she was thinking about the Heart Pirates; no matter how tough she acted, they were all still her friends and she must be worried about them. The captain smirked, delighted at finding yet another fact with which he could tease her. "Miss Miyako…could it be you actually miss the crew?" He couldn't keep the wide smirk off his face, but then again, he wasn't really trying to either. He wasn't even trying to mask his amusement from that revelation, since he knew it was something Miyako would never willingly admit.

The girl suddenly flinched, realizing what she was saying out loud and how it came off. She really didn't want to admit it, but she was pretty much busted now. She still tried to hide behind her usual façade, looking away with an uninterested gaze, "That's not what I said, did I?..." She paused in her words, but could feel Law's stare on her. By the looks of it, he was obviously unconvinced as he just raised an eyebrow at her, still smirking. Finally she sighed, seeing that she had lost. "Don't ever tell them, ok? They'd never shut up about it," she finally added in a low mutter. In truth she really did worry about them, wondering what they were doing right now. Was everything alright? Were they attacked by a sea king, which often happened in these parts of the seas. Miyako could only believe in their strength and hope for the best. What's more, she missed hanging out with the cheerful crew; Cody's kind words and Munk who she could always rely on. At this moment she missed even Josh and his snarky taunts at her expense…He might be obnoxious at times but he was actually pretty caring and reliable. If he was here right now, Miyako was sure he'd give her a light smack on the head and say she worries too much with a frown on his face. _"Believe in us, Bakaonna,"_ she could hear his scolding voice inside her mind.

Law chuckled at her statement. He knew his crewmates well enough to know they would probably never let it go if they knew Miyako's feelings right now. Shachi and Penguin would also have a blast, hearing a confirmation that Miyako cared for them, from her own mouth. No wonder she didn't want to relay her true feelings to them so easily, she'd never hear the end of it later. That's why she would admit it only in rare occasions such as when she returned from that Tenryuubito palace at Mariejois.

The captain could see the girl was still engrossed in her own thoughts, somewhere far away, as she frowned with a worried expression. With a sigh, his expression changed to his usual blank one as he raised his free hand and flicked the girl on her forehead with his index finger. "If you're so worried you should've stayed with the crew," he commented with a slightly agitated voice, since it reminded him of the fact that his orders fell on deaf ears at the time. He wouldn't admit it, but it was hard to get over the fact that Miyako, yet again, disobeyed him. However, that was already in the past and nothing Law says will change the fact that she was here right now.

"Ack!" Miyako shut her eyes as she was brought back to reality by his action. She rubbed her slightly sore forehead with a frown, looking up at the Shichibukai. "It's not like I regret my actions...there would be no point in doing so, anyway. If I had to choose, I would do it all over again. I believe I'm more useful to you here than to them in the submarine," Miyako admitted openly.

Law still had his blank expression, so it was hard to read what he was thinking. "Don't say so bluntly that you are glad you ignored my direct orders," he sighed at her words.

The samurai smirked at his comment, slightly amused by the way he spoke. He was still a bit bothered by her insubordination and this was probably the closest to pouting she'll ever see him do as he subtly complained to her. A part of her really wanted to comment on how he sounded like he was pouting right now, and tease him how adorable that looked, but of course Miyako had no intention of telling him so since she wanted to live to see the next day at least. Her reasonable mind still knew exactly how far she could go with teasing the captain and when it was wise for her to stop before crossing the line. Instead, she leaned back even more on the backrest of his chair and lowered her head to look in front of her. There was nothing there, only a metal wall, but Miyako still kept her eyes trained on that spot as if there was something awfully interesting there.

"You know…," she started, "The truth is I always wanted to explore new worlds like this, even when I was still in Wanokuni. That was partly the reason why I left my hometown and went on a journey as a rounin. However, I never thought I would end up on a pirate ship, even having crewmates. To be honest I felt a bit of excitement when you first asked me to join; I thought of all those adventure stories and worlds I only read about in books as a child up until then. Yet I always planned on setting off on my own, under my own terms…that's why it was hard for me to set aside my pride and give in to you. But you know….I'm glad I did," she finished and looked back up at Law, giving him a small smile. His face was up-side-down in her eyes and he still held that unreadable expression. "It'd be a shame if we had to stop our adventures now…," she added a bit softer, with a thoughtful gaze.

Law held his blank expression, but a glint of interest appeared in his eyes. "Why would you say that?"

"Mmm….No reason. Just thinking out loud," Miyako hummed, but there was obviously something on her mind she didn't want to say.

The captain could tell there was more to her words than what she let on. After all, Miyako wasn't one to waste her breath without a reason. There was a hidden meaning behind those words that almost sounded like a warning to him, but the girl didn't want to go further into the topic. Law wasn't so ignorant either; he knew what the girl was talking about. She was still worried about this whole Doflamingo business…worried about Trafalgar sacrificing his life to bring the older Shichibukai down. He still remembered her desperate expression when they argued in the snowy storm of Punk Hazard before coming to Caesar. "_You are willing to sacrifice everything to bring this man down, even if it means your own death!" _Those were her words as she yelled them right back at his face. The girl read him all-too-well for his liking.

Usually he would frown at her ambiguous words and make her spit it out openly, but this time even Law didn't want to go any further with the topic. He didn't want to go into that right now because nothing good could come out of it. So instead, the captain changed the subject. "You know now that you mention it, you never _did_ tell me how you became a rounin," he focused on the statement from her story. Miyako never talked much about her past or the dealing in her country. She told him the basics of what kind of country was Wano and about the four samurai in charge. She also told him a bit about her Master who was one of those samurai and who died in battle during a rebellion. The Master who decided to train her in the way of the sword, even though such a thing was forbidden for women. However, she never spoke about her late parents or the way she ended up on the road and out of her home, only about how she ended up at Sabaody Archipelago. Then again, Law never told her anything about his past either, expect for some vague parts of his dealing with Doflamingo.

"Well you never told me how _you_ became a pirate, either," the samurai responded slyly, expertly avoiding his question with her own comment. The captain wasn't sure was the girl simply teasing him or using this as an excuse to get out of answering his question.

The man put a hand on her forehead and pulled her head back even more, drawing her face closer to his as he lowered his head. He stared right into her golden eyes with a devilish smirk. "Miss Miyako…you wouldn't be trying to avoid my question, now would you?" There was a playful warning in his tone showing he wasn't truly angry, but even so his acute eyes examined every change in her expression. He wasn't letting her hide anything from him, and if she tries, he'll know instantly.

Yet Miyako kept her mask of simple playfulness as she smirked, before widening her eyes in pretense shock. "Why mister Trafalgar, I would never…I wouldn't dare," she added with a tone of artificial fear in regard of his words.

Two grey eyes gleamed in excitement as the girl proved to be tougher to break through than he originally thought. That just meant more fun for him and he didn't mind that in the least. What's more, it seems Miyako was getting more used to him getting close or touching her, which he definitely didn't mind either. He wondered if she was acting more collected now since she was obviously hiding behind her mask again, her true feelings covered up by her joking manner towards him. She wasn't all flustered as usual, which probably meant she was trying to keep her cool on purpose. And she only did that when she was hiding something. He decided she really was trying to deter him from asking more about her rounin title, which only made Law more interested as a result. He leaned into her ear and whispered in a low voice, "You should have already learnt that hiding something from me is never a good idea. You know I'll get it out of you…one way or another," he added with a wicked smile, waiting for his words and their meaning to sink into the girl's heart. His one hand trailed down around her neck and he simply kept it there, as if emphasizing his words.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" The girl smirked, seemingly unaffected by his words. Even so, she couldn't hide the slight rise in temperature on her skin.

Law's eyes narrowed. When did she become so good at enticing him? He wasn't even sure if she was doing it on purpose, since this was Miyako after all; she probably didn't even realize what she was doing to him. She was just teasing him as a joke, unaware of what she was doing to his libido with her taunting words. "You-"

Just as he was about to say something more, Law's words were interrupted by a loud alarm coming from outside the room. It was the alarm of the facility, which would warn everyone in the building that something was amiss. The last time they heard it was when the explosion in Caesar's laboratory happened; the explosion Trafalgar personally caused.

Miyako quickly sat up on the bed, before standing up and putting a hand on her katana. "Something is going on, outside." She could hear shouts and running footsteps of Caesar's men in the hallways.

The captain also got up on his feet and was just about to check on the situation when the doors of his room burst open.

"Law-san!" One of the yellow suits came running in, yelling loudly.

"Tch, we're not deaf, you don't need to yell," Miyako muttered in annoyance.

"Ah…Suzune-san is here too," the man blinked in slight surprise at seeing the samurai in Trafalgar's quarters.

Wanting to get to the point as soon as possible, Law turned the man's attention back to himself, "What is it?"

"Right! You need to come with me, there's been a problem! Master is calling you both!" The man explained before rushing out of the room again to lead them both to Caesar Clown.

Miyako and Law gave each other a quick glance. Law's gaze seemed to be warning her to be prepared for anything in case they needed to make their move again Caesar soon. The girl nodded in understanding before following after the henchman. The Shichibukai grabbed his nodachi which was resting against the wall and headed out after them.

Caesar was in sector B, standing in front of the video projectors through the den den mushi along with Monet. Around them were numerous men in yellow suits, discussing something between themselves. Once again, Caesar seemed to be fuming while yelling something through his transponder snail.

"There has to be some news about this? Where did the man go?!" Caesar was yelling into the den den mushi while Monet kept pushing buttons in front of the projectors. Every time, the image would change, showing different parts of Punk Hazard.

"What's going on here?" Law was the first to ask as both him and Miyako walked over to the group.

Caesar ignored them, still talking into the den den mushi, but the bird woman turned back towards them and started explaining, "We have an intruder. He is currently somewhere in the snowy part of Punk Hazard and he already took out some of our watchmen outside. However, we can't seem to get a visual on him on our den den mushi. He's too fast and he must be hiding somewhere now," Monet pointed towards the videos that showed nothing but snowy desert outside of the facility.

"And Caesar?" Miyako nodded towards the angry scientist.

"He's talking to the captain of the team of men who went outside to look for the intruder. But there isn't any progress for now, it seems. We still don't know who this person is nor how did he get here….or what he wants for that matter," the assistant sighed, but her expression looked cool as always. She didn't appear to be particularly worried about the whole situation, almost as if she didn't care.

"Where are the Yeti Cool Brothers? They should be perfect for outside expeditions anyway," Miyako asked, remembering the odd duo she met not long after coming to this island. The two giant assassins by the name of Rock and Scotch were employed as guards of the Punk Hazard and eliminators of everything and anything. As long as they were ordered to by Caesar, they'd kill or destroy anything in their way. Because of their huge stature and resilience to cold weather, they were mainly stationed outside of the research facility, watching the area. That's why Miyako didn't have much contact with the brothers and didn't know much about them, except that they'd do their jobs mercilessly and curtly, no matter what it was. They were as coldblooded as they were deadly, reminding Miyako of poisonous scorpions she'd sometimes stumble upon in her birth town as a kid.

"I already sent them to search for the damned intruder, but even they had no luck yet," finally turning his intention towards the pair, Caesar answered. He still held the den den mushi in his hands with one of his henchmen on the other line. "That's why I want you two to-," the scientist started only to get interrupted by a sudden sound through the den den mushi.

"_Huh? What was that?"_ The voice on the other side sounded as confused as the rest of them in the control room.

"Oy, what's happening there?" The logia spoke in the den den mushi.

"_Wha!? How did this happen!? Oy, get a grip!" _The voice on the other side continued, yelling in shock.

"Come on! What's going on out there!?" Caesar was slowly losing his patience again. He turned back to Monet. "Quick, find their position on the video transmitters!"

Monet was already on it as she switched from one den den mushi transmitter to another. Still, there was nothing but frozen lands and snow of Punk Hazard. "The visibility is pretty low from the mist and falling snow. The wind picked up too, so it's sending clouds of snow everywhere," the green-haired assistant added with a click of her tongue, but her expression and voice remained collected as usual.

"_Gyaaaaahhh!" _Suddenly a loud scream erupted from the den den mushi which had a panicked expression on its face.

"What was that!?" Miyako gasped, hearing the loud shriek.

"_He's here! Wah! Get him! No, wait!" "Aargh!" "No, wait, wait!"_ Other voices could also be heard from the den den mushi. They were all from the group of men who were sent out to track the intruder and bring him in. _"Gyaah!"_ The screams were coming from the crying den den mushi for a few seconds, until everything suddenly became quiet.

"Oy, somebody answer me dammit! What's going on!?" Caesar yelled back at the den den mushi, but there was no response. Instead he turned back to Monet and stared at the monitors, "Did you find them?"

"Not yet, there's too much interference, we can't get a clear visual," the harpy-looking woman shook her head as she pushed the buttons with the feathers of her wings.

"Aaargh, I sent two dozen men out there! You can't tell me they were all beaten by one intruder!?" Caesar clenched both his fists, forgetting that he was still holding the den den mushi, which he nearly crushed with his gloved hand.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence as another sound came from the transponder snail in Caesar's hand. "_H-he-help meeeee!"_ The voice was stuttering at first but then screamed in utter despair. Everyone in the control room watched the crying den den mushi in silence while the tension grew in the large room. The voice from the transponder snail continued, _"Master, help up! We're….getting killed….The samurai is gonna kill us all! Masteee-Gyaah!"_ The man's words were interrupted by a swift sound and the man screamed in pain. The man on the other side choked and a gurgle, as if suffocating on his own blood, was heard before everything went silent again.

"They're….all dead?" One of Caesar's men in the control room gulped in disbelief. He was visibly trembling, his legs shaking while he stood.

"W-what do we do now? Master?" All the ex-prisoners stared at Caesar Clown as if he was their savior in this dire time of need.

The logia was still clenching his fists in rage, while gritting his teeth. He turned towards Miyako and Law again, piercing them with his yellow eyes. "You said it'll be bad for you too if someone finds you on this island. In that case, we need to eliminate this threat at once, Law!"

Miyako glanced back at her captain who had his usual bored expression on his face. "Hn, that's true enough. So in other words, you want me to take care of it," he stated, giving the scientist one of his wide smirks.

"You too, Suzune! You're good with a sword right? So go out there and find this guy!" Caesar said in a more commanding tone than when speaking to Trafalgar; he knew he couldn't order Law around, but Miyako was here as a bodyguard so this was a part of her job at the facility. That's why Caesar always treated her as manual labor, even though she wasn't one of his henchmen.

However, the girl gave him no answer as she stared, seemingly through Caesar, with a blank expression. She was still thinking about something she just heard through the den den mushi. They mentioned a samurai. *_There's another samurai on Punk Hazard…is he really a samurai? Is it someone from Wanokuni?*_ She didn't quite know how to feel about it since the information was still fresh in her mind, but she couldn't ignore the fact. It was both interest and anxiety that she was feeling from this revelation.

"Oy, Suzune!" The gas logia yelled angrily since he was being completely ignored by the girl.

Miyako jerked back into realty and blinked a few times until she realized the scientist was talking to her. "Right, I'm on it," she quickly answered, ignoring Law's questioning stare in her direction. He must've also heard the word samurai and connected it to Miyako, but he stayed silent about it. They had more urgent business to deal with right now.

~….~

The wind was raging outside, whistling an eerie tune as it passed through the mountains around the island. It carried the snow in the air and made it swirl around in clouds, creating a mist that clouded the vision.

In this freezing wasteland, a lone woman stood bundled up in her winter coat to try and protect herself from the cold. Even the large hood covering her head didn't help much in the cold wind that bit her cheeks.

"Did you find anything?" Miyako asked in a loud voice, trying to overpower the sounds of the wind. She was turned towards a large dark mountain as she talked, but there didn't seem to be anyone with her.

That's when the dark mountain moved and split apart, showing two giant figures standing in front of the girl. Their bodies were covered in white fur, which made them almost invisible in this snowy terrain despite their large size. Even though it was freezing outside, the only pieces of clothing they wore were a pair of blue shorts and hats that kept their faces hidden. Both giants had a pair of red glasses covering their sharp-shooter eyes and shielding their vision from the incoming wind and snow. They were especially useful considering that both assassins used rifles as their weapons, which were strapped on their backs. The two brothers looked so similar, Miyako had trouble telling them apart.

One of them, Scotch she presumed, knelt down in front of her so they could talk more easily. "We saw him and shot at him, but he moved fast and was able to run away through some mountains. It's not cool at all…," he explained in an easy-going tone.

"We can't follow the footprints because fresh snow keeps falling. They're already covered," Rock, the other brother, added.

The girl sighed in disappointment. _*Aren't you supposed to be some fearsome assassins…how did you guys let him escape?* _She didn't voice out that thought though, knowing that two brothers were very proud and easily offended. She didn't really want to anger the two giants on their own terrain by questioning their skills. The three of them had a good relationship of indifference between each other going on and she didn't want to mess it up now when they had to work together. The two brothers rarely met with other Caesar's henchmen and usually kept to themselves on Punk Hazard in their private area, so Miyako didn't know much about them. That's why she wanted to just keep things simple between them and get this over with.

The reason why the samurai girl was outside with the two Yeti Cool Brothers in the first place, was because Caesar sent both her and Law to track and eliminate the strange intruder. The Yeti Brothers called them, saying they found the intruder, but he got away from them even though the two assassins should be experts on their own territory. Miyako's mission was to meet up with the two and check on the group that was sent to find the intruder, but the control room in the building completely lost contact with them about half an hour ago. Miyako didn't need to have a big imagination to know what that meant; they were probably already attacked and dead. She doubted the _samurai_, as they called the man, was still nearby, but it was better to check it out nonetheless. Perhaps there were some survivors among the ex-prisoners who could tell her more about the sudden attacker.

"In any case, I believe we should move on to where the location of the group was last known. They're probably still there…," Miyako didn't finish her statement, though it was quite clear what she meant by it; that the men left there were already dead.

Even if the two brothers understood the meaning behind her words, they didn't seem to care as they kept talking in an indifferent tone, "You go and check the site out. We'll keep looking for the intruder and call you if we find anything," Rock told her.

"Even though it's pretty cold out today…Not cool!" Scotch added and both Yeti brothers shivered as if just remembering the cold.

_*If you're cold than don't walk outside without any clothes!* _Miyako yelled in her mind and her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but she managed to keep her opinion to herself.

She watched them easily jump over a high hill of snow and disappear, before she turned to leave for her own mission. She went down the hill, careful not to slip on some ice or fall into a heap of snow. It was hard to move here and she had to watch her every step, which slowed her down even more. It was already dangerous enough with the wind constantly rushing into her face.

After a long while, the girl finally arrived at the sight where Caesar's team should be. She saw the signs of fighting and shuffling of feet in the snow, though the bodies were hardly visible anymore. Most of them were already covered in a fresh layer of snow. Miyako stopped in her tracks and looked down, noticing a splatter of thick, red liquid in the white carpet. She soon realized that the snow around her wasn't plain white anymore, but stained with the color of blood. Miyako was well used to the scent of blood and the scenes of fighting to know exactly what went on around here.

She walked through the field of frozen bodies, but there weren't any signs of life anymore. There were no survivors. She knelt next to one of the bodies and examined the corpse wearing the yellow protection suit. _*The person who did this was thorough…there wasn't any hesitation in their moves,*_ the girl huffed while thinking, turning the body onto its back. There was a single sideways slash across the man's torso, the stained suit there still covered in crusted blood. _*There's no doubt about it…this was made by a katana_,* Miyako could tell by the slashes from the body. Since she used the same weapon, it wasn't hard to tell by the unique type of cut that only katana swords made.

A voice from one of Caesar's men echoed inside the girl's mind as she remembered the word _samurai_ being involved. Miyako's lips tightened as a troubled expression crossed her face. _*First a Wanokuni child comes with the shipment and now a samurai somehow infiltrates Punk Hazard…Can this really be a coincidence?* _Miyako's eyes widened at the thought, _*What if they really are connected with each other? Did Caesar even realize Momonosuke-kun is from Wanokuni? I doubt anyone knows…I still haven't mentioned it to Law either. If they did know…if they found out about some connection with this person and Momonosuke…what would they do?* _The samurai girl gulped at the uncomfortable feeling welling up inside of her. Knowing Caesar and Monet they would try to use Momonosuke…but then again, there is no real confirmation that this guy even has anything to do with the Wano kid. Perhaps Miyako was simply jumping to conclusions. *_Perhaps it's better if I don't mention anything before being certain. But even then…do I really want Caesar to know? They'll try to use Momonosuke-kun as bait for sure,*_ Miyako definitively didn't like that idea, but she didn't forget that her allegiance lied with Law first and foremost. His and her safety was what came first and right now this mysterious swordsman is being a threat to both of them. Miyako's expression darkened in thought as she stood up and thought of her next move, *_For now…I just need to find this swordsman. The rest can be revealed later.*_

Interrupting her thoughts, the den den mushi from the inside of her coat started ringing. Collecting herself, Miyako came back to reality and took out the transponder snail. She could feel her fingers freezing from the cold even inside her gloves. "Yes?" The girl answered curtly.

"Miyako-kun, is it? Did you find anything?" The voice of Monet came from the other side of the line. Accordingly, the den den mushi made a focused expression as it mimicked Monet's snake-looking eyes.

"Not yet. As expected the group sent after the intruder was completely wiped out…there are no survivors. Scotch and Rock saw him, but he managed to escape from them. We don't know his current whereabouts yet," the girl explained the situation in short.

Monet hummed from the other side, "Did the Brothers get a visual?"

"Only from a distance…they confirmed he is a tall man and has a sword, but that's all. It's hard to see anything in this wind and snow…" Miyako sighed, whishing she could also be sheltered from this weather at the moment.

"How unfortunate…At this rate, this could become rather troublesome," Monet sighed in disappoint. "Guess I'll have to fly out and look for myself, the camera den den mushi still aren't receiving much of a picture due to wind either," Monet commented, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself than Miyako.

Miyako made a bothered expression, forgetting that the den den mushi was transmitting it to Monet. _*Then hurry up and go look, and let me return. This is troublesome and there's nothing out here,*_ she thought in annoyance.

"Fufu...is something the matter?" The harpy's amused voice came from the transponder snail.

_*Urk!* _Miyako flinched in surprise, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath which made her calm once more. "No, it's nothing," she finally answered.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Monet's exclaim got the girl's attention.

"What is it?" Thinking something was the matter, Miyako spoke hurriedly into the den den mushi.

"Another group was attacked by that man, in the south sector. That's where Law is right now, maybe he'll be able to get a visual on the intruder," the assistant explained.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as her expression darkened again. The word _samurai_ stayed deeply etched into her mind while she thought of possibilities involving the meeting between Law and this man. _*Well Law also has his devil fruit powers so he should be able to hold his own in a fight,*_ Miyako was trotting through the snow, hurrying to the southern sector of Punk Hazard. She brought her den den mushi to her lips again. "I'm going there, too!" With that she hung up and started heading for her destination, while the wind kept pushing her back.

~…..~

"Gyaah!" A man in the yellow suit screamed before he fell on the ground with a bloody gash across his back. In the cold snow, with his slowly darkening vision, he could see the rest of his comrades already lying on the ground, their bodies frozen and dead. The man could feel in his bones it wasn't long before he will follow as well.

Panic struck at his heart as tears welled up in his hazy eyes. He didn't want to die. He finally had new legs, the legs of a leopard, making him experience the joy of freely moving wherever he wanted. He didn't want his newfound freedom to end so quickly. The man started desperately crawling across the snowy carpet, ignoring the freezing temperature on his body. He grabbed a den den mushi which laid there forgotten in the snow. Taking off his mask, the man yelled into the den den mushi with tears falling from his eyes. He prayed that someone picks up the den den mushi from the other side. Monet, Law-san, Suzune-san, Master- anyone! _*Master, please save me!*_

On his delight, a voice came from the other side as someone yelled in the den den mushi, _"Hello? I'm Luffy! I'm the guy who'll become the Pirate King!" "You said too much, idiot!"_ Arguining voices came from the other side.

The man blinked in confusion, but was too overjoyed that someone picked up to nitpick about the details. With the last of his strength, the man yelled into the transponder snail, "Help meeee! Ah….it's so cold…is that you boss?" He cried, sniffling like an infant and not even caring about it. He just wanted someone to come and save him right this instant. If only he could hear the kind voice of his Master on the other side, reassuring him that everything will be alright.

However, the man wasn't that lucky. "No, this isn't your boss. Is it cold there?" The unfamiliar voice continued with a tone of worry and confusion.

The ex-prisoner didn't care anymore. As long as someone came, he'll be the happiest, still-alive man on Punk Hazard. He couldn't stop his tears as he spoke, "The crew…keeps getting killed one after the other…! They keep getting killed by the samurai!" He choked on his own blood, feeling the pain from the slice on his back.

"Hey, what's your name? Where are you!?"

He could barely hear the voice on the other side now as his vision started to go blurry. He knew the samurai was near…he was coming for him! With one last shout, the man yelled into the den den mushi in panic, "I don't care who comes, just please, someone….help us! We're on Punk Hazard!" Suddenly he stopped talking as he heard shuffling of snow and feet behind him.

He heard footsteps next to him as someone stepped closer in the snow, and the ex-prisoner trembled as he turned his head towards the figure towering in front of him. Looking up, the man followed the sight with his frightened eyes. The feet wearing nothing but wooden sandals despite the cold weather, a colorful yukata covering the tall man, the bloodied sword by the man's side which he held in his hand…Caesar's henchman tried to lift his head and look all way up to see the face of the man who killed his comrades, but he never got the chance to. Right when his gaze was traveling towards the man's bearded chin, a katana went straight through the yellow suit's neck. The man chocked on his own blood, letting out a scream that sounded like he was gurgling water in his throat, "Gryarah! He stabbed me! He-!" The man widened his eyes in shock, never being able to finish his cry through the den den mushi, as his head fell back into the snow and his gaze became completely void of life. The hand clutching the little transponder snail relaxed and the item fell back into the snow from the man's grip.

"Hn, I shall remember your lives as you fought bravely," the tall swordsman said to the corpses in front of his feet, sheathing his katana back into its scabbard.

"I doubt they will be able to appreciate it, though. Since they are already dead and all…" A smug comment came from behind the swordsman, making the man turn around in haste.

"Who are you? State your name, stranger!" The tall man yelled over the wind, one hand already on the hilt of one of his two swords.

The other man casually walked closer to the swordsman. His black boots stepped on the layers of snow as he walked, making crisp sounds. He wore a long black coat with a grinning yellow smiley pattern stretched out near its lower rim. The same yellow smiley rested on the shoulder area of the coat. A tanned face with a small black goatee and two piercing grey eyes were hiding under the rim of a fuzzy, white spotted hat that kept the man's head somewhat sheltered from the falling snow. On his shoulder was resting a large sheathed sword that appeared to be a nodachi.

"I don't need to tell you anything, but I will warn you…I don't like to be ordered around," the Shichibukai pierced the man in front of him with this sharp stormy eyes and gave him a wide provocative smirk. "So, they called you a _samurai?_…Since you are the one intruding in my home samurai-ya, you should be the one introducing yourself," he added tauntingly.

Law examined the man in front of him. He had two katana swords at his waist sash, and was dressed in a yukata, with wooden sandals on his feet. He definitely didn't look like he came on Punk Hazard prepared for cold weather. The man's face looked rugged, with a black goatee, bigger than Law's. On his head was a topknot of slightly messy black hair. But what the pirate noticed the most were small icicles forming on the man's face and body. He was covered in fresh snow, with some ice creating on his shoulders. There were two small icicles hanging from his chin and one on both his nose and right ear. This man was slowly freezing even as he stood in his light clothing tall and proud in the snow, not even shivering. The other thing that Law noticed was the strange attire of the man; attire that reminded him of another samurai he knew. _*This man really does look like a Wanokuni samurai,* _he thought.

The swordsman glared at the newcomer. "Indeed, I am a samurai from Wanokuni, of the name Kin'emon! However, I do not have time for you, stranger! I need to find someone!" The man unsheathed his katana, clutching it in both hands. "Do not try to stop me for I will cut you down!"

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the man's words. *_A samurai from Wanokuni looking for someone on Punk Hazard?* _The first person that came to mind was the one who had the most in common with the strange man in front of Law; Suzune Miyako. _*Could it be he came all the way from Wano for her? But for what reason?* _It left a bad feeling in Law's chest, thinking that this man was somehow involved with the certain samurai girl of his crew. He felt both suspicious and bothered by it. Perhaps the man saw her wanted poster and went looking for her, so possibly he tracked her down all the way to Punk Hazard to take her back to their homeland. Trafalgar didn't know if those were simply his speculations and whether they held any truth at all, but the Shichibukai had no intention of going along with this man no matter what the case was. *_For now I shall stop him here and question him later,* _he concluded, taking the nodachi in his hands and unsheathing it. "Sorry, but we only have one room for a samurai here and the slot's already been filled," he muttered jokingly to annoy Kin'emon further.

Seeing that the other man was acting as if he wasn't even taking Kin'emon seriously, the samurai gritted his teeth in annoyance, feeling his pride was injured. "How dare you insult a samurai!" He leaped towards Law, swinging his sword at him.

Law was surprised at Kin'emon's speed, soon learning that it was bad to underestimate a samurai from Wanokuni. In a blink of an eye, the samurai closed the distance between them and attacked. Even though Law was proficient in both close and ranged combat, he still preferred to keep a distance from his enemies. It was easier to control the fight in his favor when he had his opponents away from him and could use his powers to cut at them from afar. However, the samurai gave him no time for that.

Trafalgar sliced the air with his nodachi when he saw the man rushing towards him, but Kin'emon avoided it by crouching down and leaping forward. The samurai could feel the air pass above his head in a rush, as it was sliced. It made a whizzing sound just above his head, cutting a few strands of hair on his topknot. In response, he unsheathed one of his swords from a battojutsu stance as soon as he was close enough to attack and swung at the Shichibukai.

Law jumped backwards and had to lean back to avoid the tip of the katana that passed right in front of his face. He could see the sharp tip glisten in front of his eye as it zoomed by. "Room!" The pirate called out his powers, creating a large blue orb around them.

"Huh? What could that be?" Ignorant of Law's devil fruit powers, Kin'emon stopped for a second in confusion and stared at the blue sphere surrounding them. "Could it be you can use magic as well?!" The samurai questioned, surprised by the realization.

Law had no idea what the other man was talking about. He landed on his feet again and stayed silent. Instead of answering, the sliced the air a few more times with his long sword. "Just stay in place and let this end quickly," he commented coldly.

"I cannot stop until I found that child! They are on this island, for certain!" The samurai responded and jumped high in the air, evading Law's aerial attacks. Trafalgar had no time to swing his sword through the air when Kin'emon landed with his hard wooden sandals towards him. Law blocked Kin'emon's feet with his sword and realized the man was already swinging his katana towards him, about to pierce down at him.

"Shambles!" In an instant, Law disappeared and reappeared further behind Kin'emon. Instead of him, a boulder was sliced in two by the samurai's sword. "Tact!" Not waiting for the samurai to recover from his confusion by his missing opponent, Trafalgar raised the ground beneath the samurai with his powers. Just as the first one was about to hit Kin'emon, the man leaped with his feet and used the rising pinnacle as a stepping stone to jump higher into the air. From above he could see numerous sharp pinnacles rising from the ground, and his opponent not far from there.

"It is indeed magic that you are using, even controlling our surroundings!" Kin'emon commented with a suspicious stare towards his still-nameless opponent. "It seems I will also have to take this fight seriously!" With that exclaim and still in the air, Kin'emon took out his other katana as well. "I shall fight you with nitoryuu!" With that said, the samurai landed easily on one of the pinnacles on the ground, expertly avoiding the sharp tip, and jumped from one pinnacle to another to get to Law.

_*Like I'll let you,*_ Trafalgar narrowed his eyes and swung with his nodachi again, slicing in half all of the pinnacles, including the one Kin'emon was standing on. However, it was too late since the samurai was already in front of him. The man jumped and twirled his body like a twister to get additional force from the acceleration. The Shichibukai had no choice but to stay in place and block with his nodachi, since it was too late for him to dodge. Luckily, his nodachi was long enough to take both katana at once, blocking both of them. Still, the force of Kin'emon's attack made his feet slide back in the snow, while he tried to stop his opponent. Law gritted his teeth, clutching his nodachi and tried to find a secure foothold to stand. When he felt stable enough, he took a step forward to try and push Kin'emon back with his sword. He managed to get some space between them with that move and swiftly swung at the samurai's side with his sword. However, Kin'emon blocked with one katana and instantly went to pierce Law's head with the other. The Shichibukai clicked his tongue in realization and quickly jumped in the air to dodge, swinging his sword to create more cuts.

Kin'emon dodged the attacks; moving to one side as he felt a slice pass him by before crouching to dodge another, then jumping in the air to avoid a slash and finally blocking the last one with his sword. But he was taken by surprise when numerous stones and boulders that were cut up by Law's previous attack now all came rushing at him to crush his body. In the air, Law had his fist clenched as if commanding the materials to move.

The samurai turned a full circle once, slashing at the incoming projectiles with his two katana, before jumping into the air to avoid the rest that all smashed together where he was just standing. Yet as he did that, he suddenly realized there was no trace of Law in front of him anymore. He turned around, still in the air, only to notice the figure of his opponent standing on the ground not far from him. Just as he recognized him, the pirate quickly swung his sword at the samurai who was falling to the ground. Kin'emon leaned in front with his body to dodge the slice that passed by above him and did a summersault before landing on his feet in the snow. As soon as he did, he leaped towards his enemy with both hands armed. The snow around his feet rose up in the air from the force of his step. Even though the cold wind changed its direction and was now blowing right into the samurai's face as if trying to deter him from his path, the man still moved forward swiftly and cut through the strong wind that tried to push him back.

He crossed both swords in front of his face as if shielding himself from any possible attacks and readying for his own. In an instant, he was once again in front of his opponent who also took a stance by lowering his nodachi at his side.

"Tact!" Law yelled just as the man was about to swing his swords, only half a meter away from his target. The ground rose once again with Law's command, almost piercing the swordsman with the sharp tip of the boulder. However, the experienced samurai moved swiftly in accordance and stepped on the rising ground, jumping above it and over it. However when Kin'emon finally saw the enemy again, the pirate was already slicing the air with his nodachi and everything in front of him along with it. This time Kin'emon had no room nor time to dodge and he felt sudden pain in his abdomen. The samurai's eyes widened when he saw the sword move as if slicing him, even though it was still too far away to reach him. But soon, he realized that it didn't matter; he could feel acute pain in his neck and waist.

"Ugh!" With a grunt the samurai fell on the ground, and clutched at his two katana, sheathing them back into their scabbards. He knew that he lost, but he was still confused by this situation. "W-was I cut?" He looked at his own body, unable to tell since it still looked complete, yet he definitely felt the pain of a sword running through him twice along his body. Kin'emon heard the scraping of snow beneath his opponent's feet as they leisurely walked towards him, taking their time. _*What a disgrace, being defeated like this! I want to perform a hara-kiri, but I also have to think of Momonosuke!*_ The samurai closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in a pained frown.

"Yes, you were cut," with a devilish sneer on his face, Law raised two hands now that his nodachi was back in its scabbard. He moved them and in an instant, Kin'emon's body separated. The neck was separated from the torso, which was also cut off from the lower body.

"W-what is this sorcery!? I was cut, but still alive! How can I live with such a disgrace!?" Kin'emon exclaimed while watching in sheer shock as his cut up body floated in the air, being controlled by Trafalgar.

"That will be the last of your worries," the Shichibukai commented with a smirk as he raised the body parts higher and started moving them around in circles. "Well, I suppose I'll keep the head for questioning," he added in amusement as he kept moving the body parts inside his sphere round and round, faster and faster with each circle they did.

"What are you doing?! I'm getting dizzy! Stop it! Stop it I tell you!" The samurai yelled out as everything moved swiftly around him. Or rather it was his head and the rest of him that moved swiftly.

Law's smirk fell from his face and his amused expression was replaced by a cold one in an instant. "Didn't I tell you already…not to order me around," he finished and suddenly sent the torso and the legs of the samurai flying in different directions. From the acceleration by going in circles, both body parts were propelled and flew far away, disappearing in the mist and from Trafalgar's view.

The head of the samurai watched his flying body parts that ended up who-knows-where with his jaw slack open and shocked wide eyes. "Gyaaaa, what have you done?!" _*How did something like this happen! I am so ashamed!*_ The samurai could barely hide his surprise and pain at the loss he just experienced, and the deep humiliation that came along with it.

"Law!" A sudden new voice entered their area and both the head of the samurai and Law turned towards it. A girl in a checkered coat and a katana around her waist ran up to them with a worried expression.

"What are you doing here?" Trafalgar furrowed his eyebrows in a frown as he saw Miyako run up to them.

"Monet called and told me you were after the intruder, did you meet him?" The girl didn't wait to catch her breath as she answered, slightly panting from running all the while. That's when she noticed the severed head covered in black hair and a topknot on top of it. "Already killed him, huh?" She was interested so she wanted to see if it was really a samurai that came all the way to Punk Hazard. She couldn't really be sure since there was only the head left, but seeing the topknot Miyako suspected the intruder really was a samurai from Wano. In that case, she wanted to know for what purpose had he come all the way out here. _*Guess I won't be able to talk to him and find out after all. I wonder if he was really somehow related to Momonosuke-kun or not,*_ she sighed in thought, staring at the severed head.

"Killed!? That would have been better than the knowledge of being defeated yet left alive in this pitiful state! I want to commit seppuku!" The head suddenly exclaimed in anger, making expressions of discontent.

"Kyaa!" Miyako couldn't help but be surprised by the sudden talking head. Reflexively she kicked it far away in disgust with a loud scream. "What the hell was that!? It's too creepy!" She shouted, staring at the head which bounced off the ground and fell on the thick snow further away. It got stuck there, with the snow muffling its angry complains by the girl's rude actions.

"What are you doing?" Law blinked in slight surprise not expecting Miyako to react like that. It's not like she never saw any of his victims before after he used his devil fruit powers on them. "I simply used the ope ope fruit's powers and sliced him up. Why do you look so surprised all of a sudden?" He sighed as if tired while staring at her questioningly.

Miyako blinked and put a fist in the palm of her other hand with an '_I see'_ expression. "Ah, that's right," she exclaimed suddenly as if just remembering Law's powers. Then she turned back towards her captain with an accusing stare, "Still, that surprised me. It was just too creepy…a talking head? Why?"

Law sighed again and started walking towards the severed head where it fell. "I wanted to take him in for questioning. This way he won't make any trouble at least," he explained with a devious expression while staring back at the head.

"The one who is surprised is me, however!" The head of the samurai suddenly yelled out, glaring at the girl as it managed to roll out of the snowy heap. "How dare a mere woman kick my head!? It is unacceptable! Such a disgrace, for me to stoop so low even after all the hardships todays, as to get hit by a low woman!"

Miyako's eye twitched in annoyance as she stared down at the angry head. _*Well I wanted to find out if the intruder is really a samurai…I guess I got my answer. He definitely must be from Wano when he's acting like that!* _

Trafalgar ignored the man's words and lifted the head up by the hair.

"Ouch-ay-ay-a-I-I don't feel any pain at all from that!" The samurai yelled in response, even though his pained expression obviously told a different story.

Law's smirk widened. "Hmm? Is that so? Well, there's still time for you to feel plenty of pain," he answered in a dark tone and a devious smile that would make anyone's blood run cold.

Even Kin'emon flinched at the pirate's words, but stubbornly stayed quiet.

Still, what Law wanted to know now was to confirm his suspicions about Miyako and this man. They've seen each other but they didn't really react like they know each other. _*Could it be this man wasn't after Miyako after all? But then why did he come here? He said he's searching for someone…so it's someone else on this island?*_ Law's eyes narrowed in thought while he walked back towards the facility.

Miyako followed her captain, staring at the angry head that swung from side to side in Law's grip. "What will you do with him?"

"For now I'll put him in one of the empty rooms that we can use as cells. The ones with reinforced doors," the Shichibukai answered absent-mindedly, still in his own thoughts.

~…..~

"Oof!" The head of Kin'emon grunted as it was roughly cast on the ground. He looked around as best as he could, but there was nothing and no one except him, the strange girl and the smug man who took him to this peculiar room. "Where have you taken me, what is this place?"

Miyako crossed her arms on her chest and stared down at the fuming head. "I don't believe you are in any position to ask _us_ questions," she stated coldly.

For a second Kin'emon was so shocked he couldn't even respond, but when he finally collected himself, he yelled back at the girl. "How dare you rude woman talk to me in that manner! Eh? Now that I look closely, you have the facial features of a Wanokuni's person like me," he stared at her with wide sharp eyes, making the girl flinch in nervousness. "Ah! So I'm right, you really are a Wano woman, yet you are acting like this! How insolent! Even carrying a sword at your side, you are a shame to our country! How dare you stand here next to a man and even take the initiative in a conversation!? Urk!" Suddenly the man's words were stopped by a foot on his face.

Miyako stepped right on Kin'emon's face and pressed down on it to shut him up. At the same time, she slowly started unsheathing the katana tied to her waist. Her expression was completely cold as she stared down at him with menacing, deadly eyes. "Aaah, you have quite the nerve for just a talking head, even though you were cut up to pieces so easily. I knew it would be like this if you were really a samurai from Wano, but out of curiosity I went to check it out anyway. I tried my best to keep it cool, yet you keep acting all high and mighty like this. Perhaps you should be the one to learn when to shut up?" She said coldly as if tired from the man's words.

Kin'emon's eyes twitched in sudden worry when he realized he'll really be cut up, or what's left of him at least. "S-such a violent woman! Stop her, you there!" He turned to look at the man who was responsible for his sorry state in the first place.

However, Law appeared to be both surprised and amused by this scene and he only stood there observing. He didn't look like he had any intention of helping the samurai man.

"What's that, are you begging your enemy for help now? Hmmm? How pitiful," Miyako kept on bullying Kin'emon, pressing her foot on his head even more.

"Gh-ggh!" Kin'emon wanted to say something more, but kept his mouth shut since that appeared to be the wisest option right now.

Having enough of the comical scene, Law cleared his throat loudly to get Miyako's attention. "As interesting as this conversation between you two is, we still need him alive. I want to know who he is and how he came to this island in the first place," Trafalgar said with a dark stare towards Kin'emon. The head of the samurai gulped.

Miyako didn't look quite pleased by the interruption, but sheathed back her sword nevertheless. She gazed back at Law with a frown before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "I get it, I get it," she finally said in a bothered tone and stepped back from the head.

"But just to make it clear; you don't know who this man is?" Law gestured at the head on the floor.

Miyako blinked in confusion at his question. "Hm? No, I have no idea. We might be from the same country, but you can't expect me to know every small-fry samurai from Wano," she purposely insulted Kin'emon.

"Small fry!?" The samurai repeated in anger. "How dare you! A woman could never expect to even know how to live by the code of bushido, or know the honor it brings! You are an insult to both samurai and women of Wano, wielding that katana!"

"Tch, I don't care either way. I'm a pirate anyway," she crossed her arms on her chest and stared at him defiantly. She was definitely angry by his words, but she'd rather die than let him see it.

"P-pirate!? I hate pirates! You…You must be the devil incarnate! A Wano woman breaking all the rules of our society, wielding a sword and talking rudely to a man, and even being a pirate on top of it!"

"Like I care if you hate me or not; I'd rather be a pirate than follow your stupid bigoted rules from hundreds of years ago!" Miyako bit back to shut him up, already seething in rage by now. It's not like she didn't foresee this kind of treatment from a man of Wano, but it hit her harder than she expected since she was away from such opinions for so long. Being with the Heart Pirates all this time, she almost forgot about the treatment of women in her homeland. She wasn't used to it anymore, as she previously was.

Their argument was luckily interrupted by Law's den den mushi which started to ring. The Shichibukai thanked the heavens for it since the atmosphere in the room became too heated and uncomfortable because of those two. Both of them, however, shut up when the transponder snail started calling out. "What is it?" Law answered opening the den den mushi with a click.

"It's me. You better have some good news. Was the intruder really caught?" Caesar's voice started taking on the other side.

"Yeah, he won't be a problem anymore," Trafalgar answered in a bored tone. He really didn't need Caesar on his back right now too.

"Well that's fine, but seems like we're having new problems. Maa, what's with this day, it just won't give us a break!" The scientist complained on his side, much to Law's disdain since the pirate really didn't care. "You better come and see this, quick!" The logia ended their conversation along with the call.

Law and Miyako looked at each other in wonder. "I guess the interrogation will have to wait," Law commented and started to leave the room with Miyako by his side.

"I wonder what happened now," the girl added, giving Kin'emon one last glare behind her shoulder.

"Will you just leave me here you nasty pirates?! Even after all the shame you've caused me! I want to die from all this humiliating, even being treated so poorly by a woman!" Kin'emon yelled angrily after them.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed in annoyance and he suddenly turned around, unsheathing his nodachi in the process. "Wait just a little longer and you _will_ die just as you wish," with that he sliced the air using his devil fruit powers. In the next second, the head of Kin'emon got separated into even smaller pieces, looking like a jigsaw puzzle. The Shichibukai sheathed back his sword, happy to have some quiet from the samurai at least. The pair left the unfurnished room, leaving nothing but a cut-up head behind.

~…..~

"I'm telling you, that guy is taken care of so don't worry," Miyako sighed as she talked to Monet and Caesar, bringing them up to date on everything that happened.

"I made sure he won't go anywhere," Trafalgar added.

"Weeell, it's good that at least one of our problems is taken care of," Caesar said, but still held a dissatisfied expression. "However, Monet tells me that there are new intruders on Punk Hazard. Oy Law, you sure you didn't tell anyone about this place?" The scientist glared at the Shichibukai suspiciously as the four of them all sat down on the sofas in room B.

At that moment, the bird woman hung up the den den mushi in which she was talking to. With a completely blunt tone, the woman added, "The Navy's at the doors."

"Whaat?!" The gas logia shouted in both anger and surprise.

„Maaaster, this is bad!" One of the ex-prisoners ran into the room. "We've just confirmed it, there are really marines on Punk Hazard. It's that no-good G5 with Vice Admiral Smoker leading them!"

"How did they find out about us here?" Miyako couldn't contain her surprise either as she sat up in her seat and stared back at them with wide eyes.

"That's what I want to know too, dammit! Law, did you bring them here after all!? You are the only Shichibukai here, you know!" Caesar exclaimed and took out a gun from his coat.

At that moment, Miyako hastily grabbed the hilt of her katana and was about to stand up and protect her captain, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was potent enough to make her sit back down on the couch and grab her chest with her hand. It felt like she was having a heart attack, but was that even possible when she didn't even have a heart at the moment? "Gh," with a grunt of pain through gritted teeth, Miyako looked up at Monet who was casually sitting across from her. In her wing, the harpy held a beating heart in a small cube; Miyako's heart. It didn't take long for the samurai girl to collect the pieces and realize what happened; as soon as she was about to go after Caesar, Monet clutched her heart making the pain almost unbearable. Only Miyako's pride and anger right now stopped the girl from crying out. The pain finally lessened and the girl felt like she could breathe freely again.

With cold but menacing eyes of a snake, Monet smirked in amusement at the samurai. "Now, now, don't do anything rash while our bosses are having a conversation," the woman chimed in a warning.

Miyako glared daggers with her burning golden eyes at her, but stayed motionless in her seat.

Meanwhile, Law and Caesar were having a stare down. Finally, the Shichibukai sighed as if already tired of this topic and closed his eyes for a second. "How many times do I need to tell you; if the government realizes I am here, I'll be in trouble too. Even a Shichibukai isn't allowed on Punk Hazard. I don't know why the Navy is here, but I'll gladly get rid of them for you. For _both_ of our sakes," the pirate stared at Caesar sharply.

"Tch," the scientist clicked his tongue and put away his gun, though he still looked a bit unconvinced. He was a suspicious man by nature and he didn't like such coincidences; first a Shichibukai arrives at the island and then marines follow a few months later. "Fine, go find out what they want and get rid of them…Just my luck, of all the marines it just had to be that White Hunter Smoker. He has the instincts of a wild dog," Caesar cursed under his breath in irritation.

Without a word, Law stood up from his seat and took his nodachi with him.

"Then, I will also-" Miyako went to follow, but her captain's gaze stopped her. "No, you stay here in case something else goes wrong and you're needed. I can handle the marines on my own," he nodded to her and gestured for her to stay.

The girl didn't look very pleased by his decision, but she didn't argue either. She sat back down on the sofa with a displeased expression, watching her captain leave.

"Well I doubt you need to worry. As he said, I'm sure he can take care of some marines," Monet commented while putting away Miyako's heart again. It appeared that she always kept it close to her just in case of situations such as what just happened.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, please stop, it's unsettling," the samurai girl answered bluntly in a cold tone.

"Sholololo! You girls really don't get along even after all this time, huh?" Caesar laughed in amusement, watching Monet and Miyako exchange stares. He stood up and hovered over to the control room where the video surveillances were. "Now, about that other thing," he picked up a den den mushi and called someone.

"Other thing?" Miyako furrowed her eyebrows in question as she watched the logia work on something.

"Ah, I was so surprised about the Navy, I completely forgot to tell Law…there seems to be more intruders on the island," the scientist answered.

"You mean other than the weird samurai and the Navy?" Miyako frowned in wonder.

"Indeed, there seems to be a pirate ship anchored on the flaming part of Punk Hazard. We've sent a team there to pick them up and bring them here. It would be bad if someone leaves the island and tells others that there are people here. The Government would probably investigate if they caught wind of this," Monet answered instead of Caesar who was currently taking to someone via den den mushi.

Miyako's gaze turned back to the bird woman who was still sitting across from her on the couch. The girl sighed in thought, _*First a Samurai, then the Navy and now even pirates? Seriously, what's wrong with this day?*_ Her thoughts went back to the cut-up samurai in one of the empty rooms of the facility. *_Now that I think about it, I never got the chance to investigate if that samurai really has anything to do with Momonosuke-kun. I got so angry at him I totally forgot to ask anything,*_ Miyako sighed, thinking of the small Wanokuni kid in the Biscuits Room.

* * *

><p>Aaand it's done! :) Sorry it took so long, it's just holidays, life and all. I hope you liked it and we're slowly entering the cannon Punk Hazard Arc! (or are we already in it?). I think it'll be for real once the Straw Hats arrive and get involved, which is sooo close. :D<p>

Also thank you everyone for the nice reviews! I hope you continue to read and support this story in the following year as well. I love you all my readers for being so patient and nice to me throughout this story and all these years. Once more, I'm sending you hearts, cookies and all the best wishes wherever you may be! :D

**Memarvo: **Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and all the best for the following year! About Cody's report: I think it's still useful for them to know how low they are on supplies, especially medication, so they can know what to restock and what they can use while what they have to save for emergency since they're low on it. Law seems to me like a pragmatic guy who would want to keep track of that (unlike Luffy :P). Also, I didn't find your question creepy at all, don't worry. :) They used protection? I kept that whole scene pretty vague, so I'm leaving it all to the reader's imagination. :P

**Lucy Jacob: **The topknot was the important, symbolic part of hair among men. Indeed, being cut off meant that the man was letting go of his social status. Since Miyako is a woman she doesn't have a symbolism in her hair like that (or at least it's not something socially acceptable for women there), but she does value her hair a lot. When Miyako became a rounin (abandoning her societal role), if she were a man she would have cut off her topknot at the time. So even though I believe it would bother her, I don't think it would devastate her the same way it would a samurai man when cutting off his topknot.

I hope you are doing fine now and that you are well! Please take care of yourself! :) Good luck on your exams, I hope they all went well.

**brokenfingers1: **I agree with you, sometimes hastiness leads to fall in quality. I will keep that in mind. :) I do try to think of a way to get as close as I can to the cannon chapters yet still keep it interesting (so that it's not only a repetition of the cannon). Hopefully, I'll succeed. ^^'

**SurgeonOfLove: **In that case, first, welcome to the website! Enjoy your time here. :D I think they'll be interesting in seeing each other's strength, but I don't think they'd fight it out just to see who's stronger. At least, Miyako isn't interested in such fights (unless she's provoked). Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you will enjoy future chapters as well. :)

**MarikSebastianIshtarThe3rd: **Thank you very much, I hope you liked this chapter too. :D

**Red knight 2004: **haha I'm glad! :D

**Bioware: **Yeah, at this point I'm just thinking; how do I get them a bit closer together so they don't end up killing each other. XD Uf, I know what you mean. I was just staring at the last chapter of Law thinking 'Holy Shit!'

**Wicken25: **I thought so too at first, but then seeing all the animal-human guys and also, she even writes with her wings (if she can change back, who would rather write with a wing than a hand? o.O). So I thought maybe she really did get her limbs replaced by animal ones. Also, her bird legs are orange, so they don't really seem snowy. Doesn't mean that I'm right though, it's just my outlook on it. :)

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **He has arrived! And he has bonding time with Miyako! :D

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **Yep, she only recognized the Wano clothing style but she doesn't actually know Momo. It's not that she's keeping it a secret from Law, it's just there isn't much to tell. "Hey, there's a kid who is also from Wano, like me," that's pretty much all she knows. I doubt Law would care much about that. Maybe just warn her not to get too attached to him.

I also want for Miyako to not leave Punk Hazard before letting Monet have it, for all her mockery over the months. Though she needs to be careful while Monet has her heart.

**Ubermarine: '**The chapter system is not to be used as placeholder for non-story content such as author notes. You can add short author notes to the beginning or at the end of stories but never as individual chapters'. This means that you can't post an author's notice, comments etc. in place of a whole chapter, but you can still post it before or after your story.

**BatmanSwim2016: **I'm starting to worry that I really made it sound like that in the story, since some readers also thought so. ^^' But no, she only recognized that he is a child from Wanokuni. He's full name is Momonosuke. :)

**Bizzy: **You mean like where the Heart Pirates meet the Kid Pirates? In my opinion, that didn't happen yet. Cause Kid went to the New World instantly while the Heart's stayed behind in Paradise for a long time. I hope they do meet in cannon and if not, I'll make it happen when the time comes. ;)

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **Thank very much. I must say though, Miyako only recognized that Momo is from Wano but doesn't know who he actually is. They don't know each other. It seems there is some confusion about that, I'll have to go reread my chapter and see if I made some mistake in writing that part. ^^'

**Chocogirl24: **Thank you! I can't wait for that part too, especially since Miyako admires Luffy for everything he's been through.

**Guest: **haha Momo had to come. :P


	60. Chapter 60

**'I don't like you!' **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters as it all belongs to Oda-sensei. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood, violence, language and suggestive themes.

Hey guys! How have you been? I finally finished the chapter and my exams are over (for now)! Whoot! Sorry for the long wait, but exams, life blah blah...all those unimportant things. ;)

I hope you have fun reading the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 60<strong>

_*Hnn, so there are marines at our front gates, some random pirates docked on the other side of Punk Hazard and a samurai from Wano killed a bunch of Caesar's men today. Not to mention Momonosuke-kun might be connected to that rude guy,* _Miyako compiled all the information she gathered today. _*This is really a mess, and I fear it will only get more troublesome. I have a bad feeling about all this…my instincts tell me Law and I will have to make our move soon. Maybe it won't be so bad to attack Caesar in all this chaos, but in the end, that's Law's decision. We also have the problem with our hearts being in the enemy's clutches, at this point we can't do anything until our hearts are safe and sound in our bodies once again,*_ the girl continued to think in silence. Her gaze traveled across the large room of sector B in the facility, finally stopping on the tall bird-woman ahead. Monet was currently talking with the logia scientist about their situation as Caesar deplored his henchman into different sectors, just in case of any trouble. Miyako's eyes narrowed as she focused on the harpy, her sharp orbs carefully following the other's every move. That woman had her heart, which meant she practically held Miyako's life in her hands…or wings, in this case. And today Monet proved to the samurai that she had no qualms about cutting the girl's life short if she happens to become a threat to Caesar or their plans. Whatever strategy Trafalgar had to develop to take Caesar and destroy the SAD tank, he needed to do it with caution or both of them will have their hearts squeezed and die before they even deliver any damage to Doflamingo.

Monet suddenly turned towards the samurai girl as if sensing the girl's burning eyes on the back of her neck. Almost as if knowing what Miyako was thinking, the harpy gave her a smirk before she turned back to her conversation with Caesar. Miyako instantly looked back down to her feet with a frown on her face, as she didn't want Monet to know she was observing and thinking about her. Instead, the girl's thoughts traveled back to the thing that was bothering her the most at the moment; Momonosuke. She wanted to confirm her suspicions, but she also didn't want Monet or anyone else to know what they were. _*I'd rather keep it to myself than give them any reason to go after Momonosuke-kun later. The samurai is subdued and captured right now, so he isn't a threat to us any longer; there's no reason to involve Momonosuke-kun in this.*_

Deciding to take this opportunity while everyone was busy, Miyako stood up from her seat on the couch and headed out, towards the Biscuits Room.

She wasn't even out the door yet, when Caesar's high pitched voice called after her, "Oy, Suzune, where do you think you're going at a time like this?! If something unexpected happens, we'll need your sword."

The samurai girl turned around with a lax expression on her face. "And you shall have it. I am simply going to the Biscuits Room. The alarm that went off recently might have scared the kids, so I'll go make sure they stay where they are and keep calm. If you need me, just send for me. This place should all be connected with intercoms anyway, no?" Miyako shrugged as she lied to the logia with a straight face. Even though what she said wasn't entirely true, it was still believable. Miyako didn't exactly like to lie, but sometimes it was necessary and she didn't really feel any guilt or responsibility towards Caesar anyway. It's not like Trafalgar and her were truthful towards the people here from the beginning.

"Mmmm, well that might not be a bad idea. It'll be a pain if we had to think of those kids at a time like this so you better take care of it," the scientist approved, nodding to the girl and signaling for her to proceed.

Miyako felt Monet's interested, amused stare on her, but deliberately avoided the harpy's all-seeing, sharp eyes. She didn't want Monet to suspect anything, which was quite possible. That bird woman had remarkable instincts, almost as good as her intel, which was pretty admirable on its own.

Turning her back to the duo and the yellow suits in the room, Miyako finally headed for the Biscuits Room. She wanted to ask Momonosuke a few questions about how he got on this island and ask him about the samurai man. She didn't know if the kid will have any intention of answering her questions since he was still suspicious of everyone around here, including her, but she wanted to at least confirm some of her worries before she proceeded. There was nothing she could do about the marines or the pirates, but wait to see how the situation will develop, so this was the only thing she could focus on right now.

It didn't take long for her to walk to the Biscuits Room, taking a long dark hallway to the area. Even before she entered, she could hear the children's voices coming from the inside. Pushing the large doors open, the artificial light in the room splashed her across the face as it always would when she entered. The room was always bright until it was time for the kids to go to sleep. However, there were no windows in the whole area, so no sunlight could ever reach this room. It was sad when she thought about it; these kids could only play in this one large room, never even seeing the light of day. On the other hand, there was nothing but a cold wasteland outside anyway. Even if they were to walk out of this facility, only freezing death would await them outside. There was truly no escape for these poor children as they were used like laboratory rats in here. Miyako tried not to think of it, reminding herself once again that she shouldn't get attached to these children. There was no way for her to save them either way, so thinking about it only made her feel even worse.

As soon as she entered, a familiar cheerful voice came to her ears. Little Rachel ran over to her, almost stumbling in the process as she ran on her two little, bare feet. It's like the girl could sense Miyako's presence as soon as the samurai would enter the area; she would instantly appear next to her. "Miya-neee!"

"Honestly, how do you instantly spot me? You're like a little dog or something," Miyako commented in a mutter.

"That's because Miya-ne is really easy to spot," the girl responded matter-of-factly.

_*I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult…,*_ the samurai girl thought back with a deadpan expression. However, she decided to let it go as she had other business to attend to right now. She wanted to find Momonosuke, but even as she searched around the room with her gaze, she couldn't spot him in this crowd of kids of all shapes and sizes.

"Say, what was that loud noise earlier? Did something happen? Are we attacked? Did mom and dad come to get us? Is Master alright?" Rachel continued on her barrage of questions, clinging to Miyako's coat.

The pirate sighed and put a hand on the girl's head, ruffling the orange strands a little. Luckily that move managed to shut the girl up for a while. "Don't worry, it's nothing important that you would have to worry about. Everything is fine," she tried to persuade the girl.

However, the girl was not so easily persuaded. "But what was that?"

As they heard Rachel asking about the alarm, other kids joined them, also interested in what happened. Soon, Miyako found herself surrounded by kids, some that were even taller than her, asking about the situation in unison.

"What was that sound? Will we still get candy today? Is Monet-san coming? I want to go home! Is it because we're sick!?" All kinds of question rushed at the samurai girl and she felt herself drowning in them. Everyone talked all at once, making it hard to even hear her own thoughts and decide what to say.

"Enough!" She raised her voice, finally feeling tired of the loud noise around her.

The kids instantly quieted down, but they didn't look shocked or scared by her outburst. Actually, they were quite used to Miyako's reprimanding voice by now. Monet and Caesar were always gently smiling at the children, but Miyako was a bit different. She was strict, but fair towards them. If they crossed the line, she puts them in order and if they were good and behaved, she would sometimes even play with them. She would rarely raise her voice at them, but that's why they knew she was serious when she did. At first it shocked them, but after a while they got used to her behavior. She wouldn't spoil them, but she would still be kind to them in her own way. In that aspect, she was closer to acting like a real mother than Monet, who was more of a gentle aunt.

When she finally got everyone's attention, Miyako spoke, "You will get the candy after dinner as always. There is nothing to be frightened of, nothing bad will happen. And if something _does_ happen, I will-" She was about to say that she would protect them, but stopped with her mouth still open before she finished that sentence. Could she really make such a promise? In reality, Miyako had no bases to make sure that she would be able to keep that promise when her mission with Law is over here. She couldn't even promise that they would be fine in the long run. When lying to Monet or Caesar, Miyako felt no guilt, but lying to these children's faces was different. She could feel a pang of guilt well up inside her as they stared up at her with innocent expression of complete trust towards her. So for now, all she could do was to tell them the truth to the best of her ability, "My job here is also to protect all of you, and as long as that is the case, that is what I will do. Don't worry," she finally answered with a sigh. It was the truth after all; for now, her job here while working with the logia was also taking care of the children. So as long as she could do it, she would; at least while she was here as an accomplice in Caesar's work. Unfortunately she couldn't promise anything after Law and her take down Caesar and this establishment. She would do for the children what she could at that time, but she could make no promises or even say anything to them about it right now. It was better if they are kept in the dark for now.

Luckily, the kids calmed down by her words and slowly returned to their groups to play. Rachel, however, stayed by the woman's side. "Will you stay and play with me today?"

The samurai knelt down so she could be eye-to-eye with the small girl and sighed. "Sorry kiddo, I'm actually looking for Momonosuke-kun right now? Have you seen him?"

"Ah, thaft strangfe onef…I hafen't seen fhim in a wfhile, afctuallfy," Rachel answered, while biting her fingernails. She was barely understandable with her fingers in her mouth, but perhaps since Miyako was already so used to different accents, including Munk's, which was still the strangest one she ever heard, she could understand the girl perfectly fine even now.

"I see…where has that boy gone off to now," the samurai girl wondered in a mutter.

"Momonosuke-kun?" Another girl's voice came from behind Miyako and both her and Rachel turned their heads to see another small girl. She was wearing a simple white dress made from a thin material, just like the rest of the girls here. She was about Rachel's height and age, but had blonde hair that reached to her shoulders. "That boy always gets into trouble, so I get worried. We came together to this island after all," the girl sighed. She seemed a bit more eloquent than Rachel as she spoke softly.

"Did you see him lately?"

The girl nodded, but then faltered as an uncertain look crossed her expression.

Miyako could read what the girl was thinking and put a hand on her small shoulder. She could feel how bony it is under her fingers and fleetingly wondered if the girl was eating enough. "Don't worry, he won't get into any trouble. I won't be angry…but it would be better if I find him, instead of the guards," the pirate woman gave the girl a knowing gaze, silently telling her she understood the girl's worry.

After a while of silence, contemplating Miyako's words on whether it was alright to truly tell the samurai the truth, the girl spoke again still holding a troubled expression. "I saw him in the Secret Room not too long ago, but then the men came so I ran and hid…we got separated after that," she started, but Miyako noticed there was something else the girl wasn't telling her. Without a word, the samurai nodded for the girl to continue, encouraging her. "Well…that is…I saw something weird," she gave Miyako a fearful look as if she was worried the woman won't believe her.

Miyako smiled at her. "It's fine. You know, I've seen a lot of weird things in my day so it's hard to surprise me anymore. Whatever it is, I will believe you," the woman nodded.

"Well…Momonosuke-kun turned into…a dragon," the girl sighed with that sentence, as if finally letting out something that was weighing down on her chest.

Miyako couldn't help but widen her eyes and blink in surprise a few times. She knew there were dragons on Punk Hazard, but they were all artificially made by Vegapunk. What the girl was telling her was a completely different story. She knew Momonosuke for about a month now, but she never saw him turn into a dragon or anything else. Could it be that the kid was a devil fruit user? But she never saw him use his devil fruit powers here. "Can you explain that a bit more?"

However, the girl simply shook her head with a saddened gaze. "I don't know anything else. I just saw him turn into a dragon and then he ran away from the guards and disappeared. I couldn't find him later. I asked some of the guards in yellow suit about him, but they didn't know anything either so they just turned me away. I'm worried about him," she squeezed her small hands in front of her chest.

Miyako listened carefully to the girl and nodded. "Thanks. I'll look for him so don't worry." She stood up with a frown on her face, thinking about what she just heard. _*He went into the 'secret room'…that's how kids call the lab where the SMILE are. That's where I found Momonosuke last time too…*_ Suddenly, Miyako's eyes widened at the realization. *_That's where the prototype of the first SMILE is being kept. Don't tell me-!*_ An idea crossed her mind and Miyako turned to leave in a hurry.

"Rachel, if Momonosuke-kun comes back here, tell him I need to see him immediately!" She called to the girl behind her who nodded in return, a bit startled by Miyako's sudden change in behavior. Running, the Wano girl slammed the doors of the room open and disappeared into the hallway.

"Hehe, Miya-ne is really funny, right?" She smiled back to the worried girl beside her as if trying to cheer her up. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll find your friend and help him. Miya-ne is kind too and a real swordsman, so I bet she's strong," she grinned in confidence, though the other girl simply wondered why Rachel was so sure about any of that.

~…..~

When the front gates of the long-forgotten research facility finally opened, of all the people who could've taken up residence there, the one who showed himself never crossed the marines' minds. Even Smoker was taken aback by the sight before him, when one of the new Shichibukai walked over and leaned onto the metal doorframe with a smug smirk on his face. That expression irked the White Hunter even more, as if Trafalgar Law found no fault in him being on this island that was prohibited from entering even for the likes of him. Then again, the marines had no right to be on Punk Hazard without special clearance from the World Government, yet Smoker didn't care about such trifling matters either.

He was getting annoyed by the loud voices of his men, warning him about this Shichibukai and some even having the gal to beg him to leave this creepy place and the even creepier guy with it. Only Tashigi stayed silent and observed the situation, not yelling in his ear like the rest of these bastards.

Finally, the Vice Admiral decided to break this atmosphere with a simple question. "Why are you here?" He glared at the ex-pirate, sharply observing the expression hiding underneath a white, spotted hat. "This island is off-limits even to those concerned with the Government, Law," the marine warned in a calm, but deadly voice. The tension around those two could be cut with a knife.

However, the Shichibukai actually had the nerve to talk back with a snarky comment, avoiding Smoker's question with an inquiry of his own. "Well that means it's off-limits to you too, White Hunter-ya. So why are _you_ here?" Law gave the vice admiral a wide smirk, not even trying to hide his taunting behavior.

This time it was Tashigi who spoke, stepping forwards and getting out a single black den den mushi, which the Navy used for tapping purposes. She replayed the message they heard; the same message from the dying man of Punk Hazard, minutes before he was killed by the samurai. All the marines stayed silent while it played and so did Law, calmly listening to the man's dying screams.

Law could feel Tashigi's and Smoker's keen eyes on him as they observed him for any change in his expression. They wanted to see if he'll react to the message, recognizing its sender, but the Shichibukai gave them nothing. His expression stayed completely blank as he listened to the message without a change in him. Still, he knew he had to be careful not to betray himself in front of the White Hunter. The rest of the G5 were really nothing to worry about as they were all a bunch of no-good, small-fry that couldn't make it anywhere else, in Law's opinion. It was common knowledge that the G5 squad was the low of the lowest, where all the sadistic trash went when the Navy didn't know what else to do with them. Trafalgar was actually quite amused by their scared looks as they talked about him and his becoming a Shichibukai; it seems he created a lot of rumors that still flew around, with that incident. Even when they called him a 'creep,' Law felt amusement instead of anger as he saw their anxious expressions. Anxiousness that _he_ created with his presence alone.

However, the vice admiral was a bit different. He was perceptive and a completely different level than this squad of no-good marines. _*He could actually prove to be a bit troublesome,*_ the Shichibukai thought while the message still ran in the background.

Finally, it ended with the man's death cry and everything went silent; both in the den den mushi and on this snowy field. It was captain Tashigi who spoke first, inquiring Law further about the message and Law's intentions on this island. All the while, the Shichibukai stayed quiet and listened to them. His interest was piqued a bit more when Smoker started mentioning Straw Hat Luffy and his pirate crew.

"You know Straw Hat Luffy, right? At the Tenryuubito Oswald incident 2 years ago at Sabaody, you, 'Kid', and Strawhat fought together. Furthermore, when Straw Hat was chased by Akainu in the war, you helped him escape!" Smoker yelled the last statement as if emphasizing it, accusing the Shichibukai.

Law's expression didn't change even then, but his thoughts rushed in his mind with suspicion._*Why Straw Hat? It's true I helped him before, but I don't see why I would know anything about him now? What is Smoker aiming for by saying these things?*_

Still, Law swiftly avoided each question, pretending not to know anything, and instead kept his own pace as he finally broke his long silence. "What do you want? Forging emergency signals is a specialty of you marines, right?" He tried to change the subject as he spoke.

However, the White Hunter was true to his name. When he sniffed out a lead he would stick to it, biting his fangs into it and not letting go, just like a feral dog that found a bone. "This one was not made by us! Enough of this! Show me the inside of this research facility!"

"This is my vacation house right now…so no," Law could already see how this will end. Unfortunately, he won't be able to get rid of these marines so easily. Not without a fight, obviously. Still, he feigned ignorance with a straight face of someone who was being bothered during his free time.

Smoker narrowed his eyes angrily and bit down on the two thick cigars in his mouth. This kid actually had the nerve to talk back and refuse orders of a vice admiral. What's more he was giving him such a stupid reason, calling this restricted place his vacation home. It was obvious Trafalgar was messing with him, yet he did it with such a straight face, as if he was being serious, which only irritated the marine more. He could hear Law's voice as he continued to talk back calmly, feeding them a bunch of lies. Smoker could smell something fishy here and wasn't buying Trafalgar's story in the slightest. Even so, the pirate turned them away without a second thought. Just as he was about to give Law a final warning, not having any intention of giving up, a new voice shrieked somewhere behind the large doors of the facility.

Law tensed in confusion and surprise as he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice behind him. He knew for a fact, there were only two women on this island; Monet and Miyako and this voice didn't belong to either of them. _*What was that?!* _It wasn't long after that he could hear even more voices coming from the room inside, and none of them were recognizable. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

When the large doors burst open, Smoker, the entire G5 and ever Trafalgar stared at the sight in bewilderment. Law was able to keep his cool on the outside, but his mind was racing with question as the sight before him became more and more bizarre by the second. A tanuki, the kids from the Biscuits Room, a woman in a bathing suit and so many more came flocking at the entrance. However, it didn't take him long to recognize some of the faces from the bounty posters; these people were indeed some of the Strawhat pirate crew. Their captain was nowhere in sight, but Law was sure it was them. His expression darkened as he just realized all his efforts of sending the marines away were in vain now. _*What are these people doing here? And they're as crazy as ever, I see!* _He ignored the banter between the pirates and the G5, until the woman and a strange animal spoke to him.

"Aaah, it's you! From Sabaody! Did you lock these kids up, you villain!? We aren't giving them back!" They protested loudly, glaring at Law.

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he could feel his patience thinning. They were ruining everything! He stayed quiet even as the strange party decided to turn around and disappear through the doors just as they appeared. But by then, the damage was already done.

"What alone…They're here!" Smoke yelled at the pirate, glaring daggers.

Law could feel a drop of cold sweat drip down the side of his face. "They were…I'm still surprised," he muttered more to himself than anyone else. _*Why didn't Caesar tell me about this? That scientist is also troublesome.* _That's when a plan started forming in his head, while the plot around him thickened._ *I'll have to take these new events into account and make my move. It's a bit sooner than I expected, but it can't be helped now. This situation…is still salvageable,* _he thought with a smirk as a plan hatched inside his head, creating a spider's web that was about to caught its pray; Cesar Clown. _*For now, I can't let the Strawhats leave Punk Hazard on their own,*_ he called out his room and turned towards the entrance, seeing the strange group running inside the facility again.*_And I have just the thing to make sure they stay here,*_ with a smirk, he pointed his hand towards the pirates. "Shambles!" _*There, this should make sure they come to me again, so I can devise my plan properly.*_ He turned back toward the still-perplexed marines, who were slowly recovering from their shock. "But first thing's first…I need to take care of you," he muttered with a cold stare aimed at the marines in front of them. He'll have to deal with one nuisance at a time.

~….~

Miyako ran down the hallways of the facility, turning yet another corner before she finally found herself in the large room she was looking for. Once again that irritating alarm went off, signaling something was wrong in the building, but she had no time to research what it was.

Just like before, the whole area was scarcely furnished with various metal contraptions and monitors on the side. She found the large glass case on a metal stall at the center of the room, but there was one important difference this time; the glass was broken and the prototype of the SMILE fruit nowhere in sight. _*I knew it! That kid! He seriously ate an artificial zoan devil fruit!*_ She frantically looked around the room, searching for any trace of him, but there was no sign of the boy. "Momonosuke!?"

Outside the room, a rhythm of running footsteps echoed through the halls. The loud noise of the alarm once again drowned out all the other sounds as it engulfed the facility. _*What now!?*_ Her first thoughts were aimed at the Navy outside their doors, thinking that the marines caught wind of their doings and rushed into the research facility.

She ran out of the room just in time to be passed by a group of ex-prisoners. She stopped one, pulling his arm that was clutching a gas gun. "What's going on?!" Miyako had to yell to be heard over the alarm. Flashing red lights blinked in the halls, making the situation look even direr.

"The pirates that we caught as prisoners and brought to the facility, escaped!" A muffled voice came from the masked man in a yellow suit.

At that moment Miyako remembered Caesar's words, mentioning the pirate ship that docked on the fiery coast of Punk Hazard. "Where are they now?"

"The last we heard was that they took the kids form the Biscuits Room and escaped. Some of the guards went after them, but with no luck. We were sent as backup to find and catch them," the guard explained. His group already went further on without him, while he stayed to explain the situation to Miyako.

The samurai was momentarily taken aback by his words. "They've taken the kids?" She thought about what a bunch of pirates would want with a few dozen children, but nothing relieving came to mind. _*Are they using them as hostages?*_ It's not like Miyako really wanted the kids back in Caesar's clutches, but perhaps their newfound situation was even worse. She didn't know anything about these pirates nor what their intentions were, but she couldn't bet safely that they would be so understanding towards children as her friends from the Heart Pirates crew were. Perhaps the poor kids were thrown from the frying pan and into the fire.

Biting her lower lip to think for a second, Miyako let go of the guard so he could be on his way. *_I better go to Caesar and assess the damage of this situation. I also need to find Law…things are seriously getting out of hand today,*_ Miyako decided and ran towards the large B room of the facility where Caesar and Monet were before.

When she burst into the room yelling "Caesar!" she could only see Monet, hunched above her book on her usual spot at the long table and the stool. She was scribbling in it, making notes, as if completely oblivious about the chaotic situation around her.

Without even looking at the samurai girl, Monet answered her calmly, "He's doing his experiments," as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Miyako, for one, couldn't believe it. "Experiments?! We don't have time for that right now! The marines are at our front gates and I just heard the news about some pirates escaping and taking the children with them. Aren't you a least bit worried?!" She walked into the room, ignoring the shortage of air in her lungs from her previous running.

"Fufuf," the harpy woman snickered, still focusing on the book in front of her. "They won't be leaving this island…any of them. And isn't it yours and Law's job to make it so?" Finally Monet turned to look at Miyako with a teasing smirk as she questioned her.

The pirate girl glared back at the bird woman, but stayed quiet as Caesar finally appeared with an irked look on his face. "It's not as good as I hoped…it's still not done," he was muttering something, with a troubled expression. "And will you finally turn off that awful noise!" He yelled, trying to overpower the sound of the alarm. Hearing his annoyed order, one of the yellow suits hurried towards the control panel in the room and switched off the alarm. The deafening noise along with the flashing red lights disappeared and the people could finally speak normally again.

"Another failure?" Monet asked calmly from her spot, surrounded by a pile of books.

The scientist became outraged at her question. "Failure? Watch your mouth! My experiments do not fail! The same goes for what happened four years ago! A failed experiment?! My weapon that could kill an entire island! Just where did it fail, World Government!? I kill my enemies above anyone! Shololololo! I even managed to keep all the victims under supervision! Just watch…I'll teach you who's the world's number one scientist!" The logia laughed loudly with that specific laugh of his, the voice booming through the room.

A shiver ran down Miyako's spine as she listened to the scientist's crazy banter and the ominous laughter that followed. He was indeed responsible for all the misfortune that fell upon this place and these people four years ago, but there was no one to hear him now and realize his true intentions. No one could even hear the screams of the people slowly dying on the other side of the den den mushi line, which were trapped in a special room and tortured by Caesar's gas. Rather than torture, Caesar called it _experimenting_. Those were the people who weren't able to do their duties before…and this is how they ended up. Yet everyone still believed in Caesar Clown who was a perfect picture of a kind master and a savior. Just thinking about the irony made Miyako feel sick to her stomach.

It seemed the gas logia only now realized Miyako was here. "Ah, Suzune, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be out looking for the damned pirates as well?!"

The pirate girl ignored his remark as she stared back at him. "Where is Law?"

"Law went to take care of the marines and a battle started. However, it seems he's keeping everything under control for now. He should be back soon," Monet answered instead of Caesar, finally lifting her head from the pile of papers in front of her.

The girl scowled at that answer as it was a vague one and gazed back at the gas logia with suspicion. "You are weirdly calm considering your precious children disappeared and were taken by pirates," she stared at the man, observing his reactions.

The scientist hovered closer to her and a malicious grin spread on his face, making his purple lips appear even wider than usual. "Shololo, that's right, you don't know. It's fine, I'm not worried because even if I don't do anything, those brats will return to me of their own accord," the man couldn't stop grinning as he spoke.

From her seat, the harpy woman snickered in amusement at Miyako's confused expression. The samurai girl narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What do you mean?"

"Remember the candy we used to give the children after every dinner? Actually those are stimulants drug. The kids can't survive long without them, so it's only a matter of time now. Shololo. Soon, they will start hallucinating and being in pain…and then they'll come running back to me, beginning me to give them more candy! Shololo!"

Miyako could feel frustration rising inside of her as she heard the man speak. _*That bastard! He's making those kids suffer even more!* _She had to take a few breaths to calm herself, clutching a fist at her side. Finally, she looked at him with cold eyes of steel, "You really have some bad hobbies," even her voice sounded freezing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Monet's light voice brought back Miyako's attention, ending the tense atmosphere that was slowly starting to appear in the room. Miyako glared towards the bird woman, one hand on her trusted katana, when she noticed Monet holding something in her hand. It was a cube made from Law's blue sphere, and it didn't take her even a second to realize it was her own heart. With an irritated click of her tongue, the samurai girl let go of her weapon, but still kept a cold stare on the harpy.

"Don't get so mad, Miyako-kun. Rather than that, you still have your own purpose to fulfill," the green haired woman reminded.

As if only now remembering, Caesar turned towards Miyako again. "That's right! If you're so worried about the children than why don't you go after the pirates and try to bring the kids back here. My men have failed and are now even engaging in a fight with the marines, but you might do it," the scientist grinned.

Miyako was silent for a second as if thinking about it, but finally huffed in defeat. She really wanted to meet up with Law to discuss the situation, but it's not like they could talk about their plans in front of Caesar or his henchmen anyway. So at least she could find the children and make sure they were safe…she promised them after all. She didn't know if Caesar's laboratory was any safer for them, but at least they won't be in any immediate danger from some pirates. _*I also wanted to find Momonosuke-kun, but it will have to wait. Besides, he might be with the children that were taken by the pirates.*_ Miyako sighed as she made up her mind and nodded with closed eyes. "Fine, I will go look for the children." Putting the hood of her winter coat on, the girl turned around and headed for the secondary exit of the facility, away from marines' eyes that were still lurking around the area.

After the girl was already gone, Monet once again lifted her head from the book she was currently reading. In it were pictures of the pirate crew that mysteriously disappeared two years ago without a trace and there was information written on each member. The captain of the crew wore a large grin across his face, one that he was already famous for, and a simple straw hat on his head. "Ah, that's right," Monet started as if she just remembered something. "I completely forgot to give her the information about the said pirate crew." She stared back down at the book in front of her. "Oh well…she'll soon realize for herself anyway," the bird woman sang in amusement.

~…..~

Law strolled through the snow, ignoring the wind blowing into his face and the frost biting his skin. Being from the North Blue, he was already used to such cold weather and didn't think much about it. Instead, on his mind were the occurrences that happened not so long ago. After he beat Smoker and the marines, he returned to the facility only to find Caesar and Monet casually sitting in the main sector of the building as if there wasn't chaos happening at all sides at the moment. However, Caesar didn't look very troubled about the situation as he had confidence in his plans, sure that he was going to end up on top after everything was over. Trafalgar wouldn't be so sure, knowing that he had his own plans on how to proceed in this situation, but he sneakily kept them hidden from the logia scientist.

There, he gave Caesar Smoker's heart, or at least that's what the logia was expecting, not knowing that Law's plans were already in motion. Instead of the heart of the vice admiral, the man actually received back the heart of his assistant Monet, but the scientist was obviously clueless about it. Trafalgar had some minor problems with Caesar's suspicious character after the logia heard about his involvement with the Straw Hats on several occasions, but luckily Law once again managed to convince the scientist there was nothing to worry about. Luckily, even though Caesar was skeptical, he was also overly confident so he didn't think of Law as a threat as much as he should have. Still, even the young Shichibukai was surprised by the appearance of the Straw Hat pirates on this forsaken island. At first he was annoyed by the fact, sure that it was disrupting his plans. However, new possibilities started forming in the pirate's mind and he soon realized that there was an even better option in this case; to use Straw Hats to his benefit. That's why he did a Shambles on their bodies, making sure that the pirates couldn't leave this island without coming to him to change back first. It was his little assurance that they weren't going anywhere without seeing him first.

Law realized it was time to make his move against Caesar and Doflamingo. With this new turn of events, it was time to act. That's why, as soon as he wasn't needed by Caesar anymore, the Shichibukai went outside to look for his next target; Monkey D. Luffy.

As he walked through the snow, he left bodies of Caesar's men behind him. It didn't matter anymore even if he did cut them up while they tried to stop him in suspicion. After this, his false loyalty to Caesar won't matter anymore. And after that, it was only a matter of time before he makes his move against Joker too. However, first thing's first. He hears loud shots and shouts coming from the mountain where he was heading. The tricky wind carried the sounds, making them seem closer than they actually were. Still, he could see the large silhouettes and falling rocks of ice that suggested a fight was occurring at the mountain. It wasn't hard for Law to guess that Caesar must've sent the Yeti Cool Brothers to do his bidding again. It didn't matter to Trafalgar, as he just proceeded up the snowy mountain through the deep layers of snow. An exited grin appeared on his face when he thought about the realization of his next step in his plan. Only a little longer and he'll have both Caesar and the SAD in his grasp.

As he trotted through the snow, Law thought of his samurai as well. He needed to find her and tell her about their change of plans, but when he came to the facility Monet informed him that he just missed her. The girl went on ahead after the pirates and to retrieve back the children, not even knowing that the pirates were actually the Straw Hats. It would be bad if she engaged in a fight with them, especially with what Trafalgar was planning on next. They shouldn't get on the wrong foot with their future allies after all and it would be bad if Miyako killed any of them. However, he didn't know where the girl was at the moment, but by the signs of battle nearby he knew exactly where the Straw Hats were. That's why it was better to go to them now and if he's lucky, he'll even find Miyako close by, considering her mission. Sooner or later, she'll come to them to attack so he just needed to find Monkey D. Luffy and wait for her arrival. _*As long as that girl doesn't do anything overly reckless, it should be fine.* _After he heard that thought in his own mind, Law stopped for a second and a dark look crossed his expression. *_But knowing her…am I being too naïve perhaps?*_

~…~

Three figures ran through the snow, stepping onto the thick layer that slowed down their movement. Even so, they continued running without a breath, still slightly confused about their whereabouts and what exactly happened. The trio were a strange sight of their own; a tall skeleton with an afro, a young woman with long orange hair and a green-haired swordsman who carried three katana at his waist. They all had thick coats that protected them from the winter, even though the cold snow still fell onto their exposed necks and heads, chilling them to the bone. At least they were warming up by running through this snowy desert. One thing all three of them had in common was a large bump on each of their heads, which looked quite painful.

The three people were arguing as they ran, seemingly forgetting about their dangerous surroundings and Caesar's men that were after them.

"We have to hurry and find the samurai!"

"Then hurry it up already, stupid cook, you're slowing us down!"

"Yohoho! I have the longest legs here so I don't have a problem…though I don't have any muscles for running! Yohoho!"

"Shut it with the skeleton jokes already! Where's that shitty samurai," the woman was neither gentle nor lady-like as she expressed herself rather angrily.

"Why did you come anyway?" The swordsman muttered with a bored expression, looking at the woman that was trying to keep up on her weak legs.

"If you were Nami-san, I would offer to carry you, but I have no interest in guys. Sorry Sanji-san," the skeleton laughed again as he apologized, though his words were still quite blunt. "Maybe if you show me your-I mean, Nami-san's panties," the skeleton added in wonder.

"Idiot! Like I'd let you see Nami-san's precious panties!" The woman jumped surprisingly high in the air, kicking the skeleton in the chin. As she landed back on the ground, she didn't miss a step as she continued running. "Although…" Suddenly the woman slowed as she thoughtfully pondered about the skeleton's words. A sickly grin spread through her face; a lewd expression that definitely didn't befit a lady.

"Are you guys even serious about finding the samurai?!" The green-haired man with a large scar over his left eye yelled, half-shocked and half-angry at his companions.

While they were bickering in their own little world, the trio didn't even notice they were being watched from a nearby snow slope. Two alert eyes followed their every movement as they ran, the person waiting patiently for their chance. They couldn't see well the three figures' faces in this distance and the bad weather, but they could hear their voices as they carried through the area perfectly. The trio seemed to be calling for someone.

"Heeey, samuraaaiii!"

"Come out, samuraaai! Are you dead already?!"

"Heeey, samurai-saaan!"

The figure lying on the snowy slope, using the white carpet for their cover, widened their eyes in wonder as they heard what the three people were shouting. _*How did they know?! Did they notice me somehow? If that's the case, then I'll-!* _The person decided on their next move swiftly, disappearing from their spot and running down the slope towards the trio to leap at them.

~…..~

"Ooooy, samurai-san!?" Brook yelled out again in hopes of getting some answer from the missing Kin'emon. The Wano samurai recklessly ran off on his own in search of his last body part, leaving the group of Straw Hats behind. However, it seems Sanji still felt somewhat responsible for the man they met and wanted to help him find his torso; hence they were in this freezing cold, looking for the samurai-san right now.

Sanji, who was now in the body of Nami, much to his delight and the navigator's dismay, also walked around the area, trying to find any sign of Kin'emon. However, there was nothing but mountains of snow all around them.

That's why, since the two other Straw Hats were so focused on finding the samurai, when it came, Zoro was the first to notice. His haki warned him even before his eye did as he felt a new presence that was rapidly getting closer to them. A flash sliced through the air and a sound of metal clashing together carried through the whistling wind. It was the sound of two swords meeting in a duel. Even Sanji and Brook turned their heads in wonder towards the metallic sound as the two swordsmen met with their weapons. Zoro had a moment to observe the figure that suddenly appeared before him and attacked him with what appeared to be a katana. The hood of their checkered winter coat fell from their face because of the speed of their movement, and from it, long dark blue hair collected in a pony-tail swished around and danced in the wind. Two focused golden eyes stared back at Zoro, showing that the person was serious about their attack just now. That's when the swordsman realized, the opponent in front of him was actually a woman. A woman clutching a katana as she kept pressure with her sword on Zoro's own Wado Ichimonji that he swiftly unsheathed to block her attack.

However, before their fight could continue, the woman's expression suddenly changed from a serious to a confused one. Her eyes widened as her mouth formed a shocked 'o.' It wasn't the same expression his enemies would sometimes make when they finally realized who they were fighting against, nor did she pale like many others when they realized their skills weren't on par with his. Instead, there was confusion in her eyes as if she just saw something completely out of place, someone who she didn't expect at all to be here.

"Roronoa…Zoro?" With a soft tone of puzzlement that went well with her confused look, the girl asked. She relaxed her grip a little, the fighting spirit in her fading. She was still on guard, but didn't seem to know how to proceed.

Roronoa kept his blank expression as he stared at the girl. However, when she relaxed a little so did he, not feeling her killing intent anymore. His acute senses were telling him the girl didn't intend to fight at least for the moment, so he also stepped back accordingly. It was like the instincts of an animal, which knew perfectly well if it was threatened or not. "Do I know you?" He finally asked with the same straight face as always, as if he wasn't at all puzzled that some strange girl that knew his name just appeared before them and tried to attack him.

When Miyako first got the orders to find the escapee pirates and either apprehend them or kill them, she never knew the pirate crew would be that of Straw Hat Luffy. What were the odds of that happening anyway? She didn't know how to react now; should she proceed with the fight or stand down? It's not like they were friends, but Law saved and fought alongside Monkey D. Luffy on more than one occasion, didn't he? What would his decision be if he were in her place; would he really want to fight them? That made Miyako wonder; did he even know the Straw Hat pirates were here? The last time she saw him, Law was going off to take care of the marines at the front gates. Before making the situation even more complicated, she should find him and tell him about her discovery.

Finally deciding not to engage in a fight for now, the girl lowered her katana, still keeping it in her hands just in case. "No…You don't know me, but I know your captain…even though he probably doesn't remember me," Miyako answered, remembering the horrid state she saw Luffy in after the War of the Best. She doubted he noticed her at Sabaody either, since he just crashed into the auction house and started creating trouble almost instantly. Suddenly she remembered that she hadn't even introduced herself yet, "Ah, how terribly rude of me! I didn't even introduce myself," she bowed down which was a custom greeting in Wanokuni. She still wasn't used to the handshake that people of the other countries used and some of her homeland customs were hard to get rid of. "My name is Suzune Miyako and I am one of the Heart Pirates," she finally introduced herself, straightening her back again. "I apologize for my earlier behavior. When I attacked you, I didn't know you were the Straw Hat pirates." She sheathed back her Yawarakai-Te into its scabbard, as a sign of her peace offering.

"That's alriiiight~" A very cheerful voice sang beside her as the orange haired woman danced over to Miyako. Behind her, a tall skeleton walked over. Both people were also of the Straw Hat pirates, who joined Zoro and her after overhearing their conversation. "Cute girls should always be forgiven," the woman continued with a wide grin on her face.

Miyako felt her jaw slacken at the sight of a real, walking-talking skeleton. She remembered vaguely seeing him at Sabaody's auction house, but at that time she was too busy making her escape to examine him thoroughly. Yet now as she gazed at him, it was obvious this was no disguise or a trick; he was indeed a living skeleton. What's more, he casually walked over to her without a word, making the girl even more nervous. She gulped and felt a drop of cold sweat slide down her cheek when the skeleton loomed over her. He looked deeply into her eyes and Miyako felt a shiver as she stared back into two, dark hollow sockets. With the same serious face, the skeleton finally spoke in a somber tone; "Would you mind…showing me your panties, young girl?"

At first, the words didn't register in Miyako's mind as she just kept staring back at the boney face of the skeleton before her. It's just that his words were too conflicting with the situation and his expression, making the girl think she misheard something. After a long silence, the girl blinked in uncomfortable confusion, "Eh?"

However, the very next moment a loud crack was heard as the orange haired woman bashed her foot into the side of the skeleton's head. "What the hell do you think you're asking a lady, you perverted skeleton!" With a high kick and an angry voice, the woman sent the tall skeleton flying into the snow.

"Yoho! Sanji-san, that's harsh!" The skeleton laughed like the fact that he just got hit was no big deal, even as he was still buried in the carpet of snow.

Yet the situation only got more bizarre as the woman in front of her, who the skeleton called Sanji, even though that was obviously a man's name, stood before the samurai girl and took Miyako's cold hands into hers. The woman gave Miyako an expression a man would have when hitting on a woman, as their eyes met. The flirty behavior never went away as the orange-haired woman continued talking to Miyako. "I apologize for Brook's behavior…he's an idiot who doesn't know how to treat a lady. However, if you let me, I would be honored to take care of you properly, sweet Miyako-chan," the woman practically had hearts in her eyes as she spoke to the samurai girl.

If Miyako saw her own expression in the mirror right now, she would probably laugh at herself. That is, if she weren't so shocked and confused as she was at this very moment. The girl had an expression of dread as a dark look crossed her eyes. Her face paled until it reached the color of the snow they were standing on. She choked up, unable to even spoke as she tried to wrap her mind around the scene before her. _*W-w-what!? Am I being hit on right now? Is she flirting with me!? Why!? Ah…that skeleton called her Sanji…could it be she is an okama?! But Okama are after men, aren't' they!? Seriously, what's going on here!? I heard those Strawhats are crazy, but they are completely off the scale of craziness at this point!? What's with this people?!* _

Still being held by her hands by the woman, Miyako turned to her last hope, seeking salvation from the last member of this strange trio; the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. However, he simply stared at the scene with a blank expression of someone who couldn't give a damn about what his other two companions were doing. Didn't he find this scene strange at all?! That's when Miyako realized something and that realization almost made her burst into tears of despair. She felt the need to laugh and cry at the same time as she felt the misery of knowing she won't be saved by him. _*Ah…that guy is a muscle-head; he doesn't get my hints of distress at all! He's a total muscle-head, isn't he?*_

"Ah, let me introduce myself first; my name is Sanji, but you can call me however you want~" The woman said, finishing the last statement in a cheerful voice of a crazy fool in love. "And these shitheads aren't important," he added, pointing his thumb back at the duo behind him.

"Oy!" Zoro angrily responded at the insult, but the woman named Sanji completely ignored him.

Miyako was getting more and more confused by all this, but she knew she had to act soon. If she got sucked into their pace any more than this, she felt her brain would explode. Somehow, she managed to slide her hands out of Sanji's grip as she gave the woman a polite, but awkward smile. _*I have to let her down easy,* _the samurai girl thought, not wanting to hurt the other woman's feelings. "I-I'm sorry…you're really pretty, but I don't swing that way…" Miyako kept her awkward smile as she softly spoke, feeling a drop of cold sweat slide down her temple. This was definitely a first for her.

The woman named Sanji looked confused by the girl's answer. She blinked a few times, staring right into Miyako's large eyes. She stared so hard that she noticed a reflection of herself in the other girl's golden orbs. With realization, the orange-haired woman suddenly grabbed her head with both hands and yelled as if just remembering something crucial. "Aaaah! I completely forgot! Dammit, this form is so nice, but I forgot I am a girl. Aaah, the bitter-sweet irony. I'm so glad about this body, yet it betrays me so! Dammit! I'm so thorn right now!" The woman fell to her knees, banging her fist on the snow in despair.

The three other pirates watched the woman on her hands and knees, with a sweat-drop forming on their foreheads. "Is she going to be alright?" Miyako felt guilty, thinking the woman was depressed because she rejected her.

"Aah, don't worry about it, he's just an idiot," Zoro answered, while the skeleton nodded in confirmation by his side.

"I see…" Miyako watched the woman for a while in silence. Then she suddenly turned back towards Roronoa with a shocked expression. "Wait! '_He'_!?"

~…~

"So that's how it is! My captain used his devil fruit powers on you to switch your bodies," Miyako repeated after she finally heard the whole story.

After the whole spectacle, Miyako finally got some straight answers about what was going on. The three Straw Hats finally introduced themselves properly, telling her the story about how they came to Punk Hazard because of a distress call and how they met Trafalgar Law who used his powers on them.

"Ah, but, I don't really mind even if he doesn't change us back! Actually, I'm very grateful to him," Sanji added with a love-struck gaze as he thought about all the nice moments he could have in Nami's body.

Miyako laughed at Sanji awkwardly, unsure how to interpret his words. However, somehow as he spoke, she would think of Penguin, finding a lot in common between those two. *_I think I get it…he's a pervert just like Penguin,*_ she concluded in her thoughts. Still, she decided to ignore the man as she continued. "Well, I'm sure he had a reason to do it. Anyway, where is the rest of your crew? I would like to talk to Monkey D. Luffy about what is happening on this island. Even though I see you know a lot already." Miyako didn't tell them about Law's true plans on Punk Hazard, since she first had to consult with her captain about all this. But at least it seemed Law was aware that the Strawhats were here.

"Yeah, they're back there the way we came…If you go straight you will find a mountain cavern. They were there before we parted to go find the samurai at least," Zoro answered.

_*Ah, they must be around sector F-12 then…* _Miyako thought about the swordsman's words until her mind suddenly stopped. *_Wait a second…a samurai?* _"That's right, when I first saw you, you were all calling for a samurai. I thought you saw me so I moved quickly, but…could it be you weren't talking about me?"

"Huh, Miyako-san, are you also a samurai?" Brook, the musician skeleton of the Strawhats, asked the girl. He stepped closer to her in interest, making the girl a bit uneasy. She still wasn't used to the appearance and the sole existence of this living skeleton.

"Heh, so we have two samurai on this island. Things are getting more and more interesting," Zoro grinned after hearing this new discovery. "It seems there should be more than one strong warrior on Punk Hazard. So women can become samurai too," he muttered in a thoughtful voice, new to that fact, even though it wasn't exactly right.

"Hmm? Is that so? Are you also from Wano then, like the other guy? Are you friends or something?" Sanji stepped in.

Miyako was a bit confused, but the pieces of a puzzle started to slowly set into their place. Suddenly the girl had a bad feeling about this. "If you didn't mean me then…-" she took a step backwards unconsciously, looking around for someone. Just as she took that one step, a muffled noise came from beneath her feet.

"Gfwaah!" The voice howled in pain as Miyako stepped on their body.

Miyako and everyone looked down in shock, screaming in surprise at the same time, "Waaaahh!?"

"Whoa, isn't that the samurai!?" Zoro was first to recover from the sudden revelation as they found a body buried beneath the layer of snow. It looked completely frozen by now as it stayed for who-knows-how-long there, in this weather.

"What's up with him, he's all frozen?!" Sanji exclaimed in bewilderment, coming closer to the body and stepping on him. It resulted into breaking a layer of ice on the samurai's body.

"Gweaah!" The samurai man started moaning and panting, as if he almost suffocated and froze to death at the same time.

"Are you ok, samurai-san?" Brook asked with worry in his voice.

"Haa…somehow I started feeling all stiff and thought I'd die," the man answered, sitting up on the ground.

"More like you were about to freeze to death!" Sanji yelled back. He couldn't believe the shitty samurai was trying to act tough even at a time like this when he almost died.

"No! I'm not cold at all!" The samurai from Wano responded, yet he was obviously shaking all over.

"What's up with your pride!? This guy's such a bother!" Sanji couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to kick the damned samurai a few more times until the guy gets back his rational senses. This warrior's pride was really over the top.

All the while Miyako was standing at the back of the group, completely silent as she had her own thoughts on her mind. *_This is bad…why did I have to meet with this troublesome guy yet again? He's such a bother…and to think he's here at all places. Also, he must be the samurai the Strawhats were looking for! Well at least I'm in luck as he hasn't spotted me ye-*_

"Ah!" Suddenly Kin'emon exclaimed in surprise, staring right at the girl at the back of the group. "You! The rude woman from before!"

_*Gah! Too late!* _Miyako felt a nerve break in her brain as she could already expect what was to follow.

"Why are you here!? Are you also together with these pirates!? Are you here to attack me and bring me back to that man?!" Kin'emon yelled towards her as he remembered she was with the man who cut him up and dishonored him in the first place. He was too weak to get up and walk so he dragged his body across the snow like a worm, closer to her.

That's when the girl noticed the man only had his legs up until his waist and a head attached to it. The sight of that monstrosity, slowly creeping towards her on the ground, completely freaked her out. "What's up with your appearance?! You're even creepier than when you were just a head. Stay away, don't touch me!" She made a disgusted face, trying to keep the samurai at bay. However, the man paid no heed to her words as he inched closer to her.

She frowned, not really in the mood to continue their argument from back in the research facility. "I'm not here because of you." That's when she remembered something she was meaning to ask this samurai for quite some time now, "But now that we meet again, I do have a question; Do you know a kid named Momonosuke?"

At that moment all hostility was replaced by bewilderment in the man before her. He was silent for a while, until he suddenly threw himself at Miyako's feet. He couldn't grab her with no arms, but he used his legs to kneel and lean on the girl as he shouted in panic, "You know Momonosuke?! Where is he!? Is he well!?"

The sudden erratic behavior of the man only freaked her out even more.

Suddenly a kick from the side brought Kin'emon back into the ground, his head getting stuck in the snow. "You're scaring Miyako-chan, you idiot!" Sanji yelled angrily.

"Yohoho, he is quite a feisty one!" The musician of the crew laughed at the scene.

The girl had to blink away the bewilderment of what she just saw before she could speak again. "Yes, I believe he's fine. At least he was…but he disappeared not long ago. He's probably still somewhere in the research facility," the girl answered. _*So there really is a connection between them. Perhaps this is his father?*_

Completely ignoring the fact that he just got kicked, the samurai started rolling on the snow, trying to get up. However, he was still weak and his body was stiff from the cold. "I need to go to that building then! I must find my son! Momonosuke!" The man yelled out into the wind as if his son will hear him somehow.

"Oy, oy, I know you are worried, but you can't do anything in this state. You have to find your torso first," Sanji warned, sighing at the warrior. He calmed down after seeing the man panic about his son, feeling some sympathy for him. The pirate took out a cigarette and was about to light it, when he remembered the stern warning he was given by Nami-san. Shivering at the memory, he put the matches back into his coat, leaving the unlit cigarette between his teeth.

"You are right…Indeed; I am useless without my whole body. I should prioritize." Kin'emon finally calmed down, thinking more reasonably about the situation he was currently in. "But it seems my torso somehow got submerged in water…at this rate I cannot move much nor can I use my magical abilities," the man added.

"Water? Could his body have fallen into the lake?" Zoro turned to Brook, the last person who saw the samurai's torso.

"I heard that the water in the lake is actually sea-water. If he has devil fruit abilities, that would explain it," Miyako commented.

"In that case we should hurry and get him out before his torso gets eaten by sharks," the swordsman said.

"In the water…? But you'll have to dive in!" Kin'emon exclaimed with surprise as he stared at the pirates.

"We know, but you can't swim, can you?! You second-rate samurai!" Sanji bit on his cigarette as he stared at Kin'emon.

Beside him, Miyako snickered after hearing Sanji's nickname for Kin'emon. She pretended not to notice when Kin'emon gave her a glare in return, but she still kept an amused smile on her face.

"But you are pirates and you do not even know me? Why would you go that far for me?" Kin'emon just couldn't understand how these people worked as they were willing to risk their lives for a man they just met and had no connections with. He stared at Sanji with wondrous eyes.

"Like I said, it's our responsibility! And the deal is still on afterwards; when you get your body back, the fight is on and I'll beat you to a pulp!" The man inside a woman's body just glared back at the samurai. He was threatening him and about to help him at the same time, and it just confused Kin'emon even more.

Even Miyako wasn't sure what to think about what Sanji said, but a soft smile appeared on her face nevertheless. One thing she did know from their actions here; she really liked these Strawhats. They were both interesting and gutsy, and they definitely kept her amused. At moments, they even reminded her of her own nakama on the yellow submarine.

However, it was time for her to be on her way as well. She still had things she needed to do. "As much as I would like to help, I will have to take my leave now," the girl said to the group, turning their attention towards her again.

"What? You're leaving, Miyako-san?" Brook titled his head, making some of the snow fall from his afro that accumulated there. "But you didn't even show us your panties ye-" The skeleton continued with distress, only to get kicked by Sanji before he could even finish that sentence. Luckily for Miyako, since she was still unused to dealing with perverted, undead skeletons.

She nodded in return to Brook's more normal, previous question. "I still need to find my captain, and also I want to talk to Luffy-san about the master you talked about…Caesar Clown," she explained. If Luffy was about to go after Caesar to save the children as she heard from Zoro and the others, she didn't want to stop him, but she also needed to talk with him about how it fits into Law's plans. It could either be of use in their plans or it could mess them up and cause problems. In any case Miyako wanted to ask Luffy to hold off any actions until they also find Law and discuss it all together. Otherwise, she was afraid they will only create bigger trouble that might even put the children in jeopardy. _*That's right, I also need to warn them about the candies the children have been eating. They might already be suffering from the withdrawal symptoms of the drugs. In that case I better find Strawhat and the kids soon; Sanji-san said they are all together right now.* _

"In that case, take care, Miyako-chwaaan!" Sanji waved after her as she gave her final bow to the pirates and was about to leave. Even though he might have the best intentions, Miyako just found it creepy as he still had the body of a woman, yet kept staring at her with such a love-struck gaze. She never had a woman hit on her…though she wasn't sure if this situation would count as such anyway.

Before she left, the girl stopped one more time and turned back to look at Kin'emon with a frown. "If I find Momonosuke-kun, I will be sure to bring him to you…" She didn't like the samurai man, but she felt a bit responsible for that young boy and wanted to protect him. Even she couldn't stay cold as she saw a father's worry and love towards his missing son; she could at least sympathize with that.

The samurai bit his lip at the woman's words as he felt conflicted inside. He still found the woman to be an outrage towards their culture of Wano, but he also felt somewhat moved by her words just now. Finally, he nodded with a serious expression that still looked troubled, "I thank you...," he managed to say, although barely.

"I'm not doing it for you," Miyako muttered with a sharp stare towards the prideful man, silently telling him she was thinking of Momonosuke rather than him. She then disappeared into the fog without another word, running towards sector F-12 where the rest of the Strawhats and the children should be waiting. She didn't yet know that there will be another curiosity waiting for her there.

Kin'emon quietly watched the swordswoman go, deep in his own conflicted thoughts and cursing his inability to go rescue his son properly. He pursed his lips in a thigh line, keeping his gaze downward as he had mixed feelings about the woman that was willing to help him despite their animosity towards each other. In that aspect she was similar to these pirates, making her even more curious in the samurai's eyes.

~…..~

"I hope they get Nami back soon…I'm worried." A tall man with blonde hair sighed, pacing nervously across the cave's floor. It was actually Chopper in Sanji's body and he even had a small mask on his forehead to reveal his identity to others.

"Well even if they died, there's nothing we can do about it from here," Robin answered in a calm tone which went well with her blank expression even as she was saying such terribly negative ideas.

"Stop iiiit! You're worrying me even more with such talk!" Usopp yelled back at the woman, holding onto a terrified Chopper who just imagined all the gruesome things that could've happened to Luffy and the others.

However, the archeologist of the crew simply snickered in amusement at their panicked faces. "Now, calm down, you don't think Luffy would die that easily, do you?" She asked the other two with a teasing smile, already knowing full well what their answers will be.

"Ah, you're right! Luffy is even stronger now after two years! There's no way he would lose, even to those two weird giants!" Chopper beamed in response, as if completely relieved by the sudden revelation.

"Ugh, but they sure looked like trouble…those two. What were they called, 'Yeti Cold Brothers' or something?" Usopp shivered at the memory of large silhouettes suddenly appearing out of nowhere and shooting right at their former nakama, Brownbeared. "They didn't spare him another glance, before shooting their own comrade," he continued, looking at the still-unconscious Brownbeared who was barely clinging to life now. Beside him, children of all sizes were peacefully sleeping, tied up with chains as a precaution.

"Still, I think we should worry more about ourselves now. You never know when those men in yellow suits or the marines could find us here and attack us. We should be prepared," Robin warned, still wearing the same unconcerned expression despite warning her crewmembers of danger.

"Y-you think they will find us here!? Usopp?!" Chopper turned back to the sniper of the crew with a pleading expression of someone silently asking to be reassured by his friend.

However, the idea that just crossed Robin's mind seemed to have shaken Sogeking as much as his friend. "D-don't worry Chopper, I will protect us of any enemies that come!" He said it with a stuttering voice. It was hard to feign confidence when his legs were shaking like fallen leaves in the wind.

Just then, the wind blew harder outside their shelter, making dusts of snow fog their vision of the outside. Inside the said cloud, a silhouette of a person's form started emerging, as someone stood at the entrance of the cavern. It didn't take long for the three Straw Hat pirates to notice the suspicious form approaching them.

"Kyaa, it's the enemy!" Chopper exclaimed in fear, turning behind him to his friend that swore to protect them, "Usopp!" However his ray of hope was soon extinguished when he saw the brave sniper hide behind Robin, with his knees wobbling.

"A-a-alright, Robin! I'll back you up from here," Usopp answered, standing behind the woman's back who instantly stood up with her guard prepared when she saw the newcomer.

As the unknown person stepped inside the cave, away from the hard conditions of the outside, they revealed to be a young girl. It was a girl of around 20 years of age with long, dark blue hair tied with a red ribbon in a pony-tail and two, large golden eyes. Their gazes soon fell onto the katana around the girl's waist, replacing their wonder with suspicion once more.

However, the girl raised her hands in front of her as if to reassure them of her intentions. "You must be the rest of the Strawhat pirates. I mean you no harm. I am here to speak to your captain, Monkey D. Luffy," the girl spoke calmly, showing that she had no interest in fighting them.

Chopper relaxed again. "Ah, so it's not an enemy after all….Wait, who are you!?" He stiffened again instantly, realizing the situation was still bizarre as some strange woman just walked into their hiding place.

"My name is Suzune Miyako, I am with the Heart Pirates," she explained. Miyako gazed over the three pirates, searching for something or rather someone, but she couldn't see their dark-haired pirate captain anywhere. _*So he isn't here either…*_ She sighed, but then another thing caught her attention; a conversation she just overheard while entering here. "You said you were attacked by the Yeti Cool Brothers? What happened?"

Robin, Usopp and Chopper exchanged suspicious looks with each other, as if silently deciding by telepathy if they should trust this weird girl or not. After all, she just appeared before them suddenly and who's to say she wasn't just tricking them and waiting for the right moment to attack.

"If you are looking for our captain, he went to fight them right now…And you said you were with the Heart Pirates? I heard Trafalgar Law is on this island too, so that would explain it…," Robin talked knowingly, taking initiative in this situation. She narrowed her eyes as she continued, "What are you planning on this island?" That question was directed not only at Miyako but for Law's plans as well, since the Heart Pirates obviously had some interest here on Punk Hazard. "I heard Trafalgar Law is a Shichibukai now."

"Yeah, that's right! What are your plans!? And what did you do with the children?!" Chopper yelled from his safe spot, well away from the samurai. However as soon as the girl turned to look at him, he winced and hid behind Usopp again.

"Don't try anything suspicious!" Usopp warned.

The samurai girl only sighed, seeing all three pirates still eyeing her with distrust. The two men were especially wary as they stared at the girl from their spot on the side. They were huddled close together, the blonde holding his hands in front of him protectively as if he was a martial artist, while the dark-skinned man with a long nose aimed a weapon at her, one that appeared to be a slingshot.

"Now how could I dare to try anything, with such fearsome warriors over here," she smirked at the duo jokingly, seeing their shivering forms. They gave her a gulp in return and Miyako turned back to Robin with a more serious expression. "I have come to discuss exactly that with your captain. Caesar shouldn't be underestimated and attacked lightly," Miyako warned. "You probably know him as Master already," she explained.

Robin furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "So you're saying, you are also against that '_Master'_?"

The girl frowned at the mere thought of the logia. "Of course…still, I don't know how much I can tell you without consulting my captain first. That's why I wanted to talk to Strawhat and ask him to hold off on any actions until I find Law and we discuss the situation together," Miyako sighed again, this time in disappointment, as she continued, "But I guess I missed your captain and I still hadn't met up with Law either."

As Robin thought about the girl's words with interest, nodding her head in agreement of the idea, Miyako stared at the older woman. "You are Nico Robin, are you not? I recognize you from the wanted posters of the Straw Hat pirates," the girl stated questioningly, though she was almost completely positive that this was the case.

"I am. And these are Usopp and…hm…well Chopper, however, he is in a little predicament as his body isn't his own at the moment," the archeologist pointed at the two shivering specs on the side.

Miyako sweat-dropped, already knowing the reason for this. "Ah…Law…I've heard from your other friends; Roronoa-san, Sanji-san and Brook-san, that Law switched your bodies with his powers," she explained with a soft apologetic smile towards the tall blonde called Chopper.

"Eh? You met the other group that went looking for the samurai? Did they find him?" Usopp calmed down from his fear a little as it was replaced by curiosity. He was once again his old self now that it looked like this girl really wasn't their enemy.

The pirate girl nodded. "Yes, and they found him…unfortunately," she muttered the last word under her breath with a displeased frown. "But more importantly…you mentioned the children," she added, her gaze traveling to the group of young kids sleeping soundly on the side. Still, her calm expression turned troubled as soon as she noticed the chains around them, binding them all together. "What happened," her voice turned just a shade colder as she could clearly tell something wasn't right.

"The kids…they started acting aggressive all of a sudden. I tested them and found a trace of a drug in their bodies," Chopper winced at the thought. "Usopp put them to sleep and we had to tie them up to keep them in check," he finished.

Miyako's eyes grew darker; the gaze wasn't aimed at the Strawhats, but a much farther enemy who was the cause of all their problems. "I heard it from Caesar himself…the kids were fed candy, which were actually stimulant drugs," she bit her lip, staring at her feet guiltily. "I didn't even know…I am responsible for this as much as Caesar and the rest of them…I didn't do anything to help them and even gave them those candies sometimes without knowing what they truly were," she muttered apologetically.

Miyako flinched a little when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She glanced behind her to see Robin stepping by her side with a serious expression. "You said yourself that you didn't know those were drugs, so it's pointless to beat yourself over it now. If you really want to atone, then help us bring Caesar Clown down and save these children."

The samurai gave the raven haired woman a nod with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "It would be my pleasure," she answered with her eyes burning in anticipation. She was anxious for the chance to finally let go and free herself from her role, giving Caesar and Monet exactly what they deserved.

"Then you're in luck, Miss Miyako," an amused tone of a deep voice called out to her from the entrance.

The girl's eyes widened as she heard the voice behind her, but her expression changed into a knowing smile before she even turned around to face the newcomer. "You have been quite elusive today…captain," the girl teased as she turned to face the Shichibukai with a grin.

"We're baaack!" Another voice echoed behind Law, making the man flinch slightly from the power of it. A young man ran inside the cavern with a wide smile on his face, carrying some kind of animal in his arms. Finally, the third to enter was a large man with what appeared to be robot parts on his body, but he didn't look as excited as his young comrade. Instead, the man dragged his feet through the snow with an unhappy expression, which bordered with gloominess.

"You guys, you did it! And Nami's here too!" Chopper and Usopp cheered while Robin gave her captain a pleased smile.

It didn't take long for Miyako to recognize the Strawhats' captain among them; the boy was just as she remembered him two years ago as if he hadn't changed at all. The short black hair ruffled underneath his trade-mark straw hat, the small scar just below his left eye, the lean stature of his body and the cheerful smile on his face; there was no doubt about it, that this was the man with a 400 million Beri on his head. Still, Miyako remembered him in a much graver state, just after losing his brother and gaining terrible injuries in the War; that sight was a complete contrast to his usual self that created havoc all across the Grand Line back in the day. She couldn't help but smile in relief, realizing he managed to bring himself back up after losing everything two years ago. She couldn't help but respect him for it.

But one question still grinded on her mind, as the girl glanced back at the dark-skinned captain of her own crew, who casually strolled to her side. "But how come you two are together?"

After she said that, the others stopped their actions as well; as Usopp and Chopper were currently wrestling with a laughing Luffy, while Robin watched on in amusement. The large robo-guy with funky blue hair was still silently standing there with a dark expression of foreboding. After Miyako asked this, he noticeably cringed.

"Ah! That's because we're forming an alliance." Luffy announced it so easily, as if simply remembering a common fact such as that the sky was a shade of blue.

For a moment, complete silence cast its shadow down on the cavern, while everyone processed Luffy's words in their minds. Then, at the exact same time they all blurted out the same reaction; "Whaaaaat!?"

After their captain explained the situation and told them what happened after defeating the Yeti Cool Bothers in which Law seemingly played a major role, the Strawhats were completely shocked, still unable to believe this situation.

"We're forming an alliance with the Heart pirates!?" Chopper and Usopp were the ones most baffled by this as they shouted in unison.

Even Miyako couldn't mask her surprise, though she was rather pleased with this development. She didn't know what this new alliance entailed exactly, but if it helps them take down Caesar, all the better.

Unfortunately, the others didn't look as pleased about this as she was. Actually, they were downright against it. So much that Usopp grabbed Luffy by his collar and started shaking him in panic; "How come saving Nami turned into something so eccentric!?"

"Saving Nami?" Miyako repeated with a confused blink of her golden eyes.

"Ah, right! I'm Nami…nice to meet you. You are also one of the Heart Pirates? I don't remember you from the auction house, th-" Then the large robotic man stopped, widening his already round eyes further. "No, wait, I _do_ remember you! Weren't you in the auction!? As one of the people being sold!?"

Miyako clapped her hands, forming her lips in a silent 'o' of being impressed. "Oh, you have a good memory. That's right! Well….a lot happened since then," the girl chuckled, a bit embarrassed by remembering her past, while scratching the back of her head.

The large man turned to Trafalgar with a menacing angry expression, "Oy, Trafalgar, don't tell me you're making her work for you as a slave!? If it's true I'll never forgive you!"

"….." The Shichibukai didn't respond, though his expression darkened ever-so-slightly, along with his mood, as usual when being threatened.

However, the Wano girl intervened before he managed to answer. "No, no, don't worry, it's nothing like that," she started, but decided to leave out the fact that she was indeed somewhat coerced into joining his crew in the beginning. "I am a proper Heart Pirate," she answered rather proudly with a smile. "My name is Suzune Miyako," she repeated for the nth time that day; it was getting a bit tiresome, introducing herself to each group separately. The samurai looked at the large man called Nami before her, examining his features along with his peculiar metal nose. "Forgive me but…isn't Nami a girl's name?" She asked bashfully, trying not to offend the man who was almost twice as large as she was.

"Ugh, that's because that guy did something weird and switched our bodies! That's right, Trafalgar, switch us all back!" Nami pointed a large, artificial finger towards Law accusingly, but got no response from him. She didn't wait for an answer as she turned back to Luffy who was still being persuaded by Usopp and Chopper to give this idea up.

"How can I sleep peacefully at night when we're collaborating with that suspicious guy!?" The sniper of the crew continued in a shout.

"See Luffy, everyone's against it! Let's stop this, we can't go along with something so dangerous! Besides, we have our own pace of traveling! Look, this guy is way too suspicious and creepy to trust!" Nami continued, then blinked in realization and turned back towards Miyako, "Ah, no offense Miyako-chan," she added.

The samurai girl, however, simply waved her hand as if dispelling any need for apologizing. "None taken. When I first met him I felt the same way too, so I understand," she explained matter-of-factly, forgetting the existence of her far-from-pleased captain right behind her.

Law's eyebrow twitched at the whole scene, making a dark atmosphere appear and surround him. He didn't particularly care what other thought of him, and being intimidating was always welcomed, but these guys weren't holding back even in his presence. He was slightly getting annoyed, but decided to stay quiet and observe the situation. This was between Strawhat-ya and his own crew, and the other captain should settle this on his own; Trafalgar knew better than to get involved in their business. Still, he hoped the younger captain will show some sort of authority over his crew soon, settling the situation and putting them in their place; at least that's what Law does when he is faced with direct insubordination and objections like this. However, Strawhat didn't seem to want to do anything like that, leaving his whole crew to voice their complaints freely and rather noisily. Though honestly, to Law it looked like all their complaints towards Luffy went in his one ear and out of the other.

"That's right Luffy, we can't set our sights on an Emperor yet, there's no way we can fight them!" Chopper added his two cents, while desperately trying to salvage his broken body which was occupied by Franky, the pirate cyborg of the crew.

Miyako glanced at Law, and he returned her knowing look with his own. She heard the gist of it from Strawhat as they planned to take down Kaido of the beasts, one of the four pirate Emperors. She knew why Law specifically chose this Emperor as he collaborated with Doflamingo and was known for his ruthlessness. It was part of the plan that Law already explained to her and the Hearts; destroy the SAD tank that creates SMILEs, kidnap the only scientist who can make it and let Kaido destroy Doflamingo for crossing him. It seemed efficient, but in no way did Miyako think that it will be a simple task. Still, she wondered how much did Trafalgar really share with the Strawhats and how much did he leave unsaid; certainly he didn't mention his plight with Doflamingo and the real reason for doing all this; that meant he was trying to manipulate them through this alliance and use them to his advantage. As far as Miyako could tell, Luffy didn't know anything about Doflamingo's connection in all this.

This time Robin stepped forward, who was silent and observing this whole time, to talk to Luffy. "Luffy, I'll go along with it, but bear in mind that along with 'Pirate alliance' comes 'betrayal'. It might not be the best option for you who rely on people too easily," she warned tactfully.

The younger pirate captain blinked in wonder, turning his head to Trafalgar who was now standing beside him. "Huh? You'll betray us?"

"No," the other captain simply answered with an immediate response. Surely, it would be strange if anyone would answer affirmatively to this question.

The Strawhat looked back at his crew with a proud grin, sending a clear '_See!?_' aura.

"Hey now!" Usopp snapped back at his dimwitted captain, wondering just how trusting the guy could be.

Even Miyako almost chocked on air by Luffy's easy-going and too trusting nature. *_Oy now, how trusting are you!?*_

However, the straw hat wearing boy didn't let himself be diverged in the slightest. Instead, he just grinned from ear to ear and crossed his arms on his chest proudly. "Anyway, isn't it cool to have a pirate alliance!? I think Trafl-guy's a good guy, but even if he isn't, don't worry! I've got all of you with me and we all trained for two years!"

Suddenly, the whole atmosphere changed, first a shocked one and then to one where his crew got completely flustered by the compliments. In just a second, they forgot all about the dangerous of this alliance and even their own warnings, as Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Franky all started exclaiming with pride and confidence how they will support their captain.

*_And you guys are way too easy too!*_ Miyako yelled in her mind, completely baffled by the sudden change in them. It slightly reminded her of the Heart Pirates who would always forget their complaints after Law's motivational speech, getting them all fired up and ready to follow their captain even to the depths of Hell.

Even Law couldn't believe the sudden turn of events, as the Strawhats proved to be such a simple-minded crew. And he was forming an alliance with these guys!? Suddenly, the Shichibukai got a bit worried by his choices.

Miyako couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she watched the Strawhats interact with each other. They were such an interesting bunch to her.

Finally, Trafalgar decided to get a move on, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "In any case, we should proceed with our plans if we want this to work," he called out.

"Before that, change our bodies back to normal!" Nami pointed out angrily.

"Very well," with a blank expression, the captain called out his Room, before using "Shambles" on the Strawhats. Everything seemed to be right with the world once again when Chopper returned to his small furry body, Franky returned to his large robotic one much to Robin's relief, and Nami….

"Bahahahahaha!" Laughter echoed throughout the whole cavern, as Luffy, Usopp and Chopper couldn't stop their amusement at the sight.

"Nami ended up in Sanji's body!" Usopp exclaimed through his fits of laughter.

"Shut up all of you! You have no idea what this is like!" Nami yelled back in absolute frustration. "Hey, Law, why is it like this!?"

Trafalgar just shrugged his shoulders in disinterest. "It can't be helped since your body isn't here," he explained.

"Aaagh, dammit!" The blonde man screamed with tears in his eyes.

"Ah, don't worry, Nami-dono, we just need to meet up with Sanji-san," Miyako tried to cheer her up with an awkward smile. The other woman, in a man's body, seemed to be radiating anger at the moment, making it hard for the samurai to approach her.

"Hahah-gyah!" Chopper stopped laughing and started coughing wildly as the pain from his body hit him once more. He glared at Luffy and Franky, who were still exchanging the blame between themselves for his poor condition.

"Ah, Tanuki-chan, are you ok!?" The Wano girl knelt beside the apparent doctor of the crew. A cute, fuzzy creature with a hat on and a blue nose. She just wanted to cuddle him, as he reminded her of Bepo, but held back as she deemed it inappropriate at the moment. It would just hurt him more, since he was so badly injured. She couldn't believe Luffy's one punch caused all this damage.

"I'm not a Tanuki, I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shouted back in annoyance as he was yet again mistaken for a raccoon from fairy tales and folklore.

"Eh? A talking reindeer?" Miyako blinked her eyes in confusion as she stared quizzically at the animal lying on the ground.

Chopper was silent for a while, before he murmured an explanation, "Well I ate a devil fruit before...Hito Hito no mi. I'm a monster now," he nodded, but there was confidence in his eyes as he said that.

The girl still stared at him silently, as she felt both awkwardness and defiance in his tone as he spoke about himself. It almost seemed like he was both proud and somewhat bothered by his strange nature. Suddenly she smirked down at him. "Heeh, so there are cute monsters like this too, hm?" She teased, tapping his blue nose once with her index finger.

Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed as he lay there broken. A wide smile spread on his face along with a slight pink blush. His eyes sparkled with happiness as his words and body language completely contrasted each other. "Who are you calling cute~? That doesn't make me happy at all, you bastard~!" He wiggled on the ground as if embarrassed, ranting insults at Miyako, who just chuckled at the sight.

_*He's obviously happy about it, though,* _she stared at him with a sweat-drop.

Robin snickered beside them. "He's saying 'Thank you' in his own way," the archeologist explained.

"Yeah, I figured," Miyako winked back at her before standing back up again.

She turned back towards her captain who was currently having a discussion with Luffy. It seemed Strawhat wanted to save the kids and take them along, but Law was against it, deeming them too much of a burden. It made Miyako frown as she wanted to help these kids just like the rest of the Strawhats. That's why she listened carefully to the rest of the conversation, and was pleased when Luffy appeared to be getting his way much to Law's displeasure. Also, to be honest, she was rather enjoying herself seeing Law's expressions of surprise and disbelief as Luffy kept taking him by surprise and rattling his usually collected demeanor.

"To be honest, I also want to save these kids…" Miyako gave Law a burning stare as she tried to persuade him, showing him she was serious about this matter. With the corner of her eye she could see Rachel sleeping peacefully in the arms of one of the giant kids, as if reminding Miyako of her own part in their predicament at Punk Hazard. She also noticed that Momonosuke-kun was not here, which deepened her worry for the young Wano boy who was still missing. "I promised to protect them…and I want to keep that promise," she finished.

"That kind of promise wasn't yours to make," her captain reprimanded her swiftly in return.

He was right, Miyako knew this, but it was still a promise she wanted to keep. She nodded at his words, "I know, but I can't turn my back on them after everything that already happened to them here. We share a part of that responsibility too," she reminded Law even though she doubt he would care about that. But she did!

Finally, the Shichibukai sighed in defeat seeing that these guys were too stubborn to reason with. He didn't have time for this; it was easier to just go along with them and agree, then try and persuade them. What's more he could see Miyako pleading with him silently, and he knew that the girl would probably act of her own accord either way since she felt so strongly about this. "Fine, I'll figure out what medicine the kids were given. Who's your doctor? Come with me, we'll have to go behind Caesar's back," he answered with resignation, noticing everyone's faces annoyingly beam up at this.

However, what followed was so sudden and unexpected that even Law had no time to react and stop them in his own confusion by the act. Before he knew it, the Long Nose-ya was seriously tying…that thing from their crew that belonged to some animal species, to his head….his _head_! Right atop his fuzzy, white hat. Trafalgar was so shocked, he was unable to act, which was probably a good thing considering he had to fight a strong urge to cut them all up with Kikoku…and not in the way where they could still reattach themselves back together.

He could already hear snickering and chuckles behind his back, quite sure that one of those voices belonged to Miyako who was trying her hardest not to laugh at the sight…and completely failing at it.

"Shishishi! Don't drop him Torao!"

"Haha…sorry…can't stop…laughing…haha…"

"Suuupeeer cute!"

"Hmhm…"

Miyako could feel her eyes tear from holding back as she tried to keep her mouth shut. However, it was no use as she burst out laughing at the sight when Law finally turned around to face them, with Chopper securely tied at the top like some kind of lookout device. "D-don't worry captain…it looks good on you," she managed to squeeze out between fits of laughter. "Maybe you can use his higher position as surveillance for enemies," she suggested teasingly, making everyone laugh even harder at that image in their minds. _*I know I'm going to regret this later, but even if I'm cut into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, it will be worth it!*_ She thought, unable to hold in the tears at the corners of her eyes as her laughter finally died out into small giggles.

Miyako's comment must've been the last straw as Trafalgar finally came to his senses and ripped Chopper from his head, tying him with the same rope to the top of his long nodachi.

"Oy, be careful, I'm hurt," the small reindeer struggled and protested at the treatment, but was unable to move and ended up hanging from Law's sword like a dried ham.

When everyone finally returned to their serious selves, in which time Miyako pretended not to notice Law's death glares towards her, the Shichibukai finally rounded up everyone to explain the plan properly. The plan was to create confusion, as Law so eloquently put it, by kidnapping Caesar Clown. All the while, Miyako already knew the real reason behind doing that, but stayed quiet as Law took the lead in explaining the details of the plan.

Robin, Franky, Luffy and Miyako were supposed to go and find Caesar, using Miyako's information and knowledge of the facility to their advantage. She was to help them in the battle, but also was to be their guide through the research facility since she already knew the whole place and also knew where Caesar mostly spent his time there. Meanwhile, Chopper and Law would go and research the drug used on the children so that they could cure them. Usopp and Nami were to stay here at the hiding place and protect the kids, since they will be quite a handful when they wake up.

"Alright, everyone has their tasks now," Law nodded approvingly at the group.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Luffy raised his fist in the air, excited as always.

As they headed out, the samurai felt a thug on her elbow, making her turn around in question. She saw Law silently staring at her. With cold sweat appearing on her brow and an awkward smile, she started explaining, "Ah, if it's about the Chopper thing, sorry, I was just-," but was cut off by her captain before she could continue.

"My heart is still in Caesar's hands. I didn't mention this to the Strawhats, but when you get to Caesar, be sure to take back my heart as soon as you have the chance," he started with a completely different, and much more important topic, right now. "And don't forget that your heart is still with Monet…be careful of her. If you get the chance to retrieve your heart from her too, do it," he commanded seriously. "I'll also try if the chance arises," he added.

Miyako's expression was completely serious now, as they both knew how much trouble they could get into if either Monet or Caesar decide to use the pirates' hearts against them. They could kill them in seconds by stabbing their vital organ. At least they were still fine, meaning that Caesar didn't know of their betrayal yet. The girl nodded at Trafalgar with determination and the captain let go, as they both headed their own separate ways.

~…~

In front of the research facility, which was completely closed off with large metal gates now, was a bloody battlefield. Marines fought Caesar's henchman; ex-prisoners and pirates with animal legs that proved both dangerous and quick as they fought, battled the scruffy marines. Even so, neither vice admiral Smoker nor his right hand, captain Tashigi, backed down as they fought, even as their bodies were uncomfortably switched with each other. Tashigi also faced a humiliating defeat by Law, his words still echoing clearly in her mind; _"Weaklings can't pick their way of death!"_ She cringed just remembering them along with the sight of his dark glare as he wouldn't even give her the satisfaction of an honorable death, yet it didn't sway her determination as she tried her best to control the devil fruit powers of the Moku Moku no Mi and be of some use in this fight. Sadly, she was mostly getting in the way as her body parts would turn into smoke and randomly, but quite dangerously, fly around at other people.

All fighting stopped, however, when an unidentified, mysterious object started flying towards the battlefield from the sky.

"Look, something's up there!"

"A bomb!?"

"A balloon!?"

Both the marines and Caesar's men stopped fighting and stared up in confusion, trying to decipher this incoming object. It went down fast, crashing into the ground and taking out some of the men with it. Finally, four forms landed in front of the small army of enemies, revealing four pirates. A tall, raven haired woman who created wings from hands to land safely to the ground, a large cyborg who already took down three men with his large fists just after landing, a samurai girl who easily landed on one of the marines, rendering him unconscious in the process and putting a careful hand on her katana, and finally a young captain with a straw hat and a smiling face, rising both his fists in the air and yelling for all to hear; "Come out, Master! We're here to kidnap you!"

Robin chuckled at the sight of her young captain, reprimanding him teasingly, "Luffy, that was supposed to be a secret."

"Suuuper Franky is here! We're gonna beat you up, Master!" Franky the cyborg laughed, while grinning and clenching his hands into fists.

Miyako sighed at the scene. "Law isn't going to like this," she commented, but a smirk still tugged at her lips as she spoke this.

And just as the samurai girl predicted, everything went into chaos.

"Strawhat!" Smoker, still in the body of his right-hand Tashigi, glared at the newcomers.

"It's the Strawhats!" The men working for Caesar exclaimed in unison, preparing all their weapons. A few of them blinked in confusion though, when they noticed the familiar blue-haired samurai. "Suzune-san? Why!?"

"Tch, that idiot! Who told him he could take on the entire fleet!?" Even Trafalgar Law exclaimed in surprise at the sight, perplexed by the lack of any subtlety in Luffy's plan to take on Caesar. For the second time that day, Trafalgar cursed under his breath and wondered if he made a right choice by forming this alliance.

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><p>Owarimashita! The chapter is over and I hope you liked it. I had fun writing it and it was fairly easy to do so; I love when the chapter just flows naturally, almost as if it was writing itself. ;D I tried to make it interesting and not too repetitive, since you guys already know the whole cannon story and everything that happens. But it's fun observing it all from Miyako's perspective, and she's just running all around the place this time, being everywhere! XD<p>

So from this point on, only one thing to do; Begin strategy! :D

Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for it, but at least I gave you a longer chapter. :3

**Guest: **haha I agree, when it comes to Strawhats, it really is just mayhem and chaos. XD Thanks, I try to keep him in character, yet want to build a relationship between Miyako and him throughout the story...we'll see how it goes in the following chapters.

Also, don't worry about the bounties thing; I sometimes misread things and then have to go back to re-read it, cause I'm just confused, like: '_Whut_?' Anyway, I'm really glad you like the story, thank you for reading! :D

**Mawuppa: **You are very welcome. ^^

**Apple bloom: **There you go! :D

**Bioware: **Oh, I can't wait for the two of them to meet too! But I don't want to spoil anything for you, so you'll just have to wait and see. :D (I fear we won't get to see Law's fight in the OP for quite some time yet, it's going pretty slow. :/) Thank you for reading!

**TheCaramelSecrets: **hehe I'm glad you like it so much, I hope this chapter will be enjoyable for you too. Yeah, English isn't my native language so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes in the story. ^^' And don't worry, even though I'm sometimes slow at posting, I don't intend to quit writing any time soon. ;) Thank you for taking the time to read my story! ^^

**Red knight 2004: **Well there will be in the future, but probably not right now since they will be running around Punk Hazard for a while longer.

**Bizzy: **Fanfiction kills links. :') Don't worry, Miyako's shyness isn't really gone, but she is getting more used to Law being close to her. Or rather, she lets him do it a bit more openly now. ^^

**SurgeonOfLove: **I think she will, she's just not used to being so open as Law is, as of yet. And Law is more straightforward in taking what he wants than her. :) I'm thinking about it so even if it's not yet for certain, there will probably be a chapter about the Heart Pirates journey towards Zo, yes. Can't say anything for sure yet, though. (But I know how you feel, I miss them too!) No problem about the questions, though I don't want to give anything crucial away. ;)

**TCP4ever: **Thank you! Hope you enjoy this one too!

**Lucy Jacob: **Whoot! Congratulations! :D hehe Sometimes you have to be mean to your characters to get the story going, I know what you mean (I tortured Miya-chan). :3 Sorry for keeping you wait, but I hope it's worth it. ^^

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **You know, I thought of the exact same thing after writing that Law/Miyako scene (tsk tsk tsk, they weren't careful enough).

That's a very good question, actually. I won't spoil anything for you, so I can't go into detail, but the two of them will definitely have to resolve some issues before being able to work together at all.

Ah, another good question, but once again I can't give you a straight answer without revealing anything. :') But I can tell you that I believe Zoro will be more interested in Miyako's outlook on all this than the actual fact that she's a female swordsman (swordswoman?). I think that even though Zoro doesn't want to hurt women so in a way he doesn't fight them seriously, he doesn't actually believe that women _can't_ be stronger than men in kenjutsu (after all Kuina kicked his ass every time :D).

**Akai gousto: **Thanks. Heh, I have a feeling many readers don't like him; I'm guessing because of his old-fashioned nature towards women. ^^' Maybe Miyako will be able to change his mind. ;) If not, Nami can always straighten him out with her punch as usual. :D Thanks for reading!

**Zecrea: **I know what you mean; now it's my job to input Miyako into the cannon story and make it seem natural, as if she truly belongs there. I hope I will succeed. :)

**Memarvo: **Sorry, but since I'm sticking to the cannon when it comes to Strawhats, I'm not planning on pairing anyone up. But hey, there's always Sanji's antics. :P heh, yeah, feudal Japan was a bad time to be a woman and Wano is kinda like that. ^^' Happy Late New Year to you too! XD Thanks for reading!

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **hehe Thanks, I don't have a younger sibling, but I can imagine it being something like that. :D I tried to make everything interesting (in this chapter also) even if it is all mostly already known, plot-wise. I hope you will like Miyako's involvement in the future scenes of the cannon too. Thank you for reading!

**BatmanSwim2016: **Yep, the Straw Hats are here! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**geckogal077: **Thank _you_ for reading. :D Thanks, that's what I'm aiming for and I hope the other chapters will be interesting even if they are following the cannon, as well.

**Xxikarishipper99xX: **Thank you for reading! I also hope Miyako's interactions with the Straw Hats will be fun and interesting in this chapter. :D

**Chocogirl24: **Yep, they this big sister-younger brother thing going on. Maybe she'll reeducate him on how to treat Wano women too. :)


	61. Chapter 61

'**I don't like you! **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. All of One Piece belongs to Oda-sensei. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood, violence, language and suggestive themes.

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><p>Hello guys! I finished another chapter, but sorry that it's a bit shorter. Or at least I feel like it's shorter. In any case, thank you everyone for reading and I hope you will enjoy the new chapter! Have fun!<p>

Also thank you for all the wonderful comments and reviews as always! You guys are the best! :D

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 61<strong>

Miyako jumped high in the air, avoiding a sabre aiming for her head. Just as her attacker, one of Caesar's rogues, swung forward, she jumped and landed on his head, making the man lose balance and fall down face first into the snow. She used his head as a leaping spot to propel even higher, raising her katana in the process and bringing it down on a marine, who she slashed right across his chest. She ignored the blood that spurted from the wound and onto her cheek as she crouched immediately to avoid a stray bullet going her way. She raised her head to see where the shot had come from, her acute eyes locking on another marine who was aiming his rifle at her again. Their eyes met in a glare and the man visibly gulped before bringing his rifle up to his eyes to aim at her again. Miyako shot into action immediately, running towards the marine. She made a sharp right turn to dodge another bullet before running forward in a zigzag pattern to avoid the incoming deathly projectiles aimed at her. She slashed with her katana horizontally in front of her, splitting both the rifle and the hand which held it. Before the man had time to even scream in pain, the metal blade glistened in the winter sun and fell down onto him again, cutting him down before the samurai.

"Suuuupeeeer!" She could hear a loud voice overpowering the sounds of battle as her new companions fought alongside her.

Franky the cyborg was mauling everything in his way, while Nico Robin stayed away from close combat yet still managed to deal enough damage with her hana hana devil fruit. Luffy was a force of his own as he used his rubber legs to create a large whip and knock all the enemies down, just before jumping into the air and destroying even the ground itself with an attack of consecutive punches that were so fast, it looked like he grew a few dozen arms more. Miyako saw different kinds of devil fruits on her journey, but she was still fascinated by the sheer stretchiness of his limbs as if he was completely boneless.

Just as the samurai girl thought of that, she blinked in surprise and jumped high in the air to avoid Luffy's attack "whip" where he almost knocked her to the ground with the rest of the enemies. She clicked her tongue at the young pirate captain; when she was fighting alongside her nakama of the Heart Pirates, she never had to be careful of them hitting her with their attacks since everybody had perfect team work and a good sense of their surroundings. However, it seemed this boy didn't mind his environment at all, as he simply let loose on the battlefield, focused only on the foes before him. Even so, the rest of his nakama didn't appear to be disturbed by that fact as they acted accordingly, never getting in his way during a fight nor getting accidentally hit by him. That was also a kind of team work even if it was completely different from the one the Heart Pirates shared.

Yet for Miyako, being one of the Heart Pirates, it wasn't as easy to act in accordance with Luffy, so she had to keep an eye on both the enemy and him while fighting on the battleground. "Oy, Luffy-san, watch where you stretch," she exclaimed after a particularly close encounter with his foot that stomped the ground, sending the snow flying in whirls, while the rest of his body was high in the air.

"Ah! Sorry about that," he yelled back before his legs retracted and he landed back down onto a large heap of men already beaten by Franky. A painful grunt came from somewhere below the pirate boy as he stood on them, but Luffy simply ignored it and searched around the area with his gaze. "Ok, so where's that master guy," he asked none in particular, resting his hands on his hips and grinning widely with satisfaction.

"Well he wouldn't be outside, now would he?" Robin smirked at her simpleton of a captain, but her tone stayed rather endearing even then.

Miyako nodded shortly before hitting another ex-prisoner in the gut with the hilt of her katana, making him fall beneath her feet, unconscious. "Indeed. He's inside the facility, where we should go too." She avoided a knife that a marine slashed at her and blocked the bad-quality sword he held in his other hand, before kicking the man into the chest with her foot and sending his flying to the ground. "He's probably in his laboratory. Come on, I'll take you there!" She called out to them, ready to move on and into the research facility. _*Monet must be with him too…I'll need to take my heart and also Law's, which I fear won't be that easy with that harpy there.*_

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a deep voice that echoed through the wind. "Strawhat!" A loud shriek came from the battlefield, and the pirates turned just in time to dodge an incoming attack of a katana.

Miyako blinked when she saw a large white-haired man wielding a katana, just before her golden eyes widened in realization. _*Wait! That face…isn't that White Hunter Smoker!? I didn't know he was a swordsman,*_ she watched as the large man charged at Luffy and her suspicions about his identity were confirmed when his arm turned into smoke and he tried to pierce the pirate captain with the sword. However, it took exactly one move for Strawhat to beat and subdue him, leaving Miyako rather disappointed. She couldn't really hear what they were saying from there, but it seemed the White Hunter was no match for the captain. _*How can that guy be so weak and be a vice admiral? Still, the woman with the jutte is pretty good,*_ a glint of interest appeared in her orbs when she saw the irate-looking woman attack Luffy in an array of piercing thrusts with her weapon. Unlike with the White Hunter, Luffy seemed to have a more serious time dealing with the woman as the grin left his face momentarily.

A hand on her shoulder brought Miyako back from focusing on the show and she gazed behind her to stare back into a pair of deep blue eyes belonging to Nico Robin. The archeologist of the Straw Hat pirates had a serious expression on her face now. "We should get going before they swarm us. We shouldn't let them take more of our time since Chopper and Law will be waiting inside," she warned the samurai.

Miyako nodded in agreement, but sighed when she glanced back at Luffy still fighting. "I agree, but you might tell that to your captain. It looks like he's having too much fun out here," she smirked, watching Strawhat jump around while fighting.

"Get 'em, Luffy!" Another voice shouted loudly and both Robin and Miyako glanced towards the direction of it, only to see Franky watching Luffy's fight and cheering with his fists in the air as if enjoying a match between two warriors in an arena. Miyako sweatdropped, "That guy's also enjoying this too much…" She sighed when she heard Robin chuckle in amusement next to her.

"Our captain has a special way of doing things…you'll get used to it soon enough," the archeologist responded with a small smile still lingering on her lips.

The samurai only smirked in return, knitting her eyebrows in slight worry. "That's what I'm worried about," she half-joked.

A loud explosion rattled them all just as Luffy returned back to their group. They turned to see Franky aiming his right arm towards the facility's metal gates.

"Everyone, I broke down the doors with my laser! Let's storm this place!" He yelled at the group, beckoning them over so they would finally move on to the inside.

However, it seemed one distraction came after the other, all intending to slow the pirate group down in their plans. Just as they were about to get going, Miyako heard a fearful shout behind her and her eyes darter briefly in that direction. Yet it was enough for her to stop in her tracks and gape at the sight, tugging unconsciously on Luffy's arm to get his attention. "Look!" She exclaimed, pointing at the large dark pink mass that was dripping from the sail of the ship now. Just then, another came splashing down directly from the sky, revealing a gooey piece of slime that spread onto the snow blanket below.

"Wow! What is that!?" Franky exclaimed in both surprise and disgust at the sight.

"There's more falling down! Don't go near it!" Robin warned in a yell to her friend. She didn't have any idea what it could be just like all the others, but her keen instincts were telling her to stay away from it.

"Miyako, you know what this is!?" Luffy titled his head and furrowed his brows in interest.

The girl could only shake her head, though. "No...I've never seen it before," she, like everybody else, was wary of the strange slime, not wanting to touch it.

"There's poisonous gas! No! Don't go near it!" Voices of marines echoed through the area as everyone stopped fighting suddenly and simply observed this strange situation. They were now observing a terrifying scene of one marine, who fell into the pinkish slime while trying to push it, and was now rolling on the floor in agony as the toxic substance started burning his skin.

"Ugh, you were right, Robin-san. Whatever this is, just touching it is dangerous," Miyako gulped, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her temple. She had a bad feeling about this as her gut told her something very bad was about to happen. Her predictions proved correct when everyone noticed the slime pieces started to move around, combining together in one larger whole.

"Let's burn it!" A loud suggestion came from the marine ship near the coast, just before a few marines set the peculiar mass on fire. A moment of celebration came as it started to burn, but the moment ended just as fast when a large explosion blew up the entire ship, igniting it in flames.

Miyako's eyes widened as they glistened in the light of the explosion and burning fire. "Poisonous gas that comes out of it, toxic substance that can't even be touched, and it even explodes…what is this," she muttered in a barely audible tone while staring at the scene along with everyone else.

Suddenly, the whole battlefield fell silent as marines, Caesar's henchmen and the pirate group all shared a moment of utter shock, unable to move or tear away their gaze from the sight of the burning ship. Everyone forgot about their animosity towards each other, their plans and even the cold wind and snow still blowing in their faces.

Miyako managed to get her mind on the right track, realizing she was getting along with the pace, which was dangerous in this situation. _*We have to move quickly and find shelter. We need to get into the facility right now!*_ She turned to Robin who shared the same silent look with the samurai girl, knowing what Miyako was trying to tell her. The archeologist must have thought of the same thing.

"Sholololo…Good boy! I'm sorry I kept you locked up for three years…" An already overly familiar voice reached Miyako's ears and it didn't even take her a second to recognize it. Something completely unexpected happened as their target came to them instead. Yet Miyako didn't see that as a good sign, considering she knew Caesar would only come out to meet his enemies straight on if he had some devious plan hatching.

"So it's you after all…you're Caesar, aren't you!" The woman with the jutte glared at the man standing on top of a large remnant of a marine ship, which was curiously split as if cut in two.

"You! Are you master!?" Luffy yelled just as loudly, angrily staring up at the logia scientist.

Miyako stayed quiet and unmoving, but her every muscle was stiff with anticipation and she was prepared to jump at any dubious move the scientist makes. Her steely gaze stayed trained on the logia, watching as the man grinned with his purple lips, trailing his gaze across all the people standing there.

"Indeed, I am! Shololo! Marine G-5, Pirate Strawhat Luffy and…" His gaze stopped on the young samurai girl glaring up at him. Instead of looking surprised, his grin just widened as he watched her. "Suzune…How strange to see you here," his tone dripped heavy with sarcasm, while his expression stayed smug. "So you have betrayed us," he spoke matter-of-factly as if already aware of this fact a long time ago.

Miyako didn't appreciate the confident grin on his face; she wanted to wipe it right away from that ugly snout. It made her nervous, filing her with doubt as Caesar kept looking at her like he knew something she didn't. She willed herself to calm down and think rationally, assuring herself that everything was still going according to Law's plan. _*It's fine…this is still alright. It actually makes things easier that Caesar is here. This way Chopper-san and Law can find the cure in the facility without having to worry about Caesar while we deal with him here. This just saves us time of having to search for him. He's outnumbered here too,* _she rationalized the situation, but her eyes kept wandering towards the strange, suspicious slime mass that was slowly gathering around them. If only that thing wasn't here…

She hardened her gaze as she kept her focus on Caesar. "I don't know if it counts as betrayal…since we never had any intention of going along with you from the beginning," she taunted him with her words and a small frown appeared on the logia's face. Still, it didn't last long as the man got an idea and the thought of it returned his good mood once again.

"Just wait a bit longer…he's not good with water so he's tossing his parts from one part of the island to the other," Caesar started talking again, though nobody really understood the meaning behind his word. Yet just looking at his devious grin, they could tell it was something ominous. "I'll give you all a taste of what happened here 4 years ago!" The scientist finally shrieked, laughing in his high-pitched voice.

Miyako paled at the thought. The only thing she knew about that happened 4 years ago was a grand explosion that laid waste and ruin to the whole island. "Don't tell me, something like that again…" She whispered in an exhale, but never got to finish that thought as she was once again surprised by the Strawhat pirate.

Luffy shot up into the air, jumping high enough to reach even the logia, and enveloped his arms around the man's waist. For most people it would be impossible to grab at the gas gas man, but Luffy didn't have any problems with it as he used his haki to clutch at the logia. "Gotcha!"

"Whaaat!?" Even Caesar Clown looked surprised as he was not only interrupted during his speech, but also caught so easily by the pirate boy.

"Whaaa!?" The rest of the audience had the same reaction of bewilderment as they watched Luffy grab onto the scientist with both hands.

Even Miyako had to get over her shock as she realized Luffy didn't care about even one word the scientist said just now when the logia kept threatening them. *_He doesn't care at all!*_ It was both shocking and amusing at the same time, making her expression a comical mixture of astonishment and delight.

"Don't let him go Luffy! Bring him down!" She grinned when she finally got over her puzzlement, shouting to the boy.

"Dammit Strawhat, get away from Master!" Some of Caesar's men aimed their rifles at the pirate captain, ready to fire and get the pirate off of their boss.

"Like I'll let you!" However, Miyako was in front of them in an instant, unsheathing her katana once again in a flash and slashing towards them. The whole movement was so quick it appeared as only one slash, but in reality she sliced the air a few times in a row. In the next instant, all the rifles fell onto the ground in neatly cut pieces, separating into unusable wood and metal.

"Eeek!" One of the men stumbled backwards and tripped over himself, falling onto his behind as he stared up at the samurai girl in fear. She kept a sharp gaze on them, one that clearly said she will not show mercy to anyone who tries to act against Strawhat.

"D-damn you, Suzune! You traitor! You were one of us!" One of them spat back at her, yelling at her in a shaky voice filled with dread.

The girl slowly moved her cold gaze from the man on the ground to the one who dared to speak even as his legs were shaking like leaves on a windy day. The girl observed him, remembering she saw that man before in the research facility.

"_Ha! Those kids are here only for the experiments! I don't even know why we have to pretend to care about them and treat them nicely! We should just lock them all up and use them as we please! Bwahahaha!" _

Miyako rememberedthe man as he would often talk like that in front of his other nakama and they would all have a good laugh on the children's expense. The children that were slowly dying from Caesar's experiments. The girl's gaze grew even colder, making the man before her shut his mouth immediately and gulp loudly instead.

"No, I was never one of you." Her tone alone was enough to cut him down. Still holding her katana clutched in her hand, the woman turned her back on the men and walked away to observe Luffy's next move again.

However, it seemed Strawhat was having more trouble with the scientist logia than he originally expected. Miyako bit her lip at the sight, seeing Caesar just tried to suffocat and poison the pirate boy. Instead Luffy just sucked all the gas in, letting it out through his ears like some comical chimney in a children's story. *_You shouldn't underestimate him Luffy-san,*_ the girl exhaled in relief when she saw the boy was miraculously alright after all, but it didn't ease her worries. *_Even I don't know all of Caesar's moves…Who knows what he's hiding up his sleeve.*_

"Gastanet!" Just then a large explosion blinded them all and knocked them onto the ground with the sudden blast of hot air. It sent shivers down Miyako's spine as she heard Caesar's loud laugh through it all.

"Luffy-san!" She yelled into the air, unable to see anything. She shielded her eyes with her hand, squinting to try and get a visual only to notice a limp Luffy falling through the air. The slime masses from all around started sticking to his body and the samurai could hear his nakama yelling for their captain in worry, just before an even stronger explosion occurred.

"Oh no…" Miyako winced at the sight, thinking no one could stay conscious or even survive such a blast. Yet the strawhat boy proved her wrong once more as he appeared to be alive and well, giving Caesar another kick with his leg.

"I've got you this time!" The cheerful boy grinned, grabbing onto the logia like a parasite, not letting go no matter what. If nothing, his determination was surely admirable.

Robin and Franky ignored the objections coming from the master's henchmen and the righteous warnings of the marines, who only thought to arrest them now that Caesar was already defeated. Instead they kept looking for chains, or a barrel; anything to stuff the logia in and keep him there.

Miyako had another idea, though. "For now, let's make sure he's unconscious and harmless first," she suggested and clutched her katana as she ran forward towards the large ship Luffy and Caesar were standing on. In a few quick strides she reached the bottom of the stern, jumping high in the air and landing on a small opening for cannons before leaping off it and onto a wooden board that stuck out off the ship. Jumping from one place to the other, she soon found herself standing on the smooth, wooden top as the stern was upside down. "Hold him just like that Luffy-san, and I'll make sure he's down and out cold," she exclaimed while running towards the pair while reversing her katana so that the blunt edge was facing upwards. She wasn't supposed to kill Caesar after all, since that would mess up their plans, but one good hit on the head with the blunt side should assure that he won't be causing any trouble anytime soon.

As Miyako ran towards the logia scientist and the pirate captain she suddenly felt something wasn't right. Her eyebrow twitched and her eyes narrowed, as she faltered in her step. As if on cue, the pirate boy before her stumbled to the side before he started coughing loudly. The girl's first thought was that Caesar somehow managed to poison him, even though Luffy seemed impervious to the logia's poison gas before. Whatever it was, it made Strawhat lose consciousness and fall to the ground, leaving Caesar to loom ominously over his limp body with a gloating expression.

"Luffy-san!" Miyako ignored Caesar's menacing laugh, along with surprised and worried gasps and yelps she could hear down below from the spectators. She gripped her katana and charged at Caesar, determined to bring him down while he was still preoccupied with his rant about underestimating him. She really didn't care about the words spouting out of this guy's mouth; she just wanted to end this as soon as possible before it became any messier. "Don't be so smug yet," she exclaimed and jumped in the air behind Caesar, ready to strike him down. He was still standing with his back turned to her, laughing loudly, while his gas enveloped him like a dangerous cloud of transparent smoke.

Just as the samurai was about to strike, the logia turned around with one gloved hand pointed straight at her. She didn't understand what he was doing since he was still well away from her to even be able to reach, yet his expression showed no worry as he still had that devious grin on his lips. That's when Miyako felt constricting tightness in her chest, making her eyebrows furrow in confusion and pain. She felt like air in her lungs was rapidly decreasing, making her whole body grow weak. It didn't take long before her lungs felt as if they would burst and the pain made her fall down on the ground, letting go of her katana in the process. She gasped with eyes wide open, trying to get some air in her lungs, but no oxygen ever came. She rolled on her back, clutching at her lungs as if that would somehow ease the pain of chocking that she was currently experiencing. Her lids became heavy as the pain and breathlessness caused tears to reflexively spill from her hazy eyes. She could feel her vision getting blurry as she started falling in and out of consciousness.

"You shouldn't have betrayed us…now both you and Law will know the consequences of what happens when you go against Joker. Shololololo!"

Caesar's words sounded fuzzy in her ears, but she was still able to hear his triumphant warning just before everything went black.

Caesar Clown grinned at the two pirates beneath his feet, both so easily defeating by his little skill. They didn't expect it would be so easy for him to simply take away the oxygen from their lungs and air surrounding them, rendering them completely helpless. "Don't underestimate the gas gas fruit, you fools. Shololo," he laughed and hovered over to the traitorous samurai girl, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up in the air. She dangled before him like a lifeless corpse, her eyes still close and the face deathly pale. She was still breathing since his attacked stopped, but wasn't waking up at all. Caesar mulled over the possibility of killing them all then and there, but then an idea popped into his twisted mind and the man grinned widely. A glint in his eye testified that it was surely something insidious. "I know _exactly_ what I'll do with you lot," he started when suddenly a rocket zoomed right into him, creating a large hole in his abdomen. However, the scientist didn't look affected by the sudden attack at all. "Hmm?" Rather, he hummed lazily in question and gazed into the direction the rocket came from, narrowing his eyes when he saw the attacker.

Two of the Strawhat pirates were still alive and well, glaring at him from bellow. He recognized them immediately; Nico Robin, the Devil Child as the World Government titled her, and Cyborg Franky who strangely had some abilities similar to Vegapunk's pacifista. Just the thought of the other scientist's name made Caesar's stomach churn in hatred, wanting even more to see the cyborg in pieces because of it. The said pirate was aiming his hand at Caesar, probably ready to fire yet another rocket, but the logia already knew it was pointless. Without haki, there was no way they could beat his gas abilities. The scientist grinned and hovered down from the large part of the ship, finally standing in front of them. As he did, his henchmen cheered in unison.

"Maaasteer! We're so glad you're here!"

"You'e amazing, master!"

"Beat them all up, master!"

Caesar Clown ignored his subordinates, finding their cheers as annoying as a constant buzzing of a fly. _*Tch, useless scum. If you had done your job properly and beat them, I wouldn't have had to come and waste my time here with these people.* _He refrained from saying that, and instead gave the yellow suits and ex-prisoners a kind smile. "Don't worry, men, I'm here to help you," he lied, feeling absolutely no obligation to save any of them. Yet they cheered even louder at his simple words, eating it all right up. Fools, all of them.

"Oy, you master or whatever! What have you done with Luffy and Miyako!?" Franky yelled out accusingly, still pointing his palm at the scientist.

"Shololo…what I'll do to all of you. You'll see soon enough," the logia answered, narrowing his eyes in evil delight while he grinned at his enemies.

"Dos Fleur: Clutch!" Unlike the rest, Robin wasted no time to send her attack, not wanting to get carried away in Caesar's pace any longer. Things were starting to get too dangerous and she wanted to act quickly. She crossed her arms before her chest, closing her eyes to concentrate. As a result, two arms grew on the side of Caesar's body, taking the logia off guard.

"What?" Even Caesar seemed confused for a second, when the arms suddenly grabbed him, making his eyes go wide. As Robin finished her attack, the two arms pulled Caesar's upper body down until his body was in an unnatural position. Surely his spine should break from the force, but that did not happen. Instead, the man turned into thick gas and dissolved for a while.

"It's no use…we can't do anything without haki," the archeologist commented in slight panic, knowing full well Franky and her won't be enough to defeat him. She glanced back at the marines, seeing White Hunter in the body of his marine captain and Tashigi in Smoker's body. They could both use haki and Smoker was wielding his jutte which was made out of sea stone. With the two of them, perhaps it was possible to bring Caesar down. Should they momentarily combine forces with them? It seemed to be their only chance now.

"Robin, look out!" Franky's voice brought the woman back to reality just in time for her to take note of the scene happening right in front of her eyes. The gas that was temporarily dissolved into the air was slowly gathering back into one large form, right before her. The form was soon shaping into the grinning face of a logia scientist and the rest of Caesar's body. Robin tried to escape quickly, but it was too late…he got too close. She felt something was wrong when she couldn't catch her breath anymore and soon her chest started to burn in pain. In a last attempt to resist, the woman reached out towards the logia, trying to push him away, but it was too late. In an instant all oxygen left her body and there wasn't any in the area around her. She felt sluggish and wobbly, unable to stand anymore. It made her fall down onto her knees and then into the snow, as the pirate woman closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

"Robiiiin!" Franky shouted in both anger and worry, shooting bullets from his wrist at the logia so Caesar would move away from his nakama. However, the scientist didn't even bother to dodge. He just let the bullets fly through him, shooting some of the people behind him instead.

"Waaah! Watch where you're shooting, damn cyborg!" The G-5 yelled angrily as they had to jump around to avoid the bullets coming at them.

"Shut up! You guys should do something useful too!" Franky exclaimed back in annoyance since the marines were simply standing around and watching the show, while Caesar paraded right in front of them. Yet nobody seemed too keen to attack Caesar after seeing Luffy and the rest go down so easily; they still couldn't even figure out what did Caesar do exactly and nobody really wanted to find out on their own skin.

Franky, however, paid no heed to it as he continued attacking Caesar, trying to pummel him directly with his fists now. That was a wrong move though, as it only brought Caesar close enough to use his ability on Franky as well. It didn't take long before even the pirate cyborg was on the snowy ground, lying there unconscious from near suffocation.

Just as Franky fell down, leaving Caesar to laugh in that high pitched tone of his, the logia felt a strong hit at the back of his shoulder. "Guh!" He grunted and fell down, turning into gas and forming his body again to look at what hit him from behind. It was captain Tashigi, currently in the body of Smoker.

"Tashigi, you idiot!" The real Smoker shouted in anger that clouded the worry in his tone, when he saw his right hand attack the logia all by herself. It was true that Tashigi could use haki, but it was still fairly weak and she was currently in another's body, barely able to control the devil fruit powers in her. Going after Caesar Clown on her own was suicide.

The swordswoman ignored her superior officer, as she stared at the logia while clutching a katana in her hands. "Caesar Clown, you are under arrest! You will come with us!" The woman bravely stood before the scientist, even after she saw his mysterious ability that rendered four strong pirates useless in just a few moments.

A bead of sweat appeared on Caesar's forehead when he saw the White Hunter standing there ready for a fight, still not knowing that Trafalgar actually switched Tashigi's and Smoker's bodies. Nevertheless, the scientist had no intention of showing worry to the vice admiral even if he did find the marine rather troublesome to fight. "Shololo! Smoker…you already got defeated by Law, yet you dare to come after me. You think you can beat me?" He stalled for some time, rising in the air as his gas started moving even more quickly around him, seemingly thickening in volume. "You will end up just like the rest of them…haki or not!"

"We shall see about that," Tashigi rushed forward, swinging the katana, but just as she was about to hit Caesar who was trying to dodge with a worried glint in his eye, her leg suddenly became smoke and she fell forward into the snow and right in front of the scientist. "Kya," with a startled yelp the marine woman let go of her sword as she fell and tried to focus so her legs would return back to normal as now both of them turned to smoke during her panic.

Caesar grinned and reached for her, starting to draw the oxygen out of her breath. "You are weaker than I thought, Smoker. Shololo," he continued to suffocate the marine captain when he saw a flash of a weapon rushing towards him in high speed. With wide eyes, Caesar managed to jump out of the way and dodge just as the sea stone jutte ripped through the air towards his head.

A woman with a cigar in her mouth and a flower-patterned shirt stood between the confused Smoker and Caesar. The fake White Hunter was still on the ground, coughing and trying to regain his breath from Caesar's attack.

The real Smoker bit on his cigar in annoyance, never pulling his piercing stare off of the logia. "Dammit Tashigi, didn't I tell you not to lose with my body," he grumbled in anger, sending Caesar a burning glare with his eyes.

It was because of that gaze, the eyes of a wild dog ready to pounce on his prey, that Caesar realized who the woman standing before him was. "Smoker…the _real_ Smoker. Law must've done something with his ope ope fruit…," the scientist muttered in realization. The sea stone jutte, which was Smoker's trade mark weapon, was just further proof of that fact.

Whether Smoker heard him or not, he didn't respond and instead leaped at the logia with his weapon in a piercing attack. Unlike Tashigi, even in a body of someone else, Smoker was still a force not to be reckoned with.

The gas logia gritted his teeth as he flew back to dodge the blow, only to almost receive another one coming from the side. It was hard since the vice admiral not only wielded a sea stone weapon, but also had haki to boot. It was hard for Caesar to even get close enough to use his abilities on him, and instead all he could do was dodge the attacks coming at him.

"Master! Don't lose!" Voices of his useless subordinates cheered him on.

_*Instead of just standing there and cheering, why don't you help me out, idiot bastards!*_ The logia raged, wanting to suffocate his subordinates now, as well.

"Vice admiral Smoker, I'm coming to help," the voice of the marine woman came from somewhere behind them as she finally managed to get her body in control again. She rushed forward, wielding her katana again and this time almost cutting at Caesar throat with it.

"I told you to stay away Tashigi! Don't go near him!" Smoker yelled in frustration seeing that the woman was attacking the scientist again.

"Captain Tashigi-chan!" The G-5 marines exclaimed in panic, worried that the scene from before would repeat itself when she almost got killed by the Surgeon of Death.

Tashigi aimed for the logia's head, but as soon as he dodged she turned to deliver a strike at his side. The gas man dodged that one too, though barley, and the tip of her katana nicked him on the waist. Feeling slightly triumphant by the small injury, she carried on with her strikes, trying to deliver a piercing attack to his chest. However Caesar hovered to the side to avoid it, and she was just about to flow from this attack right into another, when he saw an opening and grabbed her neck.

"Gotchya!" The scientist laughed and started sucking out the air around them again and with dread Tashigi realized she indeed got too close.

However, once again the gas man was interrupted from his action by Smoker who leaped forward to deliver an attack and save his captain. With an annoyed click of his tongue, he lifted the woman up who was barely conscious now, and threw her right into Smoker.

The marine vice admiral cursed under his breath, but stopped the attack and caught his subordinate who crashed right into his chest. He had to stop running and slid backwards as she fell with her back on top of him, bringing them both down onto their backs and into the snow.

"'m sorry…Smoker-sa…," the woman mumbled half-awake, with her brows furrowed together in pain and her eyes closed.

"Tch, if you're sorry then don't be so reckless in the first place," the vice admiral muttered in annoyance, knowing full well she probably couldn't even hear him anymore. He was about to leave her on the side and get up to finish his fight, when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in alarm. He felt a chill as a shadow loomed over behind them, creating a small shade over them both. Smoker's eyes widened in realization and he looked up and behind him to see Caesar's large form lingering over them. The marine tried to scramble back to his feet, leaving Tashigi on the snowy carpet, but he could already feel the air leaving his lungs rapidly. He gripped his jutte and swung towards Caesar, but it was no use as he couldn't reach the gas logia. Still, whatever Caesar was doing, he could do it perfectly well from where he was floating as he continued to suck the oxygen from Smoker's breath.

White Hunter glared daggers at the scientist, never losing eye contact even when he laid on the cold ground in agony. "B-bas…tard…," he managed to squeeze out with his last breath just before the blackness overtook him.

~…~

"Uhn…um…" Miyako mumbled as she finally started regaining consciousness, her brows furrowing at the headache pounding in her temples. Her golden eyes fluttered open as she started to move, only to realize that her upper body was constrained. Her eyes flew open as her gaze darted around the strange area made entirely of metal, realizing that she was chained and leaning against a wall.

"Ah, so you're finally awake," Franky's slightly nasal voice greeted her and she saw the large robot sitting next to her with his hands strapped behind his back much like hers.

"Are you feeling alright, Miyako-chan," Robin's voice came from her other side, and she saw the raven haired woman glancing at her with a serious expression.

"Yeah…I could do without the blasted headache, though," she sighed, trying to blink a few times as if that would help send it away.

She looked around the room, realizing they were in some kind of cage, in a large metal room which was most likely the inside of the research facility. Well at least they got inside like they intended…though not quite in the way they planned it. She could see Monet there, talking to a tall man she couldn't recognize. He had a serious, strict expression hidden behind a pair of shades, but the most peculiar thing was the piece of hamburger meat stuck to his cheek. How did it even stay there?

Looking around the large cage, she noted Robin and Franky weren't the only ones inside with her. Luffy was there, together with the two marines, Smoker and Tashigi, who she saw in front of the facility earlier. And the last person…

Miyako sighed and stared at the man with a disappointed expression, her eyes half-lidded. "Eh…so you got caught, huh," it was more of a statement than a question, considering their current situation.

Law's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her words as he bit back in his usual calm demeanor, "I don't want to hear that from you." Trafalgar was sitting next to Strawhat, with his upper body chained and his hatted head leaning against the cold wall. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but there was nothing any of them could do about that right now.

"Yeah…we kinda got surprised by Caesar and got caught. Total failure," Miyako mumbled in a mixture of frustration and resignation. "Sorry?" She smiled at her captain sheepishly, with a drop of sweat on her brow.

Law sighed at the sight, closing his eyes for a while. "It can't be helped now, it's too late to change what happened anyway. Besides...I was taken off guard as well. They were on to us…Monet led me into a trap." His gaze suddenly traveled to the mysterious man sitting on a sofa next to Monet. "Some things happened that even I couldn't predict…It was out of my calculation," he muttered with an unreadable expression, leaving Miyako to wonder what her captain was thinking about at the moment.

"Hn, so you are Suzune, Burning-Eyed Miyako, a pirate from Wanokuni," a discontented voice came near the samurai girl. "This is my first time meeting you in person," the person continued.

Miyako turned in interest to see who was addressing her, only to notice two eyes piercing her behind a pair of thick glasses. The woman had dark hair and a loose shirt, shamefully opened in the front. Only one small button was keeping it together and holding everything from falling right out. The woman had a marine white coat, showing the symbol of the captain's rank. "And you are…" Miyako started, staring right back at the woman with a blank expression. Then her eyebrows fell downwards as she gave the harsh woman a comical stare, "Actually I have no idea who you are," she admitted.

"I'm Smoker! And I'm the man who will bring both of your pirate crews down," the woman shouted in annoyance as if this misunderstanding was happening to her all day.

Miyako tilted her head in puzzlement, glancing from the white-haired man on the floor and to the woman glaring at her silently. A few seconds later she grasped the situation and turned to stare at Law with a sweat drop. "Again!?" The Dark Doctor must've used his powers just like on the Strawhats and switched the two marine's bodies.

Trafalgar only gave her an acknowledging smirk in return as if he was silently proud of his work.

"Shihihi, but at least we're all together again," Luffy laughed, as if completely ignoring the situation they were in.

"This isn't some kind of ending to a children's tale," Miyako exclaimed after hearing his profession. "Being together only means we'll all die together if we stay here," she noted.

"Hmm…but this is sort of nostalgic isn't it…having you two in the same cage," Robin chuckled as she glanced between Luffy and the real Smoker.

"That's right!" The captain of the Strawhats smiled as if suddenly remembering something. "There was that time when Smokey and me were caught by you guys in Alabasta," the boy noted.

Miyako snorted in amusement and stole a glance at the vice admiral. "Smokey?" She repeated the nickname in a snide tone, not even trying to hide her devious glee.

A vain visibly popped up on the woman's forehead as Smoker glared at the pirates next to him. "You guys shut up!"

The samurai girl turned her attention from the raging marine back to the only person in the room that she couldn't recognize. "Well more importantly…who's _that_ guy," she nodded in the direction of a tall man with a buzz cut, who finally threw away the hamburger from his face.

"That's Vergo, a vice admiral of the Navy and the head of G-5 marines…or at least he was, before the bastard betrayed us. All those missing children reports that we were getting…he was all behind it, knowing full well that the kids were actually being kidnapped yet he covered it all up," Smoker explained with a bitter tone that clearly showed his disgust.

"No…It's not like Vergo has actually betrayed the marines," Law interrupted, adding to the conversation.

Miyako's eyes darted towards her captain in slight wonder. "Law…you know that guy too?"

Law gave her a curt nod before continuing. "He used to be a pirate, but before he made a name for himself he joined the marines by Joker's orders," he explained. "In 15 years of time he climbed the ranks, but Vergo was always a part of Joker's crew. There's no marine officer more convenient and trustworthy to Joker than him." There was no emotion as Law talked, even when his eyes met the clouded ones of the said man, Vergo.

Miyako stayed curiously quiet, even as Smoker continued their conversation, berating himself for not figuring it all out sooner. She knew full well that Law had a deep relationship with Joker, also known as Doflamingo, but didn't know how much she could say in front of the others. She didn't want to reveal anything, which would later cause trouble for Law.

She could hear Vergo's cold voice responding now, telling them they will all die while he'll make it look like an accident. Well it wasn't that startling, really. She knew that they risked death if they were caught by Caesar, though she had no intention of giving up yet. Right now, a bunch of dangerous pirates from which two were pirate captains of the Worst Generation, along with an infamous vice admiral, were all together in one cage. If they all couldn't get out of this prison, then no one could.

"Hey, Torao…who's this Joker guy you mentioned?" Luffy cramped his neck to look at the other pirate captain beside him.

Miyako's eyes darted towards her captain, focusing on Law with interest. Will Law truly reveal Joker's identity in front of the others?

Trafalgar, however, didn't skip a beat nor bat an eye at this, still keeping all his focus on Vergo in front of him, giving the other man a dark look. "In the past I was also Joker's subordinate…that's why I know. Joker is an alias he uses as an underground broker, but his real identity is known all over the world. One of the seven Shichibukai…Donquixote Doflamingo!" Trafalgar stated in a stern tone, making everything else in the room go eerily quiet.

The samurai girl's eyes widened as she was a bit surprised by the fact Law decided to reveal that fact so easily. Then again, perhaps letting the marines know about this isn't so bad as it would certainly cause trouble for Doflamingo if the word came out. Was that why Trafalgar decided to tell? By the stare he was exchanging with Vergo it almost seemed as Law decided to tell the truth just to spite the other man in the room.

The person currently in Smoker's body gasped and even White Hunter looked startled by the new information. The Strawhats appeared calmer, but Miyako noticed they all had a sharp glint in their eye as they were certainly thinking of the fact they just heard.

Meanwhile, as the talk went on, the samurai girl continued to fidget with her hands behind her back, careful not to draw any attention to herself. She kept twisting her wrists, making them sore and bloody with friction already, but the blood only helped to make her hands slip out of the chains. She wasn't quite done yet as her shoulders swayed left and right with her every move of the arms, but little by little, she was slithering out of the tight binds. She had to momentarily stop when Caesar came back and hovered towards the cage with that smug smirk of his, taunting Law and the rest.

"You couldn't do anything to Vergo, could you, Law? After all, that contract with you proved very useful. Shololo!" The scientist laughed, giving Trafalgar a knowing stare while grinning.

_*Don't tell me…They used Law's heart to beat him? That's right, Monet still has my heart too, which means I can't even get close to her. She could kill me at any moment with one squeeze of her hand,*_ Miyako cursed as she remembered the certain predicament both her and Law were in. Even if they got out of here, they couldn't do much without getting their hearts back first.

"This Vergo guy has your heart now?" Miyako whispered to Law with a bead of sweat on her brow.

The pirate captain sighed. "Yes, most likely...that's how they got me. I'll deal with that though, and I'll leave Monet to you," he murmured back so the others couldn't hear.

The samurai smirked. "It would be my pleasure. But we can't do much if we don't get out of here first," she sighed.

Now it was the surgeon's time to smirk. "Leave that to me."

Their little conversation was interrupted with Caesar's high voice as he still continued to taunt Law. "You should never trust people. You deserved what you got. I'm sure you've understood by now that Vergo has your heart!"

As if to prove this fact, the man names Vergo pulled out a blue cube from his long coat and gave it a light squeeze. Even that was enough to send Trafalgar into pure agony as he cried out, feeling the numbing pain in his chest where his heart should be.

"Law!" Miyako yelped, sitting up in panic, but was unable to help him from her position. Her hands were still not completely loose from the chains.

"Even you couldn't realize that Monet was following you while transformed into something else. It's a real pity Law…we could've been good friends," Caesar continued mockingly.

Even while in pain and panting to catch his breath again, Law gave the logia a mocking smirk in return. "You were saved by a skilled secretary…I should've been warier of her, but I underestimated her because of her master's stupidity," the pirate answered in a taunt, determined not to show any weakness in front of his enemies. Even if he was brought to his knees from the pain, his mind wouldn't succumb to this fool before him. He was delighted with the reaction he got from Caesar as the logia lost his words to respond for a moment, beaten at his own taunts.

The glee didn't last long though, as the scientist bashed his fist into Law's heart. "Mind your words, brat!" He shrieked in annoyance.

"Stop it!" This time it was Miyako who yelled out, losing her cool momentarily as she saw her captain writhing in pain and Caesar enjoying himself way too much. He was just about to punch Law's heart again when he saw the glare she was aiming at him. There was a murderous aura around Miyako as she focused her deathly, cold gaze at Caesar, making him unconsciously stop his hand which was going for Law's heart. Logically, Caesar knew she couldn't just get out of the cage and leap at him while chained, but her sharp stare told a different story, as if that was exactly what she'll do if he moved an inch. Reflexively, the logia gulped loudly as cold sweat traveled down his face, his hand above Law's heart twitching lightly.

However, Miyako's expression paled and her eyebrows knitted in pain as she was brought back down to the cold floor. "Guh!" She grunted and squirmed like a worm, before finally curling her body in a ball.

"Miyako-chan, what's wrong?" Robin tried to get the girl's attention as her whole demeanor suddenly changed once again, this time into a limp body of pain.

"Fufufu, could you not glare at us so intensely, Suzune-kun? It's rather scary," a voice dripping with sarcasm rang out behind Caesar and Vergo, singing in amusement. Monet was slowly flying over with her large wings, the claws of her one leg slowly piercing into another cubed heart.

The samurai managed to look up at Monet, but was unable to respond due to the burning pain in her chest that made her breathless. _*Dammit! First I lost to that bastard Caesar and now even Monet is looking down on me…I'm completely useless right now!*_ Miyako cursed her own situation, wondering how did all of this turn into such a complicated mess so fast. Then again, since Monet and Caesar already knew their plans, this was just a matter of time. In the end, the ones taken by surprise were her and Law, and Miyako hated that fact.

"They have your hearts?! How can you two even be alive!?" Luffy glanced back and forth between Law and Miyako, giving them both an astonished expression.

"It's…Law's ope ope fruit power," Miyako explained through her pants, managing to calm down now that the pain was gone.

"That's right, it's a troublesome power. Where's mine then?" Smoker grumbled, remembering that Law also took his heart away.

"It's riiight heeere, Smooo-" Caesar started tauntingly, ready to give it a nice clutch between his fingers, but Monet interrupted the man's fun.

"Master! Everything's ready," she called out for him.

"Something's on the large screen," Franky brought their attention to the sole screen projected by the den den mushi in the room.

"A giant candy?" Tashigi asked in confusion.

"And that slime we saw before…but this one is much bigger," Miyako noted, looking at the pinkish giant mass of goo on the screen.

"Smiley! It tried to kill this island 4 years ago. A poisonous bomb made of H2S gas," Caesar exclaimed in a proud voice. And now, giving that Smiley a special bait will finally turn it into a weapon of mass destruction! Today a new weapon will be born and its name is Shinokuni!"

"This blob of slime is a weapon of mass destruction?" Miyako scrunched her nose in disgust while just looking at it via den den mushi.

They all watched in silence as the scene unveiled before their eyes, as the giant creature turned into smoke…into poisonous gas. People were screaming and running for their lives, but a few unfortunate souls weren't fast enough. As the gas enveloped them, it solidified their bodies, turning them into sad sculptures that were a testament of something horrible happening on Punk Hazard.

"Aah! Look, it's Zoro and the others! The smoke is chasing after them!" Luffy exclaimed and everyone focused their eyes to see a few small figures running wildly before the smoke.

"What are they doing there!? And why are they running like that?" Franky tilted his head in question at the bizzare sight.

"Ah, samurai-san's body is complete," Robin commented.

"So he made it, huh?" Miyako added with a frown on her face. Seeing Kin'emon again made her think of Momonosuke and how she still needed to find the Wano boy as well.

"You're right! I wonder if I can get his legs- Ah! Hey, Robin, there's no time for that," Luffy reprimanded his nakama even though he was the one speaking most nonsense out of all of them. "Heeey! Run away from there, the smoke's dangero- ugh! *_cough cough*_ Stupid…sea stone…" His energy was drained even faster by the kairoseki chains restraining him.

"They can't hear you, you know…" Law muttered with a deadpan expression.

Caesar floated over to the cage again, this time his attention on Strawhat. "Are they your friends, Straw Hat Luffy? Soon, they will run out of breath and get killed by the gas. It will spread everywhere, and no one will be left alive outside this facility! Sholololo! No one can stop it! Not even a vice admiral of the marines, or a pirate with a 400 million bounty, or even a Royal Shichibukai!"

While Caesar continued on with his speech, Miyako tirelessly kept twisting her wrists in her chains, slowly pulling her hands out of them. She didn't know that at the same time, one other person was already operating with his hands behind his back, even with the chains on.

Unlike the rest of them, Law's chains were completely ordinary and weren't made out of kairoseki. It seemed that even though Monet was quite tenacious, there were some things even she didn't know that happened inside the laboratory. She didn't know that about a month prior, Miyako had switched certain kairoseki chains with normal ones and Law knew exactly where each were. That's why he pretended to be unconscious when Caesar's men were dragging him towards the cage and pulling out the chains. While they weren't looking he used his abilities to switch the kairoseki ones intended for him with the normal ones that were just where he left them in room D when the whole explosion in the lab happened. He knew that little trick the two of them did a while back will come to good use sooner or later. As a result, he was only pretending to be drained out of energy now as he could freely use his powers without anyone suspecting anything. The first thing he did was warn Tanuki-ya, who he noticed with the corner of his eye hiding inside the laboratory, to simply wait and not do anything. After all, just as he said to Miyako before; he had this all under control and knew exactly what to do. True, Vergo was a miscalculation and so was Monet's trailing skills, but this plan was far from lost. In Law's mind, he was only waiting for a right opportunity to get started.

"Whoa, what's happening?!" Tashigi called out, bringing them all back to reality and their eyes off of the screen as the large cage started moving.

They were brought out of the facility by a crane, leaving them to hang above the ground in the open air. The cold wind blew hard in their faces up there, biting their skin and making the whole cage sway lightly.

"Caesar's leaving us here for that smoke monster," Miyako answered, looking down where the cries of the G-5 were coming from.

"We're in trouble! How do we get out of here!? I can't do anything with these kairoseki chains," Luffy started struggling, but lost his strength soon and sagged back down onto the ground.

"Hn...I wasn't expecting Vergo to show up, but we can't fail here Strawhat-ya!" Law focused all their attention onto himself. "We're making a counter attack."

"A counter attack?!" Everyone asked simultaneously with wonder in their eyes.

"Yeah…let's settle this," Trafalgar answered.

Miyako smirked as she saw his eyes. It was obvious from his expression that he already had a plan. "What do you have in mind?"

The pirate captain gazed around the cage. "Is anyone here able to burn things? Though it is fine, even if you can't."

"Franky can! He can also shoot beams! Can you burn these chains with your beam?" Luffy smiled excitedly at his fellow companion.

"I can only use Coup de Burst with my butt now," Franky explained.

_*With his butt?*_ Miyako tilted her head in question as she frowned from that information in light disgust.

Law stared at the part of a marine battleship buried in the snow below them. "Can you burn that battleship in the lower right?"

"That's an easy one, niichan!" The pirate cyborg started taking large gulps of air into his lungs. "Frankyyy….Fireball!" He spat out a large ball of fire aimed right at the ship below. In a matter of seconds, the whole vessel burst into flames, creating a smoke screen that raised high in the air and enveloped the cage.

"Wow, that was pretty impressive," Miyako smiled, staring at the ship on fire. "And we got a nice smoke screen shielding us from the camera den den mushi," she added.

"Hehe, it's no big deal," Franky grinned with a proud glint in his eye.

"Focus, we're only getting started," Law warned them, returning their attention back on track.

"Right, right…actually, I'm almost done too," Miyako said while squirming from side to side in her chains again.

"Hm? Done with what?" Everybody blinked at her in questioning wonder. That's when she suddenly got lose and stood up, the chains falling off of her body, making a loud clacking noise. "Wha! You freed yourself!"

Miyako smiled slightly and showed them her red wrists that were bloodied a bit and sore from chafing. "For a price, though. I'll let you all loose too," she knelt beside Luffy to try and get his chains off when she heard Law hum with amusement beside her. She turned her head to look at him in confusion just before his chains simply came off as if they were only there for show.

"Wha?!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"Well then…" He started, rising an eyebrow at her in amusement.

Miyako paled as she suddenly felt like a complete fool. "You're telling me that I strained for nothing all this time…because you could've just easily release us at any time?" She winced at her own thought.

The captain smirked at her. "It's because you are always being impatient," he answered while standing up. With a flick of his fingers, his nodachi was safely back in his hand. With another flick, Miyako's own katana was in her hands as well.

"But how could you take off those kairoseki chains!?" Luffy watched Law with large, wondrous eyes.

"Mine were just regular chains, so I could easily melt them with my power. How many months do you think we spent here? We prepared quite a few normal chains, switching them with kairoseki ones in certain places so that I would know exactly where they were if I needed them," he explained, looking back at Miyako again.

She, on the other hand, wasn't paying any attention to anyone anymore as she continued to gleefully caress Yawarakai-Te against her cheek. "Yawarakai-Te, you're back! I promise never to lose you like that again," she sang happily, tying the katana back to her waist.

Trafalgar sighed at the sight, trying to ignore his samurai's weird attachment to her sword. Meanwhile, he used the tip of his sword and his powers to cut off the chains of the other pirates, freeing them all. Just as he freed Luffy, the boy was already on his feet and jumping around the cage. "Whoooaa! I'm free!"

"Don't yell, you idiot," the other captain muttered in a warning, feeling like he was constantly reprimanding a misbehaving child. He didn't want them to be heard while they were making their escape. He ignored the dark haired boy momentarily to deal with the two marines in their group, switching their bodies back to normal. "Now…what should I do with you? You already know too much," he taunted them, wondering what their reactions would be. He pondered if they would beg for their lives.

The woman shrilled in embarrassment before falling to the ground in a fetal position, an attempt to hide her exposed self from view. "P-please take off the chains…I'll do anything," she pleaded.

Law raised an eyebrow. He didn't really expect it to be so easy. On the other hand, Smoker just glared at him, prepared for anything and reprimanding the woman, but that stubborn side was to be expected from the vice admiral.

"Now we need to live, even if we have to bow down! If we die, our men will be killed too! Admiral Vergo will just be able to act as he pleases in the Navy and the children will be left here to suffer! We can't let them all down! It is our responsibility to live on and help them get off this island and bring Caesar Clown and Vergo-san down!"

"Hmm, I like her determination. She's quite right," Miyako noted with a smirk, walking over to stand beside Law. Smoker and Tashigi couldn't hear her as they were still in the middle of an argument, but Law gave her a quick glance before stepping forward to stop the argument.

"The woman is smarter, White Hunter-ya. Well I'll let you live…if we make a deal," the Surgeon of Death gave the two a dark grin, knowing full well that they couldn't refuse.

~…~

"Are you sure it'll be alright? How do you know they'll keep their part of the deal?" Miyako asked her captain beside her just before she kicked one of the yellow suits in the gut and whirled to avoid another's rifle aimed at her before she sliced the man's head off.

"White Hunter-ya has that kind of personality. Besides, it's in his best interest to cooperate if he wants his heart returned to him," Trafalgar responded just before he slashed the air a couple more times with his nodachi, slicing a group of yellow suits rushing at them. He sent the cut up bodies flying into another group, with his powers.

They were running towards the main gates of the facility, pummeling and cutting up anyone in their way. Luffy, Robin, Franky, Smoker and Tashigi were right beside them, fighting Caesar's henchmen as well.

"We're here! Somebody pull that lever there!" Trafalgar called out as they finally stopped before the large metal gates of the facility.

Robin crossed her arms and sent a look towards a large red lever on the bridge at the far right of the room. She didn't even have to bother climbing up the stairs to reach it as she simply used her powers to sprout a hand from the wall next to the lever, and pull it down.

The large shutter started opening and the marines started swarming inside to safety. When they all ran inside, Robin's arm pulled the lever once more, closing the large doors.

"I'm just saying, you should keep an eye on them just in case," Miyako warned as she watched Smoker and Tashigi talk to the G-5 who were celebrating their reunion with their vice admiral and captain.

Surprisingly, the dark doctor simply grinned as if he knew something Miyako didn't. "Don't worry. For now I have leverage over Smoker-ya that will definitely make even a stray dog obedient," he said cryptically. "You just focus on getting your heart back since I can't help you with Monet anymore. And I will deal with Vergo," he muttered the last statement darkly.

Miyako blinked in confusion, but it didn't seem like Law was keen on explaining anything more. He never liked explaining himself unless it was necessary and right now he didn't deem it to be so. Instead, he just needed Miyako to do her part while he does his. She was alright with that, and she showed it to him by giving him a simple nod with look that said '_I trust your judgment_.'

"Waaaait!" A distant sound coming closer brought everyone out of their musings as they heard voices from outside. The shutter was already closed and nobody had any intention of opening it again, which would risk letting the gas in. It didn't matter much, though, since only a few seconds later the whole gate was cut down with a clean cut that could only be done by a katana.

"What are you doing, you idiots!?" The whole of G-5 shouted in dismay as the only shield separating them from the deadly gas just went to hell. "You'll let the gas in!"

"Ah…now they've done it," Robin chuckled as she saw familiar faces burst into the facility in quite a dramatic entrance. Brownbeard, Usopp, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Brook and Kin'emon ran inside, followed by a small, green dragon that clung to Brownbeard's alligator tail as if his life depended on it.

"Good! Now that we're all here, we can go crazy!" Luffy yelled as he was already climbing up the ramp overlooking the room.

"You mean up until now this wasn't you being crazy?!" Miyako couldn't help but respond in bewilderment.

"Would someone close the damned hole in the gates already!?" Nami, still in the body of Sanji, yelled angrily and in an instant the G-5 soldiers started boarding up the metal gates with anything they could find.

Zoro sighed when everyone were finally safe from the poisonous gas roaming the outside. "Good, we're saved."

"Not thanks to you!" The G-5 soldiers yelled in anger, aiming their weapons at the Strawhats pirates.

Suddenly, the whole place was brought to chaos as G-5 soldiers started arguing with the Strawhats, unable to believe their craziness. Even Miyako didn't know whether to find the whole situation comical and amusing or troublesome. Nami and Sanji were also either celebrating or wailing as they finally got their bodies back by Law. However, the situation suddenly turned more serious as the marines pointed their weapons at the pirates before them.

Everyone silenced and stiffened their bodies, awaiting the others' moves as it became a stand-still between them. Miyako put a hand on the guard of her sword, her thumb ready to separate it from the sheath and reveal her katana.

"Everyone stop!" A voice of a woman cut through the tense atmosphere and a woman in a pink coat and thick glasses came between the two opposing groups.

"Aaah, it's the cutie marine captain~" Sanji sang with hearts in his eyes, finally back to his body which proved to be in a badly beaten condition because of Caesar.

"But captain-chan, they're enemies," one of the G-5 marines argued though nobody wanted to go against their cute marine officer.

"I know, but right now we have other work to do. We have to take care of Caesar Clown and save those children. There's also…" Tashigi stopped, her expression darkening in worry, as she remembered the face of Vergo. How was she supposed to explain that to the men? "We will deal with the Strawhats later," she finished.

The G-5 didn't seem too happy about the order, but they listened and relaxed a bit, lowering their weapons. Seeing this, the Strawhats did the same.

Miyako also sighed in relief and took her hand off of the katana, but then something else caught her eye. It was the marine captain in front of her, and the katana the other woman had in her hands. The samurai girl remembered seeing Tashigi a while earlier, fighting with her sword against those yellow suits. _*I didn't have time to think about it since we were in a pinch, but now that I look at it…She's a swordsman too? Could it be…?*_

One of the marines came over to captain Tashigi, leaning to whisper near her ear. "Eerr…captain-chan. That woman's been staring really intensely at you for some time now," he pointed, without any subtlety, in Miyako's direction.

The marine captain turned to see Suzune, Burning-Eyed Miyako piercing her with an unreadable stare. Her gaze was burning at her quietly, as if staring right into her soul. Tashigi felt uncomfortable under such an intense stare. _*Could it be she wants to pick a fight because I'm a marine…?* _Suddenly the pirate samurai started walking towards her briskly, never breaking eye contact. Tashigi stiffened and gulped as the pirate girl came straight to her. _*W-what does she want?*_ Tashigi opened her mouth to ask just that, when suddenly the girl cut her off, speaking first.

"You…" Miyako started, then suddenly took Tashigi's both hands into hers. "Could it be you are also a swordswoman!?" There was a glint in her eyes, but unlike Sanji who did the same action to her a while ago, instead of romantic feelings, Miyako's eyes were filled with hope and excitement.

"…Eh?" Tashigi had to blink her puzzlement away, along with the surprise. What was this girl taking about? "Y…yes?" Out of reflex because of her polite nature, the marine woman answered back.

Suddenly, Miyako's golden eyes lit up even more, making the bright color sparkle in the unnatural lighting of the room. "I'm delighted to finally meet you!" The samurai girl exclaimed with a wide smile on her face.

"Eeeeh?!" Tashigi, the G-5 and even some of the Strawhats had the same reaction as they watched the bizarre scene between a marine and a pirate. Right now the two sworn enemies were holding hands, and the pirate girl looked as if she was meeting her idol.

Tashigi might have been completely lost in confusion, but Miyako was indeed excited. That was, because for the first time in her life she met a swordswoman, and one who wielded a katana and used kenjutsu to boot. For a girl who was raised in a country where only men were allowed to hold a katana, where she was considered strange for her preference in kenjutsu rather than tea ceremonies, it was truly a marvel to meet another woman such as herself. One who was a true warrior with a katana, just like Miyako. The samurai never thought such a thing would happen, but the World really is a big and marvelous place. That's why Miyako couldn't help but be enthusiastic, completely ignoring the fact that the woman before her was supposed to be her enemy.

"U-um…d-do I know you?" Tashigi finally dared to speak, somewhat getting over her perplexing state.

Realizing she went a bit too far, Miyako let go of Tashigi's hands and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ah…no, sorry. It's just that I got overly excited, finally meeting another fellow woman in kenjutsu," she explained while laughing nervously.

"You do know she's your enemy, right?" Usopp commented from the side with a sideways glance and a sweat drop.

However, the samurai girl turned to the sniper in incitement, her determination burning as she clenched her fist in the air. "Sides don't matter when you're connected with a bond of kenjutsu!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Usopp answered, still holding that lost expression with a sweat drop.

"Shishishi, you really have a strange crew, Torao," Luffy commented on the side, holding his hands on his hips and looking at the dark doctor.

"Not as bizzare as yours, Strawhat-ya," he deadpanned as a response to Luffy's grin. Law had to fight the urge to face palm as he saw Miyako completely lost in her own world, still elated in front of captain Tashighi. _*And you, don't make friends with the enemy…,* _he thought, looking at his samurai.

"Aah, it's wonderful that we are all back together~!" Sanji's voice rang through the room as he danced over to Miyako and Tashigi. It seems his 'all back together' meant only him and the two girls, though. "Don't worry my ladies…I will protect you with my life," he said in a serious husky voice that was supposed to be romantic. The cook knelt down in front of the two, taking each of their hands in his and kissing them.

That, of course, caused a riot among the G-5. "Hey, don't touch our captain-chan you perverted pirate!" The shouts started up again as the marines started arguing with Sanji, who responded with a 'What did you say, you bastards!?,' starting another squabble.

Miyako quickly, but subtly got her hand out of Snaji's while the cook was still too busy quarreling with the marines. She glanced towards Trafalgar underneath her bangs, slightly embarrassed that he witnessed that, but the pirate captain just gave her an unreadable quick look in return before his gaze fell back to the rest of the group. It appeared he was too busy trying to deal with the Strawhats and this situation to pay mind to anything else, luckily for Miyako.

"Enough, all of you! Did you forget we've got work to do?! We can't be wasting our time here!" The scene was stopped by Smoker's powerful voice that brought everyone to a stop with his angry tone.

"But Smo-yan…," some of the marines whined like reprimanded children, but soon shut up under his harsh gaze.

The one who overtook the scene was finally Law as he decided this charade had to stop. They needed to move on with their plan already. "Everybody here, listen to me!" His strong shout was enough to bring everyone's attention to him. "We are currently surrounded by poisonous gas and there's only one way to escape directly to the sea from this laboratory! It's a huge door with an "R building 66" written on it! I give you 2 hours, after which I won't be able to guarantee the safety of anyone who stays behind," he finished with the explanation, ignoring the questioning and shocked sounds coming from the others.

"So he's going to blow it up like we planned after getting Caesar," Miyako muttered, biting her lip in thought. _*So that's two hours to kidnap Caesar, retrieve our hearts and help the children escape this place,*_ she mulled over this. Suddenly two hours didn't seem like a long time. *_This might get tricky,*_ she sighed.

"Suzune Miyako!" Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, yet not very fond voice. The girl turned to see the Wano samurai, Kin'emon jogging over to her.

"Any news of my son, Momonosuke!?" He asked with a glint of hope in his eyes, making Miyako guilty since she had to disappoint him.

"Unfortunately no, but I am sure he is still somewhere in the facility. He wasn't with the children that Nami-san and the others saved. A new thought popped into the girl's head. "Is Momonosuke a devil fruit user?"

Kin'emon appeared truly surprised by such a question. "What? Nay, he is not. Why do you ask such a thing?"

Miyako bit her lip as she frowned in thought. "Well, a girl told me earlier that he-"

"Stop, Strawhats!" Shouts suddenly came from the hallways as new yellow suits started swarming the area. Miyako had to jump quickly and dodge a rain of bullets that started showering over them.

Luffy stood in front of the group, taking the bullets head on, without any protection. However, his rubber body simply stretched from the shots, before sending them all back at the enemies. "That won't work on me!" The pirate captain yelled with a grin, just before he shouted "_Gomu gomu no Gatling Gun_!" and sent a number of quick punches into Caesar's henchmen.

Miyako was right beside him in an instant, taking on another group as she unsheathed her katana and rushed in one quick move through a dozen of yellow suits. _Ittoryu: ichijin!_ Even though it only appeared as if she leaped through the group, appearing behind them, she actually used the time to slash at each of the men in one of their vital areas. As she passed them by, a gust of wind followed her due to the speed, before the men all fell down onto the ground, bleeding profoundly.

Just as she turned to slice another opponent, a small ball passed her by right in front of her face and exploded in another group of yellow suits. As the bead exploded, a large vine plant grew out of the seed and entangled the men, rendering them useless. The more they struggled, the more entangled they became. The samurai looked in the direction of the shot seed and saw a grinning Usopp who winked at her proudly beneath his hat.

"Die, you betrayer Suzune!" One of the men yelled out and was about to shoot a gun that held sleeping gas in it when suddenly another yellow suit collided into him and brought them both onto the floor. Nami was using her staff weapon, swirling it skillfully around her, and hitting the men one by one, sending them flying into the others.

Beside her, Sanji was guarding her back while kicking the enemies effortlessly. He jumped high in the air, delivering a high kick into one man's chin and sending him flying upwards before the cook landed on his hands and started rotating in high speed, kicking all the men gathered around him to the ground. The blonde landed back up on his feet with a light jump and his eyes met with Miyako's. As soon as they did, his serious expression was completely replaced by a dazed one as he grinned widely and waved at her. "Miyako-chwaaan!" The girl gave him a nervous smile in return with a bead of sweat on her forehead, for she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Out of all the Strawhats, she found him the hardest to deal with. Even more than the live skeleton.

"Idiot cook," a mutter came from Sanji's left as Zoro heard Sanji's lovey-dovey ramblings and commented on the scene.

"Eeh!? What was that, shitty marimo!?" Sanji's expression completely changed into an annoyed one and he glared at the swordsman just before kicking another enemy in the gut.

"You heard me, love cook," Zoro responded before dodging a sword and then slashing the man across the chest.

The two didn't even need to look at the enemies coming at them as they kept their glares on each other while fighting Caesar's henchmen.

Miyako sighed and shook her head as she ignored them both, blocking a sabre from one of the ex-prisoners. She crouched down while in a spin, before the man could react, and slashed off his legs in a clean cut. Not bothering to finish him off she simply went for the next one.

"There's really no end to them," Robin commented though she didn't seem bothered by the ones attacking her at all. The enemies couldn't even come near her as she used her devil fruit powers to beat them before they could even reach her. "_Seis Fleur: Twist_," she sang in a calm tone, making two hands sprout on a dozen opponents before they twisted their upper bodies. A sickly cracking sound was heard before the faceless yellow suits fell on the ground, unmoving.

"Get her!" Suddenly five more men exclaimed as they ran behind Robin, trying to take her off guard. However, a large shadow appeared in front of them showing an eerie face of a tall skeleton with an afro. "Waah, it's alive!" The men shouted in sudden shock as the skeleton started moving and talking to them.

"Yohoho! How rude!" Brook suddenly rushed towards them and in an instant appeared behind the five men, taking three large steps while he's each step echoed on the metal floor. He was already sheathing back his sword, yet nobody even saw him pull it out of the scabbard. "Alright. I have already cut you. _Hanauta Sancho: Yahazu Giri_," he said slowly in a solemn voice as if making his enemies aware of their deaths. Before they could respond, the five men were falling on the ground one by one, with thin slices on their chests.

Meanwhile, Law, Tashigi and Smoker were already running up the stairs with Luffy in the lead. Tashigi dodged one sword by stepping to the side and slicing the man across his stomach horizontally before crouching to avoid a bullet fired at her. The bullet went right through Smoker who was right behind her, and the vice admiral didn't even blink as a hole appeared in his stomach right before it got filled up with smoke once again. Instead, Smoker sent a punch at the attacker, as his clenched fist flew passed Tashigi's still crouching form and into the shooter, before the smoky appendage retracted back to his body.

Suddenly Luffy's voice brought everyone's attention to him. "Alright, guys, let's go!" He rushed forward, knocking out all the opponents in his way like a set of pins at a bowling alley. He's expression turned serious as he glared at the unseen opponent in his mind, as if he was right in front of his determined eyes. "I'm coming Caesar!"

He's shout seemed to give everyone else a spark of determination as well, as everyone's gaze started burning just like his. Suddenly, everybody was on the move, running forward.

"G-5, rescue the abducted children and search for the R-66 door!" Smoker voice thundered through the area as he gave out orders. "We will seize the tanker at the harbor and escape!"

He got a choir of shouts and cheers in return. "Whoooaaa!" The soldiers affirmed his orders before heading on.

Kin'emon slashed through the air, slicing his enemies without even stopping in his step. "Wait for me Momonosuke! I will definitely save you!"

"Let's split to look for the kidnapped children and lead them to the passage! Zoro, you can't go alone!" Nami's voice echoed as the rest of the Strawhats ran together.

"Ha!?" Zoro responded with irritation, not understanding why she would specifically call him out.

Miyako's eyes sharpened as she thought of her next move. _*I need to find Monet and get my heart back, but I also worry about Rachel and the rest of the children,*_ she bit her lip in thought. _*Then again, Monet will probably be assigned to watch the children and keep them from escaping. In that case I can just go with the Strawhats to look for the children and deal with Monet when we meet her…two flies with one stone.*_ She smirked at the thought. "Alright! Let's do this!" She joined Nami and the rest, running through the hallways to look for the kids.

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><p>Glossary:<p>

Tanuki – a raccoon (often from Japanese folklore)

Ittoryu: ichijin – 'One sword style: A gust of wind'

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><p>There we go! Another chapter done and off they go into action. The next chapter should be fun for Miyako fighting alongside the Strawhats. :) I just finished all my exams recently so hopefully I'll have more time to write too, yay!<p>

Thank you everyone for your reviews as well!

**starlight0720: **For now it is unknown who is stronger between them. But don't forget Miyako also spent two years training and fighting, much like them. ;) In my story at least, they don't quite know that he is the instigator of the Rocky Port incident, they only suspect it, so they couldn't find enough evidence accuse him of it and to rise his bounty for it.

**Emilyamazing: **Thank you for reading it! I'm glad you like it.

**Apple Bloom: **Sorry for the wait. The chapters are usually big so they take time to write and proofread, though it usually depends on my free time in life mostly. ^^'

**Guest: **Maybe I made a mistake while writing, a skimmed through it but couldn't find anything about it. I'll have to go through it more thoroughly later. In any case, he is two years older than her. He was 21 at the beginning, and now two years later, he is 23.

In Croatian grammar we write the quotation marks like this; „..." So sometimes when my Word is set in Croatian, it will make them like that.

**Bioware: **I'm glad you liked it, I'm also looking forward to more Miyako-Strawhats interactions in the future. :D Thank _you_ for staying a faithful reader all this time, even though my uploads take time. Yep, I think it will make her understand a lot about him after that.

**Red knight 2004: **Thank you for reading as always! :D

**Crayola Hearts: **First of all I want to say thank you for reading the story and taking the time to leave such a detailed review, which shows different aspects of the story. I actually agree with you on the beginning part as a lot of authors use the "Auction house" as the beginning of the story. I did have another beginning in mind at first, but then changed my mind just before starting to write and decided to start directly two years before everything, hence Sabaody. It's not a very imaginative beginning, I agree, but helps your OC experience the Marineford Arc and such, so I guess that's why most use it.

I'm glad you like her; I think it's one of authors' biggest fears that their main character won't be liked. I tried to make her grow slowly, both as a person and in her relationships with others. It's hard to find a right balance, somewhere between a maiden in distress and a Mary Sue, but hopefully I managed to do it. :)

You're quite right about that and you're on the right track. It will definitely be explored further especially with Kin'emon, Zoro and Tashigi in the story now. I think her experience as a swordswoman of Wano will be most shown when interacting with these characters.

And one of my biggest fears! At first I didn't intend this to become a romance, so I didn't think I would have to worry about portraying an 'in love' Law. :') I really don't want to turn him into a fluffy, unrecognizable version either so I try to keep some balance in their relationship. And for that to happen, as you mentioned, I think it is important for it to come over time and not just instant 'love at first sight.' I also think he has some trust issues or at least is very careful with new people, not opening up or trusting easily.

I'm really happy to hear you say that. Knowing that your story managed to touch someone is the biggest reward, I believe. I try to bring my emotion into writing, especially for certain scenes, so I'm really glad that you guys can feel and share those emotions as well. It means a lot to me. :)

I apologize unreservedly for the grammar and spelling, as I know there are many mistakes I miss even after proofreading. One day I will really have to go through the whole story again, chapter by chapter, and search for any errors left. I'm glad you haven't given up on the story despite the mistakes, so thank you.

**Cazadora Nocturna: **Muchas gracias. Gracias por leer mi historia. Me alegro de que te guste. (I don't know if this is entirely correct, so thank you again in English!)

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Yeah, Monet is really shrewd, but Miyako will have to be shrewder. ;)

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: **haha Indeed, I think she will get along with both Nami and Robin. :D Hm…there were some, but none were very close to her. There's Ettie from Noir island (the kinda steam punk one), if she counts. ^^' But I agree with you, I think Miyako is in dire need of some female company for a change.

Hehe, she really will be proud. All the haki training they did together will have paid off.

**Zyma-nee-22: **Indeed holy crap; three days?! O.O Props to you for that. I'm really glad you loved it, I try to make each chapter interesting even now when we are in the well-known cannon. It will definitely get interesting when Miyako finally faces the infamous Doflamingo that brings terror even to her captain. I hope you will like the next chapter as well. In that case, a big thank you to your sister as well! Mata ne~

**geckogal077: **haha I think Law will probably have to threaten Miyako not to tell the rest of the Heart Pirates everything she saw with the Strawhats, after everything is over. Just imagine if the rest of the crew found out that Law had Chopper strapped to his head. :')

**Wicken25: **Thanks, though it might take a while before any romantic scenes between Miyako and Law. At least until this whole mess with Caesar is sorted.

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **At least you know that it will never get boring with the Strawhats. Miyako will definitely need some getting used to their pace, especially Luffy's. I think she likes them more and more though, especially with how they treat Law. I think it will be most amusing for Miyako to watch Law trying to handle the Strawhats. :D As always thank you for reading and all the wonderful reviews.

**Bizzy: **Never a dull moment with them. But seeing Law like that is probably worth being sliced up later. :') I'm glad you liked it, I'm hoping for more fun scenes with everyone throughout the next chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**BatmanSwim2016: **I'm glad you liked it! I hope you will like the future ones as well. Thank you for reviewing! :D

**Zecrea: **I try to involve her into the cannon story as naturally as possible so I'm glad you liked it. Don't worry, she will definitely have her own big scene and part to play in this arc. The action is just starting now that everyone is set with their own goals. :)

**Chocogirl24: **I know what you mean, I still laugh at it every time I see that scene. It will never stop being funny. :') Thanks for the review!


	62. Chapter 62

**I don't like you **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters as it all belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rater T for violence, blood and suggestive themes.

Another chapter is out! This one is longer which is my preemptive apology because I probably won't be able to upload for a while. So, I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them! Have fun!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 62<strong>

"Suzune!" A large ex-pirate, one of Caesar's men, came at the young samurai with his sword raised high in the air. Instead of human legs, the man leaped at her with two hind legs of a horse, looking like one of the centaurs creatures from old mythology and legends. The ex-prisoner had a burning look of rage in his eyes as he stared down at the woman that betrayed their organization and his precious Master.

However, even the man's fury could not help him match his skill with hers as she easily avoided his attack while spinning to the side, still in the run, before she sliced him across the chest. He tried to block her attack with his sword, but it was no use as the low-quality piece of metal easily broke into pieces under the woman's attack.

As the ex-pirate fell down before Miyako's feet, another flew right past her, already unconscious before he even hit the wall in front of the group. She could hear an angry voice of Luffy behind her, as he ran past her, commenting something about fake centaurs and animal legs. "I won't acknowledge you!" Luffy yelled at the already beaten henchman with the legs of a bumblebee instead of human ones.

Miyako didn't know whether to be amused or baffled by the fact that the young pirate captain seemed more concerned about their enemies' appearance than the fact that they were trying to kill them. She shook her head with a sigh, giving up on even worrying about such notions as she knew full well by know how strangely Luffy's brain worked.

What's more, she didn't have much time to think of trivial thoughts as she heard a familiar sound echo across the building.

"What is that sound," Miyako could hear Nami ask beside her as the group went on running forward.

"It's the sound of the alarm, signifying that the doors of the area are closing down," Miyako answered with a grim feeling swelling inside her chest. This must've been Caesar's doing, which meant the scientist had some kind of plan against them. They already fell in his trap once as he took them all by surprise, and Miyako would be damned if she let her guard down again. They had to be prepared for anything. "He's probably trying to keep us from progressing any further ahead," she concluded, thinking over the most logical scenario why the gates were closing down.

"Then we must hurry before they close, come on!" Sanji called out for the group to hurry as they ran on.

"I shan't be kept from advancing that easily," Kin'emon exclaimed while his eyes burned with determination. Most certainly, it was the thought of his young son, Momonosuke, that kept him so single-minded, even if it meant swallowing his pride and fighting alongside women and pirates.

"Yes, certainly Caesar is scheming something again and we have to-" Miyako started, but trailed off when she noticed with the corner of her eye that one of their group members suddenly turned a wrong corner and started heading down a different corridor, in a completely wrong direction. By the stature of his wide shoulders and his green hair, Miyako could recognize it was the Pirate Hunter. "Wha! What are you doing, Roronoa-san!? That's not the right way!" She stopped and shouted after the man who, luckily, managed to hear her before completely getting lost. Miyako was almost at the loss of words as she couldn't even explain such poor orientation skills. How could someone get separated from the group when they were all right here by his side!?

"Whaaa! Zorooo, what are you doing at a time like this!?" Usopp yelled in panic, giving his nakama a look mixed with fear and accusation for wasting their precious time while they were in a hurry.

"Whoa!" Zoro uttered in surprised as he stopped dead in his tracks, before turning around and running back to the group. "Aren't we supposed to run down the corridor!?" He scratched his head in thought, watching the group suspiciously as if they were the ones moving the wrong way.

His expression soon changed, though, as the navigator of the Strawhats punched him on the back of his head. "Not _that_ corridor, _this_ one! The one we are all running in, you dumbass!" That woman was truly scary while angered; Miyako noted. It was better if the samurai girl was careful not to bring that rage upon herself.

As they ran on, Miyako could see her previous companion in the facility, Brownbeard, run beside her while carrying Usopp, Nami and even Robin on his back. He was already straining from all the physicality and Miyako remembered he was shot by one of the Yeti Cool Brothers not too long ago. The man had already experienced both a large physical and mental shock in only a few hours. Not only did he find out the truth about the Master of this place as he was betrayed by Caesar who showed him his true colors, but he was even wounded badly enough to be thought dead for a while. Yet, the Strawhats used him as a transportation service while running; Miyako sweat-dropped at that thought.

"We are always only running!" Next to Miyako, Kin'emon yelled out in annoyance, making the group turn their heads towards the samurai man.

"Are you complaining?" Zoro asked purposely, trying to catch the overly-prideful samurai in an uncharacteristic fashion.

Kin'emon almost chocked on his answer as he heard Zoro's subtle jab at him. "I am not! Samurai do not complain!"

Miyako scoffed rather loudly at that statement. "Oh yeah? Well I am openly saying; I'm tired of this running!" It was half out of annoyance, half out of simple childish spite that the girl countered the older samurai.

Before Kin'emon could respond, Brook chimed in. Even with his long legs, he was getting tired from the exercise. "Yoho! Well I am not a samurai so I can openly say…I'm sick of this!" The tall skeleton complained in a high pitched voice.

The Wano woman raised her eyebrow in wonder as she stared at the skeleton next to her. "How can you even be tired when you don't have any muscles to get sore?"

"How cruel!" Brook complained in a whine, before adding, "That's true, though. Yohohoho!"

_*Well at least the Strawhats are having fun even as they are all running for their lives,* _Miyako though with a sweat drop.

Behind them, even the peculiar, small dragon seemed overly exhausted, yet still kept clutching at Brownbeard's alligator tail desperately. Even the animal knew, by its instincts, that if it didn't run it would most surely die here.

"We don't have much more to go," Miyako assured them, trying to give everyone some motivation to keep on running just a little longer. The next thing she knew, however, was the blast that almost knocked her off her feet, blinding her eyes with the light of fire. Somewhere near them, a part of the wall exploded, sending debris and dust everywhere. Miyako coughed, feeling her eyes hurt and water from the smoke. She had to stop for a while, hearing the annoying buzzing sound in her ears that weakened her focus and balance. Someone suddenly grabbed her by the arm and she was about to draw her katana at them when she noticed it was Robin. The archeologist was opening her mouth, but Miyako heard no voice come out of it, as she could still only hear the wailing sound in her head. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she strained to hear Nico Robin's words. Little by little, her hearing started returning as she started picking up on snippets of Robin's voice. "_Wall….Gas!...Move!"_ The voice became clearer and Miyako could feel Robin tugging onto her arm and dragging her to make her keep moving forward.

"The wall exploded! The gas is coming in! We have to run!" Finally Robin's words reached her and Miyako's large eyes widened in shock. She glanced at the dust behind her, seeing there was now a gaping hole in the thick wall of the building. From it, purplish deadly gas was slowly oozing in, spreading everywhere.

The Strawhats' archeologist gave another tug to her arm before they both started running again, quickly catching up to the rest of the group. They could hear shouts and screams of terror behind them, but did not need to turn to know what was going on. The gas was slowly reaching the ones behind them, G-5 soldiers, and was petrifying them just like the victims they saw on the monitor earlier. However, nobody could afford to stop and save them, or even turn to look at the horror behind them, as the men were enveloped in the gas and turned into ghostly statues.

Miyako paid no heed to any sounds or her surroundings as she only kept her focus on the sight before her. She saw the large metal gates in front of them, almost closed entirely by now. She willed herself to go on, despite the pain in her muscles, gritting her teeth and running even faster. No matter how much her legs and side screamed in protest, she ignored the ache and continued on with the last of her strength.

The others of the group beside her were doing the same thing as she was, as they also ran with everything they got. Just a bit more…just a bit closer and they will be saved!

With her last strength, the samurai jumped forward just as the gates were closing slowly. Behind her she could hear screams and wails of alarm.

"I don't want to die!"

"Please, save me!"

Even the most brutal men of the G-5 force were now quivering in fear of death as the poisonous gas reached them. The screams were still echoing in Miyako's ears even as she passed the gates, towards safety.

As she jumped in, Miyako rolled onto the ground and stopped in a crouch, turning back towards the gates and the people they had to leave behind. The last to enter was Tashighi, the marine captain, who came flying in as if tossed.

"Captain-chan!" Some of the G-5 soldiers, who made it through, caught her but had to keep her in place as she struggled and yelled with tears in her eyes.

"No, wait! There are some of our men still out there! They…they saved me by sacrificing themselves!" Tashigi shouted, unable to calm down.

Everyone turned their attention to the sight on the other side of the closing gates, where the area was almost completely enveloped by the gas. Just before the doors closed, they could all see relieved and smiling faces on the white statues, as the solidified men died with their thumbs in approval and no regrets on their expressions. They sacrificed themselves for their captain's sake. A pang of guilt struck Miyako at the thought, making her gaze fall down to her , at that moment she remembered her master and his wise words from long ago, making her bite her lip. It was him that thought her never to look away from the harsh reality of things, no matter how hard it was to bare. Never run away from it! _*No! I shall not look away…I will gaze at this brave souls, and not look away from their dire fate.* _She looked up at the dead G-5 soldiers, her eyes searing with determination and respect for them, but also something else…anger. It was anger towards the people who did all this; Caesar , Monet, Vergo…they had to pay for all they did on Punk Hazard!

~….~

"You guys…." Brownbeard started grimly, his expression serious as he ran down the hallways. "Why are you all on me suddenly!? Get off and use your own legs!" The ex-pirate yelled angrily as he turned his head to watch the scene on his alligator back. The rest of the pirates were all sitting on him, relaxing their sore muscles while he had to do all the work and carry them.

"Even if you say that...it can't be helped," Usopp stated seriously with a sigh.

"Yes...I'm really sorry, please resist. There was no other choice. We were tired and walking would be too annoying," Zoro continued in all seriousness as if it was the most understandable reason in the world.

"That's the worst excuse I ever heard!" Brownbeard, naturally, wasn't swayed by that explanation in the slightest. "Get down!"

"It's seriously too hot to wear a coat here in the facility," Zoro muttered, taking off his grey winter coat and revealing the Wanokuni-styled clothes underneath.

"You might need it later," Robin noted, sounding like a mother warning her child not to catch a cold.

"Aah, I wish we had some green tea with us," Miyako sighed, sitting on the edge of Brownbeard's behind, with her hands neatly in her lap. She, like the rest of the group, was thankful for this small opportunity to rest after all that running not too long ago. Luckily, they managed to escape the deadly gas that chased them, but their mission was far from over…it was only starting.

"You're too relaxed! Get ooooff!" A vein on Brownbeard's forehead popped as the man raged, still running with the extra weight of eight people on top of him.

"More importantly, I don't care much for those marines but I hope that captain-dono will be fine. She seemed quite shaken because of the loss of her men," Miyako sighed again at the memory of Tashigi screaming and crying for her men that were left behind. Even if there was nothing she could have done, the marine woman clearly felt responsible for their lost lives.

"Heh," Zoro hummed with a grin on his face. "I doubt she's so weak to be defeated by simply that," he commented. "And if she is, then she should've stayed home where it was safe, rather than becoming a marine captain," he added.

"I don't even know if those were words of encouragement or just a cruel statement," Nami watched the swordsmen with the corner of her eyes as she commented impassively.

"I would say the women here are far stronger than they appear to be," even Kin'emon admitted though a mutter. He kept his gaze down, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze after he admitted such an embarrassing idea in his mind. Still, it was hard to not see that fact after experiencing some of Nami's punches and kicks first hand, as he did.

Miyako, however, raised an eyebrow with interest as she watched him. Her lips pulled into a small smirk from his words. Perhaps the stubborn samurai was actually embracing different ideas than the ones he was so used to; he was in a completely different culture now, after all. "Well now, be careful, Kin'emon-dono…or you might actually learn something new here," she teased him, crossing her arms on her chest with a pleased expression on her face.

The other samurai scoffed at the woman's words. "I still do not feel quite right with the likes of thee, Suzune Miyako. I cannot acknowledge you as one of the samurai," he turned to her with a severe expression as he watched her. His gaze was telling her that there were some things he could not stand for, no matter how different their worlds were now.

Miyako, however, had a blank expression on her face as she returned Kin'emon's gaze. "I do not need you to acknowledge me, samurai-dono. My way of the sword doesn't involve you in the slightest after all, so why should I care about your opinion? I have seen the likes of _you_, all my life. If I were to be stopped just because they would not acknowledge me, I would still be back in Wano pouring tea and sewing goblen art." She returned Kin'emon's own words to him with ease, not even slightly shaken by his lack of acceptance. He was a stubborn and prideful man, that much was obvious, so she wasn't in the least surprised that a man, a samurai no less, from Wano would think of her like this. Still, she would be damned if she would show him even a glimpse of hurt in her expression about his words. Never once in the past did she let them see how painful her road truly felt for her as she wanted to become one thing that none would let her; a kenshi. She swore a long time ago, still a child, that she would not let any cynics and skeptics see her ache as she struggled on with determination to learn the way of the sword. She would only show them all the fruits of her labor and the strength that she acquired. If she was more skillful and better than the man wielding a katana in Wano, than they would have no right to look down on her. However, Miyako soon realized her childish thoughts were too naïve and as she fought on, struggled and grown, she soon realized it did not matter; even if she became better, it did not make the others acknowledge her. It only made the women look at her more strangely as if she was a deviant and made the men more bitter. Miyako soon realized no skill could cover the fact that she was a woman fighting with a katana in Wanokuni. Yet her master still supported her, even when he knew how much she will suffer by the path she chose for herself. Other in their household thought it cruel of him, but Miyako only ever felt grateful for it…for giving her a chance. For being the only one to truly acknowledge her and believe in her potential.

She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts as a person next to her quickly stood up. She looked up to see Sanji standing beside her, with his expression clouded by his blonde hair. Something seemed off about him, though. She couldn't quite pinpoint it yet, but the usually lovey-dovey personality he had was gone and replaced by something darker…more sinister. "Sanji-san..?"

"A lady is crying…," his voice was soft as he started. It made Miyako and the others strain to hear him as he continued to mumble something under his breath.

"Eh? What was that Cook?" Zoro frowned in question.

Sanji glared up, watching something far behind them that none other could see, as his eyes went ablaze with spirit. "I can hear the tears of a woman falling! Dammit, who dares make a lady cry!?" He clanked his fist in the air as he shouted angrily, completely ignoring the group's questioning stares. In a second, the cook jumped off of Brownbeard's back and started sprinting back towards the direction they just came from. "Whooo! Wait for me, miss, for I will save youuuu!"

"Whoa! What are you doing, Sanji?!" Usopp exclaimed as the blonde pirate simply jumped off, ignoring them completely. "That's the wrong way!"

Robin blinked a few times in wonder, but then shrugged. "Let him go, it can't be helped," she concluded with a smile.

"What a strange man," Kin'emon commented softly, and Miyako nodded by his side as she watched Sanji disappear. Finally, the two agreed on something.

"Good riddance…stupid Cook," Zoro sighed with a shake of his head. He didn't even want to know what that blonde was up to now, but he could clearly feel the dark aura of another person coming from the back, getting a good idea about where Sanji was heading.

Brook simply laughed in amusement, already used to his comrade's peculiar behavior.

However, some of the members of the group stared silently after Sanji and whatever else was there at the moment. The ones with observant haki could clearly feel the dangerous aura coming from there…there was something dangerous coming after them.

"Well Sanji-kun can handle it. As for us, we should probably do something about that thing follow us," Robin's tone was perfectly calm even as she pointed at the small green dragon flying after them with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He was about to attack them.

The dragon soared down onto them, flapping his large wings. Kine'mon and Miyako both stood up abruptly, unsheathing their katana. Usopp even prepared his slingshot. However, the one who stepped forward was Brook.

"Leave this to me, my friends," he called out and grabbed his cane which was also the thin sword the musician used. He stepped forward in front of the group, keeping perfect balance on his long feet while Brownbeard continued to run.

The dragon bared his teeth and let out a shrieking sound to try and frighten his prey before it went to devour them. Easily, it reached Brownbeard and opened its large maws to bite into Brook, who was the closest, when the beast suddenly stopped. It swung its large wings in the air to keep itself steady as it observed the skeleton for a while before huffing smoke form its nostrils with a disappointed expression.

Everyone gaped at the sight, but the one mostly shocked and offended appeared to be Brook.

Finally, Usopp's loud laughter broke the silence as the sniper fell down onto his back and started rolling onto Brownbeard's back while clutching his stomach. "Bahaha, even the dragon doesn't want to eat just bones!" He had to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes as he continued to laugh.

The laughter seemed to only make Brook angrier as his hollow eye sockets narrowed in a glare. "How offensive! Am I not good enough for you!?" The skeleton yelled at the dragon that seemed to have completely given up on Brook by now. Instead, the dragon started destroying everything around the building, even breathing fire inside the room. It was too dangerous to let him keep at it, as it could destroy the facility and even the walls, letting the gas inside. The musician took out his thin sword, preparing for a strike. "I will have you know, bones are filled with calcium and other nutrient things!"

"Wait, I shall deal with this dragon, for I have a quarrel of my own with this beast," Kin'emon suddenly interfered, standing beside Brook with his katana out.

"No, didn't you see how that dragon looked at me all disappointed! I insist to deal with this dragon," Brook argued with the samurai.

"What are thee saying?! Thee should retreat!" Kin'emon countered.

"No, I'll do it!"

"I shall!"

"I will!"

Miyako rolled her eyes at them both. "If you continue with this argument, then I'll just do it," she started, but was interrupted as both got in her face at once.

"No way!" Both Kin'emon and Brook argued sternly at her suggestion, leaving her to put her hands up in defense, trying to calm them both.

Zoro simply grinned at the scene, completely relaxed and lying on his back as he didn't seem bothered by the fire-breathing dragon at all. Then again, the swordsman already took down a much larger dragon guarding the fiery part of Punk Hazard so this little animal was nothing to be bothered about in comparison.

Meanwhile, as the two were still arguing noisily, Nami was already on the move, using her tempo to create large black clouds that were rising in the atmosphere and floating around the dragon now.

"What's that?" Usopp blinked as he saw the navigator creating thunder clouds before she started muttering to herself while preforming some strange hand gestures. "Are you trying to be a ninja now," he joked.

Everyone became quiet as the dragon accidentally bumped into one of the clouds, getting electrocuted by a lightning bolt. The crackling sound of lightning filled the air as the beast got fried. Usopp took the opportunity to shoot out his own attack, sending another of his seeds flying towards the animal. All of a sudden, a large flower bloomed from the seed, sticking itself right into the dragon's snout. The beast started struggling with muffled noises of protest from the smelly flower. The dragon was momentarily stunned, giving Robin a chance to act as she used her devil fruit powers to sprout arms on the dragon and twist its wings so it could not fly away or dodge.

"It's falling! I'll stop it!" Brook prepared his sword.

"No, leave it to me!" Kin'emon shouted, preparing his katana.

As a last attempt to fight back, the dragon opened his wide jaws and fire spurted out. Flames hot enough to melt skin and bones shot towards Brownbeard and the group.

"Get behind me, Lord Corpse!" Kin'emon jumped and with one swift slash of his sword, cut right into the fire. A large explosion occurred, but the fire split in half and disappeared, not reaching the group.

Miyako blinked in wonder, as she had to admit what she witnessed right now was truly astonishing. "He cut fire," she muttered in awe. In the past, she was able to protect herself from the fire by spinning her katana so fast it created a shield of wind that prevented the fire from reaching her, but never before did she have the chance to actually cut into the flames. She wondered if she would even be able to do such a task…probably not without some sort of special training.

To finish it off, both Brook and Kin'emon jumped into the air, both using their own attacks to slash the dragon, which fell unmoving to the ground. It was fried, its senses confused, and now even cut down. The group cheered at the sight, leaving Brook and Kin'emon to stay behind to hit the dragon a few more times as if letting out their frustrations on the beast.

"Hurry up and come back, you guys," Brownbeard called out through his pants. He was already exhausted from running.

"Look!" Nami suddenly exclaimed and pointed at the bridge above them.

Miyako's whole body stiffened as her mouth fell agape and her golden eyes widened in shock. "What…what sort of monster is that?" On the bridge, a gigantic monster with sharp, long horns and, strangely-enough, a hat, was raging. It let out an ear-piercing call that was enough for anyone to have their blood run cold in their veins after hearing it. At better inspection, Miyako noticed the monster was pinning down the children from the facility, easily holding even the large ones in its enormous hands. "What is it doing to the children!?" Rachel's smiling face was the first thing that popped into Miyako's mind, making her heart clench in worry. The woman hastily stood up and prepared to take out her katana, ready to strike the creature down even from her spot bellow.

"Wait," Zoro's hands on her shoulder stopped her from drawing her sword. "It's Chopper, and he's not dangerous," he explained simply, in only few words necessary.

Still, Miyako was completely puzzled and she furrowed her eyebrows at him. How could that thing be Doctor-san? She saw the small reindeer before and he looked nothing like this. "But the children…" She started, but then realized something was strange. She focused on the scene above them, noticing that the large creature wasn't really attacking or hurting the children, but was trying to stop them. On the other hand, the children were going completely berserk, attacking Chopper with hands, feet or anything in sight. "The side effects of the drug," Miyako whispered in realization.

"In any case, we need to help Chopper, come on!" Nami called out and the group jumped off of Brownbeard.

Miyako found the stairway leading up the to the bridge, leading the others there. "We need to calm them down, somehow!"

"What is happening here?!" Kin'emon exclaimed in bewilderment as he saw dozens of raving children running around blindly. "Perhaps, Momonosuke is in this group of children as well!" With newfound hope, the samurai started running around, searching for his son amongst the kids.

The mention of the Wano boy's name reminded Miyako of an important information she was yet to tell Kin'emon. She didn't know if it was the truth, but it was worth looking into. "That's right, Kin'emon-dono, I heard something about Momonosuke-kun from one of the children," she started.

"What have thee heard?" The samurai raised his eyebrow in wonder.

"She told me Momonosuke turned into a dragon. I think he ate one of Caesar's artificial zoan fruits and couldn't control the power."

"He what? A…a dragon!? Why did thee not tell me sooner! Why did thee let me cut him down! Fates be damned, what have I done?" Kin'emon started yelling in panic, already turning on the heels of his feet.

Miyako blinked in confusion at his sudden change. *_Cut who down?* _Before she had a chance to ask, Kin'emon was already running towards the way they came. "Hey, you can't go back there!" She tried to stop him, but it was no use as the samurai sprinted away while shouting nonsense about cutting down dragons.

"What happened to Samurai-san?" Brook stepped closer to her, looking at the running man.

Suddenly, it hit her and the girl face-palmed at the realization. _*He thinks the green dragon from earlier was Momonosuke-kun. But that dragon was just one of the experiments from Punk Hazard, it's not Momonosuke!* _With a sigh, she turned to the skeleton. "Skeleton-san, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course my Lady, I would help you in any way." The pirate skeleton bowed down gallantly, taking her hand in his bony one.

"Go after Kin'emon-dono and bring him back. He thinks the dragon we killed is his son, but he's mistaken. Just get him back here," she pleaded.

"I understand! I am right on it!" The skeleton smiled and didn't even bother using the stairs to climb back down from the bridge. Instead, he simply jumped down and landed on his feet easily, as if he was completely weightless. "Wait for me, samurai-saaan!" Brook yelled and ran after the man.

Miyako watched the pirate leave, hoping he will be on time before something dire happens. They had to reach the R-66 doors soon or they would be left behind. They didn't have time to run around the facility like this. Even so, there was another matter at hand and the samurai girl focused back her attention on the running children at the bridge.

Even as Robin tried to stop them with her abilities, sprouting large hands in their way, they kicked and hit her with pipes and wooden boards, escaping passed her. They were unable to be stopped nor reasoned with. Robin clicked her tongue in pain from their attacks, forcing her to retreat. "They're so violent," she commented.

Miyako tried her best to stop them, but without hurting them it seemed impossible. "Please, stop! Wait!" She grabbed one child, but the boy struggled and bit down on her hand, making her yelp in pain and let him go. A gigantic child ran passed her, colliding with her shoulder and knocking her down on the ground. "Ah!" Miyako exclaimed in surprise as she was brought to the floor, feeling air rush out of her from the hit. With wide eyes she noticed a stampede of kids running her way, some of them much larger than she was. She quickly rolled to the side, avoiding their stomping feet. The kids didn't even notice her as they simply ran forward, in desperate search for the candy.

A small tap of feet echoed next to her and Miyako sat up before she noticed a familiar orange pony tail dancing as a small girl ran by. "Rachel!" The woman yelled and grabbed the girl's wrist to try and stop her.

The orange-haired girl turned towards her with an angry stare as if she only felt hate for whatever was trying to stop her from reaching the candy. She looked right at Miyako, but there was no realization in her eyes. No cheerful smile she would always bestow upon the samurai woman, no wondrous eyes as she would keep asking her questions. Not even the bright call of '_Miya-nee!_' that Rachel used for her. The girl's eyes were completely blank. Drool and foam dripped from the corner of her mouth as she growled like a wild animal.

"Let me go!" The girl struggled while shouting, trying to break free from Miyako's strong grip.

Still, the woman kept holding onto her wrist desperately, not caring even if it left bruises on the child afterwards. "Listen to me, Rachel! You can't! If you take anymore candies you'll overdose and die!" She tried to reach the girl, but her words were nothing but noise in Rachel's ears. It was no good.

The samurai could hear the noises of children and pirates behind her. Shouts of worry, along with screams of anger and despair coming from the delusional kids. Stomping of large feet was enough to shake the floor she was currently sitting on, while desperately holding this small girl's wrist. Her golden eyes were warm and pleading, but they only stared in Rachel's unrecognizing ones.

"No! NO!" Rachel shouted and started hitting Miyako on the fact with her one small fist. She opened her palm and scratched Miyako on the face, almost getting her eye. The woman had to dodge and her grip loosened, enough for the wild Rachel to break free and escape.

"Rachel, no!" She was about to follow after her, when a familiar chill ran down her spine and she felt the aura of that harpy near them. *_Monet! She's here!* _Miyako instantly remembered her quest as her heart was still in Monet's possession, and her golden eyes darkened dangerously. She could hear Usopp's high pitched scream as the others noticed the bird woman as well.

Monet was in the Biscuits Room, waiting for the children with open wings while hovering above the ground. For Miyako, everything stood still and silent all of a sudden. Even as the chaos was still raging on around her, all her senses were now focused on one target right in front of her; the harpy woman. Through that engulfing pressure, a fuzzy voice over the intercom reached everyone's ears. It was a message for Caesar by one of his henchmen, but the public line den den mushi made all the other intercoms transfer the voice all around the facility.

"Master! Trafalgar Law has entered Building D! He is in the SAD production room!"

Miyako looked up at one of the intercoms, focusing on the message. A small, satisfied smile tugged on her lips at what she heard. _*Good, so you made it Law.* _Now, the destruction of the SAD tank was only in Law's hands._ *Which means, I need to take care of my own business as well.* _Her smile instantly disappeared as she lowered her head again, gazing once more at the form waiting for them at the entrance of the Biscuits Room.

"We need to stop that woman," Miyako muttered in a dark tone.

"Hm? Who's that?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, seeing a harpy-looking woman staring at them with sharp eyes. She watched them like a hawk waiting for its pray to come to it before it snaps its claws around the other animal's neck.

"We need to go after the children, hurry!" Chopper, who was finally back to his normal form, but unable to move from the exhaustion, exclaimed.

The group of children followed the one girl carrying all the candy who was desperately running towards the Biscuits room and Monet. Perhaps she didn't yet know Monet's role in all this and naively thought the woman would help her. However, that was hardly the case.

Mocha ran over to Monet, practically in tears as she panted, clutching onto that large bag of candies. "Monet, please help! If they eat these candies, they'll get even sicker!"

Monet flew down onto the ground right before Mocha, examining the girl with her keen stare. She clicked her tongue while chuckling, stepping closer to the child. With every step, her sharp claws scrapped the ground, making a sickening sound. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…Now, now, Mocha, you shouldn't be a bad girl. You should share the candy with everyone." Her expression was still smiling as she moved closer to the girl, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Her smile was cold and never reached her eyes, only making it frightening rather than reassuring.

Mocha finally realized something was wrong and started inching backwards with fearful eyes, away from Monet. She felt a chill from the woman's stare on her, making her shiver in panic. Unconsciously, she protectively pulled the bag of candies closer to her chest.

Monet did not stop as she stepped closer and closer to the girl with every movement. She was about to corner the girl, rising one wing that suddenly hardened, making the edge glisten with its sharpness. "You know what happens to bad children, don't you Mocha?" Monet mocked while still feigning a soothing tone. She reveled in the sight of a shivering mess the girl became as the poor child had nowhere else to run. There was a wall behind her now, and she stood right before Monet's wing which was about to slash down on her. Monet showed no hesitation or remorse in her yellow eyes as she swung down with a cold expression.

Mocha closed her eyes, expecting a blow that surprisingly never came. She opened her eyes slowly, almost scared to look, seeing a shadow in front of her. Her eyes grew wide, but a relieved smile appeared on her face. "Miyako-oneechan!"

Standing between the harpy and her prey, Miyako had her katana unsheathed and was blocking Monet's wing from slicing into Mocha. "Mocha-chan, take those candies and run. Go!"

With a light nod, the girl listened and started running passed Monet and to the other side of the room where the exit was.

The harpy narrowed her eyes darkly at Miyako. "What do you think you're doing, Suzune-kun?" Her tone was light and smooth, but it was obvious that was only a mask concealing her true character.

The Strawhats ran into the Biscuits Room, after the children, when they noticed Miyako clashing weapons with the bird monster. "Nice one, Miyako! Just keep her busy," Usopp gave her a thumbs up, though he was mostly relieved that having the samurai deal with Monet meant the scary harpy won't be coming after them instead.

"I'm not letting you go after them," Miyako responded to Monet's threatening gaze with a cold tone of her own. She was just about to give the harpy a finishing blow with her haki, knowing full well their skills were miles apart, when her chest started throbbing with a piercing pain. Her eyes fluttered in pain as she remembered the reason behind her pain, yet was unable to do anything about it. Still clutching onto her katana, Miyako fell forward onto her knees, doubling over.

Monet chuckled, licking her lips in glee. "Fufu. Have you forgotten, Suzune-kun? As long as I have _this_, you are completely helpless against me." She showed the girl's own heart between her bird-like claws. "Now stop being a nuisance, and die," she added, about to cut Miyako's head off with her wing. "Skin katana!"

The girl bit her lip enough to bleed so she would be able to resist the pain momentarily, jumping sideways and rolling onto the ground to avoid Monet's slash. As she raised in a crouch, she saw a shadow pass her and Zoro appeared before her, cutting his two swords at the harpy just as Monet was about to attack Miyako again.

"What's going on here?" Zoro glanced between Miyako on the ground and Monet who was leering at the girl viciously.

The samurai girl was able to breathe again as Monet stopped pressing onto her heart, too busy with the swordsman to pay attention to it at the moment. Through her pants, Miyako explained, "She has something of mine and it's preventing me to fight with her. She won't fight fairly, this one…of that I'm certain." she glowered at Monet who flapped her wings to fly backwards and away from Zoro's reach.

Monet's snake eyes darter in the direction of the shouts as she heard the rest of the Strawhats calling after Mocha and the children. Glancing once more at Miyako, Monet licked her lips in excitement. "I will deal with you later." With that she started disappearing into thin air, turning into nothing more than soft flakes of white snow that scattered around the room.

"What the-?" Zoro clutched his two katana, but didn't even know where to look as the snow swirled around the room.

"She's a logia! She's going after the kids!" Miyako warned the other swordsman, already expecting Monet's next move.

As predicted, the bird woman reappeared before Robin, Nami and Chopper, with an ice-pick in one of her clawed legs.

"Kyaaa!" Nami grabbed Chopper's body to protect herself, using him as a shield while the poor reindeer couldn't move due to his recent transformation.

The pirate doctor yelled along, staring at the incoming weapon with shocked eyes of dread. "Don't use me as a shield, Namiiii!"

Just before it hit its mark, piercing through both pirates, Zoro once again appeared out of nowhere and stopped Monet's attack with his swords. "Oy…Why are you going after the weak ones?"

"Damn," Monet chuckled in amusement. She acted like she was simply playing around with them, not even serious yet. Even so, she held no hesitation in her as she planned to kill all of the intruders here.

Miyako sighed in relief as Roronoa made it in time. She grabbed her sword again and stood up, glaring at the bird woman. The kids were already out of the room and Nami managed to monetarily stop Monet with her attack. However, Miyako felt a chill as the atmosphere in the room changed. She could feel the tension with her senses as Monet's whole demeanor suddenly changed and became darker. Again, she changed her form into that of snow, surely going after the Strawhats who were just about to exit the Biscuits room and follow the kids.

The santoryu user cursed under his breath as he lost the bird woman again. "She dived into the snow! You bitch, do you have any intention to fight?!" He yelled, searching around the room for Monet's presence.

"I won't let you," Miyako muttered darkly, her usual bright golden eyes a dark color now. She could see the exit being blocked by a thick layer of snow while Nami was slowly enveloped into the same cold snow that rendered her immobile. The snow started forming and changing, lifting itself until a shape started appearing right behind the navigator. A woman was forming, but her features were distorted as the snowy jaws unhinged, showing rows of thin and sharp teeth. It was a form Miyako never saw on Monet before.

"I won't let you follow the children!" Even her voice was different, much gruffer, as the snow woman spoke in anger. She bit down towards Chopper, who was still in Nami's hands, but the navigator quickly moved him away to dodge the attack.

"_Quatro mano; Spunk!"_ Nico Robin crossed her hands to use her powers, sprouting four large arms in front of her nakama and smashing their palms right into Monet's form. Even if she was dangerous, she was still only snow and crumbled like a fragile snowman under a child's boot.

Miyako used that time to run towards the clogged exit, and with one slash of her katana, cut the thick layer of snow down. It crumbled into the heap, opening up the doors for the Strawhats' escape. "Everyone, quickly go through!" She turned back towards the snow logia who was once again shaping herself back to her original form. With narrowed eyes, Miyako continued in a low tone, "I have unfinished business with this one."

"Suzune!" Monet yelled in anger as she started turning back to her human form. However, she collected herself and gave the Strawhats a vicious smile. "This is troubling…The children are master's precious experiments and my mission is to protect Caesar and his experiments. You are interfering with my mission." She flapped her wings again, floating above the ground as her gaze trailed from one person to the other.

Miyako clicked her tongue as she stepped between Monet and the Strawhats with both her hands clutching her sword. "Ignore her and go on, guys. I won't let her come after you." Even as she spoke, her eyes stayed solely focused on the enemy above her. She smirked at the other woman darkly while she spoke, "I still owe you for how _nicely_ you treated me, Monet. Now I can finally return the favor," she said sarcastically.

Monet gave a smirk of her own as her mocking stare pierced through Miyako. "Now, now, don't tell me you hold a grudge? That's not cute at all," she taunted.

Behind Miyako, Nami, with Chopper in her arms, and Robin ran towards the exit. "Thanks, Miyako-chan! We leave this to you then!" They disappeared through the exit of the Biscuits Room.

Zoro, however, walked over and stopped not far from the samurai girl. Miyako blinked in confusion as she stared at the swordsman. "What are you waiting for? You should go ahead too, leave her to me."

Still, Roronoa stayed in his place, unmoving. "Even if you say that, this woman has something on you, right? That's why you doubled over in pain before…you can't fight with her on equal terms."

Miyako scowled at his words, cursing his sharp senses. He was absolutely right, though. "That's…true. But even so, I have no intention of losing," she argued.

Zoro looked back at the exit lazily, even though there was no sign of Nami and the others anymore. "If she passes through, Chopper and the rest will be in danger again. They need to focus on those kids, right?" He said nothing more, but his insinuation was perfectly clear nonetheless. He wanted to stay here and make sure Monet doesn't go after his friends again, which meant he didn't trust Miyako enough to stop Monet on her own.

That realization was frustrating for Miyako as she felt like he was underestimating her, but she could also understand his point of view; He didn't know her nor her abilities. Also, he saw Monet could hurt her easily since she had Miyako's heart. Lastly, he needed to protect his friends. Because of all these reasons Miyako couldn't bring herself to be angry at him, since she would most likely do the same if she was in his position.

Finally the samurai girl sighed in defeat. "She has my heart…I have to get it back," she admitted, casting a glance at the swordsman.

The swordsman quirked his eyebrow at her in wonder. "You heart…? As in…you're in love with her so much it hurts so you can't fight her?"

If Miyako would ever feel the piercing pain of being hit by an arrow, she was sure it would feel exactly like this moment. His words struck deep, making her experience utter outrage from the disgusting notion of her loving Monet. The feelings she had for the harpy were so far from love, just the thought of it made her shiver from the atrocity. It took her a while to collect herself and regain her voice, remembering that Zoro didn't know anything about Law's ope ope powers and his deal with Caesar concerning her heart. "Literally! I meant; she literally has my heart and she can crush it! Just the organ!"

Zoro grinned as if interested in this development. "Is that so?" He took a stance, preparing himself for a fight with his two swords.

"If you're done chatting, I'm about to kill you now," Monet chimed in a ringing voice, her one wing twisting and sharpening once again. "Snow sword!"

Miyako leaped at her, but the bird woman grabbed her heart and squeezed harshly, making the samurai fall to the ground with her face buried in the snow, while screaming in pain.

The harpy slashed at Zoro who blocked her attacks easily, both of them stopping in a standstill. Monet chuckled in amusement, licking her upper lip again. "For a while now you have only been stopping my attacks, but haven't pointed your blade at me. You know, I didn't think I could win against you, but…that might not be the case after all," her voice rang in interest, as she leered at the man.

The samurai girl managed to get back to her feet, her mind rushing as she frantically thought of a strategy to get her heart back and beat Monet. _*It's no use just attacking her openly. She can squeeze my heart until I die, and I won't even be able to get close. Even if I struggle to ignore the pain, after a while it becomes unbearable. I need to find another way.*_ She glanced up at Zoro and the woman who were still clashing weapons, but the man only kept blocking Monet's attacks and kept her away from Miyako. He didn't try and attack first even though Miyako was certain the swordsman could easily overpower the woman. _*What's with him? Why isn't he finishing her off?* _Miyako frowned in confusion, thinking Zoro has some mysterious plan, but even after a while nothing happened.

New voices traveled towards the Biscuits Room while a thumping of footsteps neared closer to them. "Find the kids and let them get away from this place! There's no one here! Why is it so cold here!?"

_*Marines?*_ Miyako clicked her tongue in annoyance because of her bad luck. She really didn't need marines to attack them and slow them down while they were already dealing with this snow woman.

Roronoa and Monet also turned their heads, momentarily stopping their fight to glance at the direction of the voices.

Yet the first one to step into the room, running like all hell was behind him, was the blonde cook of the Strawhats. "Chaaaarge!" Sanji was yelling, leading dozens of marines who followed him suit.

Miyako blinked in bewilderment. Sanji was the last one she'd expect leading the G-5, but there he was, appearing like a rightful leader of the group. "Sanji-san?"

"Why are you in command!?" Even Zoro was taken aback by the sight, completely forgetting his fight with the harpy for a moment.

One of the marines noticed the three people in the snow-covered room and notified Sanji of it, "Bro! There's no sign of the kids, but Pirate Hunter Zoro is here!"

The cook scowled in annoyance, muttering to himself about Zoro being conceited. Suddenly, he turned around to the marines and started shouting orders, "Alright men! Pull out those lower lips and make fun of him!" Together with the marines, Sanji pulled on his lower lip and started making mocking faces at the swordsman. The whole scene looked as if a dozen 10-year old children were running by.

Miyako, Zoro and even Monet sweat dropped at the sight, completely focused on this new development now. "I wish they would slip on the snow, hit their heads and die…," the santoryu user muttered. Zoro sighed before he started speaking, while pointing at the direction of the exit behind him. "Nami and Robin went that way. You're a nuisance so get on with it," he reported in a monotone tone.

"Oh, even though you're an idiot, that's some good info," Sanji exclaimed. He then turned his head and noticed Miyako standing there as well. His eyes instantly changed into love hearts as he grinned at her goofily. "Oh, Miyako-chan's here too! Miyako-cwaaan, take caaaare!" He turned back to Roronoa, his expression completely changing into a glare suddenly, "Oy, shitty swordsman, you better take care of Miyako-can! If something happens to her, I'll kick your ass!"

Miyako could only smile anxiously at the sight, giving Sanji a light wave, still sweat-dropping at his constant change of behavior.

Zoro just groaned in annoyance, rubbing the back of his head. "I get it, I get it, just leave already," he complained.

"Whoa, wait a moment!" Sanji stopped in his tracks suddenly, his feet sliding across the slippery snow. "Who's this beautiful lady?!"

The group of marines called out in sounds of admiration as they stared at the harpy woman, who suddenly stiffened as if unsure how to react to this new issue.

"She's so pretty!"

Eh? But look, she's not human…she's a harpy!"

"But if you take that out, she's still totally sexy!"

"Bewitching beauty!"

A snapping sound came from Zoro as his forehead's vein popped out from irritation. "You guys are really annoying so hurry the hell up and go!" He shouted in anger, though seemed to be completely ignored by the admiring marines and the foolish love cook. Meanwhile, Monet was still restless, but started blushing from the compliments even as she tried to conceal it by putting a wing over her face. "And why the hell are you so weak to compliments!?" He turned towards the harpy, even more irritated now.

Miyako nodded seriously with her eyes closed, her knowing expression showing that she knew the answer to that one as she crossed her arms on her chest. "It is because Monet is actually very conscious about her harpy appearance," Miyako explained, gaining a few interested 'Ooohs' from the crowd. The samurai girl still remembered Monet's shock after losing her limbs that were then replaced by these animal ones. At that time even Miyako felt a bit awkward around Monet, not mentioning the change since she could feel the woman's dismal mood about it.

"I don't care about that!" Zoro yelled, targeting his frustration towards Miyako now.

Still, the change of pace and Zoro's shouts managed to get Monet back on track as she pulled herself together. Slowly, her body started forming back into snow again. "W-Who are you people?" Gradually her embarrassment was being replaced by malevolence. "Anyone who wants to take away the children…I can't forgive!" Just as before, she built a form between her human and snow shape, truly appearing as a snow woman. Her deadly teeth glistened as she appeared right before one of the marines, biting into his shoulder viciously.

"Gyaaah!" The man shrieked in pain, struggling to escape from her jaws, only to fall back with a freezing wound on his shoulder. With shock, he and all his comrades stared at the gaping hole where his shoulder once was. The wound was red from frozen blood, but there wasn't even any blood dripping or spurting from the large wound as everything stayed frozen from Monet's bite. "My shoulder! Gaah! What happened!?"

The previous strangely cheerful atmosphere was completely erased as the marines noticed hostility in the woman, taking out their guns to shoot at her. Unfortunately, nothing helped as the bullets simply passed through the body of the logia user, before it mended back into her shape. Monet sneered at the men, ready to strike again, only to quickly fly back and dodge as a new person appeared before her.

Captain Tashigi stood tall and proud with her katana in her hands, shielding them from the harpy.

"She can use haki….?" Monet growled, her pervious smile wiped off from her face now.

"Captain-chaaan!" The marines cheered happily at the sight of their superior coming to their rescue.

"Tashigi-dono~!" Even Miyako cheered, with her hands clapped together in amazement, as she saw the woman holding her katana with both hands.

Once again, Zoro stared at the Heart Pirate in frustration and bafflement, "Why are even you cheering?!"

The dark-haired marine woman stepped forward cautiously, turning to Miyako and Zoro. "We managed to stop the gas at the entrance to this room for now, but it might come in from somewhere else again. We don't have time, so please all of you, chase those children with all you've got!"

The marines cheered, but one of the G-5 stopped smiling and thought for a second. "But captain, what about you?"

"I'm staying here," Tashigi stated in determination, giving Zoro a knowing stare that made him frown.

"What?" Both Samurai and the swordsman asked in unison, confused by this sudden turn of events.

~…~

Miyako couldn't help but stop and stare at the strange scene enfolding before her as she kept her eyes on Zoro and Tashigi. A drop of sweat dripped down her forehead at the two bickering inside the snow-filled room. _*Well…the G-5 went after the kids and that's good I guess, but….what's with this situation?*_

"You go too!" Zoro ordered the marine captain who had absolutely no intention of listening.

"I will not! I'm staying here," Tashigi argued. The stubborn look in her eyes clearly told them she had no intention of giving up on what she set out to do, but Miyako wasn't quite sure what that was yet.

"Ehh…I don't understand," finally the girl samurai deciding to cut in. "True, I need to get my heart back, but why do you think Roronoa-san here isn't enough for the likes of Monet?"

"Oy," the mentioned harpy warned, her eyebrow twitching in irritation at how Miyako spoke of her.

"Whatever! As a pirate, I'm free to take care of you first, right marine woman?!" Zoro obviously had enough of this charade and pointed his sword at Tashigi.

Miyako felt conflicted about this, not sure how to react. She knew Tashigi was a marine and therefore the enemy, but she finally found another swordswoman and didn't want to see her die already. The marine captain didn't seem like a bad person either, so Miyako really had nothing against her.

"You can't," Tashigi's bold statement clearly surprised everyone in the room.

"What?" Once again, both Miyako and Zoro asked in surprise. Only Monet stayed quiet, but chuckled softly, as if she was onto something, already realizing what this whole scene was about. It only made Miyako feel more clueless as she seemed to be the only one out of the loop here.

"You think women are weak and so you fight carelessly! Even though you won't lose, without delivering the finishing blow you won't win either! That's why I stayed behind! If I let this logia user chase after my subordinates, the damage will be enormous. You won't cut women, and so you can't win this fight!"

Miyako blinked at Zoro in query, silently asking if that was true, but his irked expression already told her everything. The swordsman's one good eye twitched in annoyance seeing Miyako's blank expression with her arms still crossed on her chest, sure that she was about to argue with him about his ways just like Tashigi always does.

"….." Miyako was speechless for a moment, before she sighed deeply and gave Zoro a completely disappointed look. At this point, she should've just called him an idiot outright because that's exactly what her gaze was telling him. She didn't look angry though. "So you don't cut women? Then why did you even stay behind to help me, acting all cool like that, when you couldn't beat Monet either? What good are you here then, anyway?"

Zoro's brow quivered in annoyance as he felt Miyako's every word pierce into him, right into his pride. At this rate, it would have been better if she was simply angry and yelling like the marine woman. Instead of being greatful for his help, the girl was giving him such a conceited speech. "Shut up! What's with that attitude!?" He argued back though Miyako's blank expression stayed the same, before she simply raised one eyebrow at him. Zoro's vein popped on his forehead again as he suddenly really _did_ get an urge to cut a woman. However, he was able to calm himself, taking a deep breath, so his annoyed expression was replaced by a smug grin. "Fine…" He glanced back at Tashigi as an idea came to mind. He strolled back to the wall and sat there, ignoring the cold feel of the snow beneath him. He simply rest against his katana while the three women watched him in confusion. "Do as you like. It was my job as well to not let this woman chase my comrades, so as long as I protect this corridor, I'm good," he explained. Since the marine woman was acting so high and mighty about this, why not let her show exactly what she was made of.

Miyako sighed at the pair that was still bickering. Both were just being stubborn. She shook her head in disbelief about the whole messy situation. Finally, she stepped forward, a mocking smirk on her expression as she stared at the swordsman. "So you won't cut women? Well aren't you a gentleman," she started. She stepped next to Tashigi, moving her katana in a better position. The almost white-looking steel glistened as it reflected the light of the room together with the snow around them. "It's quite insulting to someone like me, so don't expect me to feel grateful. In kenjutsu, your gender, age, or status doesn't matter. As soon as you draw your sword against someone it means you are prepared to kill or be killed. It's just two kenshi against each other; nothing else should matter." The girl smirked, a taunting glint in her eyes. "Still, if you have such a handicap, that's your own problem so I won't complain. If you underestimate your opponent, it's you who is going to get hurt because of it. That just makes it easier for them." Miyako looked back at the harpy, her expression changing into a cold one. "Right now, though, all I need is a chance to get my heart back so I really don't care who is it I work with between you two," she added.

Zoro grinned back at Miyako's words as he watched her with a challenging stare in his one eye. "Enough talk then. Just end it, I'm getting bored," he answered.

Hearing this, Monet grinned, licking her lips in anticipation.

"Your heart back?" Tashigi repeated in wonder.

The Wano girl nodded. "She has it, and I can't do much damage to her while she has this leverage over me, so I need to get it back first. I do have a plan though…but I'll need your help," Miyako smiled at the marine woman. She was wondering will the captain really help her, seeing as Tashigi was a marine and Miyako a pirate.

On the samurai's delight, Tashigi nodded with a stern expression. "I will! Then we can bring her down together!"

Zoro watched Miyako, a smirk appearing on his lips. It wasn't exactly a mocking scoff from hearing her words, but rather amusement by them. She was an interesting sort, who would rather use her opponent's nature as her strength than complain about it. He understood from her words right away; if they were to fight, she wouldn't show him one bit of mercy just because he would not cut women. Even if her opponent had a handicap, if she fought them seriously, Suzune wouldn't bring down her own skills to be at level with theirs. He had to admit, he was quite fond with that way of thinking. However, none of that mattered if she didn't have the skills to back up her words.

Miyako turned to Tashigi and whispered something in her ear just before Monet narrowed her eyes at the scene and leaped at them. "I won't let you hatch up a plan against me, I am not stupid!" She yelled out and used her ice pick weapons to attack Tashigi. The captain blocked with her sword, but at that moment Monet turned into snow and traveled behind the woman, reappearing in her snow woman form to bite at the marine with her sharp teeth. "Even if you can use haki, it won't help you if you can't match up to my speed!" She went to bite at the marine, but the other woman blocked, although barely.

Tashigi slashed at the snow but it was no use. The flakes simply swirled around her in the air, dodging her each cut as if they danced along the wind created by her blade. Monet reformed into her human form again and attacked Tashigi with her claws, scrapping the sharp nails at the metal of the sword. "Wha!" The captain exclaimed in surprise as Monet pushed her away easily.

The bird women grinned at Zoro for a second, "You're a cold one."

"I don't want to be told that by a snow woman," the swordsman responded, still resting on the ground. He had no intention of helping the struggling marine woman. Looking at Miyako, who was still standing and watching the fight from the sidelines, the swordsman raised an eyebrow. "What about you? I would think you would want to help her?"

Miyako gazed back at the Pirate Hunter and only gave him a wide smirk without a word, before retuning her attention back to Tashigi's fight. Still, there was something in her eyes as she looked at him…something he couldn't quite decipher, but was definitely telling him to wait and see.

_*It seems Tashigi-dono wants to prove herself so I'll let her…but I also need to wait for the perfect moment. It's not quite there yet,*_ Miyako thought, waiting patiently. Even so, her hand was clutching the hilt of Yawarakai-Te so hard, her fingers turned pale.

The fight between the Marine and Monet continued as the bird woman flew into the air, creating numerous snow rabbits and sending them flying down below. They appeared innocent enough, but were actually solidified and hard enough to break bones on contact. Even so, Tashigi fared well, using 'Sol' to move quickly across the area and dodge each snow rabbit with mere speed. As she moved, though, she walked right into Monet's trap as the harpy cornered her from above, sending a large blizzard that turned into a tornado towards Tashigi.

It was hard to see inside the spiraling blizzard, but Miyako's Kenbunshoku Haki could clearly tell. Suddenly her eyes darkened, the color of gold becoming colder in them. _*It's time.*_ Without a second thought, she leaped forward and towards the blizzard in front of her.

Tashigi screamed in pain, as Monet latched onto her shoulder with her teeth just as she did with the G-5 soldier previously. Still, the marine captain knew what she had to do…she couldn't let go. If she did, her shoulder will be completely torn off. So instead, she grabbed onto Monet's neck, not letting go of her. "Wh-what are you doing!?" Monet struggled but was unable to escape. That's when she noticed a glint of metal behind Tashigi's back and a silhouette entering the blizzard.

Monet's eyes widened as she noted it was Suzune, rushing towards them with her katana ready to swing. But that was absurd! If Miyako swung with her sword now, she would cut not only Monet, but also Tashigi! Even so, there was no hesitation in Miyako's steely eyes, no second thought as she ran forward. Monet stiffened as she realized the samurai was indeed going to kill them both. Panic struck her at the realization, seeing that that samurai wasn't bluffing. _*I need to get away!*_ Her only option was to turn into snow again, even if that meant letting go of Tashigi and not being able to rip away her shoulder. She cursed under her breath and formed back into flakes of snow, flying backwards. _*I will simply form into a human again and crush that woman's heart once and for all!*_

However, as Monet turned into the snow Miyako passed Tashigi and continued forward, right into the flying snow of the logia. The girl's eyes were focused on something, completely ignoring the snow around her. With her Observant haki she could clearly see through the snow, searching for one particular item. Finally, Miyako noticed it; her heart. In the middle of a twirling ball of snow, shaped to hold onto the cube, was Miyako's heart. The girl used her speed to rush forward, reaching out for it and grabbing the blue cube before Monet had the chance to change back and squeeze it again.

Monet grinned devilishly as she started turning back into her human form, only for her to stop in shock. "Where…? Where is it!? Where is the heart!?" She searched frantically, but there was no sign of Miyako's heart on her anymore.

Miyako stopped in her movement, her back still turned to the harpy, as she restored her heart back into her chest. The girl smiled as she finally felt whole again, sensing the soothing heartbeat inside of her.

"How!?" Monet shouted in complete outrage.

The samurai girl smirked at the other woman with a spiteful gaze in her eyes. "I just needed to wait for my chance till I could get close enough to you when you were in your logia form. Usually you would notice me and just use my heart, so you wouldn't have the need to turn into snow and leave my heart defenseless. But when you attacked Tashigi-dono, she immobilized you and put you in a tight position…you knew it was the only way for you to escape, but I knew that as well…so I made you turn into your logia form in order to escape from me. However, my heart isn't a part of your body so it would stay solid, and would be clearly visible to me for the taking…I just needed to be fast enough," she explained.

Miyako nodded to the marine captain as she prepared to make her move. "I thank you, Tashigi-dono, even though you got hurt I couldn't help you sooner….but now it's my turn to return the favor," she added.

Monet took a step backwards before flying into the air, a fearful gaze obvious in her snake-like eyes. "E-even so…don't act all haughty just because you got a little lucky! You simply took me by surprise this time, but you cannot match my speed when I'm in my logia form!" She started turning into snow again and rushed forward, the flakes swirling around the air to confuse her enemy.

"That is where you are wrong," Miyako murmured, leaping forward, right in front of the shape that started changing in Monet's snow-woman form. Monet tried to bite into Miyako with her teeth while she used both her wings to slice at the girl from each side. However, Miyako crouched to dodge both wings from beheading her as she rushed right into the snow woman. _'Ittouryu; Eight gates of the Dragon!' _Miyako used her haki, enveloping her katana in it, and slashed eight time at Monet with great speed; both sides of her torso, both shoulders, both sides of her thighs, the top of her head and finally the chest, all slashed in one fluid movement as Miyako passed her. The girl appeared behind her target, as blood spurted from the bird woman. The wounds made but this attack were always shallow since the attack focuses more on speed than strength, hitting all eight spots as fast at the warrior could. Still, it was enough to make the opponent sustain enough damage and blood loss to make him incapacitated.

Monet screeched in pain as she fell onto the ground, unable to move. Her snow form didn't help her one bit as Miyako easily cut through her with her haki. Suzune slowly sheathed back her katana as the blizzard around the room quieted down until it reached a halt. The final snow fell to the ground, making another carpet of white, before it stopped completely. A crimson shade of red started spreading through the snow, marring its pure white colors. Miyako breathed out slowly, watching the small fog exit her lips from the cold air around her. She turned to Tashigi, who was holding her injured, but thankfully whole, shoulder. "Are you alright, Tashigi-dono? We should take care of your wounds," she ran over to the woman to examine her injuries.

"Ah, thank you, I'll be fine though," Tashigi commented. She still looked a bit startled about everything that happened even though she knew Miyako would do something like this. After all, the samurai only whispered one thing in her ear; "Try to immobilize her, even if it's for only one second.' And indeed, one second was enough for the girl to take back her heart and completely beat the harpy in one move. And yet, now she was smiling cheerfully at Tashigi as if the recent events were of no consequences, and as if Tashigi wasn't actually her enemy. The marine captain could only blink at the strange Wano girl perplexingly.

"It was quite smart that you didn't let her go when she bit into you. It was amazing that you could react so quickly and rationally even under such stress. Most people would pull away on reflex," Miyako commented. The words didn't sound arrogant coming from the one who just easily finished that fight, but rather there was only an approving tone in them.

"Well…Thank you?" Tashigi really felt quite embarrassed at the moment, even getting compliments from her enemy now. Her confusion was broken when she noticed a large shadow building behind Miyako. Tashigi widened her eyes, realizing that Monet was dragging herself towards them and managed to take one of her ice picks to try and pierce Miyako from behind. "Look out!"

The polite expression on Miyako's face completely changed in an instant as it was replaced by a deadly one. She already had a hand on the hilt of her katana, ready to pull it out and finish the job, but it was unnecessary. She could feel the other presence approaching and Monet didn't stand a chance against it.

The harpy noticed the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro, standing in front of her, unsheathing his katana slowly. Suddenly she realized she could not even move before his piercing presence. It was as if her legs went numb as she watched him walk over to her. _*Wh-what is this?! I can't move!* _She started to panic, seeing the wild look in his one eye.

"When you realized you were no match for us, you should have run. Sure, I have some things I don't want to cut but…have you ever encountered a wild animal that you can guarantee will _never_ bite a person?" He took out his one katana, deeming it enough to finish this fight. No…this fight has finished long before this anyway. However, he needed to extinguish that last bit of will to fight in Monet once and for all. "Because, I haven't," he finished, rushing forward. _"One sword style; Great Dragon Movement!"_

He slashed the bird woman horizontally, splitting her body perfectly in the middle. Both Miyako and Tashigi stood there with their mouths agape at the sight, wondering if they had underestimated this swordsman after all.

Roronoa then turned to the two remaining girls, sheathing back his katana safely. "Are you satisfied, you two?"

The two were just about to respond when they heard deep panting from the presumed-to-be-dead woman. Monet was still split in half, fruitlessly trying to literally pull herself together, only to fall into a heap of snow once more. She could not regain her human form at all. "A-are you…making…fun of….me?!" however, this time it was truly over. Her previous injuries made by Miyako were too deep, and the fear she felt when thinking she was about to die, gave her such a mental shock that she couldn't recover. Both physically and mentally, Monet was beaten. With a thud the woman fell onto the ground, unconscious.

"No way, you didn't use haki!" Tashigi exclaimed in bewilderment. "In the end, I was right! You couldn't deliver the finishing blow," she complained.

Miyako shrugged, walking next to the other two sword users. "She's right, you know."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched again. Now there were two of them ganging up on him. "There was no need, since Samurai Girl here already cut her. She wouldn't be able to do anything anyway, she was done for," he defended. "Besides, she fell unconscious, see. If she hadn't, I would have finished it," he added with a shrug.

"That's totally missing the point!" Tashigi argued on, complaining.

_*Are these two always like this?*_ Miyako thought with a sweat drop.

"Anyway, good job you two, you didn't let her get to anyone. You can take the credit," Zoro continued.

"I don't need it," Miyako answered bluntly.

"Why are you just saying that like you're above me?!" The marine woman shouted back at him in anger.

"Because I am," the swordsman shrugged as he answered with a deadpan tone.

"Whaaat!?" Tashigi's infuriated voice echoed across the hallways as the trio sword users moved on to catch up with the rest of their companions.

~…~

"Gyaaah!" Law felt another choking pain in his chest as his heart was squeezed by Vergo again. It left him breathless, panting desperately to try and catch his breath. The pirate captain fell onto the railing, trying to lean on it for support. However, before he could even more, Vergo was already in front of him, swinging his bamboo staff covered in armament haki. Doflamingo's subordinate smashed the end of the bamboo into Law's head, bringing the pirate down to his knees again.

"You are such an ungrateful brat, Law….you should've known not to mess around with adults, " Vergo commented in a cold voice, before he squeezed Trafalgar's heart again, wringing out another scream of pain from the captain.

Even so, Law refused to show Vergo any sign of defeat. He still held that barbed look in his eyes as he glared at the man, pulling his lips into a snide smirk. "I planned out perfectly everything else. You were my only miscalculation, Vergo." He stretched his hands to fry Vergo with another counter shock attack, but before he managed to do it, the other man used his hand, coated with haki, to punch Law right in the gut.

"Put a '_san'_ there," the man responded coldly, his expression unchanging behind those dark sunglasses. Vergo was always the same; stoic and collected, even when he was actually angry. He ruthlessly and mercilessly disposed of his opponents without hesitation.

Trafalgar coughed up blood and saliva, feeling the pressure of the hit in his abdomen even when Vergo's fist was long gone. In the corner of his eye, he could see his fuzzy white hat lying on the level below where it fell from Vergo's previous attack. _*Heh…damn…I bet she'll be angry if I lose it,* _unwittingly he remembered the day the Wano girl gave him the hat as a present, not long after he lost the previous one. _"I earned it with my own hard work, you know! So you can't lose it,"_ she warned. It almost made Law laugh in irony, realizing what kind of trivial things he was thinking about while being beaten into a pulp by the enemy before him. Even so, it was better than remembering the bad memories he had with Doflamingo's subordinate in front of him.

"_Stop! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt, Cora-san anymore!"_ Even now Law's crying voice of his younger self echoed in his mind, as he remembered his past. And with it, he remembered how brutal Vergo could truly be. Even to a child, he showed no mercy as he pounded Law, hit after hit, until the boy could barely move. But those hits were nothing compared to the pain and fear he felt for his friend's life. Seeing Vergo beat an already badly injured Corason until he was nearly dead, was what left Law traumatized as a child, even many years later. Yes, even 10 years later, Law could still remember that day perfectly in his head. Every detail; the screams, the sound of shots, the smell of blood…

The captain of the Heart Pirates gritted his teeth, glaring darkly at Vergo as his memories of the past resurfaced. He felt sick to his stomach, but not only from the pain caused by Vergo's punches.

A slight crease on Vergo's forehead displayed his annoyance because of the glare Law was giving him. "What is that look for?" Before he could hear an answer, he squeezed Law's heart again, making the pirate yelp in pain and fall onto the ground, barely breathing. "I have a message from Joker;…'It's a pity' he says," the bogus marine stated in the same monotone manner. Just as he was about to finish the pestering pirate captain once and for all, a presence appeared behind him. Without turning around, Vergo could already tell who it was disturbing him at the moment. "I'm a little busy, but I suppose it can't be helped…Vice Admiral Smoker," he noted.

~…..~

"Not that waaay!" Tashigi yelled for the hundredth time again as she tried to direct Zoro towards the right hallway.

"Unbelievable! All you have to do is follow after me, and yet you manage to get lost! How is that even possible?!" A frustrated Miyako joined the argument, pulling Zoro in another direction. She already knew this whole facility, spending months in it, so she had no problem orienteering and finding the right way. Yet, they were still proceeding so slowly, thanks to a certain Pirate Hunter whose sense of direction was so horrible it was as if he was cursed. "How hard can it be to follow me!?"

"Both of you are being too noisy! It's not my fault, your instructions are just bad," Zoro countered, not wanting to admit his fault in all this.

They were currently running through the building hallways, Zoro carrying a wounded Tashigi while Miyako ran in front of them to show the way. Even so, the samurai girl had to keep close watch on Zoro, turning around now and then, just to make sure he didn't wander off in a wrong direction.

"More importantly, let me down! This is too embarrassing!" The marine captain complained as she was treated like a sack of potatoes hanging over Roronoa's shoulder.

"Then what did you suddenly collapse for?" Zoro muttered in irritating as they continued to run.

"I was just a little dizzy," Tashigi pouted in response. Now she was the stubborn one.

Miyako sighed at both of them as they acted like squabbling children. "Honestly, if you two don't shut up, I'll throw you both into the gas!"

"…" For a while, both Tashigi and Zoro kept quiet, only for the marine woman to break the silence again when she noticed a certain sword strapped around the Pirate Hunter's waist. "Isn't that the legendary katana, Shuusui!?"

"Don't touch it, you sword maniac!" Zoro warned, turning his head to look at Tashigi who was now completely focused on his sword.

"Eeeh!?" This time even Miyako joined in as she exclaimed in shock. "Why do you have Shuusui with you!?"

"Gah, not you too," Zoro choked out as now both girls were examining his katana while still running.

~…..~

Smoker looked up at the ceiling, seeing a shadow of the ex-marine Vergo looming over him dangerously. He could feel pain in every screaming muscle of his body, protesting as he tried to get up again, yet it was no use. He could barely move, only catching his breath in pants as he felt blood dripping from his wounds. _*Damn…in the end, I was no match for this guy. How pathetic!* _He cursed at himself in his mind, closing his eyes as he furrowed his brows in a frown. _*Still…I did what I needed to…the rest is up to you, as much as I hate this situation.*_

"_Listen, you are not allowed to act until I get my heart back from Caesar! At this rate, it will probably be with Vergo so that's what we need to focus on. Do you understand, Smoker-ya?" _Law's words echoed inside Smoker's head, making him even more infuriated at the thought of collaborating and taking orders from a mere pirate.

"You better not mess it up now, Law…," the vice admiral warned in a mutter, still ignoring Vergo and simply staring at the ceiling.

The words, however, made Vergo stop and look at the marine in confusion for just a moment, before he sensed a presence behind him. That damn brat just wouldn't obediently stay down. With a sigh, Doflamingo's subordinate turned to face the youngster captain, only to scowl at the sight.

"My heart…you really got it back, Smoker-ya," Law commented coolly, neither in appreciation or shock, it was merely a statement before he put the cube with his heart back into his chest. The feeling was always strange, but he got used to it soon as he once again felt the heartbeat inside his body.

Vergo gritted his teeth in surprise, as he finally understood why Smoker kept attacking him with his logia fruit form despite the fact that Vergo's haki prevailed in their fight. Instead of him, the marine was after Law's heart from the beginning! "You bastard, when did you-!" He glared at Smoker's body on the ground, yet was only infuriated further as the two seemed to ignore him, deep in their own little banter.

"Now we're even…hurry up and finish it," Smoker commented through pants, ignoring Vergo's question. He still didn't even look at the two, only keeping his gaze on the metal ceiling of the SAD room. He was too frustrated for anything more than that.

Despite their small chit-chat, Law kept his expression serious as he kept his senses on Vergo, just in case the other decided to act all of a sudden. However, the fake marine didn't move from his spot, giving Law time to pull himself together and try to ignore the pain that was still pulsating thorough his newly-beaten body. Summoning his powers, the pirate captain remembered his fallen hat, returning it back into his hand. Seems Miyako won't get the pleasure to complain to him about it, after all. "You hate being in a debt of a pirate that much," he noted.

"It's a disgrace to a marine! I can't even face my subordinates," Smoker gritted his teeth in anger.

"However you did save me…" Law was much more flexible with his way of life though, as he didn't feel any hurt in his pride because of collaborating with a marine. In his case, as long as he could reach his aim, it was all the same to him. Smoker was just another mean to reach Law's goal. Carefully, he put the hat back onto his head, covering his dark gaze with the rim. "This is the end, Vergo-_san_," he deadpanned, finally adding the polite 'san' to the name, though it only sounded mocking now. Rather than a threat, his statement sounded like a plain, unchangeable fact, which only infuriated the bogus marine more. Once more, Trafalgar used his powers to summon his nodachi, resting it on his shoulder as usual. He was bizarrely calm and unworried, even though he was so badly beaten just a few minutes ago by the other man. "Don't think you guys can sit on that chair forever! You can hear me, can't you, Joker!?" He raised his voice this time, making sure it travels through the den den mushi Vergo kept in his coat.

As a soft response, he could hear a chuckle coming from the said den den mushi. It was enough for Law to know that Doflamingo was indeed listening carefully on the other side. Good. That way, the damned Shichibukai can hear everything that was about to transpire in this room, first hand. He will be able to hear the dying sounds of his closest subordinate.

"Vergo is done for, you're going to lose your most valued subordinate." Law could feel the burning delight while saying those words. "Strawhat-ya will bring down Caesar. In other words, you will lose all of SAD! That you could not foresee this worst possible outcome is because you're overconfident! Just try and think of your next move while you laugh away as always," he taunted, bitterness seeping out of him now together with the memories of his hate for Doflamingo. Finally, it has begun. Finally, he is about to destroy the World as it is. The change that is about to follow, won't be able to be stopped by anyone anymore. He smirked grimly, still keeping his stormy eyes on Vergo in front of him. "But your laugh won't last for very long, because we won't act the way you expect us to."

It wasn't surprising to Law that Doflamingo didn't take him seriously at all. Instead, an evil chortle transformed into a sinister laugh that was coming out the den den mishi now. It rested on top of Vergo's coat which fell to the floor in a soft rustle, while the form that filled it only moments ago completely disappeared. "Fufufu…fufufufufu! Aren't you pissing off Vergo who is right in front of you? Do you remember what happened in the past?! Do you remember what happened, when you really pissed Vergo off?! Fufufuf…You're traumatized, right? It shouldn't have disappeared…your fear towards Vergo!"

As Doflamingo continued to laugh through the den den mushi, the scene was slowly enfolding in the SAD room. Indeed, Law remembered…he remembered the pain, and blood, and fear. A fear that stayed with him for a long time. But he wasn't a helpless child anymore. He was neither that boy who hated the whole world, nor was he the sickly weak boy who couldn't protect anyone. He was someone else now; a captain of the Heart Pirates, a Royal Shichibukai, one of the Worst Generation, a person his nakama could depend on. He was Trafalgar Law, who will destroy this miserable wheel that has been turning this monotone world around for so long. And he knew he could do it because Corason told him so long ago. He knew he could do it…because of the Will of D!

As Vergo appeared before him in his full Busoshoku Haki form, veiled in black armor, Law simply started slowly sliding his nodachi out of its sheath. The memories of Vergo's beating so long ago was replaced by another memory, a more recent one.

"_Alright, it's time to see what you've accomplished," Miyako smiled excitedly as Law took off the kairoseki handcuffs from his wrists. He sighed in relief as soon as the burning stone was away from him, leaving his arms feeling much lighter. The cuffs clacked as they hit the ground while the captain took Kikoku back into his hands. _

_Law gazed around the area, passing Miyako, who was currently in front of him. He could hear the noises of his crew back at the beach, where they were setting up camp. They docked on an uninhabited island, only to get some fresh air and rest since the men were getting cramped and irritated in the submarine for such a long time. _

_He and Miyako took that time to explore the small island and continue their training, finally having enough space without worrying that they'll sink their ship in the process. Even now, there were large boulders and trees neatly cut by Law's nodachi as he practiced with his kairoseki cuffs still on. After a while, Miyako stopped him and told him to rest before the real thing begins. He wasn't sure what she meant by it until she told him to take off his handcuffs and led him deeper into the island._

_Still, the pirate captain could only stare before him in confusion while the girl kept smiling at him mischievously. She had that foxy leer on her face, indicating that she was amused by something only she could see. _

"_I will let you use your devil fruit powers for now, but you must focus all of your haki if you wish to cut it down," the samurai girl explained._

_He felt a tinge of irritation for her tone as she used the word 'let' like he needed her permission for anything. Nevertheless, he was too perplexed by the situation to argue about such trivial matters now. There was something he must have still been missing because he couldn't understand why Miyako led him here nor what was he supposed to cut. "Cut what?" _

_The girl frowned as if she couldn't understand how he didn't get it yet. However, his impatient stare warned her not to play with him right now so she sighed and turned her back to him. With a wide gesture, the girl spread her arms towards a steep mountain in front of them. _

_Law stared at the rocky mountain, gazing up towards the peak. It wasn't particularly large and would probably take only an hour or two to climb, but no matter how you look at it, it was still a whole mountain. "You want me to…cut down this mountain?"_

_He could almost see two fox ears sprouting on Miyako's head as the girl chuckled. Oh, she was enjoying this…She was probably secretly laughing at his mystified, pale expression right now. "I suggest you hurry up and start…It'll take time since you can't do it in one swing yet. And you told the crew we'll only be anchored here for a few hours," she was teasing him now._

_He gave her another warning glare, which the girl let her pass over her head, pretending ignorance. Even so, her expression became more serious as she continued. "You already know how dangerous the New World is…I don't have to tell you the enemies we will be facing now are of an entirely different caliber. Most of these enemies will be able to use haki, which you already know about. And among them, one of the Busoshoku Haki subtypes is known as Armament haki. Naturally this 'invisible armor' of Busoshoku Haki can be used as a weapon to strike others with. It can be used to augment the user's own attacks, projected ahead of the user as pure brute force, or imbued in weapons to increase their effectiveness. However, a heavy concentration of this Haki can be used to harden parts of one's body, turning the area black, thus making the user denser and more formidable, and giving their attacks greater power," Miyako explained. _

_Law's expression turned sour as he listened, knowing full well what she was talking about as he had memories of his own about this particular haki usage. "I know…I've seen Armament haki before," his tone was much colder when he answered._

_It took Miyako aback slightly; not his knowledge on the subject, but the bitter tone in his voice. She wondered if there were any memories connected to this that made him feel this way, but she already knew him well enough to know he wouldn't tell her openly even if she asked. So instead she ignored it, and continued with a nod. "In that case you already know how important it is to strengthen yourself enough to be able to cut through it. If you cannot do this, then you won't be able to overcome whatever is waiting for us out there."_

"_I am well aware of that," Law answered in a serious manner._

"_In your case I believe you have slight advantage with your ope ope powers. They let you cut through things more easily than you would be able to without them. However, do not rely on them too much. One whose haki is stronger than yours can easily counter even your powers. If their armament haki is strong enough, they might even withstand your slash with the devil fruit abilities. That's why you need to train your haki well," Miyako finished. "And that's why…" Miyako added, gesturing at the mountain once more with a wide grin. "Tha-daa!" _

_At first Trafalgar stared at the girl as if she was raving mad, but gave up and sighed in defeat after a while. His troubled expression was replaced by a grin as he fixed the hat on top of his head. He gazed up at the mountain one more time, unsure how to even start this. Even so, there was confidence in his grey eyes as he was ready to take on any challenge to become stronger. "So be it," he finally concluded with an excited gleam in his eyes. _

A shadow covered Law as Vergo loomed over him dangerously, the atmosphere tense enough to be cut between them.

"His haki can protect him even from that cutting power of yours! In both strength and standing, you're nothing compared to Vergo!" Joker's words continued as his subordinate rushed at Trafalgar.

Everything was perfectly quiet suddenly, even Doflamingo's laughter stopped, as the two faced each other. The whole act didn't take more than seconds, but it felt dragged out for ages as Vergo attacked the pirate captain who summoned up his powers while unsheathing his nodachi in one swift movement. The large man leaped forward with his bamboo staff high in the air, coated in the same dark haki as the rest of his strong body. His muscular form appeared like a mountain in front of Law, who was at least two heads shorter in size and much leaner.

However, things were different now that Trafalgar had his heart back. He could go all out. Larger didn't always mean better and where Law lacked in size, he compensated in speed and skill. His Room appeared around the whole area, stretching even outside the walls of the building. The pirate captain clutched the hilt of his sword with both hands, leaping forward towards his attacker. Even before Vergo had time to swing down with his weapon, Trafalgar already passed him, slicing easily through the mountain before him. Cutting into the armament haki easily as a knife cut through hot butter.

In one short moment that appeared as long as an hour, Law ended his attack and passed behind him, leaving the other man in two pieces as his torso separated from his legs. There was no blood as it would be expected, since Law used his ope ope powers on him. He could've used solely his haki and not his devil fruit power. He could've ended it right there and then. However, he didn't want to end it so quickly. He wanted Vergo to realize exactly what happened to him. He wanted the other man to understand he was beaten by Law and to realize his life was now solely in Law's hands. It depended on the pirate captain's mercy whether the other would live or die, and Trafalgar had none for this man.

"It's been two years after the war," Trafalgar started. "Exactly who put what into motion?! You only kept the peace," everything was completely silent as he talked now. Even Joker realized what had happened and that Law was still alive and well, meaning his subordinate was most definitely beaten. "Whitebeard only put an end to the last era. The marines have been preparing a new battle force! They haven't challenged any of the big names…as if they were preparing for something! That war was just a prelude. You always said it; together with an unstoppable wave, the new era of the great ones will come!" A sadistic grin spread wide across the young man's face, his eyes burning as he watched something in the distance…something only he could see as of yet. "I've destroyed the gears…and no one can turn them back!" In front of him, a large cut appeared in the walls of the SAD room. A slash went through the SAD tank, through the thick metal walls of the whole facility, splitting the whole building into two. No, not just the whole building, but the whole island was cut with the mountains floating upwards along with the room of this facility since Law's ope ope powers were still active. Slowly, everything around started shrieking as the supports of the building strained to keep an already-broken mechanism. Gradually, the whole upper part started sliding to the side, crushing everything else on its path. Law didn't only destroy the SAD tank, but the whole research facility with it. No, rather, he destroyed the entire Punk Hazard.

He raised an eyebrow as he caused more damage than he originally meant to. He wanted to go all out when beating Vergo, but even he didn't know the consequences would be so devastating. _*Ah…I might have overdone it a bit,*_ he sighed.

~…~

"Ah! We've arrived!" Miyako exclaimed in relief when the trio finally noticed the group of marines and the Strawhats on their way. She felt her eyes tearing at the joy, "Thank god…with Zoro-san's lousy direction senses I thought we'd keep getting lost forever," she whimpered from the pain and struggle she had to go through to get them all here.

"Oy!" The Pirate Hunter protested angrily at her words that jabbed right at his pride once more. Somehow this girl knew exactly what to say to kick him right into the ego, although he would never admit it. What's more, the other one currently on his shoulder, wasn't much better either.

"Let me down now, please! We're here! It's too embarrassing!" Tashigi screamed, struggling in protest and kicking her legs at Zoro who was still running and carrying her like some luggage.

The trio were greeted with Sanji's infuriated voice as he watched the scene between Tashigi and Zoro in rage. "You bastard! Who gave you permission to carry Tashigi-chan!?"

Just then, the whole building shook beneath their feet as the room separated and slid upwards, defying all laws of physics. _*An earthquake!?*_ Miyako stopped in her tracks, staring up at the strange phenomena in puzzlement together with the rest of the group. _*No…I only know one person who could do this, but…That guy, did he actually cut the whole building in half!?* _Miyako had to admit she felt pride and amazement swell up inside her as she witnessed the remarkable power of her captain. Even she didn't know Law was capable of this much, though she knew best how strong he had become in this course of two years. She smiled softly, still looking up at the white sky that was now visible above their heads. _*You're amazing…Law.* _

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Nami's voice yelling for them to go back. For some reason everyone; the Strawhats, marines and the children, were now running towards them. Miyako blinked in wonder, but her perplexed expression soon changed into a relieved one when she noticed the children were safe and calm now. At least they were taken care of. With a grin, Miyako took a deep breath before shouting for everyone to hear, "Everyone, let's go to the gate R-66!"

"Aaaaye!" Everyone together, be it a marine or a pirate, cheered in unison.

"Also, someone watch out for Zoro-san or he'll get separated," the samurai girl added, already learning her lesson about the man's devastatingly bad orientating abilities. Honestly, it was almost an impressive talent, how bad they were.

"Are you picking a fight?!" The pirate hunter yelled in return, though he stayed ignored.

"Anyway, we have to hurry! We're being surrounded by the gas! Soon we will be trapped here!" Nami warned everyone, searching frantically for another exit.

"Follow me," Miyako was glad now for spending all that time on Punk Hazard, often roaming the corridors of this research facility. Due to that, she knew every nook and cranny of this place, having it mapped in her brain just in case they'd need a speedy exit like today. She expected her and Law would need to hurry out of here after they kidnap Caesar, though never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be leading the Strawhat pirates out, instead.

She led the group through another corridor only to stop abruptly as she saw the purplish gas creep from around the corner and after them. _*Dammit, this way is no good too!*_ She turned towards the expectant group and called out, "Everyone back!" They all hurried together in a different direction when a wailing voice yelled out for them.

Miyako could see the tall skeleton of the Strawhats running wildly from the gas as he held something underneath his arm. A figure? It looked like one of those wax figures in the art museums, though this seemed almost melted, with most of its features already gone. As the pirate drew closer, Miyako recognized it as one of the solidified statues made by Shinokuni after the victims got exposed to it.

"This is bad! Kin'emon-san got hit by the lethal gas and died! Chopper-san, do something!" Brook called out with teary eye sockets as he pleaded with the small doctor of the group. Still, the reindeer was already taking care of Mocha who overdosed on the candy drugs and the other children who were still in pain, having no time to look at the samurai now when the gas was after them.

Miyako stopped and paled at the sight of Kin'emon's statuesque body, her breath hitching in her throat. She didn't particularly like the samurai, but it was far from wanting him death. After all, what about his boy, Momonosuke-kun? Wasn't he shouting just a while ago how he will save his son, yet now the Wano boy has been left all alone and fatherless.

"I'm sorry, Miyako-san! You told me to stop him, but I wasn't on time," Brook explained in tears as he winced. "It was as you suspected; he thought that dragon we slashed was his son and went back after him." Brook shook his head as he repeated Kin'emon's words from earlier; "If you put your spirit into it there's nothing you cannot do! I shall go! Be it through fire or gas!" or so he said…But this is how he ended up!" The skeleton showed the sorry state the samurai was left in after the gas effects. "I'm sorry!"

The girl clenched her fists, staring down at Kin'emon's form while gritting her teeth. _*You fool…Who's going to look after Momonosuke-kun now!? How could you let yourself become this way, you rash idiot!?*_ She turned her darkened gaze from the sight, fighting her emotions. She thought of the little Wano boy as well, who will have to be told his father died while trying to save him. How will Momonosuke react to something like that? Will he even recover? He was a strong boy, but losing his father like this was just too cruel. Knowing full well what it was like losing your parents as a young child, Miyako didn't want that kind of fate for anyone, especially a friend. Anger and sorrow both mixed together for the man before her, but she had to keep it in and put it at the back of her mind. They were still in danger and if she didn't find a way out of here, they will all end up just like Kin'emon-dono.

"Come on," she finally urged softly through gritted teeth. "Please, carry him with you Skeleton-san…so we can at least give his remains a proper burial afterwards," she muttered. "But for now, we must think of our own escape," she added, raising her head towards the group again. There was still emotion in her eyes, but also determination. She had no intention of dying here.

The group all looked back at her with worry, but no one commented on it. Instead, they gave a firm nod that clearly stated they were prepared to follow her.

_*There is one more way. If we can reach building D, we can still make it to room R through the passage,*_ the samurai concluded gesturing for everyone to follow her.

The group ran through the corridors of the building B, carefully avoiding any areas where the gas has already spread. Finally, they reached the large gates that separated the D building from the B one, but the thick metal doors were already closed. The gates were especially made to withstand explosions and any other substances in case of a research accident or a gas spillage, much like this. They were heavily proofed with steel and too massive to open manually.

"Oh, no, what do we do?! The doors are sealed shut!" Chopper panicked as he saw the large gates in their way. He was still tending to Mocha who had trouble breathing and wouldn't wake up even after he fixed her on the IV. At this rate if they don't hurry, he won't be able to save neither the children nor anyone else in this dire situation.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she still continued forward, leading in front of the group. Without stopping, the girl grabbed the hilt of her katana, opening it slowly. "Don't stop, keep going!" She yelled out to the group to keep running. Beside her, the other swordsman of the group, Zoro, appeared with a grin on his features. "I don't need help with this," she commented calmly, but the other just shook his head.

"Now, now, don't be so prideful," he commented in amusement, already taking out two of his swords while putting the third one between his teeth. It was the first time Miyako saw him use all three swords in a santoryu technique.

She couldn't help but remember his bickering with Tashigi-dono from earlier. She was being called too prideful by a man who wouldn't admit he had bad sense of direction or when he was lost, nor did he want to confirm his obvious view of women; not being able to fight them seriously. Miyako doubted he ever killed a woman and probably never would. Still, he had too much pride to confess to it. She rolled her eyes at his words to her. "You're the last person I want to hear that from," she commented.

"Eh?" Zoro gave her a questioning frown, thinking she just argued with him even though he wasn't quite sure how. He received no answer as the girl already hurried ahead, in front of him, with one hand still on the scabbard while the other rested on the sword's hilt.

Miyako had to admit, Roronoa Zoro was waking up a more competitive side of her, especially because of him underestimating women. She knew he didn't exactly believe all women were beneath him, yet rather it was like he had a soft spot that hindered him in fighting them with his full strength. As much as he means no harm by it, it still felt like a slap in the face and an insult to all women like her or Tashigi that were trying to seriously become proper kenshi. Because of that, a piece of her had a burning desire to show him that swordswomen shouldn't be underestimated. She wasn't usually a very competitive person, but meeting a strong swordfighter always made her blood boil in excitement, and Roronoa Zoro already had a name for himself as a swordsman. What's more, the girl found his santoryu style fascinating; something she never heard of or witnessed before; not in Wanokuni, the land of the samurai, or anywhere else in the world. Secretly, the prospect of seeing it made her even more thrilled as she found it a true privilege. On the other hand though, she had a strong sense that told her she didn't want to lose to him in kenjutsu, either. She knew not to get ahead of herself, but still she longed to show him she was just as good, if not better, with her Yawarakai-Te.

Just as she was about to make her move, she felt Zoro's presence appear next to her again without even having to look to her side. He caught up with her easily, obviously not wanting to be left behind in this. This time she didn't react to him, instead focusing all her attention on the steel gates in front of her.

She leaped forward, knowing full well she only had one shot at cutting these gates since the whole group was right behind her, rushing towards those doors. If she fails to cut them down, they won't have the time to stop and will all smash into the doors and fall on one another. They didn't have time to dawdle like that since Shinokuni was right behind them.

Beside her, Zoro did the same as she rushed forward in one swift motion, swinging all three katana at once.

'_Ittouryu; Kiritateru!'_

'_Santoryu; Karasuma Gari!'_

Both swordfighters slashed the steel gates in front of them at the same time, each using their own technique, but equally being able to cut through the thick steel. With a swift sound of the swords, the gates fell apart in pieces. Neither of them even stopped in their track as they sheathed back their katana and landed in a crouch before moving forward in a run, still in the lead of the rest of the group.

"Wow, that was great Miyako-neechan!" Nami proclaimed excitedly, her eyes almost appearing as there were shining stars of awe in them.

"You two are awesome!" The G-5 marines cheered in amazement as they watched the two kenshi swiftly clear out the path before them without batting an eye. "And Burning-Eyed Miyako is cute,~" one of them added.

Zoro hummed in thought as he ran next to the samurai girl. "Not bad," he smirked at her, though it was hard to tell was it taunting or appreciative when it came to him.

Still, the girl didn't have a feeling he was mocking her as he said that. As a result, she returned a mischievous smile at him, "You too."

Those were the only words they exchanged, mere observations rather than compliments, before they proceeded on running in silence. For the two of them, nothing more needed to be said as they both lived for the actions rather than words. For those who lived by the sword, acknowledging each other's skills was enough of an understating between them and all they truly appreciated.

"Oooy!" Miyako recognized the cheerful voice that greeted them as they finally ran through the Room D. Monkey D. Luffy stood next to an injured Brownbeard, waving at the incoming group with a wide grin on his face. By the look of it, it seems he prevailed in his fight with Caesar. The girl noticed a strange small creature coiled close to the pirate captain, a dragon-looking animal, but had no time to think of it as she frantically searched for her own captain with her gaze. The room was vast, with all kinds of mayhem going on now that all the pirates, children and marines were together in one place. What's more, the whole building was still shaking as the facility slowly fell apart from Law's previous attack.

She finally noticed her captain calling out for the others to quickly join him as he debated something with Smoker. "Migiwara-ya!" Trafalgar gestured for Luffy and the others to join him, pointing at a large rail cart behind him. "Get everyone in this, quick! We need to get out of here!"

Meanwhile, the G-5 soldiers along with Tashigi appeared as relieved as Miyako as they noticed their vice admiral, who was bloodied and injured, but luckily still alive and moving. They cheered at him happily, surrounding their superior, telling him everything that happened in a rush of unintelligible words.

The samurai girl passed them, running to the captain of the Heart Pirates instead. "Law!" She called out with a smile to greet him, almost crashing into him from surprise as she forgot herself for a moment and almost didn't stop in time. The reason were the dark bruises and cuts on his face and the blood still dripping from the side of his head, the wound covered beneath his hat. The girl's expression changed into a worried one as she examined him with her gaze. "What happened to you?"

Trafalgar simply shook his head to dismiss it, grabbing her by the forearm and slightly shoving her towards the large cart. "Don't worry about me now, I'm fine. Quickly, get in," he urged her along with everyone else.

The kids started climbing into the cart with the Strawhats' help while Chopper still tended to the unconscious Mocha. Miyako examined each kid, counting them as they went in to make sure no child was left behind. She sighed in relief when she noticed Rachel among them, though she was also unconscious and seemed in pain. The drugs were still in the kids' system, troubling them. Still, there was one more child she had to find no matter what, yet there was no sign of his face among the others. _*Momonosuke? Where are you?!* _

She felt her nervousness change into panic that slightly rose inside of her as the kids were all getting on the rail cart, and still no sign of the Wano boy. "Momonosuke-kun?! Momonosuke?" She started calling out for him, livid with worry now. They were about to head out and the whole building was about to explode…if he wasn't here, there was no time to go back and search for him. _*Please, please, be here!*_ She searched around, passing the people and turning around each child his age and stature to check if it was him. "Momonosuke!?" She yelled as hard as she could, praying for an answer.

She could hear Law yelling at Strawhat again as the boy refused to leave without all of his companions. Some were still missing. At least that gave her some more time to search for the Wanokuni boy.

She already felt her throat run dry from the shouts, when a sleepy voice finally answered. "Mnnn? Who calls my name?"

Miyako blinked and turned around towards the voice, recognizing it as Momonosuke's, but still couldn't find the boy anywhere. Only then did she notice a small pink serpent lying on the cart's edge. It looked dizzy and weak, as it just woke up. The girl had to close her mouth that opened in shock, before she stepped over to the animal and knelt down to look at it more closely. "Momonosuke-kun?"

The small dragon raised his weary head and looked straight back into her golden eyes. "Ah! The scary witch!" He exclaimed suddenly recognizing the girl in front of him.

Miyako's expression instantly changed into an annoyed one as her eyebrow twitched. Slowly she coiled her hands around his lean body, squeezing gradually stronger where his neck should be. "Who are you calling a witch," she asked in a murmuring voice while a dark aura started appearing around her.

"I-I apologize verily!" The dragon choked out between her hands, afraid to anger the woman any further. He still remembered what happened the last time she got truly mad at him.

The girl sighed, both in exasperation and relief, as she let him go. "Well at least I know it's really you…You really turned into a dragon then," she stated in wonder. "You ate Caesar's zoan devil fruit, haven't you?" There was slight reprimanding in her tone, though she was too glad to see the boy alive and well to truly be angry at him.

The boy looked to the side, obviously avoiding her piercing gaze as a drop of sweat dripped down the side of his head. "I..I have no idea what you are talking about," he lied so obviously.

The girl gave him a look underneath her eyelids, raising her eyebrow in question as she clearly showed she didn't believe him one bit. She took one of the dragon boy's whiskers and pulled at it lightly. "Didn't your parents teach you not to lie to your elders?" As soon as she said it, she regretted it because it made her remember the grave news she was yet to share with the boy about his father. What should she do? How to tell a child his father was dead and gone forever? The girl bit her lip, deciding to wait until they were at least out of the building and in safety before telling him.

However, the fates weren't on her side this day. As soon as Brook and the other Strawhats arrived through the gates in a nick of time, the skeleton took out Kin'emon's body and asked loudly, "Hey, what should we do with Kin'emon-san?"

The dragon instantly heard his father's name being mentioned and rose up to look at the Strawhats with tears in his eyes. "K-Kin'emon!?" The little animal slithered closer to his father's solidified form, examining it from each side in panic. "What happened to him? What happened to my father!?" The small dragon jumped towards Kin'emon in the attempt to embrace the cold statue. "Father!? What happened to you? Say something!"

Miyako's gaze softened at the sight, but there was nothing she could do for him. "I'm sorry, Momonosuke-kun." She put a comforting hand on the boy to try and calm him. All she could tell him now was the truth. "Your father came here to save you and fought bravely. He even rushed right into danger and death, just for you. Your father loved you very much."

The dragon boy cast his glances from Kin'emon's body to Miyako and back, not even knowing what to do or say as his lips quivered in sorrow. "Miyako-dono!" He finally rushed into Miyako's arms with tears falling down his scaled face.

The girl lowered her saddened gaze, embracing back the small animal boy in hopes her warmth would at least somewhat console him.

"Everyone, we're going!" Law ordered, breaking the gloomy atmosphere as he used his powers to start the gigantic cart. It moved slowly at first, before reaching a small downhill and gaining more speed on it. The tanker started riding the rails, going faster and faster as the heavy cargo added to its speed.

Suddenly, an explosion from somewhere near shook the whole tunnel and the rails, almost derailing the whole cart. "Kyaa!" The children screamed in fear as a part of the ceiling broke off and started falling down onto them. Luffy quickly kicked away the large ruble, while Zoro cut another with his sword.

"What was that?!"

"It's the SAD production room. It must've exploded," Law explained calmly as if the chaotic surroundings didn't bother him one bit.

"So that large cut that split the whole island; that was you, after all," Miyako noted, looking back at her captain. She didn't say anything more, but there was a suggestive look in her eyes as if saying _'Good one'_ to him.

Law simply smirked back, "It was much easier than cutting a mountain."

Their little moment didn't last long as the corridor in front of them collapsed. The raol cart was about to get smashed right into the caved in part of the ruble. Trafalgar noticed it after Usopp's panicked shriek. "This corridor is a tunnel within the mountain. If it collapses, we'll be buried alive," he explained blankly.

"So why are you so relaxed!?" Usopp yelled back at the Heart Pirate captain. Unlike the Surgeon of Death, the sniper was dying of distress as he panicked around the cart. The whole scene reminded Miyako of a certain polar bear in the Heart Pirates' crew when he had one of his panicky fits.

_*Well, the ruble ahead isn't a problem anyway,*_ she though, stepping at the front of the cart and putting one hand on the hilt of her katana. However just then, she noticed Roronoa Zoro stepping forward as well, as he also prepared to draw out his sword.

The girl's eye twitched in annoyance even as she kept the tense smile on her face. "I am enough to deal with this," she told him.

"No need, I'll do it," Zoro responded, a restless expression starting to surface on his features.

Behind them, the G-5 were still shouting in freight that they'll all crash, burn and die in this tunnel.

"I'll do it!" Zoro countered again.

"No, I will!" Miyako argued, now clearly irked.

"Somebody, just please deal with iiiitt!" Usopp yelled next to them, flailing his hands in the air as tears started spilling over.

At the same time, the two sword users unsheathed their katana in one swift movement from a battojutsu stance, cutting the rubble in front of the cart. It split into little pieces, easily clearing the way for the large tanker to pass through.

The marines celebrated, yelling words of praise to the two kenshi, though Miyako and Zoro simply huffed at each other, ignoring the voices behind them.

"Oy…isn't it time for you to return my heart now?" Smoker bit the end of his cigars, giving out his hand towards Law expectantly.

Miyako blinked at the two, finally realizing what Law meant when he told her earlier that he had something that would tame even a stray dog. That's why Law knew Smoker wouldn't betray him in their deal; Trafalgar had kept his heart for himself from the start.

Trafalgar reached into his black coat and took out a beating heart in a small blue cube. As usual it freaked the samurai girl out to see a still-beating organ outside of the body like that. The pirate captain returned Smoker's hear to him, giving the marine one more cautious look just to see how the other will react now that he got his heart back. Thankfully, Smoker didn't seem to be in a fighting mood, as of yet at least.

"Why did Caesar think he had my heart, anyway?" The vice admiral furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he stared at Trafalgar. He guessed it had something to do with the Surgeon of Death, already knowing the man's scheming nature.

Law kept quiet for a while before answering, his gaze still trained on their path ahead. "He just misunderstood. I just kindly gave back the heart of his secretary, Monet." The pirate then turned to pierce Smoker with his metallic eyes that gleamed with mischief as he gave the marine an evil grin. "They do say that those who do good, will get good things in return."

Smoker glared back at Law in silence as he saw the pirate's ominous expression. One thing was certain to the White Hunter now; this man was truly dangerous. The title of one of the Worst Generation suited him well.

One of the marines suddenly called out as a bright light ahead blinded the group. "I can see the exit!"

Nami used her tempo to create a large gust of wind, shieling the group from the gas that accumulated outside.

"Who-hoooo!" Strawhats Luffy was at the front of the tanker, cheerfully jumping with his hands into the air. "We're oooout!"

The others also cheered and laughed, feeling that the worst was truly behind them. What's more, the first scene they all saw was a puzzling one as their gaze fell on a large robot man fighting beside the pirate ship Sunny.

Franky was easily recognized by the Strawhats as all the men in the group yelled out in unison, "It's the Shogun!"

The boys in the group of children had a similar reaction as they started jumping up and down in excitement, "It's a robot!"

Miyako, along with other girls simply stared at the sight not understanding what the big deal was. Vaguely she remembered Shachi and Penguin had a similar reaction when they were building the large fighting robot at Noir island. Rather, those two mechanics had similar teary reactions even when only seeing mechanical parts. They would probably get a mini heart attack at this scene of a large robot with a sword on his back. The samurai girl sighed at the thought, shaking her head in confusion. _*Men are such strange creatures sometimes,*_ she concluded.

She glanced at Trafalgar, wondering if her captain would have the same reaction as the rest, but instead she saw him focused solely on two other figures on the shore. He had a dark look in his eyes as he glared at a large man and a dark-haired woman, obviously recognizing them.

"Buffalo! And you're…Baby5?!" He yelled out to get their confirmation though he hardly needed it. By his slight hesitation it appeared he had a bit trouble recognizing them, as if they were people from a distant past that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Law! Are you really going to defy Joker?!"

"You traitor! Joker was still keeping the Heart seat for your sake!"

It didn't take Miyako long to realize who these people were. With a death glare, the girl put a hand on her katana, ready to use it. "Joker's subordinates!"

"Hm? Who're they?" Luffy tilted his head as he glanced between Law and the two strangers. Even now, his easy-going attitude was obvious as he barely caught on the atmosphere or the conversation that just unfolded between Trafalgar and the pair.

Law's answer was simple and blunt as he looked back at Buffalo and Baby5, his two companions from his childhood days. "They're enemies." Even if he did know them well, there was no hesitation in his voice. No mercy in his eyes. To him, right now, they were simply enemies just like everyone else in Doflamingo's family.

"They've got Caesar. We need him, right?" Robin intervened as she pointed at the two flying off in the air with the logia scientist on the man's back.

"Heh, leave it to me. Flying enemies should be taken care of by the sniper," Usopp answered, already preparing his long slingshot to use.

Law, however, ignored him as he didn't want to leave anything to chance. It was better that he takes care of it with his powers. Only then, he'll be certain that Caesar would not escape from them. These Strawhat pirates were too easy-going and eccentric to depend upon. After all, Strawhat Luffy already messed up once by sending Caesar flying away instead of kidnaping him, which was the deal. And all because of a simple reason which was that the Strawhat boy didn't _like_ the scientist who angered him. The dark doctor started creating his Room with his powers, the blue energy circling around in his palm.

He was instantly stopped by Luffy and the others. "Hey, hey, Usopp said he'll take care of it," the other captain protested.

"Don't underestimate our sniper just because he's got a long nose," Zoro added seriously.

"We're in an alliance, right? So you'd better trust us a little," Nami stepped forward, tapping her staff on her right shoulder. She licked her lips with a malicious grin on her face. "I'm also itching to fight some more, after doing nothing but running!"

Trafalgar still wouldn't hear of it, as he narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Don't be an idiot! If worst comes to worst, they'll run off and the plan-" he was stopped when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

Glancing next to him, he noticed his samurai looking back at him with a smiling face and a dangerous look in her eyes. "Nami-san is right, we are in an alliance now. So leave this to them. Trust them," she urged on, her stare silently telling him that he won't be disappointed. If Miyako learned one thing after being with the Strawhats on Punk Hazard, than that was that no matter how rowdy they were, in the end they got things done, one way or another.

He kept his gaze locked with Miyako's for a while, before sighing in defeat. His powers faded away and he turned back to stare at the three figures flying away in the distance.

"Fufu," Miyako chuckled in satisfaction by her captain's decision. With a smile she turned back towards Usopp and Nami. "We're counting on you."

The performance they saw after that made Miyako want to clap her hands. Not only was Usopp's precision at such a distance amazing, but Nami's knowledge that allowed her to make thunder clouds and lightning were astounding. Large plants that grow from a seed in an instant, weather manipulation…Miyako never saw anything like that before. Her mouth made an o shape as she stared at the display, impressed by the Strawhats' unique skills. Needless to say, they easily knocked Joker's subordinates from the sky, rendering them completely useless and unconscious.

The group cheered at the sight when Usopp used his sharpshooter skills to aim and fire the sea stone handcuffs right at Caesar, making the kairoseki chains coil around his neck and bring him down with a choking "Urk!" sound.

"Shishishishi," Monkey D. Luffy laughed as he jumped up at the stone railing in front of them with his hands on his hips. He appeared utterly pleased by the whole situation. "We have Caesar, so there's nothing else left to do but one thing…" He gazed at each member in front of them, all of them giving him a questioning stare in return. "LET'S PARTY!"

"Eeeeeh?!" The entire group almost fell on their asses at the sudden outburst from the happy-go-lucky captain. Of all the things and after everything that happened, how could this guy be thinking of celebrating now!?

Miyako was so shocked she simply blinked at the captain boy with wide eyes, before the realization of what she just heard suddenly hit her. With that, the girl burst out laughing at the grinning pirate in front of her.

~…~

"You hear this, pirates?! You can't go crossing this line! It's the line between evil and justice!" The G-5 yelled out, drawing a deep line into the snow that was supposed to separate the marines from the pirates. Even so it seemed everyone ignored them as they went on with their own doings.

"Robin-cwan~ Nami-swan~ I'm so glad you're both ok!" Sanji clapped his hands together as he danced around his two favorite crewmembers, making sure they were safe and well now.

Meanwhile, Luffy was talking to Brownbeard at the marine's part, completely ignoring the line and the complaints the G-5 soldiers kept throwing at him.

The rowdy atmosphere was completely cut, however, when Chopper's screaming voice echoed throughout the snowy plain, chilling everyone to their bones with his words. "Murderer!"

Everyone turned to stare at the small reindeer leaning over the wooden railing of the Strawhats' ship. "Luffy! Stop him!" Chopper was crying while pleading, in complete shock just like the rest of them.

"Eh? Who?!"

"Law!" The reindeer yelled loudly in response, but his explanation was muffled into desperate sounds when Brook's voice overpowered him.

"Gyaaaah! Murderer! I'm a murderer too!" The skeleton cried out in panic, grabbing his large afro in despair as he stared down at the broken state of Kin'emon's body.

Suddenly chaos was on all sides of the area as Chopper was still screaming about Law cutting up the children, which was actually Trafalgar using his ope ope powers to get the malicious drug out of their system. On the other side, Kin'emon revived from the broken statue, only to get into a fight with Sanji, Brook and Luffy who thought they saw a zombie for a second. Shortly after, a heart wrenching reunion between Momonosuke and his father followed as the two finally met on Punk Hazard.

Miyako put her hands on her hips as she snuggled deeper into her plaid coat in order to keep warm. A soft smile lingered on her face as she examined her chaotic, but equally amusing surroundings. Feeling a familiar presence behind her, the girl started without even looking back, "Well, we have Caesar and the SAD tank is destroyed. I guess we're going after Doflamingo next?"

Trafalgar stepped beside her, sighing at the scene of the Strawhats surrounding Kin'emon and jumping onto him with glee that the samurai was alive and well. "That's right. Our next destination is Dressrosa…that man's kingdom," Law answered darkly, remembering the sneering Shichibukai.

Miyako was silent for a while, staring at the Strawhats in thought. "They think our main purpose is Kaido…," she reminded him carefully.

"Let them think so. We can still use them to strike down Doflamingo. They don't need to know more than I already told them," he warned Miyako sternly in case she had any ideas about telling the other pirates the truth.

The samurai girl was troubled by it, as she didn't like lying to these good-natured people, but she knew there wasn't much choice. She was in this together with Law and he was her captain and her only authority here. Before she could tell him anything else, a vice called out for her. One she last expected to hear saying her name; "Suzune-dono!" Looking up, Miyako saw Kin'emon and his son walking over to her. The old samurai had a grim, slightly troubled expression on his face but Momonosuke kept tugging on his arm as if urging him to continue. The girl gave him a questioning stare to silently ask what he needed.

"I…" he started only to huff in anxiousness before trying again. "My son told me thee did a lot for him while he was trapped in this facility. That…he owed thee for your kindness. If that is the case, than I owe thee as well…Thy have my gratitude," he bowed his head to her slightly, keeping his gaze down on the ground.

Miyako was truly surprised by this act, knowing full well how much pride Kin'emon had to swallow to say such a thing to her of all people. It only showed how precious Momonosuke was to him. The girl let out a sigh and smiled, shaking her head lightly. "I didn't do anything. You have a brave and smart son, Kin'emon-dono." She winked at the young boy who grinned cheekily in return, before her gaze locked with the samurai's. "And that is a sign of good parentage," she continued, giving him an acknowledging nod.

The samurai cleared his throat in slight discomfort. "Perhaps I…misjudged thee, young lady," he finally admitted in a serious tone.

The girl grinned, resting her arms on her hips and puffing her chest up with pride. "Indeed you have!" She chuckled slightly and looked back at him with a tilt of her head. She shrugged her shoulders as she decided to cast away her pride at this moment as well, "I also believe I formed my opinion of you too quickly. Perhaps we should start over?" She reached out with her open palm, ready to shake his hand. It was a common gesture in these situations for the foreigners out of Wano, and she was so used to dealing with them now, spending every day with the Heart Pirates, that she reflexively went to use their method instead of bowing which was used in Wanokuni.

Kin'emon blinked in confusion before frowning in disapproval. "Even so, Suzune-dono, you should not follow along these crude, strange norms and customs. Are you forgetting your Wano heritage completely?!" He reprimanded her sternly, crossing his arms on his chest like a teacher tutoring his student in a lesson.

Miyako instantly pulled her hand away, almost exploding with rage as she lost her temper at his high and mighty attitude. "Gaah! Forget it! You're too infuriating to get along with! Just pull that stick out of your ass already!" The Heart Pirates' crew was obviously a bad influence even on her vocabulary as she used some of Josh's favorite curses on the samurai man. She had to admit his taken aback expression was rather comical as a mere '_woman'_ dared to insult him so.

The two continued to bicker and argue in the snow as the rest of the members simply watched them with sweatdrops, not sure how to react or weather to break up the argument before swords come out and heads start rolling.

~…..~

"Honestly, that samurai guy…," Miyako was still fuming with her hands crossed on her chest in a pout. She kept muttering under her breath in irritation, when suddenly something collided with her from behind. The Wano girl was tired from all that running, making it hard for her to keep her balance because of the additional weight behind her. She stumbled forward, almost falling onto her nose as she turned around to stare at whatever was clinging to her now. "Rachel! You're awake?" Miyako gasped in surprise at the small, orange-haired girl clinging to her legs. She was still wearing only the white, thin dress they all got in Caesar's laboratory. The samurai turned around to examine the pale girl closer, seeing that the girl was crying. There were tears and snot coming from every crevice of her face, making Miyako cringe slightly in disgust as Rachel buried that face into her coat. The women sighed and knelt down in front of the crying girl. "What's wrong?"

Rachel winced before everything came out in a rush. "I'm so sowby, Miwya-nee! I was mbean tbo ybou wbhen ybou tried tbo hwelb me!" The girl cried on, feeling guilty and upset for what happened back at the facility.

Miyako couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before her. She had to admit it was just a little bit cute…in a snotty, disgusting way. She put a hand on Rachel's head, rubbing it a little and ruffling her hair. Usually that act would always make the tiny girl giggle, but this time she simply kept balling. "What are you talking about, Rachel? It's not your fault. Caesar gave you those drugged candies to make you like that," she explained. Her gaze softened in guilt as she continued, "I should be the one to apologize to you, Rachel…I should've protected you, but I unknowingly only made you worse," she whispered.

The girl tried blinking her tears away as she calmed down a bit, seeing that the samurai wasn't angry at her. She shook her head in disagreement, still sniffling and sobbing. "Uh-un, Miya-nee was always kind to me. Even when she tried to act scary, I wasn't fooled by it!" The girl exclaimed proudly, clenching her small fist in the air as if she was making a deep statement.

Miyako bowed her head in defeat. "I really can't win against you, can I," she mumbled with a soft smile.

Rachel wiped her tears and snot away with the end of her dress. "They tell us we are to go with the marines," she muttered in a deploring tone, frowning slightly. She raised her head in objection suddenly, "But we want to stay with you, and the pirates, and the orange-haired oneechan!"

The woman sighed with a sweat drop. *_Because of the Strawhats they think pirates are the cool ones…I fear we had some bad influence on these kid.* _Even as she thought that, Miyako still chuckled at the thought of Luffy and the others. They were pirates, yet they were the heroes of the day, saving everyone and beating the 'bad guys.' Of course she doubted the rest of the world will ever hear the truth about this incident on Punk Hazard. The World Government is sure to cover it all up or at least change the facts so that the pirates become the villains here this day. And the rest of the world will believe them. The woman looked at the tiny form of a child in front of her. Well...maybe there will be some that will know the truth of exactly what happened today. The samurai smirked at the thought. She patted Rachel's head once more. "But don't you want to go home?" She raised her eyebrow at the girl who stopped every motion, watching the samurai woman carefully.

Suddenly, Rachel started crying again, even louder now, "I dooo~!"

"Ah!" Miyako panicked, thinking she was at fault for making Rachel cry. And right after the girl finally composed herself. She put her hands in front of her, not sure what to do with the girl. Suddenly, Rachel's stomach growled loudly, signifying she was starving, while the girl was still crying her eyes out. Miyako's breath hitched in shock. "Are you sad or hungry, which is it!?" However, just then on Miyako's great dismay, she smelt the delicious scent of Sanji's cooking, making her stomach growl just as loudly. Miyako went completely red in the face from embarrassment, but at least it seemed her performance made Rachel stop crying as the girl started laughing at her now. Miyako sighed in defeat. _*Definitely can't win against this one…*_

"It's done! Robin-chwan, Tashigi-cwan, Nami-swan, Miyako-cwaaan~ You can eat first!" Sanji called out in his singing voice for the ladies around them. "The rest of you lot can wait your turn!" The cook bit back at the rest of his nakama, not caring one bit that they were all already drooling with hunger.

"Whaaa?! But I wanna eat~!" Luffy whined, already sitting at the make-shift table the Cook created. He was taking the pieces of pizza and meat, gulping them all down in one bite, before anyone else could even react. "Whooo! It's delicious!" The pirate captain exclaimed loudly, before starting to eat even faster, stuffing food inside his mouth. As a result, his rubber cheeks swelled to an unbelievable level while he gobbled the food.

"Hn? Where's the sake?" Zoro commented blankly, looking around the table.

"Everything looks so good," Miyako smiled, running over to the table with Rachel to get a plateful of food.

Momonosuke and Kin'emon were already there, sitting at the table with their stomachs rumbling, as they examined all the delicious-looking meals.

The Wano boy stared at the food with a pouting expression, gritting his teeth as if trying with all his might not to succumb to the temptations in front of him. His pride still wouldn't allow him to show any weakness in front of the others. His hands trembled as he took a bowl of soup, slowly bringing it to his lips. Just before he took the first sip, the boy shut his eyes tightly and raised the bowl high into the air. "I'm not hungry! I'm absolutely not hungry!" He gulped loudly, ready to throw the soup away. "This stuff-!"

He was stopped by Sanji who grabbed his hands with anger in his eyes. If the cook of the Strawhats hated one thing, than it was to waste food. "Hey! What are you trying to do with that dish!?"

"This food is…delicious!" Kin'emon exclaimed suddenly, making time stay still as everyone stopped to look at him. The man swallowed his pride with every bit of food he ate, barely able to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. "It's alright, Momonosuke! We can trust these people…I was even saved by them. This cooking is a blessing!"

The boy watched his father eat, wincing slightly as tears appeared in the corner of his eyes. He was still undecided, unsure whether to waver or not.

"You hardly ate anything for a month, haven't you?" A new voice brought Momo's attention towards the table. Suzune Miyako was already sitting there with a bowl of ramen in her hands, eating it slowly with a pair of simple chopsticks. The girl was staring right into her bowl as she spoke, not glancing at the boy. Yet there was a soft smile on her face while she talked, which was obviously meant for him. "Didn't we make a deal; that you would survive this place no matter what?" She reminded the boy of their conversation not so long ago when she first noticed the boy was refusing to eat and was starving himself. From the way Momo's body stiffened, it was clear he also remember what she was talking about. The girl finally turned her head to look at him, that smile still resting on her features. "You have endured it all and worked hard, Momonosuke-kun. You should be proud and take your reward," she pointed at his bowl of soup with her chopsticks.

The Wano boy stopped struggling with Sanji as he watched the samurai girl before glancing with uncertainty towards his father. It was an askance glance, as he wanted to make sure he has Kin'emon's permission. Was it really alright? His father gave him a sharp nod, telling him it was indeed fine to proceed. The boy sat down and still trembling took a sip of his soup. As soon as he tasted the dish, his tears spilled from his eyes and down his cheeks. "I-it's so good!" After the first gulp, the boy couldn't stop eating, spilling the whole soup down his throat.

Sanji smirked in relief, glad that his meal was so greatly appreciated. "Now, now, take it slowly or you'll get a stomachache," he warned.

They noticed shadows looming over them and soon realized all the kids, along with the G-5 soldiers, crept near them, lured by the tasty smell. They were all waiting in anticipation, wanting to try some of Sanji's cooking.

"Hee, what's this? Suddenly you're not talking any more nonsense about our side and your side?" Nami grinned and teased the marines evilly as they completely forgot about their line now that they saw all the food before them.

"Cease fire?" One of the marines grinned, already handing Sanji an empty plate, waiting for it to be filled by all kinds of food.

"In that case, go get some sake from the tanker, " Zoro suggested with a smirk.

"Aye, aye, Roronoa-bro!" The soldiers cheered in unison. They couldn't wait to feel the heat of good food in their bellies and strong sake to warm the body.

Miyako rolled her eyes and snorted at the hypocrisy. "So delicious food can bring together even the most bitter of enemies," she commented jokingly.

Trafalgar didn't look as pleased as the rest of the group as he grabbed Luffy by the shoulder to get his attention. "Strawhat-ya, we must leave now before they come to get us! Tell your friends too," he warned.

Strawhat nodded in agreement, still chewing on a piece of meat in his hand. "I see." He turned around towards all the people surrounding the large table of food. "Everyone, we don't have much time so….LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Kids, pirates and marines alike, all cheered at Luffy's loud proclamation, raising their fists in the air.

Only Trafalgar stayed stock still, his mouth falling open from the shock as his grey eyes widened. He was in total disbelief of what just happened. Actually, he wasn't quite sure he knew _what_ just happened. Weren't they supposed to be leaving to finish their plan!? After all, Doflamingo could be sending more men while they were nonchalantly sitting here. Knowing the older Shichibukai, that's exactly what he would do. Diamante or Lao G, one of Doflamingo's strongest family executives, could be near Punk Hazard already. It took a moment for Trafalgar to collect himself to his usual self, clearing his throat to try and calm his thoughts. He was brought out of them after hearing a familiar chuckle. He cast a sideways glance at a seat at the table where the samurai girl was sitting and eating her warm meal.

"And you thought I was hard to handle," she teased in a signing tone.

Law sighed and shook his head, walking over to her. "We should be on our way to Dressrosa right now," he growled.

Miyako thought for a second before responding. "Doflamingo just sent two of his officers here…Baby5 and Buffalo, was it?" She asked Law with a questioning stare and waited for his conformational nod before continuing. "He isn't aware yet that they failed. You said it yourself, that man is too conceited…he probably thinks they are already on their way back to him with Caesar and your head. So we have some time before he finally realizes he underestimated us," she concluded. She took a bowl of soumen and handed it towards her captain with a smile. "You also fought hard today…I know it's a completely foreign idea to you, but you should also relax once in a while, _captain_" she teased with a wink.

The man stared at the dish for a while before taking it in his hands with a sigh. He could feel the warmth spreading through him by just holding the hot bowl. He knew he needed some nutrients after everything that happened. He already tended to his wounds gained by Vergo and treated the sick children, so nothing else was left to be done. "Very well," he finally conceded. "But you shouldn't relax too much around the Strawhats. This alliance is only temporary…you do know that, right? Only until Doflamingo is taken down," he warned, giving Miyako a cautionary look.

She nodded, returning a serious gaze towards Law. "You are my captain, and I will follow you in your decisions," she repeated what she told him once before. It seemed like a whole lifetime ago now, after everything that happened. She huffed, stretching her hands in the air. "Aaah~ Don't make me say such embarrassing things! It makes me sound like all those guys in our crew," she complained in an overly dramatic fashion, trying to hide her slight embarrassment behind it.

Trafalgar smirked in amusement at Miyako's reactions, suddenly getting a strong urge to both kiss and bully her at the same time. Well if he kissed her here in public in front of everyone, it would probably be considered as bullying by her. He stepped closer to her side, putting one hand on the table in front of her and leaning forward until he was behind her and his lips were slightly brushing her ear. He could feel the girl gasp and stiffen at the sudden intrusion of her personal space. "Perhaps…," he started, his every word ticking her skin. "Perhaps it's not a bad thing that you came with me, after all," he whispered in her ear, enjoying how red her ear and cheek had become under his ministrations. The girl's eyes widened and her mouth fell open to say something, but before she could find her breath to do so, the captain already left her cold, walking away from the table. The girl turned around to look at his leaving form in wonder, before she clapped both hands on her reddened ears. _*That jerk, he did that on purpose!*_ Yet she couldn't find it in herself to honestly be angry at him after the genuine words he just spoke to her. Rather, she felt quite relieved to hear them.

However, that relief lasted about one second before Miyako's gaze made contact with a pair of mirthful blue eyes on the other side of the long table. Robin stared at her in amusement, a light smirk on her features as she sipped her drink. The samurai girl completely stiffened in realization that Law and her were seen just now.

_*She saw it…she definitely saw it!*_ Panic struck at Miyako's heart as she could clearly see Robin's entertained look as she stared at her knowingly. She rested her head on the palm of her hand that was leaning on the table and simply winked at the samurai girl.

_*She knoooows!*_ That act was all it took for Miyako to understand that the insightful archeologist easily caught on the situation and the relationship between the two Heart Pirates, making the girl even more uneasy. It's not that she was really trying to hide it…not really. But it still felt embarrassing for strangers to see Law flirting with her so openly. She didn't think the Strawhats would care, but she still felt insecure about opening her private life to others who she barely knew. Her troubled expression spoke more than words to Robin who could see a dark shade of red on Miyako's usually pale cheeks.

The archeologist kept her stare on Miyako just a few moment more, having fun torturing the girl and making her squirm, before she finally showed some mercy. She put a long index finger on her lips before she mouthed the words; _"It's our secret."_

In response, Miyako put her hands together and bowed her head once as thanks.

~…~

Since four years ago, no, perhaps even for the first time on this island called Punk Hazard, there were never-heard-before noises echoing throughout the snow-covered shores. The noises of laughter, cheer and joy of the people currently there. Noises of a large party taking place where all boundaries and rivalry stopped and only good fun remained. Marines were drinking with pirates, while children were dancing with the usually scary G-5 soldiers. For that one time, all animosity between world's most common enemies completely vanished. For once, they were all simply comrades, celebrating the fact that they were still alive after the incidents that occurred there that day.

Sanji was serving cocktails to the ladies and cake to the kids, while Zoro beat the soldiers one after the other in a drinking contest. Meanwhile, Nami was betting on Zoro's win again the marines, easily taking their money after winning each bet. The children were playing with Chopper who was celebrating in tears the fact that Mocha finally woke up. Luffy and Usopp kept dancing with strange dance moves and chopsticks stuck in their nostrils, making the kids laugh and copy their actions. Franky bragged about all his cyborg abilities, making the kids clap every time something new transformed or came out of his body. All the cheer was accompanied by Brook's music and song as the Soul King took out his guitar and started singing, making the marines and the children wave their hands in the air and sing along. Even Robin laughed happily, drinking a cocktail on the side while watching the Strawhats' performance as Luffy kept dancing and stuffing himself with food at the same time. Even Law and Smoker sat side by side with a plate of food in their hands, discussing everything that happened on Punk Hazard. Truthfully, it was hard to imagine that these two would have anything to talk about, but even they shared a certain kind of bond after working together to bring down Vergo.

Miyako chuckled at the sight of Usopp, telling tall tales about his pirate days to the kids. Her gaze was momentarily drawn to one other figure, sitting alone in the distance, away from the party. It took a while for Miyako to notice the pink long coat of the marine captain who was hunched in her seat, staring towards the ground.

Miyako took two glasses of freshly made orange juice, curtsy of Sanji, and walked over to Tashigi. She approached the silent woman cautiously, noticing the other's brooding expression. "Here," Miyako handed her one glass.

Tashigi was a bit surprised by the sudden intrusion and kept staring at the glass of juice as if not recognizing what it was. Only after a while did she return back from her deep thoughts and slowly took the glass in her hand. Even as she did, she kept the juice in her hands, not even taking a sip. It wasn't that she thought something was wrong with it; rather she was simply not in the mood for it…nor any other festive behavior.

"May I sit next to you for a moment?" Miyako waited for a slight nod of approval from Tashigi before she rested on a chair next to the marine's. She could see the woman was in a foul mood, or somewhat depressed at least, though the girl couldn't understand why yet. Instead, Miyako's eyes fell on the marine's bandaged shoulder where she was bit by Monet. "Is your shoulder alright? Does it still hurt?"

Tashigi was motionless for a while, before shaking her head and responding in a soft whisper, "No. Doctor Tanuki-san took care of it for me. It wasn't as bad as it looked…It was good that I didn't let that harpy rip my shoulder off or the consequences would have been a lot worse."

Miyako nodded in agreement. "You fought very bravely and skillfully." There was no condescension in her tone, only a simple statement of her genuine belief. She was truly happy she met another swordswoman like her, one with both potential and skill, who was also a good person.

"That's not true at all!" Suddenly, Tashigi raised her voice in frustration, startling Miyako. There was hurt in her dark eyes as she spoke. "As much as I hate to admit it, if there hadn't been for you and Pirate hunter Zoro, I might've not been able to beat her."

Miyako shook her head, "You don't know that."

"Even so! I was supposed to protect my subordinates and stop the enemy, yet I barely managed to do it! And only because I had help. At this rate, it is no wonder Roronoa Zoro keeps underestimating me. Even as I am so infuriated with it, I am a disgrace! Even after two years of training, I'm still not strong enough!" Tashigi kept rambling on in vigor, her voice rising gradually. "I got defeated by both Trafalgar and Monet…just as he said; weaklings do not even get to choose the way they day!"

Miyako was truly surprised by the other woman's sudden outburst and aggressiveness, but then she noticed the slight signs in her expression; the glistening in her black eyes, the slight tint of red on her cheeks, and the barely audible slur in her voice. "T-Tashigi-dono…are you drunk?" Miyako asked with a cold drop of sweat on her forehead and a nervous expression on her face. She didn't really pay attention to the marine captain before, but Tashigi must've been sitting and drinking here alone for quite some time now.

"It is so frustrating!" Tashigi continued, completely ignoring Miyako's question. Perhaps she didn't even hear her as the marine woman was completely enthralled in her own world of thoughts now. "Even as I keep training more and more, I'm still no good…I'm so ashamed! And I can never seem to reach the level of that damned Pirate Hunter either!" Tashigi's voice was now high enough to turn a few curious heads their way, the people starting to wonder what was going on. Miyako unsuccessfully tried to calm the marine woman down, putting her hands up defensively, but it was no use. She glanced around, noticing a few stares on them already.

Suddenly, Tashigi calmed down as quickly as she lost her temper, but only became more gloomy as she continued, "I…I have to work twice as hard as anybody else to become strong! Just because I was born as a woman and not a man…because I don't have the physical attributes of a man I-"

"Tashigi-dono!" Miyako abruptly interrupted her with a stern voice. Her expression was serious now, all that nervousness form earlier gone as she stared back at the marine woman. Once more, the people around them turned in curiosity at the strange atmosphere taking place between the two girls. Miyako sighed before continuing in a slightly gentler tone, "I…used to think just like you when I was younger," she admitted.

Tashigi looked at her with a questioning gaze, making the samurai woman continue. "Wano is a very traditional country; men train kenjutsu and fight wars, while it is a woman's duty to take care of the household and the man. That's why, as a girl wanting to train swordsmanship, to even hold a katana, it was simply odd and unheard of. I was a deviant." Miyako remembered all her frustrating lonely nights where she silently cursed her own self for being born a woman. Once she thought she would be happier if she was born a man. Or at least if she was like all the other girls and had no love for swordsmanship. Then her life might've been easier for her. But soon, through her training, she understood how wrong of a view that truly was.

"However, I don't think like that anymore. I know best how hard I trained and how far I've come…just like you know your own capabilities," she gave Tashigi a knowing look. "I am a lot stronger than some men, but still weaker than others; so all I can do is train even harder to surpass them. It has nothing to do with whether I'm a woman or not. I have confidence in my own strength! And you should too, Tashigi-dono." Miyako then grinned, showing the girl her bright smile. "Besides, I usually live in a submarine full of unruly, rowdy men. They're noisy, gross most of the time, and every one of them is a pervert! If I had to be like them, I would die! There's no way I would want to be a man after seeing them, you know," Miyako half joked, though there was some truth in what she said. After staying together for so long with the Heart Pirates, Miyako realized that she was better off being a woman. She might be one of them as a pirate, but she wouldn't want to be one of them as a gender. She rather liked her cleanness and tidiness, after all. If Penguin and the others were models of what men were like, Miyako would rather say 'No, thank you' to that. Nevertheless, a troubled expression passed her features for only a moment as she remembered what it was like living with her friends. Even though she would scarcely admit it, she actually missed them lot.

For a moment more, Tashigi gazed at the girl with wonder, but then smiled softly. Miyako was right. In the end, the strength of the kenshi came from their will more than their physical stature. If you aren't stronger or bigger than others, than work on yourself to become faster than anyone else. Use your body to your advantage, until your weakness can also become your strength. Tashigi nodded, feeling ashamed for her whimsical words. "I'm sorry…I think I underestimated you, so I said such things…it must have been an insult to you and all your hard work as a kenshi."

Miyako shook her head. "It's fine, more than that, you are underestimating your own power by thinking like that Tashigi-dono. It will keep pulling you down until you really won't be able to progress due to such fears of being inadequate. It would be a shame, don't you think?" The girl smiled at the marine woman and both completely forgot for a moment that they were supposed to be enemies.

Near them, the Strawhats listened in on their small conversation discretely, each showing a content smile on their lips. Even Zoro grinned at the two girls, though he didn't comment on it.

Only Kin'emon had a more troubled expression as his gaze softened and he stared down at the ground. After hearing Suzune's words, it was hard to not acknowledge her as a kenshi who worked hard every day for what she believed in. He felt guilty for constantly degrading her way of live while she was so serious about it and obviously had a hard time. She didn't look like someone who would want to accept one's pity so Kin'emon stayed quiet, but perhaps just a little, his opinion of the girl changed for the better. _*Suzune-dono…I might've been too hard on her earlier,* _he had to admit.

Miyako cleared her throat before she continued in a more light-hearted tone, "Besides, it's not that bad that your enemies underestimate you; that way you can take them off guard and defeat them more easily. It is their own fault. I mean, look at Roronoa Zoro-san. You say you're frustrated at him for not taking you seriously, but isn't that actually a good thing? You can use it as his weakness and kill him more easily. After all, a fight is also about finding your opponent's weakness and using it against him! If he has a weakness than you should use it! So if he hesitates to cut you, you should be even more determined to cut him! 'A moment of hesitation in a fight is the moment of your death'; that is what my master always said," she finished preaching in a matter-of-fact tone.

The G-5 soldiers and the Strawhats around them all sweat-dropped as they listened to the cheerful girl talking so easily about mercilessly killing an opponent, even one who wouldn't be able to cut her back. They all had the same thought in unison, _*That's scary, Miyako-chan…*_

Only the captain of the Heart pirates had a different reaction as he listened to Miyako's words. A small grin spread on his lips while his eyes stayed hidden beneath the rim of his spotted hat. Whether it was out of satisfaction or simple amusement was unclear; perhaps it was both.

~….~

"Nami-oneechan!"

"Miyako-oneechan!"

"Robot-guy!"

"Chopper-san!"

"Everyone! Thank you! Goodbye!"

The children yelled after them, even as the pirates already started walking away from the large tanker that sailed out into the open sea with the marines and the kids on it. Their cries echoed through the sky, saying their last goodbyes to the peculiar pirates who decided to save them on this remote island. Even a few sniffs of the marine soldiers followed, who were just as touched by these strange rowdy group of pirates called the Strawhats.

The pirates, however, didn't turn to look back after they waved their final goodbyes to the kids. They were ready to board their own ship that was waiting for them to sail on into the horizon with a smiling lion on the bow.

Miyako only glanced once after the large tanker while they were boarding the Thousand Sunny, the ship of the Strawhat pirates. What made her look at the leaving tanker was the memory of what happened just a while ago.

"_But Tashigi-chan! If we don't talk shit about these guys…! These lawless pirates…! We'll come to loooove them! Even though their pirateeeeets!" _

The crying voices of the marine soldiers as they admitted that still echoed in Miyako's mind, making her almost chuckle again as she did then. Even Tashigi-dono had tears in her eyes as they were leaving._ *Too bad. It was a privilege to get to know you, Tashigi-dono. Perhaps if things were different; if I wasn't a pirate and you weren't a marine, we could've been good friends.* _Miyako sighed, looking at the sky filled with thick white clouds above her. _*But to think I would meet someone who's struggling with her swordsmanship just like me. I'm glad,* _Miyako grinned.

"Hm? What are you grinning for?" Usopp asked the Wano girl as he passed her on the ship.

The girl shook her head as she stared back at the long-nosed sniper. "Just thinking how the world is a big place," she answered.

"Well, of course," Sogeking answered with a raised eyebrow, looking at the girl skeptically as if she just said something redundant. Then he laughed to himself as if remembering something funny, "Now that you mention it…that reminds me of when I fought a thirty-meter-long Sea King, armed with nothing but my slingshot and one rock…," Usopp continued on rambling about one of his made-up tales of bravery.

By now, after listening to his unbelievable stories throughout most of the party, Miyako learned not to believe any of them. As he kept on talking, the girl walked away while simply ignoring him. "Yes, yes…," she acknowledged him just by that much before making her escape.

"Oy, listen to me finish at least!" Usopp protested after her as he shouted in annoyance from being dismissed so easily right in the middle of his speech.

The two continued on in a light-hearted banter, their voices traveling through the sky, as the smiling Thousand Sunny started sailing away from Punk Hazard.

* * *

><p><em>Glossary:<em>

_Kenshi_ – swordsman. (The reason why I used this word was because unlike swordsman, kenshi is gender neutral which is more appropriate for my story since there are also swordswomen here and sometimes I do not want to make a distinction between the genders in sword users, so kenshi fits better in the context than the English word for it.)

* * *

><p>And that's it for the Punk Hazard Arc. I thought of separating this into two chapters at first but then decided to just give you this whole experience. :D I really hope you like it, as I had a really good time writing this. I just love the Strawhats. :')<p>

Also, I thought that you might be wondering; "Whoa, did Miyako really intend to cut Tashigi together with Monet!?" But just know that more will be said about that in future chapters, so don't worry.

* * *

><p><strong>Maisaahamdan: <strong>Wow, this is the first time I heard someone catching up to the cannon story, so they could be up to date with the fanfiction. I'm truly honored. ^^ I'm glad that you like my OCs, and I hope you will find the rest of the story interesting, as well.

**SurgeonOfLove: **Yep, Miyako is really happy to meet another woman kendoka. ^^ Hmm…I would think he isn't that jealous of a type, but is possessive. I think he would get annoyed if he thinks there is really something to worry about, but otherwise he wouldn't care if he doesn't see a threat in it (I think Sanji falls for this, latter, category). I assure you I have no intention of giving up this story, even if sometimes I have to take breaks because of my busy schedule. I'm not religious, but I know what you mean. People in Croatia do that a lot too, though I think they mostly fast at this time. Aww, well the cannon is going pretty slowly so you won't miss much after you come back to it. :')

**Red knight 2004: **Thank you for reading! ^^ I heard it both ways, tough in my country we say flies. I think "two birds with one stone" is also the english version, though.

**Zyma-nee-22: **Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter too! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Onepiecelawfan: **Thank you~ ^^

**MusicOfMadness: **Aww, sorry do disappoint you. I hope you didn't have to wait long for the next chapter at least. :) Thanks for reviewing and reading!

**Insanity294: **haha Thanks. I hope I'm not to blame for any trouble in school now. XD

**Cocobear: **Whoot! Welcome back! :D Hehe, some will…But you will find out more about that later. ;) Still, Miyako and Law aren't really the types that flirt openly; they like their privacy.

**Bizzy: **Ah~ I'm sure there is a video on youtube, so I'll check it out. Now that I think about it, I don't even remember some of the Strawhats' laughter; like Zoro's or Sanji's. o.O Mmm, Law won't get jealous that easily. :3 Thank you for reading and reviewing! :D

**Yappie: **Hehe, I'm glad it did. :D I know what you mean, it's true, the Strawhats are influencing her too. :3 After all, it's hard to stay calm and collected with them around (just look at Law XD). Haha But then again, she will also have leverage over him because she will get to see all his comical expressions while trying to handle Luffy. Maybe they'll have to make a deal; he doesn't punish her and she doesn't tell the rest of the Heart pirates everything that happened. ;)

**Forgotten Lost Ancient: **Hehe, I'm glad! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D

**Bloody Soffy: **I'm glad you like it. Indeed, I try to make Miyako progress in her character and strengths just like all the cannon characters do in One Piece. I was careful not to make Law too fluffy, and I especially didn't want him to start treating her like some weak damsel who needed protection. After all, she is a part of the Heart Pirates and should fight and act like it. I'm not planning to make Miyako stronger than Zoro, but don't forget she also spent the last two years training hard and even trained with a Samurai from Wano in her youth. So she won't be a pushover even towards Zoro. ;) Thank you very much and I hope you like the next chapters as well. ^^

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I'm so glad you liked it, especially since I'm such a big fan of your fanfiction. ^^ To be honest, it's easier making a hilarious situation when the Strawhats are involved, especially since the cannon arc is so filled with them. ;) As for Miyako's heart, as much as it sounds awful; I'm glad it was heart wrenching, because it means I made you feel the unease through my writing, so I'm also kinda glad. :P I definitely wanted Miyako to have her 'revenge' on Monet, but didn't want to leave Zoro or Tashigi out of it either because they had such awesome scenes in that fight. So hopefully I managed to combine it all together in one interesting spin on that scene. Thank you so much for always reading and commenting on my story. I hope you like the next chapters as well!

**Apple bloom: **Thanks! :D I hope you liked this one too!

**Guest: **Thank you for reading and reviewing! ^^

**ZeroHibiscus: **Haha, you don't have to worry about that. ^^ Yes, it might be a bit scary to start reading when you see it already has 60 chapters, but surprisingly people tell me they read through it in a few days. O.o (I wouldn't be able to do that). Everybody says they have some trouble with Law; I also had to stop and think carefully how to write him out in some scenes. And now he's totally changing character since he's met the Strawhats! XD I'm really glad you feel that way and I'm always happy when my writing wrings emotions out of the readers. Hopefully, you'll like the next chapters as well. Thank you for giving the story a try after all, and reviewing! (And your review wasn't too long or stupid at all! ^^)

About the fanart; sure, there's no problem. :) You can just PM me if you want to send it to me or show it to me, or if you have any questions about it.

**Chocogirl24: **Thank you for reading! Heh, Monet is no match for Miyako. ;) I did well, but my new exams are coming up so I need to start preparing. :')


	63. Chapter 63

'**I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters as it all belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood, language and suggestive themes.

Hello, Minna-san! :D Sorry, for the wait, I have been busy and I will be again, but hopefully I will get out at least one more chapter before my exams start.

Also, I might be repeating myself, but I just want to tell you all how wonderful you are for having so much patience with me and keeping up with this story even after all this time. You're reviews are always so supportive, it really means a lot to me. Thank you very much. *hands everyone a cookie* ^^

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 63<strong>

_Sigh_

_Siiiigh_

_Siiiiiiiiiiigh_

"Would you stop sighing already!? You're making _me_ depressed," Penguin shouted at the first mate who was now acting captain of the Heart Pirates while their real captain was away.

Bepo, Penguin and Shachi were in the control room, staring at the underwater terrain in front of them, while Jean Bart and Sai occupied their usual seats, navigating the submarine. The bear had been lying on the ground with his face down, limp and lifeless as a sea cucumber, only letting out long sighs every now and then. He had been doing so ever since they sailed from Punk Hazard, leaving their captain, his best friend, behind along with their samurai. The lack of Trafalgar Law caused the polar bear to fall even deeper in his state of depression than usual. He was still carrying out his everyday duties and was quite good at being the one in command, giving out orders when necessary, but whenever he started thinking about leaving Miyako and Law alone with the enemy, a gloomy cloud of anxiousness started weighing down on him.

"But what if something bad happened to Captain and Miya-chan? What if they were discovered and Caesar Clown did something to them!? And Captain is a devil fruit user so if he falls into the water, he's doomed!" The bear suddenly sat up as he started panicking from all the horrid thoughts swirling in his mind, grabbing his head and ruffling the fur with his claws there.

The dark-haired mechanic pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a second. He could feel a headache coming so he took a long pause to compose himself before he snaps at the polar bear again. "Snap out of it dammit! You've been like this ever since we left captain on Punk Hazard. We all miss him too, but we can't whine about it all day. You're the first mate, henceforth the captain now, so act like it," he reprimanded Bepo with a stern tone.

Bepo's ears lowered as he continued to sit on the metal floor of the submarine, looking like a giant stuffed toy left to wait in the room while its owner returns.

Shachi came over to the bear and gave him a firm squeeze on the shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up and get him out of his dark mood. "Ignore him Bepo, he's just upset because he's missing Miya-chan," the other mechanic grinned.

Suddenly, Penguin flailed his arms in the air before gripping his head, "Well of course I do dammit! What if Miya-chan is in dangeeer!?"

Shachi, Sai and Jean Bart all stayed quiet with their expressions unchanged, but a bead of sweat appeared on their foreheads as they all thought the same thing, *_So aren't you just the same as Bepo?* _

The younger navigator finally sighed, deciding to say something. Mostly it was because he wanted them to either shut up or leave the control room already since they kept being too noisy for him to concentrate. So maybe if he managed to reassure them, they would stop with all the yelling. "Captain and Miyako can take care of themselves. They aren't so weak to be defeated that easily. Besides…when did you ever see Captain Law's plan fail?"

The brunette mechanic nodded, "I agree with Sai. They won't be so easily defeated and they'll take care of each other. We can always relay on Law's plans after all," he smiled reassuringly at Bepo and Penguin.

Bepo nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right. I must be extra depressed because I have to share this small space with all you gruff guys," the bear sighed.

"Why you-" Penguin raised his hand to sock him, but Shachi managed to caught the other mechanic before that and restrain him by holding him by the forearms, while Penguin struggled.

"Ah, I know, let's go up for a while!" Shachi exclaimed, hoping to change the subject and lighten the mood. "Everyone's been cooped up in here for so long and we're all tense because of the whole situation. Some fresh air and sunlight might relax the crew," he suggested.

Sai and Jean Bart looked at each other, having a mental conversation between themselves to decide if it was alright to do so. The younger navigator glanced at his radars, deeming it safe enough since there wasn't anything moving around them. "Alright, we can do that. Besides, we'll be arriving at Zo soon anyway."

Bart simply nodded before he started pulling the helm towards himself carefully, slowly pointing the submarine's bow upwards and sailing towards the surface.

Meanwhile, Sai used the den den mushi to notify everyone that they'll be emerging soon which meant for everyone to prepare for the usual turbulence that it always created.

"How long until we reach Zo?" Penguin called out, glad that they'll get some fresh air which might be good for his slowly appearing headache.

"I'd say we'll reach the island tonight if we keep going with this speed and without any problems," Jean Bart answered curtly as usual before focusing back on getting the vessel out on the open.

"We were lucky, there weren't any sea creatures nor pirates getting in our way so it took less time than expected," Bepo added, back in his captain-mode already. The bear's mood swings were truly amazing; how fast he could jump from deep depression to his professional self.

"Idiot, don't say that or you'll jinx us," Penguin interrupted the bear, while trying to pry himself out of Shachi's vice-like grip.

"Sorry…," the polar bear instantly responded.

Sai rolled his eyes at that statement, "Don't tell me you believe in that nonsense, Penguin."

Shachi laughed, "He's the kind of guy who'll avoid black cats and never walk under a ladder."

"Hey, mock all you want but it's better to be safe than sorry! Now quickly Bepo, knock on some wood to unjinx us!"

"….But we're in a metal submarine…," Bepo whined.

"…R-right…," Penguin looked caught off guard as if that thought didn't even cross his mind until now.

"Dumbass," Shachi muttered.

~…..~

Cody took a deep breath of fresh air, basking in the sun as he stretched as far as he could go. "Aah, it's nice to finally be outside. And it's such a nice day, too."

The redheaded medic yawned beside him as he also stepped out on the deck, "I'll be even happier when we reach land," he muttered. "Ugh!" A sudden slap on his back made him gasp for breath and stumble forward.

"What kinda pirate be ya, ya landlubber," Munk laughed wholeheartedly as he winked at Josh.

The small medic just scowled at the rough treatment, but before he could complain, Garry interfered. "At least it's better than before. I remember when Josh first joined the crew, he was so sea sick he couldn't get out of bed for days," the other medic teased.

Sam laughed, "That's true! I also remember! Even the medicine didn't help him much so he had to walk around the submarine with a bucket all the time!"

The Hearts all laughed at that memory before the redhead got used to the constant motions of a sea vessel. Indeed, comparing to before, this nostalgia for land that would sometimes hit him when they were out at sea for a long time was nothing. Joshua's eyebrows furrowed at the laughter obviously aimed at him. His face turned red, both from anger and embarrassment from the memories, "Alright already! Don't get me started on you guys! The first time Sam saw a real-life sea king he almost pissed his pants!" He pointed accusingly at the mechanic. "And Mori, what about the time when you slipped while wiping the deck and managed to fall overboard," the medic continued in triumph now that the other's had to share his misery.

Mori, one of the chefs of the crew, cleared his throat and put the hat further down on his head to hide his embarrassed expression, "I-I don't remember that at all…"

"Don't worry, Mr. Two-left-feet, that's why _we_ do," Penguin grinned devilishly at the helping chef, not letting him get away with it.

"Well in any case it seems you were wrong Penguin; nothing bad happened and we're still here. It's a wonderful day!" Shachi exclaimed, doing some light exercises under the sun. That is until the younger head mechanic jumped at him and clamped his mouth shut with his hand, almost toppling both of them over.

"Idiot! Are you doing this on purpose!? Are you trying to jinx us now?!" Penguin yelled in an angry panic.

"I...don't think that's a real thing…though," Zeek answered sheepishly, though he was left unnoticed and unheard as Penguin started arguing with Shachi, who in return, started mumbling and suffocating from Penguin's hand on his face.

"Nothing bad is going to happen just because you relax for a while, idiot," Joshua sighed and the taller head medic beside him nodded in approval.

Just as he said that, a loud rumbling noise ripped through the sky. All the Heart Pirates on the deck stared up just in time to see the bright blue sky darken in an instant, as rain started pouring down on them. For a while they all just stood there, dumbfounded and speechless, getting soaking wet by the sudden bad weather.

"Ah…" Sai was about to say what they were all thinking, but Joshua cut him off as he shouted in denial.

"This proves nothing! It's just a coincidence!" The redhead had to shout loudly to overpower the sounds of thunder.

Just then, a lightning bolt crashed down into the sea, only a few paces from the submarine. The loud electrical sound that hit the water made the crew jump in surprise. It was as if heaven itself has turned against them.

"I told you!" Penguin shouted in frustration.

"Aah~ Now my jumpsuit feels ever heavier," Bepo complained in irritation as he got soaked. Water was dripping in puddles from his white fur.

"That's the New World for you…better head back inside," Sam sighed in disappointment and everyone rushed back towards the entrance, away from the cold rain.

The younger navigator, however, stood still in his place as he stared before him. But he wasn't staring at the sky as usual when he was interested in a weather phenomenon. Instead, he was staring at the darkening sea below them. "Wait…Something's not right," he muttered, narrowing his purple eyes.

Cody noticed Sai's still form and jogged towards him. "Hey, what's wrong? Come back inside, you'll catch a cold," he warned. His normally spikey hair was falling down and framing his face now, creating an unusual sight.

"This rain was too sudden even for the New World's weather, don't you think?" Sai started and opened the palm to examine the droplets of water falling onto his hand.

Cody simply blinked at him, puzzled, not understand what the navigator meant. That's when a stray droplet slid down his cheek and onto his lips. Reflexively, the medic licked his lips with his tongue, but then his eyes widened in confusion. "Huh?" He turned his head up towards the sky and stuck his tongue out like a child playing in the rain. As he got another taste of the rain, his eyebrows furrowed. "It's…salty. Why is the rain salty?"

He turned with a questioning eye towards Sai again, only to stop in his tracks and pale considerably. It was because he recognized the expression that their navigator was currently wearing; an expression that he saw only a couple of times in all their years together. Sai's light purple eyes were wide, as he didn't even care that water was falling right onto his face. Perhaps he didn't even notice because the navigator was definitely in shock. It made the medic even more worried, knowing that the usually expressionless Sai only made those kinds of faces when he just made a huge realization.

Before Cody could ask what was the matter, he heard the navigator whisper, "Because that isn't rain…and _that_ isn't the sky," the young man pointed at the dark blue surface above them.

Cody raised his head to look up as well just before he heard Sai finish.

"That's an ocean."

The crew stopped as they heard Sai's explanation, all of them staring at the sky together with the other two pirates. That's when they noticed the lightning bolts suddenly stopped, even as the thunder kept rumbling. The salty rain was still pouring down onto them.

"W-what's going on? Sai?" They all turned to the navigator who had the most experience with climate and its peculiar changes in the New World.

Suddenly, Sai's eyes opened even wider in realization and he turned towards the rest of the crew. It finally dawned on him what was going on. "We need to get out of here, quick! Everyone inside!"

Just as he said that, Jean Bart came rushing out onto the deck with gritted teeth. Even the large, usually stoic man, seemed worried. "There is something wrong with the log pose in the control room. All three needles are just spinning like crazy."

"What is going on!? Are we going to die?!" Bepo started running in circles, with panic and despair in his beady eyes.

"I knew it! I knew this will happen! We got hexed…twice!" Penguin stomped his foot with hopeless anger written all over his face.

"What's going on, Sai?" Joshua yelled as that thunder noise around them continued. But suddenly the medic realized the noises weren't coming above them anymore…they were coming from below. They were coming from the sea.

"There's no time to explain, we need to submerge and get out of here!" Sai yelled out just before a flashing light blinded them all. It was a lightning bolt just like before, only this time it didn't come from the sky above them, but instead rose like an electrical column from the water below them. Another came out next to the ship, melting into the blue sky above them and disappearing into the air. But could it really be called the sky anymore? Just as Sai foretold, the sky seemed like liquid now as it moved above them, the salty droplets still pouring down.

"Gyah! The thunderbolts are coming from the sea?"

Suddenly Bepo regained his composure as he realized how dangerous this strange phenomenon was, whatever it was. He strengthened his resolve and was suddenly a different person, better yet a bear, as he started shouting out orders. "I don't know what's going on, but for now everyone get inside. Everyone to your positions, we are entering a state 3 alert! Jean Bart, Sai, get to the control room and bring us down!"

The Hearts started running inside, some almost slipping onto the wet wooden floor of the deck as they rushed on.

Sai, however, gritted his teeth but stayed in place as he stared up above them at the strange ocean sky. "It might be too late," he muttered just before turning to leave and running after the others.

Bepo was the last to get in before slamming the metal doors of the submarine and tightening the wheel to hold them shut. He rushed down the stairs, catching up to Sai and the two head mechanics who were headed for the control room.

"We need to submerge as soon as possible," the navigator warned.

"What's going on, Sai?!" Shachi questioned as he noticed the navigator obviously knew something about this. "Do you know what this is?"

" I think so…but I'm still surprised. I've only read about it in books. After all, this occurrence happens so rarely navigators usually don't even get to see it in their lifetime of travels," the young man explained.

"Who cares about that, just tell us what's going on!" Penguin demanded.

"A reversible storm," Sai pointed out simply just as they entered the control room. Jean Bart was already waiting at the helm there. The younger navigator plopped into his chair hurriedly and started pushing buttons and pulling levers. With an annoyed click of his tongue, he noticed the warning lights on his control panel, "The machinery is going haywire." Red lights were flashing around the submarine now, warning everyone to stay alert and prepared.

"Take us down by force if you have to, Jean Bart," Bepo yelled an order, seeing they had no other choice.

"What the hell is this reversal storm?!" Shachi called out.

"A _reversible_ storm. Or Reverse Storm as some call it. It is an occurrence where nature itself is changing and completely reversing…laws of physics, magnetic fields, even the gravity…That's also why our log poses and machinery isn't working. The up is down and the down is up," the navigator explained.

"You mean…the sky is actually turning into an ocean and vice versa!? No wonder there are thunderbolts coming from the sea," Bepo exclaimed in panic.

"Scary…" Penguin whined.

"The thunderbolts are the least of our problems," Sai continued.

"What do you mean?" Everyone gulped, completely tense.

"As I said…if up is down and down is up….that means we are on the wrong side right now," the navigator told them.

Everyone paled. "You don't mean…" The whole submarine suddenly shook, lightly at first but then it became stronger with every next shake.

"G-guys…Look!" Shachi pointed out the window with wide eyes behind his sunglasses. They all stared at large columns of water rising around them. It was as if gravity was suddenly shifted and everything was starting to float upwards.

"What the hell is going on with all this shaking?!" Josh burst out into the control room, Cody following close behind with a worried expression. Just then everyone felt a strange feeling of lightness, as if they were losing weight rapidly and becoming light as feathers. But when they started flying slowly upwards they realized they weren't really losing weight…they were simply falling to the other side…along with their entire ship!

"Everyone, grab onto something!" Jean Bart yelled as a warning before clutching onto the helm. The other Heart Pirates did the same, grabbing whatever they could find that was nailed to the floor.

Sai luckily had a seatbelt attached to his chair and quickly put it on before shouting a warning to all the crewmembers via den den mushi for everyone to hold onto tight to something stabile.

"We're flying!"

"No…We're falling!"

The entire vessel started shrieking as it got pulled out of the water below them and started rising upwards towards the sky. At first it was slow, but it started picking up speed as it went on, much to everyone's disdain. All the pirates could do was watch in horror as they appeared to be flying in a straight like towards the sky, gaining speed as they went.

"Amazing…," Cody mumbled, rubbing his slightly unshaved chin in thought. He watched with wondrous eyes as they lifted up into the blue sky.

Josh slapped the medic on his back in irritation. "What are you getting excited about right now, idiot!?"

"So…what happens once we reach the sky…or the ocean, or whatever the hell is up there right now?" Shachi asked.

"I don't know…" Sai muttered, his thin eyebrows only slightly furrowed, showing that he was also considering the possibilities and was obviously troubled by them.

"I'd be more concerned what happens once this whole strange storm passes," Jean Bart muttered darkly.

Bepo tilted his head, puzzled by the statement. "Why? Isn't that a good thing? Then everything will return back to normal."

"Yeah, back to normal…and imagine what would happen to us if we're who-knows-how-high in the air at that moment," Josh grumbled at the polar bear.

Bepo suddenly understood their predicament and gulped before deadpanning, "We're going to die."

"I don't know how long we'll keep rising like this, it could go on for miles. But falling from such a height would be like falling onto cement; _splat_!" Shachi added with a few creative sound effects for a better picture.

"Sorry," Bepo winced again but was completely ignored.

"But I'm more interested what will happen when we reach this sky-ocean above us," Cody pointed at the blue liquid sky that slowly rippled above them. It was as if looking into a large mirror that reflected the ocean underneath them. Suddenly, both the sea and the sky looked exactly the same. Every once in a while, a column of light would pass them by from below as the thunderbolts still rose from the water beneath them, yet the rain fell from above. But there was water dripping from both sides now, some droplets colliding into each other, as this strange anomaly made the ocean beneath them rise in drops while salty water also fell from the sky.

They all continued to clutch at anything beside them since the rising submarine and lack of normal gravity made them all fly and float above the floor.

Penguin dared to let go for a while, pushing himself off the railing and landing on the sideway wall, though he was instantly pulled up to stand on the roof of the room. He crouched while in an upside-down position, staring down at the others who were now all reversed in his eyes. He chuckled in amusement at the floating feeling. "So this is what it feels like to defy laws of gravity and nature itself, huh?"

"Stop that and grab onto something before you fall and break your neck," Joshua warned.

"Heh, I'm the king of Nature right now!" Penguin retorted, puffing out his chest in pride.

"More like the king of morons," Shachi muttered.

"Well enjoy it while it lasts because, remember…._Splat_," Sai reminded the mechanics in an eerily calm tone.

The Hearts gulped. "Right…," they winced. They were all so mesmerized by the flying feeling that they forgot what could come next; impending doom.

As their light bickering continued, all they could do was watch as the vessel finally approached the strange sky.

"Everyone, hold on tight, we don't know what will happen next," Jean Bart warned, clutching onto the helm just in case.

"We're going to collide with it!" Bepo shrieked in panic.

The first level of the submarine slowly touched the sky which started to ripple and sway even more now, just like water being disturbed. There was no resistance as it opened up and the vessel slowly started entering the liquid sky. Slowly it was being submerged even as it still rose up in a completely horizontal position.

"W-we're going in!" Bepo gulped, feeling relived that they didn't crash into it yet equally freaked out by this new development.

The water started enveloping the submarine until the sky swallowed them whole and the yellow vessel completely disappeared into the dark blue, leaving no evidence behind of its existence.

"We're…sailing inside…just like in a normal sea," Sai muttered with a sigh, relieved by this. They didn't know how long this reassurance will last once the effects of the 'Reverse Storm' stop working, but at least for now things were still going their way. "The radars and other devices on the control panel still aren't working, though," he added with the same seemingly blank expression as usual.

"At least we can steer with the helm. This is just like sailing a ship, the old-fashioned way," the older navigator commented.

Sai hummed in response to that, though he didn't sound pleased by it, even as nothing on his expression showed so. Then again, his expressions were always so subtle they were barely visible to other people. Only those who knew him well and spent time with him, like the Heart Pirates, learned how to read his emotions from his features and came to understand this guy whose thoughts seem to be unfathomable to others. Still, the younger navigator preferred to have control, especially when it came to navigation. He didn't like this feeling of powerlessness since he was unused to it when it came to sailing.

"Wow, we're actually sailing through the sky," Bepo's black eyes blinked in utter bewilderment. "Just don't crash you guys!" He suddenly warned, realizing they couldn't see anything but the blue before them. Yet unlike the clear water of the Four Blues, this sky sea appeared foamy and misty, making their vision limited.

"What would we crash into, a cloud?" Josh muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe a bird?" Penguin tilted his head and scratched its side.

A bird in water?" Cody stared at him funny with a questioning but also skeptical expression.

"Maybe a giant fish?" Shachi asked in wonder, rubbing his chin.

"A fish!?" Bepo's eyes gleamed in excitement as he heard that word, his thin black lips already salivating slightly.

"Shut up Bepo!" Everyone yelled in unison.

"Sorry," the bear bowed his head in depression.

"Aaah, this sea-sky makes no sense! And we can hardly see anywhere we're sailing…flying? Gaah, this hurts my brain!" Penguin ruffled the hair along with his hat as he yelled in frustration from all these confusing happenings.

"Right now we're just going in circles, because if we accidentally sail out of the sea storm, we'll start falling from the sky," Jean Bart explained to them. There was slight worry even in his gruff voice.

"Ah, but while we're in the storm it's ok right?" Shachi asked.

"Yeah…," Sai answered though his tone seemed unsure.

Penguin's eyes widened as he grabbed the other head mechanic by the collar. "Don't you dare say any more than this! You'll jinx us again, you're awfully close as it is!" He started shaking the other man to get his full attention as he warned.

Joshua sighed, "Still with the superstitions."

"Then how do you explain that _just_ after he said how everything is perfect we end up in the eye of a once-in-a-life-time-seen killer storm!? Of all the places to form in the New World, it forms just above us!"

"Coincidence? It happens in the New World…" Cody shrugged not overthinking it as Penguin was.

"Would you all just shut up and think of a solution rather than arguing," Joshua yelled. "We'll die if we just do nothing here!"

"He's right, we need to find a safe way to get back into the real sea again," Bepo called out before letting out another long sigh. "I wish Captain was here! He would know what to do…and he would use his powers to bring us down," he whined.

"But he's not here so we need to find a solution ourselves," Jean Bart reminded them.

"Oy, Jean Bart, don't tell me what to do, I am the acting captain here," the bear complained.

"Then act as captain and help out!" Joshua yelled back at the bear.

"Sorry…" The polar bear bowed his head in sudden dejection.

Everyone sighed.

However, Bepo suddenly clenched his fists and raised his head with a fierce look in his black eyes. "No…you're right! Captain isn't here now so we need to take care of it ourselves, we can't always rely on him. And we can't let this stupid storm beat us! We have to survive and tell captain and Miya-chan all about it when they get back."

The Hearts smirked, "That's the spirit!"

However, luck was truly cruel to them this day. Just as Bepo finally found his resolve and everyone started making a plan, the submarine started shaking just as it did previously. The tremors grew stronger, making the pirates stumble around and almost lose their balance.

"Whoa, what's going on!?"

Everyone's hearts sank as they started to realize what was happening. The storm must have passed or disappeared just as quickly as it appeared because the state around them was returning to normal. Even the needles on the log pose calmed down. Yet, that was far from good news for our friends, for they could feel the force of gravity pulling them back down. They slowly started to slip out of the sky-sea. They were falling.

"No, no, no!" Shachi and Penguin held onto each other for dear life as they were tumbling around the control room, while the vessel started falling from the sky vertically.

"How far are we from the ocean?!"

"Too far, we'll never make it!

Cody gritted his teeth and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, putting one into his mouth. "Sorry Captain, but allow me this last one," he muttered, remembering Law usually forbid him to smoke inside the vessel, even though the captain wasn't here now. Still, the medic at least hoped for one last cigarette before he was splattered and forgotten somewhere in the depths of Davy Jones Locker.

However, Bepo wasn't about to give up and let them all die in the middle of nowhere. "Shachi, Penguin, you know those ventilation shafts at the bottom to let the hot air out from the engines?"

The two mechanics nodded in silence, still not letting go of each other but at least they calmed down enough while they focused on the first mate.

"Can you let out as much air from them as possible when I give you the signal?"

"Of course!" Shachi bumped his fist into his open palm as he realized Bepo's plan. If they can let out enough hot air, they could make the shafts into make-shift thrusters and slow their fall enough to not break into pieces when they hit the ocean again. "Penguin, let's go!" The dark mechanic followed suit as Shachi ran out of the control room and both pirates rushed towards the lowest floor to work on opening and redirect the ventilation system.

Meanwhile, the submarine kept gaining speed as it fell from the sky. It was completely out of the liquid sea-sky now that turned back into simple greyish clouds, as if the whole Reverse Storm never happened. The area calmed down as even the columns of thunderbolts stopped rising upwards from the ocean.

As the Hearts looked through the main window, they could see the vast blue below them as the ocean stretched in all directions. As magnificent as the sight from the sky was, it will soon become their grave if they don't succeed in stopping their fall.

While the vessel shook, Sai once again warned for every pirate to hold on tight so they wouldn't get additional injuries from falling around the submarine.

"5000 meters above the sea, Bepo," Sai called out, his machinery on the control panel finally starting to work properly again and could now be read.

"3000 meters."

"2000 meters."

"1000 meters!"

"500 meters!"

Bepo gritted his sharp teeth. The problem was that they didn't have an infinite amount of air to release from the ventilation so they had to be careful when to release it. If they do it too early, they'll lose it all and start falling again. Yet if they let it out too late, they won't be able to slow down the whole ship in time. It was a matter of perfect timing. With that in mind, the bear gripped a den den mushi and called out to the mechanics with it, "Now!"

They heard a hissing sound from somewhere below as hot air started coming out from all the ventilation openings that were leading outwards. The shafts were on both sides of the submarine and below on its bilge.

"We're going to crash!" Josh exclaimed since they weren't slowing down at all and they were still quickly approaching the sea below.

"Give it time," Cody muttered, gripping the railing in the control room with so much force, his knuckles turned white. He was so focused on the situation that he completely forgot to light his cigarette which was still hanging between his teeth.

Indeed, slowly but surely, the vessel in the air started slowing down while it fell.

Joshua was so relieved; he started laughing in shock, still feeling his heart thumping loudly all the way in his throat. "Haha…we did it! It worked!"

"Bepo, is it working?!" Penguin's voice yelled from the den den mushi.

"It is! It is!" Bepo answered in joy, huffing in relief with his ears dropping in relaxation.

Cody and Joshua just laughed at each other in respite, feeling all their muscles suddenly turn to jelly as they relaxed from all the tension.

"Don't celebrate just yet. The air is slowing us down, but it will still be a hard fall. Brace yourselves," the large navigator called out to warn the others. Just as he said that, staring down into the ocean below them, he noticed foam gathering on the rippling water at the surface while waves started appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "Uh…," he started to say, but wasn't even heard from everyone's cheering voices.

"We're going to survive this!" Bepo grinned widely, showing rows of his sharp white teeth.

Just as they were about to fall down, the scenery before them completely changed. All they could see in the window was a black and red crevice of some sort as everything went completely dark.

"Huh?" Cody only had time to say before the submarine was jerked violently. The air stopped coming from the ventilation shafts, completely spent, and the ship started falling into pitch black nothingness.

"Whaaa!" The Heart Pirates yelled as they were tossed from one side of the strange and large dark tunnel to the other. Just like the submarine crashed into the black walls outside, so did the men in the control room.

~…..~

Joshua moaned in pain as his consciousness started returning to him. Even before he opened his eyes, he could feel a light headache and a sharp pain in his back and shoulders. The blackness from his closed gaze was actually comforting as it soothed his pained eyes. A bit reluctantly, he slowly opened one eye, trying to focus his vision on his surroundings. He expected the light in the control room to blind him and irritate his eyesight, but was surprised when he noticed everything was dark. The power in the submarine seemed to have shut down from the crash. _*Crash? Now that I think about it, what exactly happened?*_

"Mnn, what happened?" Another voice called out the exact same question in a confused mumble. It was Cody, who begun to stir awake, groaning in pain.

The last thing the redhead remembered was that suddenly everything became dark as they entered a tunnel with pitch black walls and a long red road. The submarine hit one of the walls and bounced off of them, making everyone fall. The last thing he remembered was flying into the wall of the room and hitting his back before blacking out. He could tell nothing was broken as he could still move his sore shoulders, but even the tiniest movement brought sharp pain into his muscles there.

"Did we hit something?" The bear asked as he peered through the darkness. With his animal vision and heightened senses, it wasn't hard for him to orientate even in the dark.

"But weren't we just falling into the sea? This makes no sense," Sai grumbled. He was on the floor, beside his navigational chair where he ended up from all the tossing and turning of the vessel. His shoulder-length white hair was falling in disarray around his face as he lost his beanie hat from the fall. He felt the cold floor around him until he came to a soft material, putting the hat back on his head.

"I think I know what happened." Jean Bart's baritone voice sounded even deeper as it bounced off the walls in the dark room. They couldn't see the owner of it, only his large shape moving in the darkness. "It was already too late when I noticed…I think something came out of the sea," he explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Josh's eyebrows furrowed. He suddenly got a bad feeling about all of this.

"Maybe it thought we were a bird or some other animal in the sky, so it went after us just before we hit the water," Jean Bart continued. There was complete silence in the control room as they all listened to the older navigator. "I think we were swallowed by a sea monster," he finally concluded.

"Whaaat!?" Cody, Joshua and Bepo all yelled in unison with shocked expressions. Even though they couldn't see each other in the darkness, the faces they surely wore were obvious from the startled tone in their voices.

"F-for now let's just try to get the power back on and restart the engines," Bepo suggested to which everyone agreed.

That's when the bear suddenly heard another voice, as fuzzy as the sound was. His ears perked up and he glanced around to focus on where the noise was coming from. He saw the outline of his den den mushi on the ground, as it probably fell from his jumpsuit when he stumbled.

"_He…Any….ne…lp….help!" _The familiar voice shouted from the den den mushi in panic. The sound was choppy as the communicator got damaged from the transponder snail's fall.

The bear quickly scrambled towards it, still crawling on his hands and knees on the ground. "Hello!? Shachi, is that you!?" He shook the den den mushi in hopes of getting a better sound.

"_Bepo? Bepo! Quick, send a medic down here to the boiler room!"_ The sound got a big better and Shachi's frantic tone could be heard. _"Penguin hit his head in the fall and he's not waking up!"_

Bepo could feel his entire gut sink and tighten at the statement, before he desperately glanced at where Joshua and Cody were still sitting on the floor. An eerie stillness enveloped the room as everyone stayed silent for one second more before both medics were hastily scrambling to their feet.

"Sai, get the power going!" The blue-haired medic called back while he was already exiting the room, Joshua right behind him.

"But what if you get hurt in the dark while running there," Bepo winced, unsure about it all of a sudden. He knew something had to be done, though. A cold ominous shiver traveled down his spine.

"It's fine, we already know this submarine like the back of our hand! We'll be fine, so you guys take care of the rest," the redhead called and both medics rushed out. Their work boots echoed through the dark corridors, sounding more distant as they went.

Bepo sighed and shook his head in worry, while Sai and Jean Bart finally got up and searched for the right buttons on the control panel. The younger navigator clicked a button and slowly pulled up a lever, which created a buzzing sound of rebooting the power. The lights flickered before they kept steady again, the energy returning to the submarine.

Just then a large hand slammed on the doors as an angry head chef entered the room. "Wha in tha blazes's goin on here!?" Munk stared at the navigators, waiting for an explanation of what the hell happened and why weren't they back in the water yet. "The sub's been moanin' and groanin and shakin' for so long, two of me chefs got bruises from fallin' in me galley!"

"We got swallowed by something big," the older navigator explained darkly.

"Laddie, ya be jerkin' me tail?" Munk's angry expression changed into a worried one as he heard Jean Bart speak. The pirate chef ran through his thick hair with his fingers and his face turned one shade paler.

"I'm afraid he's right, Munk," Bepo added as he walked over to the control panel and took the den den mushi resting there. "Everyone, we are still on high alert since it seems we were swallowed by a sea monster. Everyone who is injured from the fall, go to the infirmary and get treated. Others, help the ones beside you who are injured. All men from the medical team, stay prepared in the sickbay!" The first mate voiced out orders through the den den mushi to the rest of the Heart Pirates in the vessel. He doubted Penguin and Munk's two chefs were the only injured ones since nobody was prepared for such a hard crash, but at least he hoped nobody's life was in danger. _*How will I explain this to Captain if something happens to the crew…,* _the bear mentally scowled at the thought before continuing with his orders via den den mushi. "The mechanic team, check for any damage on the submarine. Start with the engine room," he ended, hanging up the den den mushi. "We need to find a way out of here as soon as possible. Sai, the lights," he ordered.

At that, the navigator switched on the headlights of the submarine, giving them a better visual of what was around them. Even with all the lights surrounding the vessel, it was hard to tell what they were looking at. Everything around them was red and gooey from the monster's flesh in the stomach. Some kind of fleshy strings entangled around the upper part of the stomach, while a few bones could be seen every now and then; their white surface in contrast with the rest of the body tissue. Clear slime fell from the roof of the abdomen, dripping into the stomach acid the vessel was currently sailing on. At least they were above on the surface now.

"When the creature swallowed us, we must've fallen through all the way to the stomach," Jean Bart muttered.

"I'll be takin' a better look outside," Munk concluded, turning to leave for the deck.

"Eh!? You can't! It's too dangerous!" Bepo protested but was completely ignored as the pirate chef moved on. The polar bear quickly followed, trying to deter Munk from his plan but with no avail.

"Hey, I'm the acting captain here so you have to listen to me," Bepo exclaimed angrily just as Munk opened the entrance doors of the ship. As they walked out onto the deck, a sour, eye-watering stench almost knocked them off their feet. It was the smell of rotten, half-digested food which probably soaked in the stomach acid for a long time as it slowly dissolved. Poor Bepo, with his sharp nose, almost fell onto his behind as the scent hit.

"Ugh, disgustin," the chef scrunched up his nose in disgust as he scratched his chin in thought. "How da we get out of this bilge place? Should we sail on to tha rear end?" He didn't seem very pleased with his own idea, and by the looks of it, Bepo was even less.

"So it's true, we were really swallowed up by some sea creature," a new voice exclaimed and both pirates turned in wonder to see Louis leaning over the railing and staring at the yellowish-green stomach acid of whatever ate them.

"What! Louis, what are you doing here?! Why aren't you at your post!?" Bepo called out angrily, stomping over to the mechanic and towering over him.

"Chill, Bepo. I wanted to see if it was really true and everyone's already examining the submarine from the inside to check for any damages. Anyway, if that's really stomach acid, we better get out of here quickly before it corrodes the metal and gets inside…if that happens, we'll sink," the blonde mechanic explained.

Suddenly, Bepo winced and bowed his head, "I'm so sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing?" Louis sweatdropped, even though he was already used to the first mate's strange mood swings.

"But this is all my fault…one time I am standing in for Captain and all of this happens…Maybe Penguin was right…maybe we _are_ jinxed," the bear's eyes became moist with tears that swelled at the corners.

However, the mechanic simply waved off Bepo's words with his hand while the large chef shook his head in disagreement. "Nonsense. There's no such thing, and it's not like you could really control the weather or that a creature will eat us when we fall from the sky," Louis shrugged. Saying all that out loud made him realize exactly how ludicrous it all sounded, and yet it all happened to them in less than two hours. Still, Louis was a simple guy, never really overthinking things, so he wouldn't be someone to push the blame on anyone in this situation.

"Don't let it bring ya down, lad. Ya doin' yer best," Munk bumped Bepo's shoulder with his fist, almost making the bear topple to the side.

Just as Bepo felt a bit better about himself, a loud rumble came from the large cavern that was the creature's stomach.

Bepo sighed, "Guys, this is no time to be thinking of food."

"That not be us, bucko." The head chef carefully searched for the source of the loud noise with a suspicious eye.

"Uh…what _was_ that?" Louis asked with uncertainty and worry in his gaze.

The stomach fluids started moving around, creating small waves and rocking the submarine.

"Guys, did you find a way out of here?" Sam's voice called out as he ran onto the deck, just as everything suddenly started to quake and rumble. As if the creature was hurriedly turning and moving in the water, its insides rolled to one side, sending the whole submarine flying to the right. Everyone exclaimed in surprise and fell onto the ground from the sudden shift.

The young mechanic lost his balance and started falling overboard, desperately trying to grab onto thin air as he flailed his hands around him. "Waah!"

"Sam!" Louis yelled after the falling mechanic who was already disappearing overboard.

The brunette shut his eyes tightly, certain that he was about to fall into the monster's stomach acid and get disintegrated. He didn't know how strong the substance was, but there was a good chance the fall would be equal to that of falling into a highly concentrated dissolvent in which case his death would be instant. Just as he was about to say his last goodbyes in his mind, a strong furry arm grabbed his one wrist, holding his tightly. Sam opened one eye unsurely to see the first mate hanging over the rail, holding onto his extended hand. Behind the bear was Munk, holding onto Bepo's waist and keeping him from toppling over the railing. The bear sighed in relief, "Got ya!"

The mechanic's eyes almost filed with tears as he was saved, "Bepo! I thought I was a goner," Sam whined, as the large chef pulled both pirates back onto the deck.

However, there wasn't time to celebrate as the waves started up again, making the vessel rock harshly. "Everyone, back inside," Bepo ordered, opening the deck's doors for them.

That rumbling and wailing continued as the creature moved around, making everything spin. The Hearts rushed back inside, grabbing onto whatever they could as the submarine was once again tossed around like a toy, falling back into the fluids and submerging under. As if the creature was trashing wildly, its stomach turned and twisted around, creating swirls and waves of green liquid. Inside, the Heart Pirates were holding onto anything they could find, their knuckles turning white from tight grasps, as they held on for dear life. Then suddenly everything stopped. The loud noises, the splashing of the waves inside the stomach and all the movements…everything was suddenly eerily quiet.

"I-is it over?" With a gulp, Bepo asked quietly as they returned to the control room. He spoke softly, fearing his voice might start up the wild rocking again. He opened his mouth to speak, just to close it again when they felt another strange sensation.

"What now," Sai grumbled. Even the stone calm navigator was losing his patience from all their troubles today.

The stomach started turning and the gravity shifted, suddenly pulling them down along with all the acid. They once again found themselves falling vertically, unable to understand what was happening around them. They could only see everything moving quickly in the main window while the submarine started rushing down through the same dark tunnel it entered.

"What's going on!?" Louis shrieked to overpower the loud rattling of the metal submarine that was already straining from the harsh treatment.

"If we don't do something, we'll crash!" Jean Bart warned as they appeared to have been flushed together with the stomach acid through the creature's insides. The ship was scrapping along the soft inner walls of the creature, and the only light they had was from their headlights that shone the way through.

"We should prepare the torpedoes just in case," Sam exclaimed towards Sai who gave Bepo a questioning glance just to make sure it was alright to proceed. As the bear silently nodded to him, the navigator started typing quickly on the control panel, preparing the two front torpedoes on the submarine. It has been a while since they last used the ship's weapons.

Sai picked up his den den mushi and gave their master gunner, Eli, a call.

"Was' the matt'r!?" Eli answered in his thick accent that was even heavier than usual as the pirate was too involved in everything to watch how he speaks, making the accent of his home island in the South Blue even more prominent.

"Take Cal and load two torpedoes for us, we might have to use them. Be on standby if we need anymore," the navigator explained quickly.

"Aye, no prol'm, control room," Eli exclaimed, while Cal also confirmed in the background.

The ship continued to vertically fall forward with its bow in front, gaining speed from the long fall. The creature must've been huge as it felt like they kept falling forever in its insides. The Heart Pirates, however, didn't relax even for a second as they knew this fall will end eventually, probably with them crashing into something if they weren't on guard. As the ship was swept away, falling through, any steering was impossible so they only had their torpedoes and one chance to rely on.

Finally they reached the gullet as a long, blood red tongue came into view, following beneath them now as it kept going for what seemed like forever.

"Shoot on my mark," Bepo ordered, clutching onto the captain's seat but unable to even sit on it as they were all hanging from the railing or from whatever they could grab.

Finally, the headlights illuminated a white cage before them. It didn't take them long to realize it was actually rows of long teeth, blocking their way to the outside. It was strange that the mound was beneath them as the ship fell bow first into them, like the whole creature was hanging vertically. Bepo only had a split second to wonder what could have caused that before he shouted his order, "Fire!"

Sai launched both torpedoes, hoping the blast will be powerful enough to shatter the sea monster's teeth and release them into the open. Otherwise, the whole submarine will crash right into them and the maws will crush the metal vessel. They in the control room would be the first to feel the blast of the crash and would surely die from it.

The two weapons flew into the rows of teeth, hitting the mark and blasting large pieces of teeth around them. One sharp piece flew right into the submarine, lodging itself into the outside wall of the control room. Even if it was only a part of a tooth, it was from such a big creature that the whole piece was as big as a human being. The piece luckily stopped inside the metal wall, for if it had continued through it would have pierced right into the young navigator of the crew, killing him on the spot. Even Sai couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the piece of the tooth stopped in time.

Luckily, the blast of the two torpedoes was enough to create a hole in the monster's teeth, freeing them from the dark cavern. Finally, the submarine rushed out of the creature and was once again met with the bright light of the day.

"Haha, we're out!" Sam called out in a cheer.

The Hearts' happiness from being freed didn't last long, however, as they realized they were once again in the air and falling bow first into the ocean bellow. "Eh?" Everyone's smiles froze on their face as they started falling vertically into the sea. "Kyaaaaaah!" The pirates yelled out as they noticed through the window the blue water seemingly drawing nearer in haste. Luckily, the fall wasn't so high this time around and the submarine simply plunged back into the sea, creating a large splash around it. However, as the pirates dropped, they noticed one more peculiar thing in the window; a face. A bearded face high in the air.

The yellow submarine rocked lightly on the calm sea as everything finally simmered down. They were finally back, floating on the sea, but every pirate in the control room was still completely tense.

"Um…guys…I think I just hallucinated…," Louis called out.

"Was it a bearded guy?" Sam muttered, half in fear-half in hope; he didn't want to confirm his suspicions, but he also didn't want to be crazy.

"Yeah," Bepo answered instead of the other mechanic.

With a bad feeling in their guts, the Heart Pirates stood up on shaky legs as they were finally back on steady ground, and gazed out of the submarine's windows. Simultaneously everyone gasped as their eyes went wide.

Outside their windows, right next to them, was a colossal ship the size of a small island swaying on the calm waters. Onboard stood men of grand stature, at least 15 meters tall. Even though their heights slightly varied, they all would have no problem taking the whole vessel of the Heart Pirates in one hand. That was especially true for the one standing at the bow of their ship, gripping what appeared to be a large sea creature by its tail with his two bulky arms. At least by that scene the Hearts could understand what happened to them. The huge man was holding the long creature with its head hung downwards, which was probably why the submarine fell through the monster and back into the open sea. The green scaly sea monster had a part of its body pierced with a long harpoon with jagged teeth that lodged itself securely in the creature's flesh.

The man holding the sea monster blinked in surprise as he stared at the small yellow vessel next to their large ship. "Capn,' somethin' fell from the fish's mouth!" The man's voice roared loudly, sounding as if a rumble of thunder echoed through the air.

All the Heart Pirates could do was stare back in wonder before Sam finally spoke up with a single word. "Giants!"

~…..~

Shachi opened the doors of the infirmary and quietly walked inside, closing the metal doors behind him. Even with his sunglasses and the rim of his casquette hat shielding his face, the grim features he was showing were clear on his expression. He walked over to one of the sickbay beds where he saw Cody towering over his friend's silent form, setting up a new IV bag for him. Penguin was lying on his back with his eyes still closed, breathing heavily in his sleep. His hat was on the bedside next to him, so the man's black short hair that was usually hidden under the cap was now visible. It made his pale frame appear even sicklier as the contrast was now even more prominent.

The submarine was finally steady and safe again as they made their way out of the sea monster. Currently Bepo and some others were meeting the crew of giants that consequently helped them as they were fishing here in these parts. It was hard to tell who was more surprised by the incident; the Heart Pirates who were accidentally saved by a ship of giants or the giants who watched a small submarine fall out of their catch's maws. In any case, at least the giants seemed friendly as they didn't attack the Hearts even after seeing the pirate Jolly Roger on their flag.

Right now, the mechanics' team was making repairs on the submarine while the medics took care of the ones injured. They were all still assessing the damage, though they were lucky enough since there weren't any big holes nor leakages, and most of the men only had bruises to deal with. Still, Shachi couldn't say they were all so lucky, since he was currently watching his best friend sleep in the hospital bed, still unconscious. Penguin didn't wake up ever since receiving his head injury in the boiler room. Truthfully, Shachi should either be with Bepo greeting the giants since he was one of the oldest crew members of the Hearts, or overseeing the submarine's repairs, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about either as he wanted to check on Penguin's condition. So instead he headed for the infirmary as soon as things calmed down enough for him not to be needed urgently anywhere.

"How is he?" Shachi asked the blue haired medic who just finished changing Penguin's head bandage. At least the mechanic stopped bleeding from the injury on the side of his head.

Cody sighed, crossing the arms on his chest and shook his head. "No changes. He stopped bleeding, but we won't know the damage until he wakes up," he explained with a sour expression.

"But…he'll be alright…won't he?" The brunette gulped, giving Cody a hopeful stare.

However, the other could only look to the side guiltily, avoiding Shachi's hard gaze.

"Cody?! He'll be alright!?" The mechanic was slightly panicking now as he walked to the medic in quick strides and grabbed the collar of his overall with both hands. He shook him demandingly, wanting to hear a positive answer that they both already knew Cody couldn't give him. "You're Law's right hand medic, right?! You can do something! You have to!" The mechanic was getting angry now, even though he couldn't even tell at who or what; perhaps at himself for being unable to do anything for his friend, even though he was the one with him at the time of the incident. Right now the only one in front of him was Cody, who became the target of that misplaced anger.

"I told you, I don't know! There's nothing more we can do right now!" Cody gritted his teeth, equally annoyed by his inability to do anymore.

"Hey, guys, break it off!" Ben, who was helping Soujiro, the crew's treasurer, with his dislocated shoulder, trotted towards the two and tried to peel Shachi off of the medic. It wasn't hard since Ben was one of the largest crewmembers, almost as big as Bepo.

The head mechanic showed no resistance as he let Ben pull him away from Cody. Instead he weakly plopped into a seat next to Penguin's bed, bowing his head down with a pained expression.

Ben put a hand on Shachi's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. "I'm sorry, but as you said; Cody is one of the best medics, you also know that…I'm sure Penguin will be alright in his care," he tried to persuade the mechanic. "For now, maybe you should go back to work with Sam and the others. Keeping your mind busy will be better than fretting over it constantly. There's nothing more you can do here," he added.

Shachi nodded weakly, not having the strength nor the will to argue against that. He knew Ben was right anyway. It was better to keep his mind occupied and help the crew out than get in everyone's way here. "Yeah…Sorry, Cody, I was being an ass," he sighed.

The blue haired medic shook his head. "Forget it. I know how you feel," he muttered darkly, gripping the edge of Penguin's bed.

"There was just so much blood," the brunette muttered as he remembered when he saw Penguin lying on the ground. The side of his head was soaked in his own blood which was gushing from the side, sticking his dark hair onto his face. Biting the inside of his cheek, Shachi forced himself to get the image out of his mind as he stood up. "I'm gonna come back again later." He glanced one more time at Penguin's sleeping form and squeezed his friend's forearm as if trying to give him some of his strength. "Hang in there, buddy," Shachi muttered to his best friend before turning to leave.

The medics watched the doors close after him before they gave each other somber stares.

"You shouldn't give him so much hope. The truth is; we have no idea if Penguin will even wake up." Joshua's dark voice made them turn towards the redhead. Some of the patients in the room glanced at the medic with the corner of their eyes, drops of cold sweat on their foreheads from just the thought.

Cody glared at the smaller medic who was picking up pieces of broken vials and other items on the ground, throwing them into the trashcan. A lot of supplies and medicine fell out of the cabinets during all their falls, shattering on the ground. They will need to resupply as soon as possible, but nobody knew when they'll get the chance for it. Was there even an inhabited place in Zo where they could restock? Nobody really knew much about the island where they were headed. "Don't say that!" The medic clutched his fist. "Penguin will be fine!" Even as he said that, he knew Josh was right and he was only being optimistic without any realistic grounds for it.

"You don't know that! You know that the longer he is asleep the larger the chance he goes into coma and never wakes up! Not to mention he could have brain damage even if he wakes up! And that's only two of many possibilities of what can happen after sustaining a head injury! I'm just saying what everybody's thinking!" Joshua yelled back angrily. He didn't even realize he crushed a medicine bottle in his hand until the glass stuck into his palm, making small but deep cuts. "

"I know that! You don't have to tell me that, dammit!" Cody screamed back, clenching his own fists in rage.

"Guys, stop it! Fighting won't solve anything!" Mori, who was getting his wrist threated, tried to intervene to calm the two medics. "If Penguin was awake listening to this, he would whack you both upside the heads right now!"

They all fell quiet from Mori's words, remembering their sleeping friend who didn't wake up even after all this commotion.

"But he's not awake…," Joshua murmured quietly before he grimaced. His expression twisted in anger, pain and sorrow. "Shit!" He suddenly punched the metal wall with his bloodied fist, not caring about the pain it caused to his already injured hand.

The sound echoed through the infirmary which stayed quiet even with all the people inside. They all had the same dark expression on their faces, not daring to break the tense atmosphere in the room with a single sound.

~…..~

"Harharharhar!" A bellowing sound rose in the air as the giant laughed wholeheartedly at Bepo's story. They were currently on the giants' huge ship with Bepo, Jean Bart, Sai and Munk in front of the captain of the giants and his crew. The captain had a bushy red beard and curly dark red hair sticking from out of a large triangle black hat with a single red feather on it. His muscly chest and arms were visible even under his light tunic. On his back was a great axe that could easily split their entire submarine in two. Even while sitting on the deck, the giants were still incomparable to size with the Heart Pirates. Meanwhile, the Hearts were standing in front of the captain as Bepo told them about the Reverse Storm and getting swallowed by the sea creature as they were falling down. "I not know whether to call that good or bad luck! Ya sure have been through hella lot yet ya survived all of that! To think ya would just fall out of the monster's mouth, ya must've given poor Tiny here a hallova freight! Harharhar," the captain laughed again as he pointed with his thumb towards one of his crewmembers. Tiny was the nickname of the giant who fished out the creature and the submarine with it. Even though he was given the nickname because he was the smallest in the crew, the Hearts found nothing tiny about the giant as he was still at least five times bigger than their entire submarine.

"Indeed capn' Morrow! The lot just fell right out of tha beast, sir!" Tiny commented, his eyes wide as if he was still reliving the surprise from earlier.

"We be gratefa for ya help ev'n if it be justa lucky coincidence, Capn' Morrow," Munk grinned and nodded his thanks to the giant.

"Aye. Indeed it was. Ya be lucky we were fishing here," Morrow answered. It was hard for the Hearts to combine the word fishing with giant sea monsters, but for these men it was obviously no problem since they were even bigger than their catch. To them, catching normal-sized fish was probably considered strange and fruitless since they would need a few tones to feed the entire crew.

"So you are fishermen?" Bepo answered, tilting his fuzzy head in interest.

"Nay, lad. We are a merchant ship, returning back to our island of giants, Selber, from our usual route. But my men gotta eat too," the captain grinned. Then he examined the Heart pirates before him. "But ya have some interesting crew here. A bear even! And some of ya are quite large for humans," he commented, slightly impressed.

As if on cue after hearing his species mentioned, the polar bear bowed his head low with a gloomy cloud hanging over him. "I'm sorry…"

Sai and the rest sighed at the sight, "Not now, Bepo."

"Harharharhar!" The giant laughed again. "What an interesting crew of pirates!"

"You don't mind us being pirates?" Sai asked with interest, though he glanced at the giants a bit suspiciously.

"Heh, we don't have anything against pirates unless they are to attack us. Besides…ya all be so tiny, what possible harm could ya be to us?" Captain Morrow shrugged leisurely with a bright smile on his bearded face. He didn't mean it as an insult even though his confident words stabbed the Hearts in their pride just a little bit.

"It's good that our captain isn't here to hear you…he would consider it a challenge," Sai muttered, though the giants didn't seem to hear him, which was probably for the best.

"And where ya be headed, pirates?" Morrow then asked, glancing at their yellow submarine slowly rocking on the water, beside their large merchant ship.

"We're going to Zo," Jean Bart answered, speaking for the first time since they got onboard the giants' ship.

"Hooh, Zo is it? It's less than a day away," another voice called out, somewhere from behind the giants. A large man with a bulky form came forward. He had a thick beard just like most of them, though his was completely grey from age. He had thick grey eyebrows above dark piercing eyes that held a knowing look of wisdom. On his head was a helmet and there was a large sword tied to his waist.

"Ah, this is Yandir, our navigator," captain of the giants introduced the older man who simply nodded his head in a greeting.

Sai sighed in slight relief. "Oh good. I worried we went completely off course because of everything," he explained. Even as he said that, it was head to read any worry or relief from his blank expression, which left the giants rather puzzled.

"Nay. Only a bit, but if you head South-West from here, you should be back on course, laddie," the old giant answered.

"But yer ship looks somewhat beaten up, ey? Since it be on tha way, we can sail with ya for a while until ya make repairs," the captain offered, taking a liking to this small yellow submarine and its peculiar crew.

The bear's face lit up for the first time in a while," Really?! That would be great! Thank you!"

"Indeed, we appreciate your help," Jean Bart added and the other Hearts nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, the captain slapped his large hand against his knee while he was still siting with his legs crossed. "Then it be settled! Mint, take out tha ale!"

The Heart Pirates blinked in wonder as they repeated, "Ale?"

"Of course, laddie!" Captain's cheerful voice rumbled loudly as he exclaimed. "We have tha make this greeting proper an' what better way to make a friendship than through drinking! Harharharharhar!" The captain laughed and his crew of giants joined in, making tremors pass through the small pirates' bodies from the bellowing noise their joint laughter created.

~…~

After everything the Hearts went through today, they didn't need to be invited twice to sit back, relax and party with the giants, enjoying some good quality ale from the Selber island. The barrels of ale were large enough for them to bathe in, though they were satisfied with simply scooping the drink with their mugs and pitchers which were filed with the dark, rich and very heavy liquor. In no time, the deck of the merchant ship echoed with laughter and music as red, smiling faces chatted or and even sang together.

Jean Bart and Sai were talking to Yandir about the fastest route to Zo from here while they all held drinks in their hands. Sai was already a bit flushed in the face, while the larger navigator didn't even seem effected by the alcohol. On the other hand, some of the Hearts were already laughing in a cheerful mood, tipsy from the ale.

Sam was currently sitting high on the ship's railing, surrounded by giants as he told them of many adventures they had throughout the years of pirating with their currently absent captain. Every now and then the giants would bellow in laughter when he came to some whimsical part of the story.

Meanwhile, Louis and a few other pirates were debating fishing strategies with Tiny as they examined the sea creature the giant just caught; a large sea serpent with green and blue scales and two large red horns on its head.

"So ya be only acting capn' till your capn' comes back, ey?" Captain Morrow repeated as Bepo told him of their circumstances. He didn't say anything about Law and his plans though and he was thankful that Morrow didn't pry either.

The bear nodded, swaying a little. He was never very good with alcohol so he didn't usually drink, but the giant insisted saying how it was for creating the bond of friendship for the sea dwellers. Bepo didn't really understand but he didn't want to offend their saviors, so he had to at least take a few gulps of the bitter, dark liquid. "Yes, I am in charge of bringing them to Zo but…it's been smooth sailing until now. Though I feel like I've let everybody down today," Bepo sighed sadly, bowing his head with a scowl for the nth time that day. As always he was being hard on himself.

"What ya talk, little bear!?" Morrow exclaimed in utter surprise. "You kept everyone alive today have ya not? An ya be rare ship who survived the Reverse Storm, an' that be with yer capnship, my friend. Ya've done well, lad. S'not easy bein' capn,' take it from me cause I know," the giant nodded.

"Bepo, the sub's almost done. We can start sailing again," Cal called out as he had a part of his team finish the last repairs and do finishing touches on the submarine. They didn't want to risk leaving any damage that could hinder them later, if the sailing conditions worsen again.

The bear nodded, calling the two navigators over to take their places at the helm in the control room again as they were ready to go.

"As promised, we'll sail with ya for a while, until our paths separate," Morrow nodded with a bright smile.

"Thank you again, captain Morrow," the polar bear returned a smile, showing a row of sharp bright teeth.

~…..~

Shachi was once again in the sickbay, grumbling at the noises he could hear outside the submarine. They were on the move again, sailing slowly through the sea but some of the Heart pirates still stayed on the other ship, singing to the music and partying cheerfully. The mechanic couldn't bring himself to join them as he could only worry about his friend's wellbeing right now. "Still no changes?" The constant steady beeping sound of Penguin's vitals pierced the silent room every once in a while as he was hooked up on the monitoring machine.

Cody shook his head. He took double shifts, staying in the infirmary to keep an eye on Penguin along with Garry, Josh and Ben who were on duty right now. "You'll be the first to know when he wakes up," the medic promised.

"Tch, I ain't leaving here," the mechanic clicked his tongue. He was obviously exhausted as he worked on the submarine all day while worrying for his friend, but the sunglasses hid his tired eyes from view.

The bluehead didn't try to persuade him even as he could see from Shachi's demeanor that he needed rest. His whole body seemed sluggish and heavy as the mechanic sat by Penguin's bedside, slumped forward. He knew it was useless though, since the brunette could be quite stubborn about certain things, this definitely being one of them.

"I don't know how they can celebrate while Penguin is in here," Shachi grumbled disapprovingly, shaking his head.

"They're all worried Shachi, but they just need to let off some steam after everything that happened today. We all almost died," Garry tried to reassure him.

Shachi groaned in response but didn't say anything else as he knew Garry was right. Still, he couldn't help but be irritated by the whole situation, especially since they could all do nothing but wait and see what happens to the other head mechanic.

The medic was about to say something else, when a loud noise interrupted him. It came from the outside, sounding like cannon fire after which a splashing sound was heard. A cannonball falling in the water near them.

"What the-" Shachi begun only to stop when he heard Sam's voice from far away shouting, "Marines!" The mechanic and the medics exchanged a questioning glances before Shachi stood up and headed for the doors. Joshua and Garry were right behind him while Ben and Cody stayed behind to watch over Penguin.

~…..~

Shachi stumbled onto the deck of the submarine only to be met with five large marine warships sailing right on their tail and shooting cannonballs at them. They weren't only firing at the submarine, but also at the giants. One of the marine ships was sailing ahead of the others, with two men standing on its bow. One was a tall marine officer, his white coat fluttering behind him in the wind, and a hat hiding most of his face. The other, however, didn't even look like a marine soldier. He was a short, fat man, wearing a grey suit. He was bolding at the top of his head, with only a few dark strands of hair left in the back, and small thin mustache on his upper lip. His numerous golden rings on his thick fingers shone in the setting sun. He looked more like a noble than a marine.

Even though the Hearts never saw the wealthy man before, he must've known exactly who they were as he yelled from the top of his lungs in rage, "I finally found you, damned Heart pirates! I will make you pay!"

Another cannonball was fired, aimed at the merchant ship's mast, but captain Morrow quickly took the large axe from his back and made a single slash with it. The force of the slash sent a gust of wind from the axe as it sliced the cannonball in two, letting the two pieces fall into the water beside the ship.

"Who's that man, Bepo?" Morrow asked with narrowed eyes.

Yet the bear could only shrug, completely confused. "I have no idea, I've never met him before."

"Well he sure knows you," Yandir commented as he sliced another cannonball with his long sword. Beside him, Louis put on a pair of gloves with metal spikes on the knuckles and smashed another incoming cannonball with his fist.

"Maybe someone having a grudge against Captain?" Garry called out before kicking an incoming cannonball, aimed at their submarine.

"Yeah, well he should stand in line then," Shachi muttered darkly, not in the mood for a fight right now. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

"Who the hell are you?!" Ari called out to the fat man, glaring at him.

"Don't you dare say you forgot," the man shouted back in sheer rage.

The Hearts were silent for a while before they all admitted in unison, "I guess we forgot…"

The comment only enraged the man further as his face flushed red as a tomato, his collar getting too tight on his thick neck from all the strain. "Fine! Then I shall tell you!"

"We really don't care though," Joshua interrupted, not giving a damn what this man had against them. They all had more important business to attend to than to listen to his sob story.

The redhead was completely ignored, as the short man steamrolled on with his own speech, "I have been pulling out all of my resources to find out what happened to my daughter after she was kidnapped by those wretched Lynx Pirates! And after a lot of investigating and finding the wreckage of their blown up ship I finally found the perpetrators…you! You, bloody Heart pirates, killed my daughter Laura!" The man finished, shouting in rage so loud that spit came out with his words.

"Talliage-sama, we have confirmed these are the Heart Pirates. We can attack any time," the tall marine officer standing next to the fat man spoke.

The Hearts stared at the marine ships in wonder for a few more seconds before Ari suddenly raised his index finger in the air, remembering something, "Now I remember! He must be the father of that noble snotty brat we met on the ship after battling The One-Eyed Lynx Pirates."

The master gunner of the crew sighed beside his friend as he also remembered, "I knew that one will proba'ly bite us in tha ass. Tis guy must be that textile industry tycoon and nobleman, Taijirou Talliage," he scowled.

"But how did he find out it was us?" Sam rubbed his head in wonder.

"Heh..I have my sources. I sent spies and informants to investigate in all corners of the New World and the Underground. And finally they found one small piece of information; that a drunken guy was talking with other pirates in a tavern and mentioned meeting some noblewoman that wouldn't shut up and kept ordering them around…so they tied her to the mast before the blew the whole ship up!" As Talliage went on with the story, his voice rose in anger and his face turned from red to purple. "And he was wearing a Heart Pirate Jolly Roger on his clothes!"

Slowly, all the Heart Pirates stopped and turned towards Garry with a blank expression. There was clear accusation in their eyes.

The medic took a step back in surprise. "Wait, why are you all looking at me!? You don't know that it was me," he tried to defend, but a drop of cold sweat was already rolling down his forehead.

"Because you always talk too much when you get drunk," Joshua burst out, pointing an accusing finger in the other medic's direction.

Garry gulped, but was unable to argue as it was completely true. "S-still…"

Cal sighed next to his friend, whispering in his ear, "Idiot…If this guy found out about us that means so can Kaido because of your stupid slip up. Don't you remember who the Lynx Pirates worked for and why exactly we attacked them? If that beast of a Yonkou finds out…" The mechanic left the statement unfinished since everything was already clear from the shiver that ran down his spine.

Garry winced at the sheer thought of it.

"Don't ignore me, you bastards!" The noble stomped his foot on the deck of the warship angrily before he pointed a hand at them. "I will make you pay for what you did to my dear daughter. It took me a long time till I was able to track you down, and I even spend a fortune bribing a nearby marine base to give me five of their warships…but all the money spent will be worth it when I obliterate you! Fire all the cannons!"

"But Talliage-sama, what about this giant merchant ship next to them," the marine officer asked, uncertain about the idea of shooting at civilians. Still, he got direct orders from his superior to listen to Talliage's orders, probably because that superior got a load of money from the noble. Yet orders were still orders.

"I don't care! They are fraternizing with the pirates so kill them too! Destroy them all!" Taijirou shouted in anger.

"But sir…," one of the marines behind him started.

"Do it!" The tycoon wasn't about to be deterred from his plans by anyone.

Finally the marine officer next to him sighed and nodded to his men to follow his orders. "Men, get ready! All ships fire!"

Five marine warships aimed at the two ships ahead. Every large marine ship had two long cannons at the bow, which meant ten cannons were simultaneously shooting at them. The cannons all fired together, the cannonballs making whistling sounds as they ripped through the air and towards the two ships.

"There be too many of them!" Captain Morrow shouted before he hit two cannonballs with his axe. The rest of his giant crew fought on, but even though they were all large, there were only six of them altogether.

"I'm sorry, we got you into this mess, but we will help you fight!" Bepo told the captain before he jumped into the air, using a mast as a stepping point before leaping off of it and higher into the air to meet a flying cannonball that was shot towards the giants' main sail. The bear kicked the ball as if playing soccer, sending it right back at one of the warships with great speed, where it crashed into their mast. The said mast broke off and toppled onto the deck, generating screams and shouts of shock from the marines below.

Sai, Eli and Cal rushed from the merchant ship's deck, jumping over the railing and landing on the deck of their submarine. They hurried inside to prepare the torpedoes. The master gunner and Cal headed inside to the lowest level of their ship, setting the large, heavy weapons inside the tubes for use. Meanwhile, the younger navigator was already aiming and locking onto one of the marine warships in front of them.

Jean Bart was still outside on the deck of their submarine, as he caught first one cannonball in his one large hand and another in his other. The forces of the two iron weapons made even his large body slide backwards on the wooden boards. The man only strained his muscles more, gritting his teeth before he let out a loud cry, "Haaaaa!" He used the force to turn on his heel and got even more power as he swirled around his body like a disk thrower, before he let go of both cannonballs, throwing them back into the warship. One hit their sail, ripping a hole in the middle, while the other smashed into the ship's bow and went straight through to the other side. The warship started toppling over as water came flooding in, crashing into the other marine ship next to it.

The yellow submarine shook lightly as two torpedoes flew from the front, traveling below the sea and finding their target in one of the warships. The torpedoes blasted into the huge marine ship, creating two large holes in the hull that quickly started taking in water, making the ship slowly sink.

The marines shouted in panic, jumping into the sea or onto other marine ships that were still whole and undamaged. However, the number of those was quickly decreasing with the Heart Pirates fending off all their attacks easily.

"Talliage-sama, we're losing! We need to pull back!" The marine officer warned, but the other man didn't even want to hear of it.

"Nonsense!" Taijirou gripped the taller man's coat in anger as he spat words along with actual spit in his face. "I will not pull back now that I finally found and cornered those rats! Send your men in! If cannons can't defeat them, the men will!

On the officer's orders, the marines started shooting hooks with ropes on them as they got close enough to get onboard the giants' ship and the submarine. They started flooding the decks, rushing over the railing and attacking with guns and swords.

"Harharhar! What ya think ya can do, tiny humans!?" Captain Morrow laughed as he kicked three marine soldiers with his foot easily, sending the shrieking men overboard. He swung with his axe, obliterating a few more marines. "They are like ants!"

"Tch, but there are so many of them," Tiny shouted back as he used his fists to attack the marines on their ship, scooping them on the way and sending them all into the ocean.

That's when a man in white robes stepped in front of captain Morrow. He was completely cloaked, his face hidden from view, as only a pair of piercing eyes observed the giant before him. "Even ants can take down larger enemies, giant," the man spoke in a low tone.

"And who might you be, laddie?" Morrow grinned, preparing his giant axe.

"My name and rank in unimportant. Only my mission matters," the man answered blankly.

The captain's grin fell as suddenly a bad feeling washed over him. Something was different about this man, something that separated him from the rest of these marine soldiers. "Well no matter for if ya want to get me crew or me friends…ya'll have to do so through me first, little human!" Morrow swung his axe down at the man, trying to hit him from the side to split his smaller body in two.

In an instant the man disappeared from the giant's view, only to appear in the air before him. "Geppo," the man in white robes simply said before he started jumping on the air itself, heading for Morrow's head.

The giant was surprised at first but soon got out of his haze, stepping behind to get more room between him and this new enemy. He swung his axe again, shouting a war cry, aiming right at the human before him.

The man in white didn't even twitch in worry as he put one arm in front of him as protection while he was still in the air. It seemed ridiculous to anyone seeing this fight; for a human to try and defend a giant's heavy axe with one forearm. Yet as the axe reached his arm, it stopped.

Morrow gritted his teeth as if straining to keep the weapon steady in his attack, but soon his grip loosened and lines started spreading through the metal blade. In the next instant, the axe shattered into pieces which fell at the giant's feet.

"Tekkai," the mysterious man called out as his attack finished.

"Youuuu!" Frustrated, the giant pulled his arm back to punch the man who was exchanging legs as he jumped in the air from one leg to the other, keeping himself in place while in the air. As soon as Morrow went for the attack, the man moved closer so fast the giant could hardly follow him, putting two fingers together.

The human leaped forward, stabbing his two fingers harshly into Morrow's chest right where his heart was, before the giant could even finish his attack. "Shigan!" The man called out, as the giant before him stumbled backwards and coughed up blood.

Morrow's eyes went wide from surprise and pain he felt in his chest. How could something so small as two human's fingers cause so much damage to his body? Yet here he was, barely able to breathe from the pain in his chest.

"Captain!" Yandir and the other giant, Narnir, called out as they saw their captain cough blood before stumbling backwards. The giant hit the ground heavily, making the whole ship tremble from the force as he fell onto his back.

The old navigator was about to go help his captain before feeling a burning, piercing sensations in his feet, as if numerous ants were biting him. He gazed down to see marines stabbing him with their swords. He tried to kick them away, but they entangled ropes around his feet and pulled on them, making him lose balance and fall down onto the deck.

Next to him, Narnir also had problems as the marines kept throwing hooks with ropes attached to them at him, to try and bring him down. They started pulling onto the entangled ropes in hopes of bringing him down, but the giant kept his balance by grabbing onto the mast for support. "Grrrrah!" He grabbed a few ropes, appearing as only strings of thread in his giant palms, and pulled on them before swinging both them and the marines above his head. He slammed them onto the ground, squashing the marines, while using his one foot to stomp on the ones still attacking him on the ground. Letting go of the ropes, the marines went flying with screams towards the sea where they disappeared below the water. "Gah!" A sharp pain hit the back of knee and the giant looked at it to see a spear lodged deep into his flesh. It made his one knee buckle, giving the marines enough time to hook new ropes onto him and pull.

Meanwhile, Morrow was still lying on the ground, trying to get up when he saw the man in white robes appear in the air before him. The two stared at each other; Morrow's enraged and confused eyes against the other man's dead gaze. The man raised his arm and opened his palm before putting all his fingers together for a stabbing attack. He was about to pierce the giant's heart and finish it, when a kick from the side got in his way. The man used Tekkai to harden his muscles, blocking the heavy kick to his side that still sent him flying into the mast. The man used his legs to land on the mast horizontally before leaping from it and doing a summersault, landing back onto the deck.

Before him stood a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit, standing on two hind legs that had working boots on them. "Don't touch our friends!" The bear shouted, snarling at the human before him.

"You are Bepo…the first mate of the Heart Pirates," the man simply stated without any emotion behind his words.

"And you…I know those techniques; you are one of those Cipher Pol guys who work for the Government. But our captain is a Shichibukai, so why are you attacking us?" The bear never stopped glaring at the cloaked man as he spoke.

"I was…," the man started. "But I went rogue and now I work on my own…right now I am employed by Taijirou Talliage," he answered.

"Hn, so you're just a sell-sword," Bepo commented, not even trying to hide his distaste.

"I do not mind being called that if I can live under my own rules and power," the robed man answered before suddenly rushing towards Bepo.

The bear wasn't taken off guard, however, as he instantly blocked a hard punch with his forearm. The man's muscles were still hardened with Tekkai, but the bear didn't even wince in pain or stumble back as he easily blocked the attack.

~…..~

Joshua jumped in the air and kicked another marine in the head just before he turned, still in the air, and threw two of his scalpels at two more attackers. One weapon lodged itself in the marine's eye while the other hit another man's neck. The redhead finally landed on his feet, only to stay down and avoid a bullet from the front.

Before the marine had the time to shoot out of his rifle again, Garry slammed a fist into the back of his neck, making the soldier's eyes roll back so only whites were visible before the man fell face first onto the ground.

Two more shooters aimed at Shachi who was simultaneously fighting three marines without a problem, but they never had time to use their weapons as they suddenly noticed a dark shadow looming over them. Before they could turn behind them in horror, the large navigator of the Heart Pirates grabbed both of their heads with each hand and squeezed harshly. Screams of terror and pain echoed throughout the deck of the yellow submarine which was currently a small battle zone, as the marines' skulls got crushed in Jean Bart's strong hands.

The marines kept coming but the Heart Pirates easily kept them at bay, not letting them inside the submarine. Shachi glanced at the five warships ahead. Most of the marine ships were destroyed and in tatters. Only one warship, with Talliage and the marine officer, remained as the nobleman still shouted orders at the marines to kill the Hearts. Unfortunately for the textile tycoon, the mechanic wasn't in the mood for games today after everything he's been through. He wanted to finish quickly, and he also wanted to shut that fat man's trap once and for all. The mechanic narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses as he got an idea. He noticed one of the roped hooks on the mast of the giant's ship and quickly ran towards the other ship, jumping from the metal riling of the submarine onto the merchant ship.

"Shachi, where are you going?" Joshua had a bad feeling about his crewmate's sudden movement.

The mechanic turned back to the medic. "I'm finishing this! I'm going over there to destroy their last ship and sink that fat bastard," he answered.

Joshua's green eyes widened from Shachi's statement. "Are you crazy, you can't go in there alone! You don't know what could happen!"

However, the mechanic was too angry and bothered to think straight at the moment. It could be seen in his erratic movements throughout the whole fight. He was different than usual and Joshua could tell. He wasn't the same collected Shachi he usually was during a battle with the enemy and that fact could easily get him killed.

"I got this, Josh!" Shachi cut him off, his tone conveying that this discussion was over.

"Shachi!" Joshua yelled after the mechanic who disappeared on the other ship, already jumping and easily climbing onto the gigantic mast. "Dammit," the medic cursed, knowing he had to follow his friend before Shachi gets himself killed by his hotheadedness. As much as Joshua had a bad temper in life, during a fight he could stay collected and think carefully about each movement if necessary. That's what being a good warrior meant; think with a cool head in a fight, but let your body move naturally. After all the training, his body and reflexes already remembered all the counter moves without him having to think about it as he battled. That's something he learnt from Shachi and Penguin who often sparred with him when he first arrived at the submarine, making a true combatant out of him instead of a street fighter who couldn't even match them at first. Yet now, Shachi was acting almost as bad as Joshua when he first started practicing combat on the submarine; getting angry and rushing forward without thinking through first.

~…..~

Shachi climbed onto the mast, taking the rope in his hands. He examined the metal hook at the end before swinging the rope above his head in circles to get more force in the throw. Luckily, the warship wasn't so far away, so it was all in the wrist and the throw's accuracy now. The mechanic concentrated as he ignored the battling noises coming from below. He threw the rope towards the warship's mast, grinning with glee when the hook latched onto the wooden board there on the first try. He pulled on the rope a few times to make sure it was steady before he jumped from the mast and flew towards the enemy's ship. Everyone were so busy fighting, they didn't even notice the flying pirate who landed on his feet onto the other ship's mast, flailing his arms as he tried to catch his balance there. As he did, he heard the first shouts as the marines noticed him and started shooting at him. He jumped onto the white sail, using the fabric to slow his fall as he slid down right on top of two marines with guns, feet first.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Shachi smirked, leaping into the group of marines as he kicked and punched at them before they even had time to move. It didn't matter to Shachi how many came at him; a few, a dozen, hundreds…he didn't even seem out of breath as he fended off all their attacks. He jumped to avoid a sabre, stepping onto the blunt side of the weapon to keep the marine from lifting it again, before kicking the said man in the face. Moving to the side, he dodged a kick, blocking another with the shin of his foot and stepping on the man's foot to stop him from moving before he punched the marine in the face. The soldier's teeth scattered on the ground as he fell onto the deck, unconscious. With a fluid motion, Shachi then leaned forward to avoid a bullet before clenching his fist and glaring at the five marines who created a small shooting squad, aimed at him. Summoning his inner power, the mechanic punched the air in front of them, sending the blast of his punch towards them and blasting them all away. A large marine grabbed him from behind while another tried to slash him with a sword, but Shachi seemingly disappeared right in front of him as he slipped downwards to avoid the attack. Instead, the sword hit the large marine behind the pirate, slashing him across the chest and stomach.

In a few minutes, the whole deck was filled with marines lying there and groaning in pain. At least the luckier ones who weren't already dead.

"Eeek! Why can't anyone stop him, you useless marines!? Do something!" Talliage ran back, hiding behind the marine officer who stepped before Shachi.

"You fought well, but it ends here," the man spoke calmly, taking off his coat to show a crimson suit underneath, with a purple handkerchief in the pocket.

"That's right, Jann-san, kill him! Kill that filthy Heart Pirate!" Talliage yelled, still hiding behind the other man.

The mechanic narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Our captain is a part of the Shichibukai. What right do the marines have to attack us, anyway?" He didn't really care about their title since he would fight and kill this man either way, but he was interested how will the marines explain this violation to their Government. He could tell Talliage invested a lot of money to bribe someone high up who provided him with five warships and enough men. Besides, corruption in the Marines and the Government wasn't really a surprise for Shachi as it happened quite often, but sooner or later the Gorosei will learn about this.

The marine officer was silent for a while, only staring at Shachi with knowing eyes, before he spoke up, "Well, as long as the Gorosei doesn't find out how your ship got destroyed, it doesn't matter. I personally think the Shichibukai shouldn't even exist as all pirates should simply be exterminated. Besides, there is another thing…," he trailed off.

Shachi gave him a questioning look even as he stayed quiet.

Jann took off his hat, showing dark blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail. His eyes were dark brown and piercing as they stared back at Shachi with a knowing gaze. He had an unshaved patch of skin going around his mustache and beard area, in the same dirty-blonde shade. With a snap of his fingers he signaled for one of his men to step forward, who gave him today's newspapers. "It seems you haven't read the papers for a while," the man said, tossing the papers before Shachi's feet.

The pirate picked them up, but he didn't have to search for long before he realized what Jann was talking about. The reason was right there on the first page, staring at him with those piercing grey eyes. He saw two pictures, both from the pirates' wanted posters. One was a grinning face of Monkey D. Luffy while the other was of his own captain, Trafalgar Law. Above the pictures was a large headline; "Warlord Trafalgar Law is in an unprecedented alliance with the Strawhat crew. There has been no reaction from the Government yet!" Shachi's eye widened at the title. _*What the hell is this? Strawhats?! Why? Didn't Miyako and Law go to Punk Hazard for Caesar?!* _

"So as you see, if that is indeed the truth, Trafalgar will be kicked out of the Shichibukai soon and go back to being a simple, no-good pirate. His status will be over. And what's more…his status doesn't necessarily protect _you_, does it?" Jann answered, already crunching his knuckles while preparing for a fight.

"Heh," the pirate snorted suddenly. He could see Jann's glare, silently asking what was so amusing, but the mechanic ignored him. "You're right, our status doesn't matter right now anyway. Even this alliance doesn't matter right now, because it doesn't change anything. We all knew how this will end as soon as you attacked us. And after you lose, you can't go back crying to the Gorosei since you are the one bending the rules," the Heart pirate concluded. Just like Jann, Shachi cracked his knuckles, lowering his body into a fighting stance.

"You will regret those words," the marine spoke bluntly as he stepped forward just before leaping towards Shachi. The man was taller than the brunette, easily towering over him, yet he moved incredibly fast as he attacked the pirate with a series of punches.

Shachi dodged each punch while moving backwards, but the attack started to get even faster, making him use first one and then both arms to block the punches. He gritted his teeth in annoyance from the continuous attacks which prevented him from shifting into his attack mode. Instead, he had to wait for an opening to move from defense to offense.

Finally, Jann ended the attack with a sideways kick which Shachi dodged by jumping in the air and flipping forward, landing behind the marine and trying to hit him with a sideways kick of his own. However, the other man quickly turned around and blocked with a roundhouse kick. Still, Shachi had no intention of giving up his newly-given chance for offense as he continued with a series of fast kicks towards Jann's torso and head. Lastly he crouched, trying to trip Jann, making the other jump backwards. The pirate quickly leaped forward to use that chance and punch the marine, shouting a cry of anger.

However, the marine dodged one punch and grabbed Shachi's forearm when he tried to attack with another, lifting the smaller man into the air and slamming him into the ground on his back. Still holding onto Shachi's hand tightly, the marine slammed the palm of his hand right into the pirate's torso, sending a powerful blast of energy that ripped through the other and shook his entire body. Behind Shachi, the ground dented as the wood boards cracked from the powerful blow. The pirate gasped and spat out blood, staining his snow white overall. He could feel the pressure in his chest from the attack, but still managed to gather enough strength to kick Jann in the face and get him off of him, giving himself enough time to leap into the air from his arms and land back onto his feet. As he landed back, the brunette stumbled, almost falling onto his knees as he felt the pain from Jann's last attack. He didn't think that anything was broken, but there was a good chance he had internal damage from that blow. Another coughing fit hit him and Shachi spat more blood onto the deck.

Jann only stood there calmly, ignoring Talliage's gleeful cheers and remarks. "You fight well, but your form is off. You are restless," the marine noted emotionlessly. It was simple observation, probably trying to anger the pirate further which will in return make him lose focus. The marine was trying to provoke Shachi so he would mess up on his technique and leave himself open because of his temper. Usually that would never work on someone like Shachi, but today was different.

"Shut up!" The mechanic yelled back in anger, clenching his fists. _*Shit, I can't believe I let him get a hit on me. I messed up once, but it won't happen again!*_ The brunette ran towards Jann with another cry of anger, ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen from every move he made.

~…..~

"Haa-ya! I-ya, ha-ya!" Bepo shouted with every punch and kick he made, trying to hit his constantly-moving target. However, every punch that aimed right at the man in white missed its mark. The ex-Cipher Pol member appeared to have gone completely numb as his body danced like a leaf on the wind, avoiding each of Bepo's strikes. Just after calling out, "Kami-e," the man's form completely changed as it became fluid and changed like water, dancing around Bepo and dodging each attack.

"Tekkai," he suddenly yelled, regaining his rigid form as his muscles hardened like iron, going after Bepo's stomach with a kick. However, that technique wasn't lost on Bepo either. He might have never given it a fancy name, but he trained hard until he learnt to strengthen his muscles like iron, as well. That's why, as soon as the white cloaked man hardened his leg, Bepo did the same with his arm.

The bear blocked the foot, both of their bodies clashing and coming to a stop. Yet the bear could move surprisingly fast for his size. He narrowed his beady eyes and turned his body to the side slightly as he still held his forearm up, blocking the man's foot. He stepped forward so that he was next to the man while moving his raised forearm towards the human's neck for a hit. His stretched out arm swiftly came towards the man's neck and for a second it appeared as if the bear would surely hit. Only at the last second did the man lean backwards so quickly it looked as if he simply disappeared for a moment, avoiding the strike. He landed backwards on his hands and pulled his legs up for a kick to the pirate's chin. The foot made contact this time as Bepo was taken by surprise and the bear was sent on his back with a loud grunt.

"Time to finish this," the cloaked man muttered, walking slowly towards the bear that was still on the ground.

Bepo huffed as he rolled onto his side. "I agree," he answered. He glanced at the trail of floorboards between him and the approaching man, getting an idea. He suddenly slammed down onto a floorboard on his side, making the other side, where the man was standing, pop up suddenly. The force made the board spring into the air, sending the ex-Cipher Pol member flying upwards.

Even the mysterious man was surprised by the sudden development, as he flailed his arms in the air while going up, desperately trying to grab something on his way only to grasp at nothing but thin air. Before he had time to adjust and use his Geppo technique, Bepo stood up and jumped high into the air after the man.

The bear reappeared slightly above him, clutching his hands together to form a hammer with his fists. "Hii-ya!" With all his might, he brought the make-shift hammer down onto the man's back, sending him crashing back down into the deck of the ship.

The former Cipher Pol member groaned in pain as he rolled to his back. His rough fall even created a small crater under him. "Don't think…that's enough to beat me…," he mumbled under his robes, about to get up as the bear landed near him.

"What about this?" Another, deeper voice, sounded itself next to him and the white cloaked man turned his head to see the giant from before stirring.

Captain Morrow still had a hard time getting up, but his injuries weren't keeping him completely immobilized. As he took his chance, seeing the enemy man fall next to him, Morrow turned, using his elbow to slam down onto the lying opponent.

A giant shadow covered the human as he saw something huge flying towards him in high speed. He barely had time to comprehend it was the giant's elbow, widening his eyes in horror of realization, before the elbow came crashing down onto him.

Bepo sighed in relief when the fight was over, standing next to the giant captain who gave him a weak grin in return. "Nice teamwork," Morrow commented.

~….~

"Gah!" Shachi crashed into the wall behind him, creating a hole and ending up inside the ship.

All the remaining soldiers stood and watched at Jann's obvious upper hand against the pirate. The marine officer slowly walked towards the hole where Shachi fell only to stop when he felt the mechanic move inside. The pirate rushed out and leaped at the marine, hoping to catch the other man off guard, only to receive a blow in the stomach from Jann's fist. The pirate coughed up blood before he was punched forcefully to the face. The marine grabbed his neck and started delivering punches to Shachi one after the other. All the pirate could do was sag against his opponent and feel the painful blows on his body.

Finally, the marine officer stopped only to raise his arm and held out his palm like before. "You remember the first blow I gave you, do you not? It is a variation of Rokuogan, the ultimate technique of Rokushiki. It is not complete yet as I am still working to master it so it is not as powerful…that is why you could stand even as it hit you directly. But you are far too weak to withstand it again. This time, you won't get up again after I hit you with it," Jann stated coldly, still clutching onto Shachi's collar to keep him somewhat on his feet. The pirate glared through his sunglass at the marine before he spat blood right into Jann's face. A final show of defiance.

The marine's eyebrows furrowed as a deep line of anger appeared on his forehead. He wiped off the blood and spit from his face before slapping the mechanic across the face. He raised the same bloodied hand again to deliver a finishing blow to Shachi. "Die now pirate," he added.

Just as he was about to bring his attack down, a sudden force hit him from the side and sent the marine flying into the ship's wall. The wooden boards broke beneath him from the force of his landing.

"What the hell?!" Talliage screamed in surprise before he saw another person standing next to Shachi. Another pirate in the same white uniform, but a lot shorter and wearing a black hat with two mean eyes in the front. The pirate's eyes were green though, glaring at the marine officer where he fell.

"Josh?" The mechanic raised his head weakly to look at the new arrival in wonder.

"What the hell, Shachi!? I knew you were distressed today, but to lose to this guy? That's pathetic!" Despite Joshua's harsh words, the worry behind them was obvious as he quickly examined Shachi's condition with his trained eyes.

"Tch, shut up…I got this under control," the other pirate frowned, willing himself to get up on his trembling feet again.

"The fuck you do! Look at yourself!" The medic gestured in Shachi's direction as if to prove his point.

"More Hearts are coming! Quick men, kill him! Kill them both, before even more come!" Talliage yelled in panic, hiding behind a group of marines.

In the meantime, Jann slowly stood up, dusting himself off with one hand. "You took me by surprise little pirate. It won't happen again," he stated darkly.

"Who are you calling _short_, Ponytail!?" The redhead yelled back.

"Actually, he called you '_little,'_" Shachi corrected in a matter-of-fact tone.

The medic glared at his friend. "Aren't you supposed to be busy dying?"

The mechanic just shrugged wordlessly in response, giving the other a _'What did I do?_' stare.

As Jann returned, Shachi stepped forward, in front of Joshua. "Anyway, this is my fight Joshua, so don't get involved! You're in the way," the mechanic warned.

"Fuck you, if I hadn't come, you'd be dead by now," the medic growled at the ungrateful act his crewmate was putting on.

Shachi clenched his fists, but kept his focus and glare on the marine officer. "You just deal with those marines and I'll deal with this guy," he commanded.

Joshua sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head for a while. _*I give up, this guy is too stuborn.* _"Fine," he started. "One more thing. Penguin is going to be alright," Joshua told him.

Shachi's gaze was instantly torn from Jann as he stared at the redhead with wide, questioning eyes.

"He woke up," Joshua continued. "That's what I came here to tell you," he finished.

The mechanic was silent, but he clenched both his fists, taking a deep breath. He was shaking and panting from the pain, making even breathing a chore. Still, a switch was instantly turned on inside him as he heard the news. "Heh..I really was an idiot," he mumbled, more to himself.

"What are you mumbling about?" Jann scowled at the pirate. "Are you ready to die and finish it, then?"

However the mechanic didn't let himself be provoked by the marine's words this time. Instead, he remained completely calm, only rising one fist to his face. "Yeah…I'm ready," was all he said.

~….~

Joshua ran into the group of marines that attacked him, easily avoiding the bullets and even blocking them with two scalpels in his hands. Out of nowhere, the number of his scalpels between his fingers increased, before he threw them at the marines. Not one of the sharp weapons missed its target. He gave himself a moment to glance at Shachi's fight, who was still only standing there. The medic bit his lip with a troubled expression, but stayed quiet, before he turned his attention back to the marines, punching one in the gut before jumping over him and kicking another in the chin.

~…..~

"I will finish this in one attack," Jann stated confidently as he stepped forward.

"Just get on with it," Shachi murmured darkly, never taking his eyes off of his enemy.

"Soru," Jann shouted out before seemingly disappearing, only to reappear behind Shachi. But instead of attacking he disappeared again, reappearing a bit further away in the air while using Geppo. The marine officer started to move all around Shachi in high speed that only left his afterimage behind, trying to confuse the pirate with his movement. He moved faster and faster, until it was impossible to pinpoint his position by following him with the eyes.

Through it all, Shachi only kept in place. He took one more deep breath, closing his eyes behind his shades. No matter how close Jann moved to him, the mechanic didn't react, only feeling the air move around him instead. _*I can feel it…that guy…even without seeing it, I can still feel even the air around me…* _Suddenly the pirate moved, using his still clenched fist to punch beside him with his eyes closed. He could feel contact with soft flesh even before he opened his eyes. He slammed his fist into Jann's face, blasting the man down before his feet.

"Wh-what! How! You shouldn't have been able to catch me, I'm too fast for you!" The marine was out of his wits with shock and puzzlement, but Shachi completely ignored him as he wasn't done just yet. Before Jann even noticed it, the pirate was in the air above him, pulling his fist back against his side.

"I don't care about Rokushiki or whatever...but you weren't the only one training hard," Shachi started. "Hyaa!" With a punch in the air, Shachi let out a blast of pure energy that was sent flying in a straight line right into the marine. Not only did it hit the man still lying on the floor, but it went through and pierced the whole ship, all the way through the hull and the bilge. The force of the blow made the whole ship cave in, splitting into two halves that started rising vertically and sinking into the water.

Screams of panic sounded around as everyone started sliding down the deck and into the water, where the parts of the warship were slowly covering them and making the people drown. The marines tried to grasp at anything they could, from pieces of the ship to other people as they flailed their arms in the freezing sea.

"Whoa!" Joshua almost fell along with them before he managed to jump backwards and onto the mast that was still sinking. "Next time warn me before sinking a ship we're standing on," the medic complained angrily.

Shachi laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he stood on the other side of the same mizzen. "Sorry about that."

Josh grumbled for a while, but somehow managed to turn his frown into a smirk. "Well, that was a pretty nice move so I won't kick your ass this time," he commented.

"Tch watch your mouth scrawny kid, don't forget who thought you how to fight," the mechanic bickered bitterly.

"Who you calling short!?" The medic snapped back.

_*I didn't though…,*_ the other pirate thought with a sweatdrop.

~….~

The giants watched the last of the marine warships disappear below the sea, as some surviving marines tried to save themselves from downing by finding anything that floats in the cold water.

Captain Morrow sat on the stairs at the deck of his ship, nodding at the sight. Instead of his blue tunic, he had bandages covering his chest now. The other giants also had a few injuries but they all got treated by the help of their doctor and the Heart Pirates. Most of the pirates were luckily unharmed or only had light injuries, cuts and bruises. Shachi was the most injured this time, which of course made his crewmates tease him constantly, though it was mostly by his own carelessness and fault as he was so distressed because of his friend the entire battle.

"Well, it all be over now," the captain of the giants took a big sip of his ale as he said it helped with the pain. "Aah, there be nothin' better than good quality ale after a rowdy fight, ey!? Harharharhar!" He laughed loudly, nudging at Bepo with his large pitcher.

"Ugh…sure…," the bear agreed out of politeness though he would rather at least prefer having fish than liquor now. His ears perked up at the sound of his nakama calling.

"Lookie what we dragged out of the sea," Eli snickered devilishly as him and Jean Bart pulled out a small piece of wood with a very fat man clutching onto it for dear life. The pirates wondered how he even managed to stay afloat with his weight and size, compared to the wooden plank.

"Taijirou Talliage, the textile tycoon, was it?" Kai sneered with a mocking expression.

"Y-you…You can't hurt me!" The nobleman shouted, cowering on the deck of the ship as he was surrounded by very angry pirates and even angrier giants.

"Let me just squash the bastard, captain!" Yandir already rose his foot in the air, awaiting his captain's orders, ignoring Talliage's screams for mercy.

"Wait," Bepo interrupted, gaining confused looks from the giants. "It's better if you don't get involved in this…We are already pirates so it's fine, but you aren't wanted by the government. It's better not to do anything to change that. We've already caused you enough trouble and further affiliation with us could be dangerous," the bear explained, having the other Hearts back him up with nods and words of agreement.

Captain Morrow didn't look pleased, but gave up with a sigh. "Very well, little bear. Ye be off with him, then."

"So what will we do with him?" Sam asked, putting his hands on his hips as he thought.

Everyone were silent and in thought, staring at the nobleman before them, until Ari got a devious idea. The others could tell by the wide evil grin that slowly spread on his face. "I have an idea," he chimed.

~…..~

A small scrappy raft made out of wooden remnants of the warships floated near the wreckages with only one passenger. Talliage was tied to a pole used as a make-shift mast, unable to escape or even move. Around him were barrels of concocted explosives made by gunpowder and other chemicals mixed together, placed by none other than the explosives expert of the Heart Pirates, Ari.

"You will pay for this! You will all die for this, bastards!" The nobleman screamed at the top of his lungs, perhaps not yet realizing his true position as no shouting, ordering or threatening would save his life now.

"He knows about the Lynx pirates, meaning what we did to Kaido's henchmen…Captain said there can be no witnesses so…," Bepo trailed off as it wasn't even necessary to finish that sentence. Instead, he gave a light nod to Sai who aimed his trusted rifle towards one of the barrels on the sailing raft. He waited for it to float further away, carried by the sea currents and light waves, before firing into the barrel. As soon as the precise shot hit, the whole raft exploded, going up in flames in an instant. Fire and smoke rose high into the night sky as if trying to reach the stars, glowing and casting shadows on the two remaining ships on the sea.

"There definitely won't be any witnesses now," the younger navigator muttered as he lowered his gun.

"Heh, it's ironic…he ended up just like his daughter," Ari commented.

"Well, we shoulda be on our way too," Captain Morrow stepped forward as he gazed back at the pirates. Carefully, he scooped up the remaining pirates on his ship and easily transferred them on the deck of the submarine bellow.

"I'm sorry we got you into trouble," the polar bear bowed his head in another apology. The Hearts stopped counting how many times he had already apologized to the giants.

"Nonsense boy! We drank together…we are mates now! An' if ya ever dock to Selber, give us a visit, ey?" The giant grinned, tipping his triangular hat and making the large feather dance on top from his movement.

"Next time, maybe we'll also meet your captain," Tiny added with a smile.

"You don't have long before reaching Zo, now. Good luck small pirates," Yandir added, as he stared at the night sky. "May the stars guide you well," he concluded with a firm nod. Even as his expression stayed serious, he gazed at the pirates with kind eyes.

"Thank you for everything!" The Heart Pirates yelled back, waving their hands, as they sailed away from the giant ship. "Goodbye!"

"You know…maaaybe we don't have to mention this day to Captain Law after all," Garry muttered, a shiver running down his spine as he thought what Law might do to them when he hears they almost destroyed the whole submarine, plus that someone found out about the Lynx Pirates incident.

"Eeh? We can't keep anything from captain!" Bepo argued angrily, not willing to compromise on that.

"Oh come ooon Bepo, he'll skin me alive if he hears I was the one to let it slip out," the medic whined, clutching onto the bear's back as he tried to persuade Bepo not to tell.

"Definitely not!"

"Have mercy!"

"No!"

"You tyrant!"

Sai watched the two argue as Garry whined, clinging onto the large bear like a child. He shook his head with closed eyes, deciding to ignore them and not get involved in their rowdy mishaps any longer. The last thing he wanted was to somehow get sucked into some new scheme again, as the guys from the crew somehow always managed to find trouble. "Well, Jean Bart is already at the helm so I better take my position at the control panel too," Sai gave a light wave to the others before returning to the submarine, walking leisurely with his hands in the pockets of his overall as if he wasn't just fighting marines only a couple of hours ago.

"I want to go check on Penguin in the infirmary again," Bepo noted, peeling the wailing medic off of him. He also headed back inside, followed by the others.

Sam tried to reassure Garry, who had tears at the corners of his concealed eyes now, patting him on the back. That's when he remembered a scene after hearing Bepo's words. "Oh right, I just saw Shachi running towards the infirmary a while ago, and Josh yelling behind him," Sam tilted his head in thought at the memory as he also walked with Bepo and the others inside. "I wonder what that was all about," he added in a mumble.

~…..~

Shachi ran through the submarine, almost missing a corner and running into a wall as he headed for the infirmary.

"Shachi, wait!" The redheaded medic was right behind the grinning mechanic who burst into the sickbay, slamming the doors open in glee.

"Penguin!" The brunette called out, expecting to see his dark-haired friend in bed. The mechanic's smile instantly turned into a confused frown as he indeed saw Penguin in bed, but now as he was expecting. The scene was just the same as when he left, leaving the unconscious mechanic in bed, hooked on the vital machine and an IV.

Cody, who was tending to the mechanic's fresh bandage, blinked in wonder at the sudden intrusion. He gave Shachi a reprimanding look, cautioning him to be a little quieter in here.

"Shachi, I…," the redheaded medic started awkwardly, his tone dripping with guilt as he closed the doors behind them.

"I…I don't understand. You told me he woke up?" The mechanic turned towards Joshua, puzzlement still clear on his face.

The medic kept his gaze to the side, not daring to look at his friend out of guilt. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking up, "If I didn't tell you that, you would have been too distracted and gotten yourself killed out there. I had to do _something_ to calm you down!" He swung his arms in the air, desperately trying to explain his position.

"So…you _lied_ about Penguin getting better!" Shachi raised his voice again, but this time out of sheer rage instead of happiness.

"I had to calm you down, you were a wreck out there! You would have lost that fight and di-" Josh never managed to finish that sentence as Shachi's fist came flying right into his chin. The medic stumbled backwards, hitting the wall behind him.

"Hey!" Cody yelled out and ran over to the two pirates, trying to split them up. "That's enough! Whatever this is, knock it off or take it outside! You're not fighting in here!"

However the redhead only put up his one hand to stop Cody from interfering. "It's ok…I deserved that, I know…" He turned back to an enraged Shachi who was already breathing hard from both anger and his injuries. "But I don't regret what I did, because it did calm you down and reminded you what was important…not to lose focus in a fight. _You_ thought me that, remember?" He stared at Shachi hard, not backing down.

Neither of the pirates moved nor spoke, as they both simply stared at each other with hard gazes. A tense and awkward atmosphere was spreading throughout the whole room as Shachi and Josh continued to face each other.

"Um, guys…," Cody started.

"Not now Cody," Josh interrupted. "Look, I'm sorry I lied to you but there was no other way…I feel bad but I don't regret it...I would do it again," the redhead spoke up, never breaking his stare-down with the mechanic.

"Yeah, but, guys-" The bluehaired medic tried again, only to be cut off by Shachi this time.

"I wouldn't have lost! I had it under control," the mechanic argued.

"Guys, just shut up and look already!" This time it was Cody who yelled, finally capturing their attention.

Shachi and Joshua stared at him as he was standing over Penguin's bed where the dark-haired pirate was stirring and moaning. He was waking up.

Completely forgetting about their dispute, both Shachi and Joshua ran to the mechanic's side. "Penguin!"

Cody took his light and checked the man's pupils. "The eyes seem fine." He stared at the pirate, holding out four fingers in front of him. "How many fingers am I holding?"

"Uh…four..," the mechanic spoke in a hoarse voice, barely above a whisper.

"He's alright!" The two other pirates practically jumped onto the bed and the patient as they tackled their friend. They both instantly got a whack on their heads by Cody because of it, though.

"Oy, are you trying to make him worse!? He needs rest!" The blue-head reprimanded in annoyance, putting both hands on his hips.

However, the two pirates were too happy to care about the pain in their heads as they grinned at each other and at the very confused Penguin. As their gazes met, Shachi's smile faded and he sighed deeply, still looking at Josh. "You were right…I was a wreck out there and I was a danger to myself _and_ others," the mechanic finally admitted.

The redhead smirked, but didn't say anything in return. There was no need as they both understood each other without any more words being spoken. They both knew they were alright now.

Only Penguin was left clueless as he sat between them, glancing from one pirate to the other with a puzzled stare.

Just then the doors of the sickbay opened again, as Bepo and Garry entered with Sam and Louis following behind. "We came to check on Peng-," they stopped as they saw the still-very-baffled mechanic sitting on his bed. "Penguin!" They all yelled out, rushing over to his side and glomping him much like Shachi and Josh did earlier.

Cody sighed in defeat. "Honestly, nobody listens to me…"

~…..~

Most of the Heart Pirates gathered around the patient's bed in the infirmary. They all sat on unoccupied beds, some tending to their latest wounds from the battle while others simply conversing with Penguin who got a brief recap of everything that happened in the meantime. Indeed it was brief as first Bepo tried to explain which sounded, "You went unconscious and then we met the giants who helped us defeat the marines and blow up the typhoon!" That explanation only left Penguin more confused and with a headache, especially before he realized the bear mixed the words typhoon and tycoon. Not that it would help him much even if the bear got it right. After that, Shachi took on the role of explaining, as he told the other mechanic everything that happened, gaining groans and sighs from Penguin as he regretted missing out on all the action.

What's more, the brunette showed everyone the newspapers, which they were all commenting on at the moment. "Warlord Trafalgar Law in an alliance with the Strawhats…what exactly happened on Punk Hazard?"

"And not just them, look at this," Zeek spoke up softly, turning a page to read another headline. "The Kid Pirates, the On-the-air Pirates and the Hawkins pirates also made an alliance."

"Wow, we really miss a lot when we travel underwater for so long, huh?" Penguin scratched his head as he slowly started to recuperate from his confusion.

"Whoa, that's not all!" Suddenly Josh exclaimed and grabbed the newspapers, ripping it from the tailor's hands.

"What's going on?"

"Look! It says Doflamingo is quitting the Shichibukai!" The redhead showed everyone the papers, pointing at yet another big news.

"Well Imma be damned…," Munk rubbed his beard in deep thoughts, while lightly shaking his head in disbelief.

"Seriously…what's going on with the world today," Shachi muttered.

"Land ahoy!" Sai's voice startled everyone as it came from the speakers. "Guys, we've reached the island! We've finally come to Zo!" The navigator's voice continued as he announced their arrival.

* * *

><p>Heh, at first I thought this was going to be a pretty short chapter but somehow it ended up pretty long. :') I also thought I'd make a funny chapter with some of Hearts' adventures on their travels to Zo, but the story ended up darker than I expected. I didn't really plan for it, but oh well…maybe I was in that kind of writing mood. In any case I hope you liked it and in the next chapter we return to the Strawhats. :D Hopefully I will get the next one out soon, before my exams start up.<p>

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments, I see there are a lot this time. :D

**Emilyamazing: **Thanks, I like that one too. And Law became a Shichibukai there, whoot! :D

**Animelovwers: **Aww, well thank you very much. ^^ About the 'how' well I'm not sure…I just write what comes to mind. :D I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this new chapter, though. Thank _you_ for the wonderful review. :D

**mintlover360: **Hehe Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I try to mix a lot of genres so there's usually a little bit of everything; from humor to angst, depending on the chapter.

**Amelie'sHuman: **I'm glad to hear that, I do try to incorporate her in the cannon story as naturally as possible. I think my favorite interaction so far is also with the _'Three Kenshi,'_ they just fit together. :D And thanks, I'm glad the cover is good!

**Volleys-chan: **Yep, I had some free time so I went over the early chapters. ^^ I'm glad it helped, I was planning to go over all the chapter I've written so far to examine them again, I just need to find the time for it.

I'm just happy that you read and like my story, that's enough for me. ^^ I must admit I am also proud of Miyako, so of course we would be attached the most to our own OCs. I understand how much time and planning it must have taken to carefully develop your OC, so it's normal. :) Thank you for reviewing!

**Skittles: ** , good questioning, I think it would depend on the situation. When she's with friends or messing around, I think it would be more like Nami, but while she is battling I think she would be calm and colder, like Robin. Though I always imagined her usual sound of voice somewhere in between; softer than Nami's but not as deep as Robin's.

2. There is affection, but it is purely platonic, or rather, brotherly. He sees her more as an annoying little sister that he just can't leave alone. :P

It's not a problem, and thank you very much. I don't plan on abandoning it so don't worry. Since I already spent so much time on it, it would just be a shame. Thank _you_ for making the time to write this review and read my story! ^^

**Hello: **hehe Thank you and I will. :D

**Orion's Left Arm: **I'm happy you liked it, Miyako will finally have more female company to spend time with. Hehe No problem, but to be honest I haven't decided on the rooming arrangements yet. :3 I hope you weren't waiting for long, and hopefully the next chapter will come quicker. Thank you for reviewing!

**Lucy Jacob: **Eh, I hope it gets better. I know how you feel, though. ^^Hang in there!

Thank, I really had fun writing this Punk Hazard arc, even though the whole cannon story happened so quick, in only one day. :') Thank you for the review, and I hope your exams are going well!

**Bloody Soffy: **I'm glad you like her, I really tried to make her as cannon-like as possible. I'm surprised Law turned out to be much softer than expected, in the OP story. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Huny Bajer: **Aw, I know what you mean. Well, in any case, I'm sure Law will survive which is what matters (I was worried what would I do if he died there o.o). I'll try to make it as bearable as possible, though.

**is a flying cookie 22: **I try for the cannon parts of my story to stay as close to the original as possible, which includes the cannon characters. It's not always easy, I admit, so I'm glad you think they are still cannon. ^^ I'm happy that you like Miyako and the other OCs as they are very important to me (hehe, I love Josh's fear of frogs too XD). I won't abandoned it, so don't worry. Sometimes it's hard to find time, but sooner or later I always upload.

**Red knight 2004: **Hehe You'll have to wait some more for that. ;)

**SurgeonOfLove: **Yeah, I hope Miyako and Tashigi can become friends; too bad they're on opposite sides. ^^' I think it's a bit too soon for him to see her as a sibling, but I do think he feels a connection to her, especially since she is also from Wano. They'll have more bonding time in the future. Hehe, you got your answer about the crew chapter. :D Thank you and Happy belated Easter to you too! I hope you had a fun one! I don't mind your reviews at all, I'm happy you take your time to write them! *here's another cookie for you!* ;D

**MusicOfMadness: **Yep, I can totally see Tashigi and Miyako in a distant future as friends even if they are a pirate and a marine. And the Strawhats are the only ones who can bring even enemies together to have fun (and apparently, they also make the best parties :D). Thank you for reviewing!

**Bizzy: **I can't even remember how Zoro laughs. I think the last time I heard it was in the earliest eps of OP, when they were still only with Nami. Oh wow, hm…I think my favorite is Brook's; Yohohoho! :D Hm, well there was a part in the earlier chapters when he was a bit jealous of Cody; but I think he would never admit it openly. :3 Hehe I also love the interactions with Miyako and Zoro, I think they will get along well. Thankfully, it seems Law will be fine (there was nothing to do but wait and see what happens). Thank you for the review!

**TheCaramelSecrets: **Haha, I'm glad you like. :D And it seems you got that little glimpse of the crew. ;)

**geckogal077: **Haha, I'm amused just thinking of all those scenes that are to come where Law will lose it in front of the Strawhats and Miyako. ("I don't like bread!") XD Yeah, I thought it would be a fun _Oops_ moment for Law. Thank _you_ for reading!

**BatmanSwim2016: **Thank you very much, I'm happy you've taken the time to read it. ^^ I hope I'll write the Dressrosa Arc so that it is interesting even if it is cannon and already seen.

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **I agree, I believe the biggest influence on Miyako right now will come from Zoro and Kin'emon as they are both kenshi and therefore close to her when it comes to certain world views, yet completely different to her in others. Thanks, flashbacks are so useful as they help with post-explaining some parts of the story, especially of scenes from the cannon that we (unfortunately) find out about quite late in the game. I think they were lucky it was Robin who saw since she is discreet at least (remember the scene in the Water 7 Arc when she saw Zoro babysitting :D). The Dressrosa Arc will definitely be an interesting challenge since there is so much going on there, and especially since it is very connected to Law. I will do my best to make it an exciting read and incorporate Miyako in the arc as naturally as possible. As always, thank you for taking the time to read the story and leave a review every time. ^^

**Guest: **Indeed, there are many funny Law scenes to come. :D

**Apple bloom: **More chapters it is! XD I hope you like this new one too!

**Wicken25: **I examined Thousand Sunny's plans and it seems there are only two sleeping quarters; one for women and one for men. ;D

**Guest: **Me too. Unfortunately, as strong as Tashigi has become, Oda still made her lag after the others, like Law and Zoro. So I at least want to make Miyako a character who can stand up beside them as equally strong and dangerous. Haha, yes, Robin knows~ ;)

**Zecrea: **Whoot! Thank you! :D haha I meant it as a sound; "_humph._" But I changed it so it would make more sense. Thanks for the heads up. :') Hahaha, Now I keep imagining that scene. XD

**Insanity294: **Aw, hang in there! School can be evil, I know. :') Thank you for taking your time to read the story and review, though! ^^

**Chocogirl24: **Yep, yep, I was surprised I could write so much about just one day of cannon story. :') To be honest, hopefully, Dressrosa arc will finish before I start with it, but I doubt it. ^^' Thank you for reading!


	64. Chapter 64

**I don't like you **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters as it all belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for violence, language and suggestive themes.

Everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer or you will soon! So my exam period just ended a few days ago and I concocted this short chapter about our two Heart pirates spending some time with the Strawhats. Just some fun and games (mostly) before they arrive at Dressrosa and shit gets real. :P

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 64<strong>

When Miyako first met the Strawhats, she could tell right away that they were a rowdy and unruly bunch. However, after sailing with them on one ship, the girl got a true confirmation of that, realizing she didn't even know the half of it. Every day of their trip was a new revelation for her as she witnessed the loud arguments and fights that often occurred yet were just as quickly forgotten, parties that lasted late into the night accompanied with Brook's music, and then some more fights among them, before Nami stepped in and beat them all to the ground. What's more, it was hard not to get swallowed into their pace; you would be chasing a mischievous Luffy angrily around the deck before you even knew it. The samurai realized, much to her amusement, that even the ever-composed Trafalgar Law wasn't impervious to the Strawhats' shenanigans. He would often lose his temper, yet ended up completely ignored by the younger captain and his crew who didn't seem threatened by the Surgeon of Death in the least. Even the small doctor Chopper got used to the other pirate doctor as he wasn't trying to avoid him at all times like in the beginning of their journey.

The Wano girl was a bit more flexible than her captain in that aspect, as she soon learned to accept the tomfoolery around her and quickly got used to the other pirate group. Even though, the brash flirting from Sanji or Brook still left her uncomfortable sometimes as she was uncertain what to do or say at those times. She wasn't used to such treatment, even though she spent two years on a submarine with about 20 other guys. But Penguin and the others gave up on any serious flirting a long time ago and mostly treated her like one of their own. That's why, when Brook would ask to see her panties, she was completely baffled. Her first instinct was to kick him in the face, but was that really alright to do to your new crew of allies? Luckily, Nami would often come to her aid at such occurrences, and kick the pirate skeleton instead, not bothered by his complaints in the slightest. What's more, the woman navigator often assured her it was quite alright to treat the rest of the guys in the group like wild animals that needed to be tamed, and hit them when they deserved it, since that was the 'only way they'll learn;' as she put it.

So even though Luffy was at the moment hanging from Sunny's mast, swinging to and fro while laughing loudly as an irritated Usopp yelled at him and tried to catch him, Miyako didn't even bat an eye at the already-usual sight. The whole thing started with Strawhat being bored and going over to the sniper pirate, who was currently working on his new invention. Luffy wanted to see the contraption, while Usopp complained that he can't before it's finished, which of course didn't stop his captain. A struggle started, which ended with Usopp's newest invention broken. After that, the angry long-nosed pirate yelled his captain's name angrily from the top of his lungs, and started running after the young boy who in turn started to run away from his mad nakama, laughing all the while. Soon Chopper joined in, thinking they were simply playing a game of tag, and started running after Usopp, who was chasing after Luffy.

Nami and Robin were relaxing on the lounge chairs, sunbathing with their bathing suits on and black sunglasses shielding their eyes, when Usopp finally grabbed Luffy, making the captain trip right in front of the two women. He fell forward, with Usopp trampling over him and falling onto the captain, and finally Chopper bumping into Usopp and falling onto the heap. The tangled mass of arms and legs flew in a ball towards poor Nami who didn't have time to get out of the way, and simply screamed in shock as she saw the tree pirates flying towards her, unable to stop. Luckily, the female archeologist intervened with her powers and created numerous arms that sprouted like flowers from the grassy lawn on the deck. Just as the ball of humans was about to hit Nami, Robin's arms blocked it and sent it flying over the women's heads. The three pirates screamed as they were bounced off of Robin's hands and smashed right into the railing of the ship.

Nami sighed in relief. "That was close. Thanks Robin."

Nico Robin only smirked in amusement in return. She was watching Usopp, Luffy and Chopper arguing while they tried to disentangle from one another. "Don't mention it."

"Oww…that hurt," Usopp's voice was nazal as he hit his long nose into the wood.

"Hey, Luffy, gef youf foot ouf of my fafe!" An angry reindeer retorted as he struggled to break free from this mess.

"Haha, sorry Chopper," Luffy answered, moving from the small doctor, only to accidentally bump his back into Usopp's already sore nose. The captain, though, didn't seem bothered nor in pain even from their harsh lading. He actually appeared to be having fun with it. Miyako guessed it was because of his devil fruit abilities that made his whole body into rubber, meaning usual methods didn't hurt him.

"Hey!" Usopp warned angrily at Luffy's back.

"Would you three just calm down and shut up! You almost killed me!" It was Nami's turn to get enraged as she often did with her crew, and gave each a good punch on the head.

"We're sorry~!" Chopper whined with teary eyes as he got hit as well. Miyako felt sorry for the little guy.

"It's all Luffy's fault anyway," the sniper muttered in a grumble.

"Eh!? Why is it all my fault!?" Strawhat argued, suddenly irritated by the accusation, as Usopp and him got into another struggle, only entangling themselves further.

"Aaah, Nami-swan, don't bother with those idiots. Here, I'll make you another ice café for this sunny day, my lovely lady~" Sanji, the blond cook, danced towards the navigator and her raven-haired companion, serving them some delicious fruit cubes he had made. There was obvious adoration in his eyes as he tried to flirt with both beauties at the same time.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," Nami winked at the cook, teasing him on purpose, which almost made his heart jump right out of his chest.

"Aaah! I can feel _amour_ around me!" The blonde laughed happily, skipping back to the kitchen in ecstasy.

_*Ah…he's so easily manipulated,*_ the samurai girl thought with a sweat-drop, but didn't comment on it. At least he looked happy, so there was no harm in it, she guessed.

She was currently watching the whole scene while sitting on the grassy surface, leaned on the railing of the ship. In her hands was her gleaming katana, as she continued to clean it carefully with an uchiko pad. Suddenly, a shadow came over her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yohohoho! As usual, they are so rowdy," a high voice came from above and Miyako jolted, startled by two gaping black holes and a grinning smile of a skeleton. She was mostly used to Brook's strange appearance as he explained it was due to a devil fruit he ate, but it still unnerved her seeing such a tall skeleton loom over her and so close to her face.

"Well…I mostly got used to it," the girl answered with a faltering smile, trying not to offend the musician, yet slowly leaning back, away from his staring face. At least she _thought_ he was staring.

She could still hear the jumbled noises of the two men and a reindeer, trying to break free and arguing at the same time.

"Waah! Zoro, help us!" Finally Chopper yelled out for the swordsman to come to their aid and untangle them. However, Roronoa was a bit busy with his own difficulty at the moment.

"Return it here, thieving pirate! I demand a fair fight for this!" Kin'emon's angry voice echoed through the ship as he rushed at Zoro once more with his katana. The said pirate didn't even unsheathe his sword in return, not intending to start a fight over the matter. However, he was also too lazy to explain properly to Kin'emon, which only made the samurai more suspicious of him.

Miyako and Brook both sighed as they turned to watch the scene between the angered samurai trying to slice up Zoro, and the pirate who simply dodged each strike. "They're at it again," the Wano girl muttered.

"Ah, is father fighting Zoro-san again?" Momonosuke joined in as he also watched his father argue one-sidedly with the green-haired swordsman.

Kin'emon swung his sword horizontally, aiming for Zoro's neck and the other had to crouch before jumping back to avoid the cutting edge. Instead, the sharp blade cut into the wood of the mast which was behind Roronoa.

"Whoa, that's dangerous," Brook called out, trying to stop the two but not daring to come close to Kin'emon who was still swinging his sword.

"Hey, don't wreck the ship!" Franky's angry voiced called from above from the upper deck, where he was casually steering the ship from behind the helm.

"This is an important matter! That sword on this man's waist is the great blade, meito Shuusui of one of our greatest heroes Ryuuma! However, his tomb was pillaged and the katana was stolen! How could you!?" Kin'emon angrily shouted as he stopped for a while to catch his breath.

"I'm telling you it wasn't me! It's a misunderstanding!" Zoro yelled back in hopes the samurai will finally listen.

However, Kin'emon ignored him as he instead turned to stare at Miyako. "You say something too, Suzune! Are you not affected by this obvious insult towards the Wano kingdom!? We need to get this historical blade back to Wano where it belongs!"

The girl blinked and squirmed uncomfortably as she was put on the spot. Kin'emon's gaze was so intense, it was hard to say anything. She felt a sweat drop appearing on her forehead. Finally she sighed, feeling troubled that she was being brought into this when all she really wanted was to clean her katana in peace. She shrugged, glancing at the meito tied to Zoro's waist. "Isn't it fine like this, though? It's better for it to be used by a good swordsman than to gather dust in some museum or rust in a tomb, anyway. If he managed to tame that Shuusui, it means he has the ability to use it for its true potential, so why not let him have it? He seems to be in the favor of the sword," she explained, expecting another meltdown from Kin'emon because of her words.

"Eeeh!? How can you even suggest such a thing!?" The samurai yelled in irritation, but actually appeared to calm down as he didn't try to attack Zoro again.

"Tch," Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance as he found the whole situation bothersome. "It seems I have no choice but to explain. I met the samurai you speak of, Ryuuma. He was turned into a zombie by some crazy doctor and I beat him in a dual so he left me that sword. I have full claim on it," Zoro explained curtly, crossing his muscular arms on his chest.

Everything fell silent as the crew stared blankly at Zoro, everyone thinking the same thing.

"There's no way anyone could understand _anything_ from that explanation." The one who broke the silence and said what everyone was thinking was none other than Caesar Clown, who was still tied to the mast with the kairoseki chains.

"You be quiet there!" Usopp called out, feeling brave against their foe now that he was shackled and unthreatening.

"Humf," Kin'emon puffed out a breath of air, reluctantly sheathing back his katana. "Well…I do not quite understand your explanation, but in light of what I have seen…I think I can trust you. You are worthy of a samurai's sword, I admit," he sighed, staring back at Zoro who smirked in response. "Perhaps, young Suzune is also right. _However_, I will keep an eye on you and how you treat Shuusui," he warned, giving Zoro a cautionary look.

"Heh, to be honest I didn't think he'd listen to me," Miyako jokingly whispered to Momonosuke in feigned wonder, making the boy chuckle.

As Kin'emon glanced at the samurai girl, he noticed a glimmering shine of her katana and gave it a closer look. "Speaking of swords…could that be the legendary Yawarakai-Te!? One of Masamune's swords? What's with all of you, suspiciously having such famous swords?!"

"And what's with you and this obsession with swords? You remind me of that sword-maniac, marine woman," Zoro grumbled back as he watched Kin'emon approach Miyako with interest, staring at her katana.

It was quite a beautiful sword, with the blood red scabbard and the same colored hilt. Yet the sword itself almost appeared silver as the metal gleamed in the slowly dying sun.

Miyako stopped using the uchiko as the other samurai drew closer to examine her katana. "You noticed," she confirmed with a nod. "But before you start throwing ridiculous accusations at me, I'll just tell you that this katana was given to me by a blacksmith that comes from a long line of apprentices that goes all the way to Masamune's first apprentice," she explained with a hint of warning in her tone so that the man wouldn't get any ideas about taking her katana as he wanted to do with Zoro's Shuusui.

"Hmm, so you were bestowed this sword by the rightful owner. Very well, I shall believe you and accept that…," even as the man said that, there was a hint of disapproving in his voice. However, Miyako didn't need to ask to know why. He was surely bothered by the fact that such an important katana was bestowed to a woman. Another insult to the Wanokuni tradition.

"Huh!? That was too easy! After you grinded me for weeks about my sword?!" Zoro complained angrily about the different standards here. He barely got Kin'emon to listen to him, after all.

The girl sighed in resignation, not intending to start another quarrel about the gender issue and stereotypes in their traditional upbringing. At least he wasn't as obnoxious as in the beginning. Slowly, although reluctantly, he even started to let up on the rigid beliefs he had so far. The fact that he didn't get into another fit of rage and start rambling about this girl being a wanna-be samurai and getting such an undeserved item, was the proof of it. For now, him 'accepting it' with a sulky tone under his breath was the best he could do. Also, it seemed the samurai was a bit more lenient with her lately, after everything they went through on Punk Hazard and after seeing how close she and Momonosuke had become. His child trusted her, so Kin'emon also decided to show her some trust. If nothing, she did earn his respect over time, even if he was still unsure how to address such a deviant from their society.

Miyako's thoughts were interrupted as the other samurai continued, his tone a shade darker. "But I must warn you…you know what they say of Masamune's and Muramasa's swords."

Miyako glanced at her sword, raising it before her, the metal so pure it almost shined a glistening white in the sun. "That every Masamune's sword finds his counterpart in Muramasa's blades. And if two blades of the same caliber ever meet, they will cancel each other out…or rather, they will both break," Miyako answered in thought.

The man nodded in agreement repeatedly as she talked, his eyes closed and his arms resting in the long sleeves of his gi.

"However," the girl continued, her tone making Kin'emon look at her in interest. "As good as a sword can be, its potential is always limited by the skill of its master. Even the most high quality sword can appear as nothing but a butter knife in untrained hands. In the end, it will be the kenshi who decide the outcome…not the swords, nor their blacksmiths," Miyako finished, sheathing Yawarakai-Te back into its crimson scabbard.

Their talk was interrupted by Zoro who made an amused sound. "Not bad words for a samurai woman, huh?" He watched Kin'emon knowingly as he spoke, as if using the other man's words sarcastically against him, before he turned back to the girl. "Though, it means nothing until you can actually prove your words on the battlefield."

Miyako felt a twinge of competitiveness rise inside her at his challenging words. "You think my swordsmanship skills will not be enough in Dressrosa?" There was a slight annoyance in her golden eyes that started to burn lightly. Suddenly, the reason why the Navy called her Burning-Eyed Miyako became very clear to the swordsman. She was already used to being underestimated, but something about another swordsman demeaning her kenjutsu skills really agitated her. "Did I not already defeat one of Doflamingo's henchmen, Monet?"

Zoro tilted his head as he remembered their fight with the harpy woman back at Punk Hazard. "If I remember, it took two of you to take her down, and I delivered the finishing strike," he reminded her blankly, though his laid-back attitude only irritated her more.

"Only because she had my heart," the girl muttered under her breath, gloomily.

"Though I was a bit surprised," the green-head continued as if remembering something suddenly. "I didn't think you would even risk that marine's life to beat Monet down," he finished, though there was no actual disapproving in the tone of his voice. It didn't seem like he cared either way, it was more as if he simply didn't think Miyako to be a person who would be able to do that.

Even the girl looked a bit taken aback by his words, as if unsure what he was talking about. Only when she finally realized, remembering that scene, her eyes widened a little and her mouth formed a silent 'oh.' "Well, I needed to make Monet believe I was about to kill her and my kenshi spirit was enough to put pressure onto her, making her senses so scared that it really appeared to her like I was going to kill them both if need be," the girl explained.

Zoro blinked in surprise, "So you were actually bluffing the whole time?!"

Miyako closed her eyes, shrugged and tilted her head with a smirk, answering his question without any words. There was a sense of pride visible in her amused expression. "See, I was even able to fool you. Besides…" Miyako opened one eye and glanced at Zoro from under her eyelashes, still giving him a teasing smirk as she made her expression a bit more devious than before. "You're talking quite smugly to me for a man who cannot seriously battle a woman. What will you do if there are more women among Doflamingo's executives, mister powerful swordsman?"

The man flinched, Miyako's taunt obviously pushing the right button just as the girl foresaw. "I took down that bird woman, didn't I?!" He lost his smug look from before as he glared at the samurai girl with his one good eye.

"That doesn't count since you didn't even use haki to properly finish her off. She was still alive after it," the girl countered and the two felt their blood boil as they started to bicker back and forth, throwing piercing or sarcastic comments at one another.

"Um...guys…don't fight," Nami tried to calm them as the situation became more intense, but they completely ignored her. There were already electrical sparks flying between the two, when a dark voice from the deck above interrupted them.

"Save that battle spirit for the actual fight when we get to Dressrosa. Fighting among ourselves is meaningless," a cold tone stopped both Zoro and Miyako from quarreling as everyone glanced up at the person responsible.

"Torao!" Luffy smiled as he greeted the other captain who just came from inside the ship.

Both Zoro and Miyako cooled down in an instant and they both sighed, still grumbling a bit to the other, but already over their little quarrel. They looked up to see Law leaning on the railing of the ship, staring down at the crew and giving Miyako a warning stare not to cause any trouble. He had enough of that with this rowdy bunch of Strawhat pirates and their crazy captain. He was in no mood to simmer down his own nakama as well. His reprimanding stare was silently telling Miyako she should know better, but the girl turned away, pulling her lips in a tight line and hiding her pouting expression from him.

The doors of the deck opened again, this time showing the blond hair of the cook as he stepped out with a cigarette in his lips and a smile on his face. "Then I'd say my snack came just in time to lighten the mood. I made pizza!"

"Whoa, you go Sanji!" Usopp grinned as he jogged up the stairs towards their galley.

"Yahoo, pizza!" Luffy's eyes were wide and his mouth already drooling at the thought of Sanji's snacks. In an instant, he stretched his arms, gripping the railing there, and pulled himself on the upper deck, almost bumping into Sanji in his landing.

"Watch it, you idiot!" The cook yelled after him, but the boy hardly listened as he was already running inside the galley, following the wonderful scent of freshly baked food with his nose.

"Ooh, it's that delicious Pidda we had last time!" Kin'emon remembered the name instantly along with the delicious taste that exotic snack provided.

"Pidda! Pidda!" Momonosuke repeated after his father in excitement, his little stomach already rumbling at the thought as he smiled happily.

Miyako sighed and shook her head. "It's pronounced 'pizza,' you know." She was glad that for once she wasn't the clueless one among the group when it came to foreign things. The Hearts often teased her or were genuinely baffled when she admitted she was ignorant of some of their ways. She got the same reaction when she was the one completely unknowing of this strange meal called pizza. Rather, she asked them 'What was that _pidda_ thing they kept speaking off' and made the whole room go silent with everyone just staring at her, making her uncomfortable. After they finally calmed down from their bewilderment, Munk insisted to make one for her in the galley, and that was the first time she tried it and learnt it could be made with various toppings.

"Hey, Strawhat, give me a slice too! I'm hungry and I can't move at all!" Caesar complained, shrieking from his spot under the mast.

However, there was one person in the group that wasn't as excited as the rest. Miyako could see Law's dark look under his fuzzy hat, as his eyes twitched in annoyance. It was good that he didn't have his nodachi in his hands since it was left back inside the ship. "Oy, I wasn't finished speaking!" However, he was completely ignored as everyone rushed passed him and into the galley. Finally cracking, the captain yelled out despite himself, "And didn't I already say I don't like bread!" A shiver ran down his spine when he realized what he did again, but more importantly he could feel a stare piercing him from behind without even having to turn around. He could completely feel a pair of amused, golden eyes boring into his neck.

The captain slowly turned around to see Miyako watching him, drilling her amused gaze into him. She didn't laugh nor tease him, knowing that would only set him off. Instead, she simply stared at him with that clear-eyed expression that silently said everything that was on her mind without her even making a sound. She was obviously loving this and her quiet expression only irritated the captain more. He felt a hand on his shoulder as Miyako walked up to him, still feigning innocence that was supposed to mask her enjoyment.

She gave him a look of consolation, though the gesture only appeared mocking to him. "Just give it up and go with a flow. It will be easier," she nodded at him.

The dark doctor sighed, bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, trying to send the upcoming headache away. "Just go inside…," he muttered, suddenly feeling defeated. Even more so, when he saw Miyako's grin before she passed him by and starting to whistle a happy tune. She was enjoying his misery way too much; he thought as he stared after her.

~…..~

Most of the group sat round the large table inside the ship, chatting as they feasted on the remains of the pizza. Franky and Usopp, however, went back outside to guard Caesar after Law warned the Strawhats not to leave their biggest trump card unsupervised. They were still unsure whether Doflamingo has sent any of his men after them so they could all be attacked at any moment. They weren't safe even now, before they entered enemy territory.

"So as I was saying, we should be arriving at Dressrosa tomorrow if we keep this pace," Law spoke, taking another bite of his onigiri. He was the only one who didn't eat the pizza as he complained it was the same as eating bread – a food completely without any taste or substance, in his opinion.

"Ugh, that doesn't sound great at all…" Chopper whined as he gulped in anxiety, thinking that in only a day they will be in the territory of one of the Shichibukai.

"Is Doflamingo really that dangerous?" Miyako asked, chewing on a slice of pizza as a string of cheese stubbornly wouldn't break.

"Yes, he most definitely is," Kin'emon nodded grimly in answer. "What he did to our friend, Kanjuro…," he trailed off, his tone pained. His son sniffled once next to him, remembering Doflamingo's psychotic look as he tortured his prisoners.

"Speaking of, you said we need to come prepared, but you didn't explain the whole plan to us. What when we reach Dressrosa?" The samurai girl continued as she gave a questioning look to her captain. As she spoke, she saw the dark, cold liquid in a bottle that Sanji served. Franky told her it was Cola, but Miyako never tried it before. She heard Joshua and the others talking about it, but never really had the chance to try it. A bit excitedly, she poured the brown liquid in her glass and watched as it foamed and frizzled like acid. Uncertainly, she brought the glass to her mouth but first took a sniff at it. The bubbles got into her nose and almost made her sneeze. She frowned and scrunched her nose in suspicion, before taking a sip of the frizzy liquid.

As soon as she did, she regretted at it as she started coughing, her eyes tearing. "W-what is this!? It feels like a million ants are biting my tongue and throat!" Her voice was a bit raspy as she spoke in bewilderment.

"Eh? Miyako-chan, you never tried Cola before?" Nami blinked in surprise.

"Let me try too!" Momonosuke took the glass out of the girl's hand and took a large sip. "Acid! It's acid!" The boy cried out in panic.

"Momonosuke! Are you alright!?" Kin'emon yelled in fear for his son's life.

The rest just watched with sweat drops as the three Wano residents flailed at the table, passing down this strange, but powerful drink.

Luffy laughed at the sight. "Haha, you guys are hilarious!"

The one who wasn't laughing was Law, who also had a drop of sweat running down his forehead along with a bothered look. _*They're completely ignoring me…and right after they just asked me a question,* _he thought darkly.

"This is indeed my first time having the chance to try this," Miyako answered Nami's question when she finally calmed down from her awe.

"Well I'll make you anything you want Miya-chwan! I'll make a lot of new dishes for you to try!" Sanji sang in his happy tone, giving Miyako a wide grin.

"Then, make more of those sandwiches we had the other day," Kin'emon suggested immediately.

"I didn't ask _you_, you shitty samurai!" The blonde cook bit back at the man, his expression turning 180, from a lovey-dovey to an annoyed one.

Trafalgar suddenly cleared his throat loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Well…about the plan we mentioned. As you already know, we need to destroy the SMILE factory on Dressrosa while keeping Doflamingo busy with the exchange of Caesar. However, I will tell you the whole detailed plan once we arrive since-"

"Whoa Brook, how many of those pizzas can you put in your mouth!?" Luffy exclaimed as he clapped at Brook who was stuffing the slices of pizza one after another in his skeletal jaw.

"Itf's allf abouf unhinjfing yourf jawf!" Brook spat saliva and food everywhere as he talked with his mouth full.

"That's disgusting, Brook," Nami commented as both her and Robin made a troubled face while watching that scene.

"I bet I can put in more!" The young captain called out and stuffed his rubber cheeks with food, stretching them to unimaginable lengths.

"Whoa, that's awesome, Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed as he watched his goofy captain with admiration-filled eyes.

Trafalgar's eyebrow twitched as he tried to keep his cool, though it was obvious he was once again ignored. _*That's why I didn't bother telling them the whole plan yet…this idiot would forget about it in an instant anyway.* _

The Wano girl noticed her captain's distressed and smiled at him sheepishly, trying to calm him down before he decides to use his Room to behead them all. "Maa…It's better to just go over the plan tomorrow when we dock and everyone's together," she suggested with a drop of sweat on her eyebrow.

The dark doctor took a deep breath, regaining his composure again. He took another onigiri made by Sanji as he muttered his complaints, "Honestly, I'm starting to have doubts about the capability of these people." He took a bite as he continued, "I don't think they understand the danger of-" The older captain stopped and coughed out some of the onigiri suddenly, bringing everyone's attention with his sudden disgusted look.

"Torao, what's wrong?!" Sanji came over to the dark captain, worried that the other started choking on his food.

"This is…" Law started, glancing between Sanji and the rice ball accusingly. "I really hate umeboshi!"

"….." The crew fell silent as the blonde cook and the pirate captain started bickering over food.

"Are you a kid?" Sanji's curly eyebrow twitched and he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth in an annoyed fashion. He didn't like being criticized when it came to his meals. "You should have told me earlier, then!"

Law glared right back at the cook, though. "You should have asked me as the cook!"

The rest of the group only listened on in silence as they just saw another side of the feared Surgeon of Death without him even noticing.

_*A spoiled brat.*_

_*He's just like a spoiled brat…*_

_*He's like a spoiled husband, Yohoho!*_

_*He should have just given me that onigiri instead.*_

"I didn'tf knowf you're suchf a brat, Torao!" Luffy commented, his cheeks still completely stuffed with food.

_*You're one to talk Luffy,*_ Nami thought in response, but decided to keep it to herself.

Indeed, coming from Luffy it just made it sound worse.

Even Miyako was amazed, especially since she could practically feel what everyone was thinking. _*Whoa, I didn't realize until now since Munk-san was always in charge of his food, but Law is really a picky eater,* _the girl thought with a sweat drop. _*In any case, I think you'll fit right in here after all, Law,* _she added as she watched Sanji and Law continue their quarrel.

"Well, in any case, we should be getting ready for bed soon. We have a big day tomorrow," the navigator suggested, slowly standing up and trying to change the subject.

"Somebody should stay and guard the ship. I mean...what if Doflamingo comes at night and attacks?" Brook sipped the last of his tea as he spoke.

"Eh?! Y-you really think that might happen, Brook!?" In a second Chopper was in a panic from the idea, his big eyes getting teary. Miyako couldn't help but think he was so cute and cuddly, though if she said that out loud he would surely get into one of his embarrassed tsundere fits.

Law nodded in regards to Brook's idea. "I will stay outside and keep an eye on Caesar or any suspicious movement around the ship. At least it should be easy to spot the enemy coming since we are out on the open."

"B-but doesn't that leave us unprotected and at a disadvantage, as well," the small doctor whined, his fur on the back of the neck starting to rise from fear.

"Hm? I'm the one usually watching from the crow's nest, so I'll just do it," Zoro suggested leisurely as he sipped some of his sake.

"You always only fall asleep there, stupid marimo! Guarding, my ass!" Sanji growled back.

"What was that, curly-brow!?" The swordsman got in the cook's face instantly and glared at the other with an irritated expression.

"How is that even an insult; 'curly-brow,' Sanji retorted a bit louder than before.

"It's an insult because you look ridiculous! You can hypnotize someone with those eyebrows!"

"Well I hope to hypnotize _you_ to shut up! Baka muscle-head!"

The rest of the crew completely ignored the two, already used to their daily routine of baseless arguments. Momonosuke turned to Nami, pulling the rim of her shirt as he rubbed his eyes with his other hand. "Princess-sama, I'm tired," he mumbled.

Nami was awe-struck as soon as she heard the nickname he occasionally bestowed upon her. Her eyes were seeing starts from the compliment as she hugged Momo, almost suffocating him with her large chest. "Aww, we'll get you ready for bed Momo-chan."

"Then, shall we take a bath together," Robin suggested with a gentle smile.

As soon as the rest heard that, they glared at the Wano boy with anger that obviously masked their jealousy. Sanji, Brook and even Kin'emon all rose in an uproar, "You dirty brat!"

"Don't frighten the poor boy!" Nami yelled back and socked them all in the face with her fist of fury. Alas, she didn't notice the self-satisfied smile on the Wano boy's face.

Robin and Nami stood up with the navigator tightly holding onto Momonosuke, carrying him in her arms while the boy hugged her; much to the perverted trio's disdain.

"Let's go, Miyako-chan," Robin called out at the girl samurai, still smiling, though now her expression somehow appeared playful. It left Miyako with a suspicious feeling in her chest.

"Eh? Me too?" The girl blinked in surprise, but got pulled along by the archeologist before she could protest.

Sanji suddenly ignored everything else as he danced over to the samurai girl. "Miya-chwan~ I'd be happy to scrub your back for y-„

Yet before he could even finish, Miyako turned to the blonde, smiling brightly as she cut him off with a simple statement, "I'd rather die." It was a reflex reaction from her time with Penguin and the others from the submarine, and luckily it seemed to work just as well on the cook of the Strawhats.

Sanji felt as his heart was pierced in an instant by such a quick rejection. He fell on his knees with a gloomy atmosphere surrounding him, staring sadly at the floor with a depressed expression.

The only one who commented on it was the green-haired swordsman, though even he felt that one word was far enough for this love-cook, „Idiot."

As Nami carried Momo and pulled Miyako along out of the kitchen and towards their large bathroom, Robin stayed only a moment longer to turn to Sanji. "You should be careful when courting Miyako, Cook-san. You might regret it later, fufu," she snickered at her comment as her knowing stare left the cook and quickly glanced at the Dark Doctor.

Nobody realized the connection and Sanji only blinked at her with puzzlement, but one man did notice after all. Law still had an unreadable expression, but he lifted his head at her words and his stare connected with Robin's gaze from under his hat.

„Eh, Robin-swan?" Sanji questioned after her, not understand what she meant, but got no response. Without another word, Nico Robin turned and left the galley, her amused yet mischievous smile never leaving her lips.

Meanwhile, Miyako was still dragged by the long-haired navigator towards the bathroom as she mildly protested. Even though public bathhouses were a regularity in Wanokuni and the girl often enjoyed them, it was the first time while on the Sunny that she was invited to bathe with the other girls. Somehow it appeared to be a form of bonding between them and Miyako, who barely had any female friends over her lifetime, felt nervous by this. She wanted to get closer to Nami and Robin, yet felt anxious to do so. Then suddenly her train of thought was lost when a flashback came to her mind of what just happened and she realized how Sanji-san had been addressing her lately; Miya-cwan. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. _*Oh no, if this goes on I'll get that irritating nickname from the submarine back! I am finally back to being Miyako again, so I don't want to go back to Miya again!* _She stopped, trying to turn back towards the galley and get this misunderstanding sorted out before anything worse happens and that damned nickname sticks. "Wait! I need to go back and tell Sanji-san I'm not Miya-_anything_, I'm Miyako!"

"Eh? What are you talking about suddenly? " Nami furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What about being 'Miya'?

"I think it's rather cute, though," the archeologist commented with a smirk as she also caught up to them.

"No, no, no, you don't understand. I've been trying to get rid of that blasted nickname for so long and now it's following me even here!" Miyako struggled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Maa, it's fine! It _is_ cute! Alright, from now on we'll call you Miya-chan!" The navigator happily announced, nodding in affirmation as she liked the nickname. "Now come on, let's go!" She caught the girl by the back collar of her shirt and dragged her with them.

"Nooo! No waaay!" The Wano girl all but whined in frustration as she was dragged towards the bathroom.

~…..~

The samurai girl sighed once again as she cleaned Momonosuke's back with a towel, the boy sitting on the stool in front of her while the girl knelt behind him. She was still bothered about that ordeal with Sanji and her nickname, having a grim feeling about it all. _*I just know that stupid nickname will stick to me again. I can feel the dread.*_

Nami laughed, seeing Miyako's worried expression. "Would you just let it go? There's nothing you can do about it now." She shrugged while washing her flowing orange hair that fell all the way to her waist. The Wano girl never saw such an odd color on anyone before and she had to admit the girl had beautiful locks. Then again, the Strawhats were all full of surprises and peculiarities. The swordsman of the group even had green hair and it seems it was naturally so. Every time Sanji called Zoro 'marimo' Miyako kept quiet, but deep down she actually thought of the same thing since the first time she saw the man's hair, as it indeed reminded her of the said moss ball.

The young navigator cleared her throat as she saw the other girl stare at her, though her gaze seemed to go right through her as if she was lost in thought. The samurai quickly pulled herself out of her musings and shook her head to clear her mind. "Ah, sorry! I was just thinking, Nami-dono, you have such an interesting hair color." Realizing what she said and fearing it might be taken the wrong way, the girl instantly tried to correct herself. "Aaah, I mean, it's very unusual, but also quite beautiful!"

Hearing Miyako's praise, Nami instantly grinned in satisfaction, curling a strand of hair around her long finger. "Oh, this…this is all natural. I mean, I hardly condition it at all~" The girl's reaction reminded Miyako of Chopper when complimented, but she only smiled at the girl in response.

"You don't have such hair color in Wanokuni, Miya-chan?" Robin called out, currently only wearing a towel like the rest of them, which emphasized her every curve and her mature body.

Before the samurai could answer, Momonosuke called out, "In Wano, it is unusual for people to have such bright colors of hair naturally. Mostly, we only have dark hair, usually black." Staring at Nami, the boy smiled brightly. "That is why, you are such a beauty Nami-sama," he added.

"Iiiyaa, Momo-chan, you're such a good child," the girl navigator squealed and leaped forward to hug the boy, stuffing his face into her chest by accident.

Miyako sweat dropped at the sight. _*Can he even breathe like that?*_

As if giving her an answer, the Wanokuni boy started to struggle, his words still muffled by Nami's chest. "Nami-donfo, I can'f breatfe…"

"Ah, sorry about that," the girl pulled away and laughed, sheepishly smiling as she scratched the back of her head.

"That's right…Wanokuni…I wonder when we'll be able to return home." Momonosuke's smile faltered and soon, a sentimental expression replaced it as he remembered his home country. All three girls could see he was struggling on this journey; trying to be brave for the sake of his father and everyone else. But he was still only a child; sometimes it was easy to forget that. Miyako knew him the longest of the three and still remembered how resolute he was on Punk Hazard; masking his fear with pride and stubbornness. Yet the girl was not fooled. She could see he had a lot on his mind, starting with the worry for his friend, Kanjuro. The boy must've missed his homeland and family, if he even had any except for Kin'emon.

Her eyes softened from her thoughts and she reflexively put a hand on the boy's head, trailing her fingers through his loose hair that was out of his usual topknot. Then an idea crossed her mind. She couldn't take him to Wanokuni any sooner, but perhaps there was a way to comfort him if only a little, after all. Perhaps she could bring a piece of Wanokuni to him, instead.

She remembered an old song her mother used to sing to her. It was a song every Wanokuni child knew as it was often used to calm them or put them to sleep by their families. Miyako remembered she would lay her head in her mother's lap, letting the woman comb through her hair with her slender fingers while she listened to the beautiful voice that chimed through the room. No matter if the girl was upset, scared or angry; those gentle gestures and that soothing voice would comfort her and Miyako felt at ease. In those moments she felt completely serene and it was the safest she ever felt in her entire life. After her parents passed away, she never felt like that again, but she never forgot the memory and feelings of that time either.

So almost on instinct, prompted by her own nostalgia and Momo's depressed sighs, the girl opened her mouth and a soothing melody came out. It was years since she last even heard that song, and a whole lifetime since someone had sang it to her, yet as soon as she started, it all came back to her. The words along with a slow tune came out without her even thinking and she let her voice guide her, singing soothingly to the boy.

Nami, Robin and Momonosuke all seemed surprised by her suddenly breaking into song, but the two other women could see it meant something more to the boy. Shock passed through his expression as he stared behind him where Miyako was kneeling, before his face filled with emotions. Emotions of sadness and nostalgia, but also comfort and happiness at hearing something so familiar. Something he started to think he might never hear again. "That is….," he trailed off, recognizing the song immediately, but unable to find the words in his choked up throat to continue.

Miyako's voice might not have been as beautiful as those performers on courts in their homeland. It was plain, neither surprisingly good nor horrid. Yet as it bounced off the bathroom walls, the room giving it an even clearer sound, it held a certain power for the boy. It left pang of emotion in all their hearts as they listened and Momonosuke could feel a sting of tears at the corners of his eyes. He willed them back, only sniffling a few times and he listened to the familiar song that brought back memories for both of them.

Only when the samurai girl finished and the song ended did they dare to move. Miyako opened her eyes to give Momonosuke a smile, seeing his wet eyes staring back at her with a mixture of grief and gratitude.

"Miyako-oneechan!" He suddenly exclaimed, leaping at her and almost knocking her down form her spot as he hugged her tightly as best as he could with his small arms.

_*Oneechan, huh?*_ The girl smirked at his words in response, but hugged him back and put her hand on the top of his head to comfort him. She could feel the boy's slender shoulders shaking slightly as he stayed completely still and silent. She could tell that he was sobbing, but said nothing as she didn't want to hurt his young warrior pride that would never allow a man cry in front of a woman.

She exchanged glances with Nami and Robin who both had smiles on their faces. They could read the atmosphere and also stayed silent until the boy calmed down and removed himself from Miyako's arms, quickly rubbing his puffy, red eyes.

_*Indeed, still only a child,*_ Miyako thought once more as she saw his exhausted face and small body. Despite his upbringing and all his brave front he put on, which he obviously learned from his father, Momo was still only a child that needed to be comforted and reassured at times. "Come now, you need to retire to bed already. It's passed your bedtime." She took his face in both her hands and grinned as she made him look up at her. "Tomorrow is a new day and you will once again be the brave son of the samurai that you are. You will need your rest in order to protect your father and save Kanjuro-san, right?"

The boy grinned back, suddenly getting a boost of confidence. "Indeed, I shall! After all, I have to protect everyone as the future samurai and be strong! I can do it!"

"Of course you can, Momonosuke," Robin added.

"Aww, he's just too cute for words!" Nami exclaimed in another squeal and glomped the boy again, though he was far from complaining. He rather enjoyed it actually.

Robin and Miyako exchanged smirks, silently communicating with each other and deciding on the same thing, before they also hugged the boy at the same time. All three girls squeezed Momonosuke tightly, making it hard for him to breathe. "Protect us well, Momo-chan~" The navigator sang jokingly.

~…~

The moon was high in the dark sky already, shining the only light along with the stars onto the lone ship sailing through the calm waters. A light wind passed by every now and then, while gentle waves rocked the vessel, creating a murmuring sound of water as they smashed into the large hull of the boat. The only other noise was the light snoring and wheezing sounds coming from the sleeping crew aboard the Thousand Sunny.

Even Caesar Clown, their hostage, was snoring quietly. The pirates guarding him also fell asleep, leaning against the railing as they sat on the soft grassy lawn on the ground. Even though Usopp was shaking from all the terrible possibilities that crossed his mind about Doflamingo coming after them long into the night, eventually his own fear tired him out and the man fell sleep soundly. He had been insisting on guard duty every night, wearing some ridiculous old armor he found in the storage room of his old items, but just like every night before, the night was so peaceful he quickly fell into slumber. Not far away was Law, sitting on the stairs of the deck, leaning against his long sword and nodding off, though it was hard to say as his eyes were hidden under the large rim of his hat.

The others retired to their quarters, women into their own large room and men into their. Only Zoro decided to climb up to the crow's nest, saying that he will keep watch from above, yet he was the first to fall into unconsciousness soon after.

The only one who didn't seem to be falling asleep was the samurai girl. She was anxious, with her mind racing and too filled with thoughts to rest. She kept tossing and turning, entangling her sheets around her body and then trying to free herself out of them again. Tomorrow they were to dock on Dressrosa and deal with Doflamingo. Tomorrow, Law will tell them the full plan and they were about to make the long-awaited exchange using the gas scientist. Yet as much as everything appeared to be going as planned so far, Miyako couldn't release herself from the feeling of dread she was plagued with. She knew exactly to what that grim feeling was connected to; to none other than her captain. It was for his safety that she worried most of all when tomorrow comes, as he will be confronting his nemesis face to face.

_*Will Law really be alright with that? I know he can keep his cool under the most distressing of situations, but will he also be able to do it when meeting the man he so eagerly wants to defeat? I have a feeling Doflamingo will be different from any enemy we had to deal with until now.*_ Miyako turned to her side once more and sighed, desperately trying to fall asleep and rest for tomorrow as she willed herself to close her eyes. Yet sleep simply wouldn't come…only more thoughts. _*I know he said that we would not fight Donquixote openly, but let him battle with Kaido instead, yet I still feel anxious about it. For now everything seems fine…Doflamingo even abdicated from his place as one of the Shichibukai so why do I still feel so uneasy?*_ A part of her knew exactly why, though. It was because of her captain's strong hate and resolution to defeat this man. It was a different side of Trafalgar than she was used seeing and she could tell Law would do anything to accomplish his goal here. _Anything_. The thought made Miyako shudder.

Realizing sleep won't come, the girl sat up in her bed and glanced quickly at her two companions in the room; Nami and Nico Robin. They both seemed sound asleep, meaning she could easily slip out of the quarters without answering any questions. She didn't bother putting additional clothing on as it was quite warm even during the night; staying in the short pajama pants and a spaghetti shirt Nami lent her for bed. The girl told herself she simply wanted some fresh air, but a part of her truly wondered if that was the only reason she went outside on the deck. True, it was peaceful enough for her to clear her mind, but she also knew her captain would be there. A part of her wanted to discuss some things with him before tomorrow, yet she felt reluctant to do so.

Nevertheless, before she even realized while still deep in thought, her feet already carried her out on the deck. She could feel the light breeze caress her skin while it moved strands of her long hair around her, which she let down at night. The moonlight only made her skin appear paler under it, making her silhouette ghostly white. As Miyako walked, she felt the grass move under her bare feet, giving her a natural and comforting feel.

The samurai took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling her mind clearing, but the ever-gnawing feeling of concern in her chest did not go away. As she looked around, the first thing she saw was Caesar, chained to the mast and sleeping with a bubble of snot coming from his nose. For a while, she wondered how this almost comical man managed to do so much damage over the years. He created so much trouble for everyone on Punk Hazard, yet now he was as meek as a sheep.

A rattle of armor brought her attention as Usopp moved, deeply in dreamland. Every now and then he would stir or mumble something that sounded as 'Go away, Doflamingo' before returning back to sleep.

_*Will he really be ok tomorrow?*_ Miyako shook her head with a worried gaze, her head tilted do the side as she watched the pirate sniper. He was clearly a scaredy-cat, but she could also feel a sense of strength deep inside him. Sometimes, it was really hard to judge the power of these Strawhats from what she saw. They were all over the place; from being goofy to dangerous.

The last person on the deck was Trafalgar Law, sitting on the stairs and leaning his nodachi and his shoulder on the stair's railing. His head was bowed down, the fuzzy white hat with spots she got him for Christmas hiding his eyes from view. By the movement of his chest and shoulders he appeared to be sleeping, but Miyako knew better than that. Trafalgar would never fall completely asleep when knowing Doflamingo's men could attack them at any moment. Besides, he would never leave his most important advantage, his hostage, completely unsupervised. Law was probably only resting his eyes, while still on guard even now. He was always a light sleeper and he surely sensed Miyako's presence as soon as she stepped outside.

As if he could read her mind or simply felt Miyako's stare on him, Law sighed and slowly opened his eyes to look up at her. His dark grey eyes, still in the hat's shadow, pierced through her golden ones which gleamed through the darkness like a cat's. "You can't sleep?" The captain's low voice resonated around them, sounding even deeper than usual in this darkness.

The girl shook her head in response without uttering a word. She kept silent, not quite sure what to say or how to begin a conversation she both wanted and didn't desire to ever start.

It was obvious to the other pirate that his nakama was troubled by something, and from their current situation it was easy to tell what. She was worried about tomorrow's exchange meeting with him and Doflamingo. With another sigh, he stood up, leaving his nodachi on the stairs and slowly walked over to the girl. "What is it?"

Miyako racked her brain about how to tell him in the best possible way. She glanced to the side while thinking, before looking at his eyes again. "Tomorrow….Tomorrow, maybe I should go do the trade for Caesar with you," she suggested carefully. She didn't want it to seem as if she didn't trust in Law's capabilities to do that on his own, knowing Law didn't take well to jabs at his pride and this could certainly sound as such.

Luckily, Law already knew his samurai well enough to know she was often blunt, but doesn't mean anything bad by it. "Tomorrow, we all have our own duties to accomplish." He paused a little, examining her features before continuing. "Do you think I will falter and lose my temper when confronting Doflamingo?" Spot on. From the flinch the girl made at his words, it was obvious to him that he read her mind completely.

She let out a troubled sound as the man in front of her saw through her so easily. "Can you really blame me…You once said to me that you became a Shichibukai for the sole purpose of coming closer to destroying that man. You are even lying to the Strawhats about our agenda so that you could use them to beat Doflamingo. It's not you plotting schemes is anything new, but it's the first time I've seen you so invested in vengeance…I've never seen this side of you so I'm worried...is that so wrong?" She gazed back into his eyes, locking her stare with his to see what was truly on his mind. Yet that emotionless expression stayed never-changing on his face.

"And you think my thirst for vengeance will destroy me," the dark doctor finished her unspoken words. However, a devilish smirk appeared on his dark features as if he was amused rather than insulted by her statement. He used his sole index finger to lift her chin up, closing in on her with that grin. "Should I feel honored that you are showing such concern for me?"

However, Miyako only narrowed her eyes, already used to his tricks and taunts. He was simply trying to embarrass her and change the subject with his actions, but she wouldn't allow it. Staying her ground firmly and giving him a light glare, the girl stated coldly, "Don't try to change the subject."

"So I've been caught, huh?" His grin grew wider as he didn't even bother pretending to be disappointed. However, his smile vanished as he suddenly became serious with his next words, "I'm not going to die."

Miyako bit her lip as she fought the urge to push him away in anger, "You're lying."

"I'm not," his voice stayed calm even as he felt her frustration rising.

"Then don't say it like you don't believe it!" She bit back.

The captain had to take a deep breath and close his eyes for a moment to calm down his own frustrations. "You're testing my patience here..."

"As your nakama, shouldn't it be my job to go with you and protect my captain tomorrow. Why won't you let me come?" His samurai discarded all tact as she decided to speak with him frankly about her issues with his plan.

Unfortunately, that was one thing Trafalgar didn't want to answer. The reasons were so many after all. If something went wrong and they ended up in a battle, he didn't want Miyako anywhere near Doflamingo. After witnessing what happened to Corazon, he didn't want anyone important to him close to that sick bastard of a Shichibukai. He wouldn't give that man the pleasure of taking anything else important to him ever again. What's more, if Doflamingo finds out that Miyako is his weakness, he will surely try to use her against him. Even knowing Miyako's strength and skills, the risks were too great this time and he would not gamble her life. This was different than allowing her to aid him on Punk Hazard…this was Doflamingo, a completely different caliber from Caesar Clown or any other enemy they faced together. Law learned that fact the hard way 13 years ago.

"Did I not state once that my orders were absolute? I don't want another incident like when you followed me on Punk Hazard." His tone was ice cold now, warning her that he was done with this subject already.

"I don't even understand why you're so set on Joker. If I could just understand your reasons for doing all this-"

"That's enough!" Law cut her off before she could even finish. That was one train of thought he didn't want to follow. He didn't want to remember right now. Somewhere to their right, Usopp mumbled something and stirred. They both kept silent, neither breaking eye contact with the other. Finally, the sniper pirate stopped stirring and his light snoring continued.

The girl bit her lower lip, both in frustration and thought. The last thing she wanted now was an argument between them, though somehow it always seemed to happen. Her golden gaze fell towards her bare feet and unconsciously she shivered as a cold feeling rushed through her body.

She almost looked like a scolded child to the captain, making a pang of guilt appear inside him. He sighed in exasperation once more, seeing her shiver. He wanted to at least warm her up, but doubted Miyako would really want to be touched right now. He knew her well enough to know when she needed space. A part of him expected her to put on that cold mask she always had when she got really angry at him and just walk away, but her actions startled him. Instead, the girl took a hold of his sleeve and stepped closer to him, letting her forehead rest on his chest.

They stayed silent for a while before the girl broke it. "Everyone close to me died. They would always leave me behind."

Law couldn't see her expression, but there was a strange tone in her voice. It was more than just sadness or worry…rather, it almost sounded like resignation. As if a part of her already accepted the inevitable truth that she would always end up alone and was prepared for that, as cold as it sounded. Perhaps that was the problem.

"I don't want that to happen to you too…," she added, leaving a part of her feelings left unsaid. _I don't want you to leave me too. _

Even without her saying it, Trafalgar understood. _*I already understood long ago; even with the prideful front this woman presents…she's actually very lonely. She has been a lonely person from the start.* _Perhaps, since he also lost his entire family, Law could relate to her much more than she thought, even if he never said it. After everything he lost, he managed to build himself up from the ashes with sheer determination and a strong thirst for vengeance. And through it all, he found his crewmembers, the Heart pirates, who became his new family. Ironically, Miyako was all alone as well, until she found the exact same people; the pirates of the yellow submarine. Now they both shared ties connected to those men. However, unlike with Law, it seems Miyako's loss developed a sense of fear and helplessness, creating a belief that no matter how much she struggles, she would eventually always lose her loved ones. That's why it was so hard for her to start trusting and relying on the crew. Because somewhere in the back of her mind, she didn't want to relive the pain of losing her friends yet always expected that day to come. That's why she created so many walls around her; walls that are still not completely broken. And Law realized he would have to bloody his hands to tear them all down. _*Then again, isn't that the same for me? I am also maintaining a distance between the two of us, pushing her away every time she comes to close.*_

The man sighed, feeling utterly defeat by this girl even without knowing the reason why. He put his arms around her, bringing her closer to his chest as he stared far into the endless horizon in front of him.

"Law," Miyako started again, but her voice didn't sound frail or sad. The tone made him look down in question and he saw her staring up at him, her large golden eyes perfectly clear. Her tone was determined, he realized. "If something does happen to you and Doflamingo stays alive…I'll finish it for you."

"What?" He was taken aback, startled by her statement. Of all the things he thought she would say, that one didn't even cross his mind. After a while he added. "That is not your fight," he started to answer, but Miyako continued instead.

"But it is, because my captain's fight is _my_ fight, right?" She gave him a small smile, but it soon vanished as her expression became unreadable again. Her eyes bore into him and her tone sounded soft but icy to his ears, giving him a strange feeling. There was something in this demeanor of hers that rendered him unable to object as she talked. "If it comes to that, I will kill him for you, no matter what. So you don't have to worry."

_*I thought she wouldn't even want to hear of a possibility of me dying tomorrow, yet she's saying something like this now.* _But somehow, her words comforted him. As if she was saying that he could rest in peace no matter what happened after tomorrow. That it will be alright. However a part of him felt uneasy as it felt like Miyako already reconciled with his death. That agitated him, actually giving him determination to stay alive and survive no matter what happens. Narrowing his eyes, he pinched her cheek and pulled at it a little, leaving a red mark on her sore cheek. "Don't write me off as dead so soon, Miss Miyako," he warned.

"Ouch!" The girl yelped in pain, rubbing her aching cheek. However, much to Trafalgar's satisfaction, that weird look left her face as the girl returned back to her old self.

Wanting to use this opportunity to take her by surprise, the man dipped his head down and captured her lips before she could complain about his actions. He circled his arms around her in a hug, more so she wouldn't be able to struggle and push him away than anything else.

~…..~

Chopper's two feet tapped on the cold floor as he rubbed his eyes drowsily. It was the middle of the night, but he woke up in sweat after having a nightmare about being chased by the large, blonde Shichibukai. He was still wearing his sleeping clothes; a cow hoodie with the hood pulled up on his head, and two sewed-on horns sticking on the top.

"Mmm, Milk…"

Being thirsty after such a bad dream, the small reindeer decided to grab something to drink in the galley, before retuning back to sleep.

He walked slowly to the deck, still half asleep, when suddenly a dark figure caught his attention from the corners of his eyes. Thinking the worst, that it was an enemy, the doctor froze and peered into the darkness in freight until he recognized the shape. Rather than one large figure, it was two silhouettes seemingly merged together. He recognized Miyako's back who was leaned into the Surgeon of Death, who had his arms around her. They both stood their silently just like that. At first Chopper gaped, thinking the dark doctor was surely doing something sinister again, but only stayed frozen when he saw Law was staring back at him. _*Ah! He noticed me!*_

The young Shichibukai gave him a devilish wide grin that made a shiver run through Chopper's spine and then he slowly touched his smirking mouth with a sole index finger, gesturing for the reindeer to stay quiet. Something about the impish smirk and the gesture made Chopper wish he hadn't stumbled upon this sight. _*I-I'll just go back to bed quietly and pretend I didn't see anything,*_ the small doctor decided and quickly tip-toed back to the shared quarters with one last gulp.

* * *

><p><em>Glossary:<em>

_Uchiko ball _– a powdered pad used for cleaning the blade of the katana

_Umeboshi _– pickled plum, which is very sour (but also very healthy)

_Gi – _The top part (for the torso) of Japanese clothes for men (the lower part is called hakama)

_Tsundere _– person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time

* * *

><p>The scene with the umeboshi is based on a small story Oda told when answering a question about the time Law ate Sanji's onigiri. (He liked the tuna-mayo and okaka, but hated umeboshi :P) So he acted like a spoiled brat and started bickering with Sanji.<p>

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was just a little something to have fun with before the next chapter when we start the Dressrosa Arc. Thanks everyone for your lovely comments and so sorry it took so long for me to write and respond to you. Luckily, I'm free for the summer so I'll be posting more frequently as of now!

**Guest: **Thank you very much! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Amelie'sHuman: **Me too, it was good to see what they're up to before returning back to the Strawhat crew. ^^ He'll catch up. The rest of the Heart Pirates actually train a lot together during their travels, not only Law and Miyako. ;P

**Avaiaal: **Thank you, I look forward to writing them!

**Trainer Azurite: **Thank you, I'm very glad that you like them since I do try my best.

**loveanime1999: **I'm glad to hear that. I'm always happy when I can touch my reader's hearts. :D

**Lucy Jacob: **I know what you mean about the Punk Hazard being underrated. I think it's because it just went on for so long even though it was only one day in the story. Truly, One Piece Arcs are becoming very prolonged, and that's getting kinda frustrating for me. :/

**Monkey .D Lucy: **They will be in due time. :3

**SurgeonOfLove: **Indeed, they deserved a chapter of their own. I'm also glad you liked it! This chapter is mostly just about the interaction with the Strawhats, so I hope you'll enjoy it. :D Oh wow, after 64 chapters, it's really hard to say which one I like the best. Mostly I have favorite scenes from the story, like the one where Miyako and the Hearts have a war with the guys from different quarters (and Miyako ends up in trouble with Law, of course :P). Or the intense scene in the infirmary with the first kiss between Law and Miyako. There's a lot I like, really. ^^

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **No worries, it happens to me sometimes too. :') To me it seemed like it all passed so quickly, yet when you list it out like that do I only realize exactly how many things they experienced in that one chapter. XD As always, I'm so happy from your comments and glad you enjoyed the chapter. I will be eagerly awaiting yours and Volleys-chan's as well.

**ThexWhitexPhoenix: **Thank you very much. I really love those two so it wasn't hard. It feels like they're very close in the cannon too. ^^

**Slacker: **I was thinking about some filler adventures with the Strawhats, but it's already overdue to start with the Dressrosa arc after all. ^^' I only wrote about the last day, but they have been sailing together for a quite some time after leaving PH, so bonding did occur. (More bonding in the Dressrosa arc too :P) She will learn about it eventually, but not just yet.

**Guest: **haha no, it's not. Though I'm curious why would you think that? For now, I'm keeping Miyako's past unclear on purpose, but it will be revealed through the story.

**lazyGuest: **I would love to write a spar between Miyako and Zoro, but I doubt I will get the chance to because neither of them would just fight each other without a good reason. I don't see either of those characters as someone who would cross swords just to prove their skills since they both feel have nothing to prove to each other. So for now, I'd say they probably won't. :3 I also agree that it's not like Zoro is sexists and thinks all women our weaker than him (he just didn't meet a strong enough one, yet ;) Though I do think he also has a slightly 'gentleman' side where he just doesn't feel right hurting women. Also, even though Swordsman's spirit doesn't exist in OP cannon, it totally looked like Zoro used it against Monet, right? :D

**VanillaMilkshake18: **No Law and Miyako in the last one, but I hope it was interesting anyway. Sometimes the side characters have to get some spotlight too. ;) But that's why the two Hearts are in this chapter so enjoy! :D Thanks for reviewing!

**Reflected Sade: **I'm glad you liked it. :D I really love all my side characters too so it's always fun to write about them. I hope I will be able to make Dressrosa arc interesting too, especially since it's cannon. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Orion's Left Arm: **I agree. I like writing more about the Hearts, before to me they are just as important characters as Miyako or Law. I definitely want to make more chapters for the side characters in the future too. ^^

PS, since I couldn't respond to your review on my How to celebrate Christmas the pirate way story, I'll respond here: That is a story special, so it doesn't fall under the timeline of the cannon story. It's just a one-shot that stands on its own and is not connected to 'I don't like you' storyline.

In any case, thank you very much for reading and reviewing! I also hope my next update comes sooner. :P

**Chocogirl24: **Thank you very much. Yeah, I felt the crew also deserved some screen time after Law and Miyako had all the glory in the PH Arc. :P

**jazzie1019: **Thanks! Hopefully I'll get to update sooner now during vacation. ^ ^

**Apple bloom: **Always grateful!

**Bizzy: **I hope you did well on yours too! :D Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Cbintangc: **In that casethank you very much for taking your time to read and review my story anyway, especially since you say English isn't your first language. I'm happy you like it so far and hope you will continue to in the future. ^^

**reddevil47: **Indeed, they've been through a lot. :P

**Volleys-chan: **Haha Indeed, I feel bad for him, especially since he tried to so hard yet only managed to get beaten to a pulp…several times. This Dressroa Arc will be a roller-coaster ride for everyone, especially Miyako as Law's nakama, I'd say. I really did have some trouble with the timeframe and for all the scenes to make sense time-wise while keeping in mind the time that passed on PH and with the Strawhats. In any case, I timed for this to happen just before they arrive at Zo. Thanks, I always thought that it was important to invest time into making the side-characters and not only the main ones or the cannon ones. I'm happy my effort paid off a little. And I can tell you, you are definitely succeeding with it in Dragon Chronicles. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to start No Gilded Cage to Hold Ye yet, but I will now that I have time and I'm sure I will enjoy it. :) As for the Arcs, I usually have an idea or two about what I want in the new arc and then just start writing, and the rest just comes to me while I write so I expand the storyline like that. Thank you taking the time to review this story!

**Mawuppa: **They'll definitely have their own adventures to tell about when they meet up with Law and Miyako. I know right, I loved writing about them too. :D


	65. Chapter 65

**I don't like you **by **BloodyMarryMe**

Disclaimer: This story is rated T for language, violence, blood and suggestive themes.

Hey everyone, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your summer! It's unbarably hot here. T_T Still, even while melting, I delivered the new chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it! :D

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 65<strong>

"We're heeereeee!" The young Strawhats' captain shouted from the top of his lungs, throwing his fists high into the air. "I'm gonna find you and kick your ass, Doflamingo!"

"Kanjurooo! We'll save you!" Kin'emin jumped off the ship and yelled just as loudly, standing next to Luffy.

"Idiots! Don't forget the plan," Trafalgar scolded them both as both of their ideas were completely off from what they were supposed to do. "Remember, the exchange with Caesar is just a decoy. Our true goal is destroying the SMILE factory just as I explained. Don't engage in any unnecessary fights and keep low. We don't want to be recognized by anyone when we get into town," the older captain explained, hoping this time the Strawhat would actually listen to him.

"Aright, bro! Where is that petty factory. My suuuper beam will blow it right away! Suuuuper!" Franky the cyborg raised his arms in the air and connected them, making a blue star on his robotic limbs as he made his famous pose to the side.

"Don't yell! W-what if D-Doflamingo hears us!?" Usopp was shaking in his boots as he hid behind Sanji from the unseen enemy.

"Can he really hear us, Usopp!?" Chopper was just as afraid as he easily got drew in by his crewmate's words. Such a gullible fellow, he was.

"There's no way he can," Zoro reassured him with his usual unworried expression.

"I have an idea!" Suddenly, the always-energetic pirate captain jumped onto the little Wano boy, who turned into his zoan form from surprise. As the cloud of mist cleared, a long pink dragon appeared in the place of the young child. "Fly, Momo!" Luffy ordered with a grin, thinking it was the fastest way into town. Obviously, the dragon boy didn't take kindly to the other's coarse actions. The captain was pulling him by his dragon whiskers using them as reins, while tapping his sides with his heels like he would to a horse.

What's more, a dark shadow passed Momonosuke's expression as if he was reminiscing of something awful. "I will never fly!" The boy exclaimed suddenly with determination.

"Huh? What, you scared of heights or something? But you flew before?" Luffy tilted his head, not seeing the problem. He obviously wasn't very attuned to subtle changes in people, so he didn't even notice something wrong about the subject that was bothering Momo.

"You are rude! A warrior is not afraid of anything!" The little dragon bit down on the captain's arm, seething in anger.

"Ouch! Ouch! Wha!? Stop it, you bastard!" The pirate captain, however, showed no restraint even towards kids as he socked Momonosuke right in the face.

"He doesn't even have wings," Chopper commented in confusion to his captain's statement, ignoring the fight that just broke out.

The two started struggling, fighting and hitting each other while throwing insults at the other. "You eel!" "You're too haughty!"

"Luffy-san…he's only eight years old," Brook could feel a sweat drop forming even on his skinless face as he watched his captain become so serious in a fight with a small child.

Sanji sighed beside the musician. "They're at the same mental level, though," he commented with a tone of resignation as he observed the two while lighting another cigarette.

"Stop Momonosuke!" The loud, powerful voice of his father made the Wanokuni boy stop immediately, even if he wasn't quite happy about it. "Luffy-dono saved our lives…be respectful," Kin'emon scolded his son.

"That's right," a woman's voice came from above just before Miyako jumped down from the ship and landed gracefully next to the other samurai. "Save your fighting spirit for the enemy, Momonosuke-kun," the girl grinned and winked at the zoan boy.

"Mmm…" Momonosuke whined in dissatisfaction, still feeling frustrated from his quarrel with Luffy, but unable to do anything about it. Finally, a sight of the orange-haired navigator cheered him up as he remembered one thing that always makes him feel better and is only allowed for him. Something only for his privilege. "Onamiii~" The boy whined as he rushed into the woman's arms, stuffing his snout into her chest while fake tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Get away!" The perverted trio yelled once more, as they always did when the boy would use his young age to gain sympathy and comfort from Miyako, Robin or Nami. However, as usual, their brash actions only made it worse as it would infuriate Nami or simply gain more affection for the poor, scared boy by the women.

Nami seemed confused by the sudden outburst, but that didn't stop Kin'emon, Sanji and Brook to start a quarrel between them as the two pirates stared at the samurai accusingly. "Kids resemble their parents! Warriors have their heads full of dirty thoughts!" The blonde pointed his cigarette towards the samurai, glaring at him in annoyance.

"Hey, don't pull me into this too! Not all samurai are like that," Miyako scowled at Sanji's comment, placing her hands on her hips as her nostrils flared in anger.

"Aaah, of course I didn't mean you too, Miya-chan!" The cook corrected himself immediately as he leaned in, closer to the girl, much to her disdain for not respecting her personal space again.

The one who decided to calm the situation was the shipwright of the crew as he got the Wano man's attention. "Kin'emon, let's go to the town. Should we dress up?" Despite his words, to Miyako Franky already appeared as if he was dressing up; with his strange braided long hair, which was only one of the various hairstyles he could make with a push of a button. The half-cyborg truly amazed her sometimes, though her astonishment was hardly as die-hard as the one the boys of the crew showed for every ability Franky demonstrated to them.

"Indeed, it would be better if we wear a disguise or wear clothes of Dressrosa, to blend in," Robin suggested.

"You are right." Kin'emon started, pulling out an old piece of paper with a drawing of a man and a woman scribbled on it. "People in Dressrosa all wear these kind of clothes. To blend in, we should definitely dress like this!"

"That's a lie!" Nami yelled back, trying to restrain herself from hitting the samurai again.

The drawing of the man were plausible enough, as the man wore a simple black suit and a dress-shirt. However, the woman had nothing but a skirt of leaves on her waist.

Miyako felt her fangs sharpen at the pathetic attempt to enforce his perviness. She seriously wanted to bite this man's head off right now. *_And yet he keeps calling _me_ rude!*_ "I can't believe I have to be associated with you, you perverted old man! For both of us to be warriors of Wanokuni…I'm the one who should be feeling shamed," the samurai girl yelled at the man, glaring at him while she clutched her fists at her sides in annoyance.

Clearing of Trafalgar's throat turned everyone's attention back to the older captain, calming Miyako's anger as well. He took out a small, plain piece of paper that lightly moved in his fingers; a vivre card. Giving the vivre card to the Strawhats' navigator, the young Shichibukai explained, "Take this. It is a vivre card to my crew, who are at Zou. If something happens, use it."

The mention of the Heart Pirates softened Miyako's eyes, making her nostalgic all of a sudden. "Ah, those guys…I hope they're alright and waiting patiently at Zou." There was a slight smile and a sentimental glint in her eyes as she thought of her crew.

"You should have been there with them," Law stared at her from the corner of his eyes while sighing. It seems he was remembering something troublesome; probably her defying his orders and following him to Punk Hazard.

The girl only smiled sheepishly and gave him an innocent expression as she tried to elude that subject. It was better not to start that conversation again that would only make him remember how angry he was at her.

Usopp was, however, hung up on another thing Trafalgar had said. He gulped, "Nothing's gonna happen to us, right?"

"Who knows," was the Shichibukai's stony answer as if he didn't give a damn either way. Or perhaps he was just enjoying Usopp's anxiousness that slowly burned at the sniper; a small revenge for all the trouble Strawhats caused him so far.

_*He's definitely doing it on purpose,*_ Miyako thought with a sweatdrop .

All the members of this colorful group huddled up in a circle, as Trafalgar put down a badly drawn map in the middle. "This is a map of Dressrosa and Green Bit my comrade drew." The map looked hastily jotted down on a crumpled piece of paper, which had certainly seen better days.

"Whoa, that's bad!" Nami, as the navigator and a skilled cartographer, couldn't stop herself from commenting at the lousy quality of the map. Surprisingly though, the map was completely accurate.

"Our navigators are actually pretty meticulous, but this was drawn by the first mate since he was helping out with the plan. Considering he's a bear with claws, it didn't turn out _that_ bad," Miyako explained with a shrug.

In the next few minutes, Trafalgar explained the plan and the group decided to separate in teams. One team would stay on the Sunny to guard the ship, while another team goes to the exchange with Doflamingo. Meanwhile, the last team will sneak into the town of the island and look for the factory. It seemed simple enough even for this group of crazy pirates led by the craziest of them all; Monkey D. Luffy.

Or at least that is what Trafalgar Law thought until the man came to a sudden realization. "…Where's Strawhat-ya!?"

"Eh?" The group looked around, only to realize Roronoa, Sanji, Kin'emon, Franky and Luffy were already nowhere in sight. "Eeeeh?!"

The Shichibukai couldn't help but close his eyes and rub them with his fingers in annoyance as he tried to stop himself from lashing out, though considering the situation it was proving to be difficult. "Miss Miyako…would you-"

"I'm on it," the girl instantly answered with a deep sighed. Law didn't even have to finish his sentence for her to know what he wanted; she was on babysitting duty. She was to follow Strawhat and the rest and keep an eye on them so they don't get into trouble while searching for the factory in town.

The girl turned around, ready to go after the missing group. "Good luck, everyone!" She called out to them, waving at the remaining pirates. She only stayed still for a second longer when her gaze locked with Trafalgar's, as if she wanted to say something to him, but decided not to after all. Turning back towards town, the girl jogged through the field of sunflowers to catch up with the other group.

As soon as the doctor thought about his order to Miyako, seeing her disappearing figure in the distance, he wondered if he made the right choice. After all, he just sent the number one troublemaker of the Heart pirates to keep an eye on even crazier troublemakers. That girl almost had a talent for getting herself into sticky situations. Then again, she also had a knack for getting out of them. _*Will she really be alright?*_ On the other hand, she was the only one he could rely on at the moment. He knew he would simply have to trust her and her abilities to keep the Strawhats under control.

~…..~

As Miyako trotted through the fields of colorful flowers and grassy meadows, it was hard to see this place as a treat or enemy territory. It was actually relaxing and pretty peaceful, as she saw swirls of bright colors all around her, blending with the golden and blue hue of the sky. Even as she finally entered through the town gates, all she could see were picturesque houses rising before her. There was no sign of some ominous dark presence that loomed over this place, as Miyako would expect. Instead, she was greeted with lively music from the streets and smiles on people's faces as they walked by her.

That was until a certain sight made her stop in her tracks and gape at the scene. A large pink elephant was strolling leisurely down the street, carrying two laughing children on its back. If that wasn't strange in itself, Miyako realized the elephant wasn't quite right; it had a texture of a stuffed animal. It was soft and puffy, making the woman certain that if she were to cut it, cotton would come falling out. What's more, all the residents appeared to be completely at ease with a strange elephant walking beside them, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

That's when the girl noticed, the pink elephant wasn't the only strange thing. Only a few meters away from her she heard passionate, lively music playing, making her turn towards its source. She saw a tall, beautiful blonde woman dance to it, while a man was playing a guitar - nothing strange…Except for the wooden puppet that was happily dancing with the woman on its own two feet. Miyako tried to see if there was someone controlling the puppet, but there were no strings or anything else attached to it.

_*Is there some kind of toy parade today?* _Soon the samurai realized the streets were filled with not only people and animals, but toys. Toys that appeared to be alive and moving on their own. They even talked, as the girl noticed they interacted with the residents. On one hand it was an extraordinary sight that interested her, and on the other hand it unnerved her a little. The girl soon realized something about living toys creeped her out.

Getting out of her daze by shaking her head lightly, Miyako remembered her duty. She was to find the rest of the group, though there was no sign of them anywhere. The streets were filled with people, but as much as she searched, Miyako couldn't see the pirates anywhere. _*At least they managed to blend in, it seems,*_ the girl thought ironically. What's more, her attention was attracted left and right by all the colorful people, toys, music and the beguiling aroma of freshly cooked, delicious meals, which came from food stands and restaurants. The girl could feel her mouth salivating just from the scent, but was determined to keep her eyes on the goal and keep searching for the missing pirates. _*I can't let myself be distracted now!*_

However, that's when a thought hit her. Miyako stopped in her tracks and smacked her fist against her other palm, a sudden grin decorating her features_. *That's it! Food! Knowing Luffy-dono, the first place he'll go to is somewhere where they serve good food! I should check the restaurants!*_ With her new idea in mind, the girl quickened her step down the street.

~…..~

As Miyako walked on, one thing just kept nagging at her. She got used to the toys and even to the screams of stabbed young men. At first she was shocked, even more so as the citizens weren't as horrified as she thought they would be. However, soon an old woman in the gathering crowd explained to her that the women in Dressrosa were incredible passionate and didn't take well to infidelity. It was surprising, but then in Wanokuni even if women were cheated on by their husbands, they couldn't say much or complain as long as the husband was the one to provide for them. They were truly treated as furniture in her homeland, so these women, as crazy and jealous as they were, were a fresh change for Miyako. However, what still puzzled the girl was how come everyone could stay so calm and cheerful when their king just abdicated his throne along with his title of the Shichibukai. It was the only thing protecting him from the World Government and without it, Doflamingo would become just another pirate to them, yet his citizens didn't seem to care one bit.

_*Hmm...well maybe I should ask someone about it. And while I'm at it, I could ask around about the factory…or would that be too risky? I don't want someone suspecting something.* _

As the girl pondered her next move, a loud crash was heard not far from where she was standing. What really brought Miyako's attention back to reality was the strong surge of power she felt at the same time. She could clearly feel it with her Kenbunshoku Haki, making her whole body shiver. *_Don't tell me…*_ The first people that came to her mind, who were strong enough to make such a blast, were the Strawhats. Forgetting everything else, the girl started running in the direction of the power she just felt.

~…..~

"Stop you damned fairy! Give me back my katana!" Zoro shouted after the invisible trickster who took off quickly with the stolen belongings, including Shuusui. He couldn't even see the alleged fairy, but could sense its presence with his haki as it ran with unnatural speed.

"You stop, bastard marimo! If you go on your own, you'll get lost!" The blonde cook of the Strawhats yelled after him, running behind Roronoa to try and stop him.

"I will be the one to get Shuusui! Stop with Wano's natural treasure!" Kin'emon yelled after the two pirates, determined to catch the tiny thief just as much as Zoro.

The tree men chased each other, all following after the mysterious little thief that hurried through the streets. The swordsman was so involved into chasing after his katana, he didn't even notice when the two pirates after him disappeared. Sanji was suddenly pulled away to the side by a beautiful woman, much to his delight, making him forget all about his initial goal to stop Zoro from getting lost.

On the other hand, Kin'emon wasn't having such luck, as his way was obstructed by a group of masked man; the small-fry henchmen of the Donquixote family. The men recognized the samurai, which wasn't hard with his unusual height and an obvious top-knot that he so unsuccessfully tried to hide.

What's more, the green-haired swordsman didn't even notice that the cyborg Franky and his captain Luffy didn't even join the chase as they stayed behind and disappeared out of sight of the rest of the pirates.

Suddenly, the whole group split up, losing sight of each other.

~…..~

Miyako ran through the streets, feeling shallow breathes leave her while she hurried on. _*Did those guys really start some trouble? I wouldn't be surprised.*_ She cursed herself for not being efficient enough to find them in time. _*If Doflamingo or his men realize we are here and blow our cover…what would happen to our plan?*_ Just the thought of the grinning Shichibukai left her with a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

As she ran, a certain scene flashed in the corner of her eyes. Just as she passed it, the girl's brain formed a clearer picture of what she just saw. _*Was that…Kin'emon!?*_ It looked like the tall samurai was standing in the side alley, surrounded by a group of unknown people. She willed her legs to stop suddenly and turned on her heel, quickly heading back to the direction she just came from.

~…..~

"What!' You know where Kanjuuro is?!" Kin'emon exclaimed in surprise when one of the men from Donquixote Family threatened him.

"That's right, Kin'emon 'Fox Fire'! So make just one move and we'll tell our friends to execute your comrade Kanjuuro!" A tall, scrawny man in a striped shirt and a black mask covering his eyes, pressured the samurai. As soon as Fox Fire mentioned the name of his friend, the man had enough sense to see he could use that information as a bargaining tool. It was obvious this Kanjuuro was imprisoned before by the Donquixote family and even though this small-fry knew nothing of it, he could connect the dots and use the imprisoned man to their advantage.

"That's right! So stay still, samurai!" Another man, short and plump in frame, threatened as he also played along.

Kin'emon had no choice but to stay still, unsure how to react to this new development. He gritted his teeth, grinding them in frustration as a sense of helplessness washed over him. _*Dammit, what should I do!? I cannot risk Kanjuuro's life, but if I surrender now what shall become of me!?* _

Just as he was about to lower his sword, a ghastly scream of pain came from behind the group. One of Doflamingo's men screeched and fell onto his belly, showing a large red gash on his back. The group turned around, startled and confused, and saw a woman with long dark blue hair tied with a red ribbon and a katana in her hand standing before them. There was a cold glare in her eyes as she stared at her opponents silently, yet deadly.

"W-who are you?" The tall henchman from before shouted, though by his tone it was obvious he could feel fear creeping up inside of him. There was something in this girl's gaze that brought a chill to his bones. He thought the loud shout would give him strength and courage, but he's confidence soon wavered as the girl approached without even uttering a word.

"Ah, Suzune!" As if answering instead of her, Kin'emon exclaimed in surprise as he recognized the newcomer immediately. She had her Yawarakai-Te unsheathed and ready for battle, already bloodied by her first victim.

Without a word, the girl lunged forward at the enemies, sparing no one in her path. She saw the man on her left trying to pull out a pistol, but the girl was faster; turning to the side and swinging her katana at the same time, slashing the man's wrist clean off. Before he had time to react, the next slice came and cut through his throat. She pushed the dying man with her foot towards the incoming group of opponents, confusing them further, as two didn't manage to dodge and toppled on the ground with the blood-covered body on top of them. A metallic gleam of a sword flashed from her side, but Miyako simply dodged it by lunging forward and going for the larger enemy that pulled out an axe. The man, however, didn't expect the girl coming at him from below so when he rushed to bring the exe down on her, it was already too late. He was too slow in his movement and before he could swing down completely, Miyako trusted the tip of her katana upwards. The sharp blade pierced through the man's neck, slicing it easily and exiting on the other side. The girl quickly pulled the katana out and turned to block the sword that came at her again. Her opponent gritted his teeth in anger and adrenaline, trying to push down at her with his strength. However, that only made Miyako's fight easier as she stepped to the side and let him stumble forward, making him lose his balance. Using the butt of the katana's hilt, the girl mercilessly rammed it into the man's solar plexus. The blow was hard enough to crack bones and push all the air out of the man. His eyes rolled to the back of his head until only whites were seen as he dropped onto the ground, before the girl's feet.

She stopped for a quick second to examine the situation and scan the area for any more enemies. Only two remaining opponents were standing in front of her, both holding sabers, but they clearly trembled from anxiety. The two men glanced at each other and as if that action gave them courage somehow, both lunged at her at the same time with their weapons high in the air. The two masked men yelled out a battle cry as they pounced at her. However, just as they were about to hit their mark, the samurai completely disappeared from their view as if she turned into thin air. Confused, but unable to stop, the two men hit nothing but pavement with their swords, while the girl suddenly appeared behind them both. Before they even landed on the ground fully, a deep gash spurted out blood on each of their stomachs, spilling their insides everywhere. The two men fell onto the ground with their faces down, twitching now and then before their every movement stopped with their death.

The girl sighed, feeling she only lost time here while dealing with these weaklings. They weren't even a challenge, not even requiring for her to use any of her advanced techniques. She used a coat of one to carefully clean her sword from the crimson blood covering the blade, before she sheathed the katana back into its scabbard.

"Suzune-dono, what are you doing here?" Kin'emon rushed over to her as soon as the battle was over. All in all, it barely lasted a minute.

"Thanks for your help," the girl said sarcastically before deciding to answer his question. "I was sent by Law to find you guys. You are supposed to be the team to find and destroy the SMILE factory, yet you just disappeared and went on your own. And just as I expected, you managed to get yourselves into trouble," she eyed him accusingly, resting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest as she scolded him.

"But they used Kanjuuro's life to threaten me. I could not risk my comrade's life again," the samurai explained his vexing position as his expression darkened at the thought of Kanjuuro suffering because of him. It was enough the man sacrificed himself and stayed behind so that Kin'emon could escape and find Momonosuke.

Miyako sighed, but nodded in understanding. "Well it worked out somehow. For now, we must find the others. Where are Luffy-dono and the Strawhats?"

The samurai scratched the back of his head in uneasiness. "Actually…we got separated after Shuusui got stolen." Then he suddenly exclaimed, smacking his fist into his open palm. "Ah, that's right, we must retrieve Shuusui! Wanokuni's national treasure was stolen!"

"Who cares about that right now!? We have a plan to follow through!" Miyako argued back in annoyance. She didn't care about the meito at the moment; whatever happened to it would have to wait. Their priority was destroying the factory yet they didn't even know where it was and now they all managed to get separated too. The plan was completely falling apart, but she was damned if she disappointed Law now when he was relying on her for this. "Come on, we have to find the others."

"But I found out where Kanjuuro is being held! Apparently there is a place called a toy house , but I do not know where it is," the other samurai argued, feeling that was his priority.

Miyako sighed deeply, feeling tired by all the running around, as she bowed her head down to think for a moment. "I get it…But let's regroup first. After that, we can all exchange information and see what we found out," she suggested, retaining her cool and hoping Kin'emon would do the same.

Thankfully, the samurai did. After a second of mulling over the idea, he nodded. "Alright. However, we need to disguise you, Suzune. It seems they know what we look like from the footage from Punk Hazard."

The girl bit her lip. "I was afraid of that…" Then she thrust a hand in her pocket and rummaged through it. Kin'emon furrowed his eyebrows in question, expecting to see what the girl will pull out that would help them. However, what he certainly didn't expect for her to pull out was a pair of thin, black fake mustache that Usopp had given her. Jokingly, the girl put on the fake mustache with a serious expression. It could hardly fool anyone, especially since her body curves and the rest of the face screamed _woman_. "There," she said in a pleased voice.

"Don't mess around at a time like this!" Kin'emon slapped the fake mustache away angrily, making the girl yelp in surprise and disappointment as the piece of hair fell to the ground.

Managing to calm himself down, the man started to explain. "I can simply make a disguise for you using my magic," the man offered, thinking of using his devil fruit powers.

The girl shrugged with a slight sulky expression on her face. "Fine….Though I liked that mustache," she muttered while complaining. "Ah!" Just as the man was about to do his magic, as he called it, the girl stopped him with her index finger high in the air.

He stared back at her questioningly, about to complain for being interrupted yet again.

"I just want to make it clear," Miyako started with a usual smile on her face. "If you try to use that outfit from the picture, one with only the skirt of leaves, I will slice you in so many pieces, they will need to identify you by your teeth," the girl warned. Even though she was still smiling, there was a chilling sincerity in her words.

Just the dark tone was enough to make the man gulp, as a cold drop of sweat trickled down his brow. "U-understood," the man answered, deleting any perverse thoughts from his mind before he gets killed.

A cloud of white smoke surrounded Miyako for a second before a sound of air being released was heard. As the smoke cleared, the girl that stood before the samurai had a black suit along with a white dress shirt under the jacket, just like the man in Kin'emon's picture. However, the clothes fit perfectly on her as he, luckily, made them in her size. Masking her golden eyes were a pair of round sunglasses with black lenses that concealed the most distinctive feature of Miyako's face. Her hair which was usually tied up in a high ponytail was instead woven in a long braid that fell down on her back and ended in her usual red ribbon tying the hairstyle together. The katana on her waist stayed intact, securely fastened with Miyako's belt of her new black trousers.

The girl spun around, her braided hair swishing in the air after her. "Not bad," she smirked in satisfaction, examining her new outfit. "It's pretty easy to move in this."

"Good. Then let us be off to find the others and search for this 'Toy house,'" Kin'emon suggested.

The girl nodded. "I agree. There's something fishy about this whole country. Even without the insanely jealous women and toys, I heard some strange things about this place. Did you know they have laws that don't allow anyone to go outside after midnight? And toys and humans aren't allowed to live together. I wonder why that is…." Miyako trailed off in thought and rubbed her chin while thinking, as both of them started walking down the streets of the port town Acacia.

"Indeed, there seems to be something dark cowering behind this country. Its true nature. After all, with such a king as Doflamingo, this can't be a normal place," Kin'emon agreed grimly, his eyes hardening at the mention of the blonde Shichibukai.

"Anyway, how do we find the others?" The girl asked with a thoughtful stare, searching all around her and inspecting the people that they passed by in hopes she would recognize a familiar face.

"Perhaps we should follow the noise. It seems to be coming from that large coliseum," the samurai suggested, pointing at the largest, circular building in the town. The coliseum appeared old, but preserved, meaning it was still often used for entertainment purposes. But what kind of entertainment?

Miyako nodded in agreement and they both hurried towards the sounds of cheering and shouting of the Dressrosa residents.

As they approached the old, but glorious amphitheater, with the sounds of shouts and battle coming from it louder than ever, for once since they docked on this suspicious island, Miyako felt their luck changed for the better if only a little bit. The reason was the golden blond hair sticking from a hat that she noticed from afar, which belonged to the tall man in a black suit similar to hers. Even with the snow-colored fake beard and mustache, the girl could recognize the male immediately, which made her think exactly how pointless their disguises really were. It was Sanji, no doubt about it.

"Sani-dono!" Kin'emon, also recognizing the man, shouted and waved towards the cook, bringing unnecessary attention towards them.

"Don't shout, you idiot!" The cook smacked the tall samurai across the face as soon as they got close enough.

It was a good decision to do, because Miyako could see a fair amount of dubious people mingling with the crowd. It didn't take her long to realize that the marines were everywhere, surrounding the coliseum. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sanji's voice as he all but sang at her.

"Miya-cwaan~ I'm glad you're here~"

"What about me?" Kin'emon asked with an offended tone.

"Who cares about you!?" The cook answered in irritation.

"Sanji-san, where are the others?" Completely ignoring the pirate's usual lovey-dovey behavior, the girl jumped straight to the point of what was important right now.

As if only now remembering everything, the cook started his explanation with a hastier expression. "Luffy is fighting in the arena as we speak. The prize is his late brother's Mera Mera fruit, so he didn't want to hand it over to anyone else." Sanji pointed at the large den den mushi screen in front of them, which was showing Luffy, in disguise, fighting with an old man at least four times his size. Even on screen, the power could be seen seeping out from Luffy's opponent, but neither of them had any intention of backing down. The commentator kept calling the young captain Lucy, and the boy didn't use his gomu gomu powers, but even so it was easy to tell his identity for anyone who knew the boy.

The battle around Luffy and his opponent raged on, with everyone attacking anyone else. Blood was spilled everywhere, defeated bodies were flying to the ground, the dead and unconscious scattered around the arena. It was mayhem, with bloodlust and violence so strong, it could be sensed even through the den den mushi screen.

The people in front of the screen cheered while completely taken in by the showy battle, yelling either Lucy's name or the other man's, calling him Chinjao.

"How brutal. Luffy-dono…" Kin'emon stated in a troubled tone.

"This isn't a sight for a lady. Miya-chan, you shouldn't watch th-" Sanji turned to the samurai girl, thinking a girl would surely be disgusted or shocked by the bloodbath they were watching.

"Go for the kidneys!" Miyako shouted as she thrust a fist in the air as if trying to hit her imaginary opponent, just like Luffy was punching his enemy at the moment.

Both men stared at her in shock as they saw the girl completely absorbed by the fight before her. *_She's enjoying it!?*_ Both Sanji and the samurai thought at the same time, still speechless at the sight.

However, Kin'emon brought their attention back to the main topic. "Never mind that, but right now, I need to go find the Toy house and save Kanjuuro!"

"I want to help, but before that we need to regroup," the cook suggested. "And look, this place is dangerous, the marines are all around," he added, suspiciously staring around at the men wearing blue and white uniforms while holding rifles. "It seems that pirates and criminals can normally attend this tournament. The marines probably want to arrest them when they come out."

"Well, it's normal that criminals would be arrested," Kin'emon nodded in agreement, trailing his fingers through his long white beard.

"Don't forget you came here on a pirate ship too!" Sanji raised his voice in anger, smacking the samurai on his shoulder. Calming his irritation, the pirate clicked his tongue as he thought about a solution to their problems. "I hope I could tell Luffy about this, but the fighters' entrances are all closed," he muttered.

"Sanji-san, did you hear from Law and the others? What about them?" Miyako suddenly called out as she turned from Luffy's fight, momentarily.

"That's right! It's bad, Miyako-chan, it was all a trap!" Sanji grabbed her shoulders in slight panic as he remembered the most worrisome part he had heard from Violet. Violet's explanation actually made sense as to why nobody was worried about their king abdicating the throne in this country; it was all false information from the start. Doflamingo never had any intention of following through Trafalgar's demands and leaving the Shichibukai. Nobody knew how he did it, but he managed to fool the whole world, including the Strawhats, just so he could lure Law into a trap.

"Doflamingo used his influence to get that news about him quitting the Shichibukai in the newspapers, but it wasn't actually true! He's still the ruler of this country. I'm sure it was all a part of his plan to fool us from the start! He never really intended to go with Trafalguy's plan," the cook explained in a hurry.

As soon as Miyako heard his words, she could feel her blood freezing over. A shiver shot through her spine as she felt goosebumps even at the back of her neck. 'Having a bad feeling about this' didn't even describe the feelings she had for the current situation. It was as if the beginning of her nightmare had started to unravel slowly and there was nothing she could do about it. Law was already at Green Bit with the others and it was well passed 3pm, which meant he must've already met with Doflamingo. They all naïvely believed they had the upper hand in this, yet Doflamingo played them all. How could he even have so much power to fool the whole world so easily? Even his title as a Shichibukai didn't grant him the influence to manipulate the media.

The girl bit her lip, almost drawing blood, as her mind raced of all the possibilities that could cause this, along with the question of what to do next. Right now she had to find a way to get to Law and help him, but that was impossible to do in her current position. Should she even try to get to Law or continue their plan and aim for the factory instead? She didn't know what was happening with her captain at the moment, but she had no idea where the SMILE factory was either. It seemed that no matter which option she took, she was still completely in the dark.

Meanwhile, the sounds on the screen became louder along with the shouts of the spectators as Luffy's fight with Don Chinjao intensified. It was coming to an end, with both pirates delivering their finishing blows towards one another. The large old man used haki on the top of his head to harden it, spinning and jumping upwards with amazing speed for such a large geezer, right towards Strawhat who was still in the air from his last attack. The boy didn't appear to be disheartened by the other man's power. Instead, he seemed all the more determined to win the match against the old man. The pirate captain blew up his arm until it was as big as a giants', coating it in the black material that was Busoshoku Haki. With both of the participants shouting out their attacks, these two large forces collided into one powerful blast of energy. The cracking noise that sounded like thunder could be heard all the way out here, coming from the inside of the coliseum. Even the onlookers outside of the arena could feel a gust of wind rush passed them, that came from the battle inside. After a few seconds of push and pull of strengths from both sides, one side relented and was smashed back down into the arena. After the initial shock, the commentator shouted out Lucy's name, declaring him the winner. Miyako could see Luffy's grinning face of satisfaction on the large screen.

"That's the spirit, Luffy-dono!" Kin'emon shouted in excitement as he cheered for the winning boy.

"We don't have time for that!" Sanji smacked him at the back of his head to return Kin'emon to realty. Even though he said nothing when Miyako did a similar thing just a while ago.

"Hmpf, even though you said nothing when Suzune did it…," the samurai complained like a sulky child, hiding his pout behind his disguise. However, he didn't have time to continue the discussion when he saw a familiar man running down the street, not far from them. "Oh! Zoro-dono! Zoro-dono! We are here!" He yelled loudly, making a few people beside them turn in question.

"Not so loud, idiot!" Sanji warned once again in annoyance.

Miyako, Kin'emon and Sanji all ran towards the newcomer. The samurai girl and Kin'emon were happy to see a familiar face, though the blonde cook didn't look as pleased.

"Oh, it's really him," is all the blonde said in a murmur that almost sounded disappointed.

That's when the girl noticed Zoro wasn't the only one there, but a strange small creature was resting on his shoulder. What's more, the creature spoke. "Are those your friends?"

"Ah…it's Curly-eyebrowland, Topknotland and Ribbonland," Zoro commented casually.

Miyako sweat dropped at the sudden nickname, completely confused_. *I'm missing something here.* _Instead, however, she focused on a different matter. "And this is…?" She trailed off in question, staring at the small dwarf that was riding an actual bee.

"This is Vicky-" Zoro started, but was interrupted by the small fairy.

"It's Wikka!"

~….~

"So the Donquixote family really did set us up and attacked the ship," Miyako muttered. After they distanced themselves from the people and moved to a side alley, they discussed everything that happened so far. They all pieced together their newfound information, slowly forming a clearer picture of the situation piece by piece, just like a jigsaw puzzle.

"I need to go save Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed, ready to rush away after his pirate princess. Yet he stopped as soon as he heard another feminine voice coming from the shadows and calling for him. It was Violet.

"Now who's that!?" Miyako instinctively put a hand on her sword as she glared at the woman suspiciously.

"No, no, it' alright. She's the woman I told you about, who told me all about Doflamingo's secret plans. Violet-chwan~" Sanji smiled broadly, his face lighting up just from saying the woman's beautiful name.

"The one who was working for Doflamingo, huh…?" It was clear from Miyako's tone and her slight frown that she didn't quite trust this woman yet. Not long ago she was still Doflamingo's subordinate, yet now she was supposedly on their side.

However, the woman clad in a hooded cloak heard her and stepped towards the girl. "Not by choice, I assure you. Things are more complicated in this country than you might think. I did so I could survive and one day get my revenge on that terrible man when the time is right. And I believe today could be that day…it's already started."

"What had, Violet-chan?" Sanji danced around her while smiling sappily.

On the other hand, the women expertly ignored his ministrations as she retained her serious expression. "The revolution! I will help you as much as I can," she answered in sheer determination.

Miyako had the same serious features on her face as she listened to the woman and nodded in agreement.

"In any case, we need to think of what to do next," the swordsman added, returning their focus back onto the main topic.

"I need to find the Toy House," Kin'emon said.

"I want to make sure Law is alright. If this is truly all a trap, he might be in danger," Miyako suggested.

"I'll go back to the ship to fight off this Jora person. I'll go instead of this marimo-head, Nami-san would rather have me help her than _you_ anyway," the cook glared at Zoro, determined that he be the one to save the navigator, completely forgetting Brook and Chopper who were also on the ship.

"Fine, go," Zoro shrugged, not caring either way. As long as someone goes and helps protect the crew and the ship, Zoro didn't really mind whether it's him or the Curly-eyebrow cook.

In the meantime, Violet drew a small map to the Toy House and its insides, giving it to Kin'emon to save his friend. Sanji also gave him a den den mushi to stay in contact just in case, while he took the other with him.

As the blonde rode off with that black-haired woman on a toy horse, shouting about Nami-san's safety, Zoro, Kin'emon and Miyako were left standing in front of the Corida Coliseum.

"Well then, you can stay here and wait for Luffy-san, to explain everything to him. Meanwhile, I'll go to my captain-," she quickly turned around and was about to run off, when a tug on the back of her collar pulled her back, almost choking her in the process.

"Hold it," Zoro called out, tugging at her jacket.

The girl was pulled back and almost lost her balance, feeling the jacket cut into her throat uncomfortably, before she turned around towards her assailant and gave him a good knock on the head. "What the hell was that for!? You almost chocked me!"

It was a reflexive action on her part as she was reminded of those guys in her own crew, the Heart pirates, and reacted accordingly, forgetting for a moment that she was actually talking to Roronoa…and hitting him. On the other hand, Zoro was reminded of their own navigator, Nami, seeing this girl had much more similarities to that scary woman than he originally believed.

"Calm down and think!" He responded angrily, still nursing his sore head and in disbelief that she actually hit him. "You might be worried for your captain, but how do you plan getting to Green Bit on your own? That would take too long anyway. You don't know what's going on over there or if Torao is even still there. Rushing over there blindly would be meaningless," the green-haired swordsman explained, awfully cool-tempered all of a sudden.

At the moment, Miyako appeared calm enough, but that was only her demeanor on the outside. Inside her mind, she was fuming with worry over her captain and frustrated that she didn't know what was going on or how to fix it and help him. Aggravatingly enough, Zoro could see right thought her and read her mood, even below the cold surface she was presenting. Sometimes he really did remind her of some wild animal, whose instincts were so sharp it could easily read the air around people.

The girl took a deep breath, feeling defeated, as she closed her eyes for a second. "I understand that…" She knew that he was right, even if she didn't necessarily want to admit it. The most she could do for Law right now, was to execute their part of the plan perfectly.

"Franky and the little ones will take care of the factory as Wikkan said, so let us focus on our task here, first. We need to get to Luffy," Zoro added, finishing his speech now that he could see the girl regained her senses.

"It's Wikka," Miyako corrected him with a sigh, but he did actually reassure her with his words. Or rather, gave her a concrete goal she could focus on to get her mind off of more unpleasant things.

"Then, how shall we notify Luffy-dono? I was almost caught once already, so we should refrain from any strange behavior," Kin'emon interrupted and the three of them stared at the closed off gates of the great amphitheater. There was no open door or window where they could enter.

"So we'll just cut up that wall," Zoro answered nonchalantly.

"That is most definitely strange behavior!" Kin'emon shouted back.

"We'll cut it gently then," the pirate concluded.

"It's not a matter of vigor!"

Miyako sighed in annoyance, "Why is everything about cutting to you? How can you solve all your problems like that?"

"It worked well so far," the green-hired swordsman shrugged.

"ZOROOOO-SEMPAAAAIII!" A loud, wailing and unrecognizable voice came from high above them, somewhere inside the coliseum.

The trio blinked in puzzlement and stared up to see a man clutching at the bars, staring down at them from one of the many windows. The first thing Miyako noticed was his flashy appearance, along with neon-green hairstyle that resembled a rooster.

"Who? How do you know me?" Zoro tilted his head while furrowing his eyebrows, though the confused expression mostly stayed hidden behind his pair of sunglass.

"And why are you crying?" Kin'emon added to the newcomer. Indeed, now that they peered closer, the man was practically bawling; snot and tears falling everywhere on his face.

"B-bween yer fwan sinz fwobfever!" The man shouted back, still crying uncontrollably.

"Huh? What is this guy saying?" Zoro couldn't understand a single thing the man was yelling.

"He said he's been your fan since forever," Miyako translated. The rooster-head nodded, confirming her words, but unable to utter anything more as he was still sobbing.

"Eh?! You can understand him!?" Kin'emon and Zoro both stared at Miyako while startled by the realization, but the girl simply shrugged at them. Perhaps it was because of Munk's thick accent that the girl got used to deciphering strange speaking habits.

"Wbill ybou gwive me yer autogwraph?!" The rooster-head shouted again.

Zoro glanced at Miyako, silently asking for a translation.

"He wants your autograph," the girl answered, equally confused as the swordsman now.

"What?"

Finally the crying man managed to calm down a little, steadying his voice and trying again in a clearer tone, "I'll find Luffy-senpai for you, so will you give me your autograph?!"

"How does he even know about that?" Miyako blinked in confusion.

"He must've heard our conversation earlier," Kin'emon guessed.

Zoro had no idea what was the man talking about, mentioning autographs, but as soon as he mentioned Luffy, the swordsman saw some hope in this idea. "You'll find him, right!? Please, hurry!"

The request from his beloved Zoro-senpai, almost made the flashy man cry again. He started to stutter as he talked, "O-o-okay! Wait here. I'll search for him, with my life!" As suddenly as he appeared, the strange man disappeared from the window.

"No need to go that far," Kin'emon muttered at the strange man, a drop of sweat dripping from his forehead as he watched him leave.

"Well that was…unexpectedly convenient," Miyako commented as the trio stared at each other in wonder, still unsure what just happened. It was as if a miracle had fallen into their laps just as they needed some luck to come their way.

~…~

Law panted in utter exhaustion as he knelt on one knee, desperately trying to get up and catch his breath at the same time. He could feel sweat and blood tricking down his brow, stinging his eyes along with dirt that hindered his vision. He tried to summon the last of his strength just to stand and dodge the next attack that came sooner than he'd hoped.

A blast of white strings, as sharp as a scalpel, came at him and the young pirate had to jump backwards onto the rubble of the already destroyed bridge. As if the large menace of the older Shichibukai wasn't enough, every now and then he had to redirect his strength towards the fighting fish that would sometimes jump out and fly right towards him with their bull-like horns. Just as he cursed at that thought, another fighting fish appeared from the water and rammed itself into what's left of the bridge's support system, while trying to get to the two men. It dented the bridge's wired fence before lunging back into the water. The whole bridge shook unsteadily from the onslaught.

In comparison, Doflamingo barely had his feathers ruffled from the battle, so to speak. He still carried himself proud and tall, with that impossibly wide grin. He was barely out of breath from the fight, while Trafalgar could barely even keep his Room from disappearing. Then again, only a while ago Law had to fight both Doflamingo and a marine admiral, and already got beaten by them once.

"Room!" Law called out, but the damned thing only appeared from the second try and was significantly smaller than usual. _*Dammit, this way I will have to get closer to him to attack,* _the man thought bitterly, never losing sight of Doflamingo who was now casually strolling towards him. Since his sphere had a small radius now, he had to come much closer to his target to envelope them both into it and use his devil fruit powers on the man. Knowing how dangerous Doflamingo could be, Law didn't like that one bit.

Another vain popped out of the blonde's forehead even as his grin stayed the same, when he saw Law summoning his powers again. The boy just wouldn't give up. "Why are you still fighting, Law?" The smugness was clear in the Shichibukai's voice as he spoke to the young male with such certainty, as if he knew from the beginning that he couldn't lose this fight. "You have more than one hole in your leg from my bullet string. You can hardly move, yet you still persist. Is it really worth it that much…avenging Corazon?"

Trafalgar said nothing in response, only gritted his teeth with nothing but anger and bloodthirst in his eyes as he glared back at the man towering over him.

"I've already seen through your plan. You failed as bait and your new allies won't be able to destroy the factory in time. I've already sent my men after them…you heard from the den den mushi call just now, right?" The man continued, his grin never leaving his face. But Law knew better; he knew Doflamingo wasn't grinning because he was amused or happy. He was actually hiding a cold stare of rage in his eyes, masked with those sunglass he always wore to help him hide his true colors. His true emotions. Even as he grinned, his eyes stayed fierce, deadly and livid. Yes, right now, Doflamingo might be grinning…but he was actually furious with anger. Furious that someone tried to go against him. That Law did so much damage and actually thought he could win against the older Shichibukai.

However, Trafalgar wasn't going to just stay down and give up either. He knew what that would mean to the plan he worked so hard to accomplish. What that would mean to his promise to Cora-san. No, Doflamingo needed to be taken down!

The reason why Law stayed quiet, was exactly to lure the other Shichibukai in his Room as the other came strolling towards him unsuspectingly. As soon as Doflamingo stepped into Law's room and tried to attack the other Shichibukai with his bullet string again, the other man acted. "Shambles!" Instead of Law, a simple rock from the rubble appeared, smashed instantly by Donquixote's attack. Trafalgar, on the other hand, appeared on the pile of rubble right behind his opponent, jumping towards the man and swinging his nodachi towards the blonde's head. "Injection shot!" The man yelled while putting all his force into his attack. Even if the nodachi doesn't pierce Doflamingo's head physically, with the devil fruit powers the piercing attack can transmit the attack further towards the opponent.

However, what Law didn't expect was for Doflamingo to jump backwards to avoid the actual weapon and tie his strings around a large rock, pulling it towards himself like a shield. The rock was smashed into pieces by Law's attack, but by then there was no sign of Doflamingo behind it.

Using his haki, Law's eyes widened when he felt the man's presence above him and jumped to the side just as the Shichibukai smashed his heel into the ground there.

"Guh!" The pirate captain landed right on his wounded leg and groaned from the pain, feeling his muscles tear even further.

"D will create chaos in this world? I'll fall because I underestimated Strawhat? That is what you kept saying…Are you serious Law?" With every new word a new vain of anger popped on Doflamingo's forehead. "But look at you now. You will fall before me Law…all of you will. Didn't I tell you; that is my destiny. I will annihilate the Strawhats, your new allies, oh and yes….that nakama of yours. What did her bounty say; Burning-Eyed Miyako?"

Trafalgar's body suddenly froze. It was as if the whole world stopped, along with every muscle in his body that was so strained it couldn't move. The world made no noise, as Law's pulse beat in his ears; the only thing he could hear. After Doflamingo's last words, he couldn't even hear the man anymore. He could see the blonde opening his mouth, but no sound came out. Only a steady beating of his heart was echoing in his eardrums, quickening more and more, until it was racing. _*Why? He knows about Miyako…he knows that she's a Heart pirate and he knows she's in Dressrosa. My nakama…even my nakama are in danger. If I let this man live, if I die now, everyone will be in danger.*_ Images flashed through his mind; smiling faces of his crewmates. Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, Cody, Joshua, Munk, Jean Bart, Sai…Everyone were relying on him, trusting him…counting on him. He thought they'd be safe if he left them aside at Zou, away from this man, but now he wondered why was he so sure of that. How does he know that Doflamingo won't turn his vengeance towards his crew after his done here? A shiver ran down Law's spine, something that didn't happen in a long time.

_Don't worry…If something happens, I will kill Doflamingo for you._

Finally, Miyako's words echoed through his mind. He could see her determined eyes staring back at him. And staring back at that ruthless face of the Shichibukai before him, Law knew Doflamingo will make even his samurai suffer if they all fail. After his dead, he will turn towards the people closest to him, because that's how Doflamingo operated.

He refused to accept that! He refused to give in and acknowledge defeat here when he was so close to bringing this man down! _*Even if I have to take you down with me, I will destroy you. All I have to do is hold you here long enough before the factory gets destroyed. The Strawhats, Miyako…they will do it!*_ With his last strength Law called out for his Room one more time. It flickered, disappeared, and then reappeared bigger than before. He could see Doflamingo's eyebrow twitch in suspicion as he predicted something was coming.

"Tact!" As Law called out, the whole bridge shook under their feet. Soon, pieces of rubble started rising up into the air slowly, floating around the pair. The captain moved both his hands, manipulating the pipes, metal and rock around him. Everything that he could use in his Room. He ignored the burning pain in his whole body, along with the pressure in his chest. The powers were wearing him out, sucking the last of his remaining energy and putting pressure on his muscles. He could feel the fatigue as it suffocated him. Yet he stood his ground, moving the pieces of the bridge faster and faster. They circled around Doflamingo with high speed, obstructing his vision and flying into him every so often.

The older Shichibukai growled in annoyance as he was forced to dodge, jump around or smash the large boulders around him. However, there were too many of them. Just as he smashed one with his fist and jumped to avoid another going for his head, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He realized one of the rocks flew right into his shoulder. A numbing pain spread though that area, but the blonde ignored it, only becoming more determined to get out of there. He blocked another piece with his leg, only to receive a piece of metal in his side. It didn't pierce anything, but it smashed into him fast enough to make him stumble to the side. He jumped to the left, seeing a metal pipe stab into the ground just where he was standing a while ago. That's when Doflamingo realized he lost Law. The other Shichibukai was nowhere in sight. The man searched wildly, while still blocking, destroying and dodging the projectiles coming at him.

Suddenly, Law appeared at Doflamingo's side, swinging his sword right at the blonde. He used haki to coat Kikoku as he sliced towards Doflamingo's ribs, sure that he took the older man by surprise. The captain wasted no breath nor time as he only focused on his attack. Only a little longer and the blade will slice right through that bastard!

And then it stopped. When the sword was only a few inches from its target, it stopped completely and Law couldn't move it even a millimeter. "Why?" Just as he muttered that in disbelief, he saw a shimmer on the sunlight with the corner of his eyes. He followed the trail in the air, which led him directly to his sword. That's when Trafalgar realized there were countless threads tangled around his sword, which trailed next to him and were tied to the side of the bridge. Doflamingo put threads on his sword and tricked him, only waiting for Law to use it the next time so he could fall completely into his trap. The man was as cunning and vicious as a spider and the pirate captain was tangled in his web before he even realized it.

Doflamingo's startled face changed into a gleeful one when he realized his little trick worked and Law was powerless. Before he managed to jump back and escape, the blonde grabbed Law by the head and smashed him into the ground, making a crater around the body as it hit the floor.

The younger Shichibukai could feel all the air rush out of him in one swift motion as burning pain replaced it. He couldn't even breathe anymore.

"It seems you need another lesson in respecting your elders, kid," Doflamingo joked as he clenched his fist and coated it with Busoshoku haki, while he held Law in place with his other hand.

Trafalgar continued to struggle but it was useless. He could feel Doflamingo holding him down, clenching his jaw enough to break it.

Swiftly, the haki coated fist fell down and right into Law's unprotected stomach. The man gasped in pain, coughing up blood and saliva. However, the attack didn't stop there. aDoflamingo continued to pummel him with his fist over and over again. All Law could do was feel the painful strikes on his already tormented body which was quickly reaching its limit. He was nearing his breaking point. He used so much energy on his devil fruit powers he could barely move and the beating he got from Doflamingo earlier wasn't helping either. He already had serious injuries on his legs and probably internal bleeding from some of Doflamingo's previous attacks. He couldn't fight back anymore, even if he was free from the Shichibukai's grasp. As the tall blonde continued to pummel him with his fist, Law could only fall in and out of consciousness. When the hits finally stopped, his body was too broken to even move_.*I…let them down,* _where his last thoughts as he felt Doflamingo's strings tie around him and squeeze his body painfully so he couldn't use his limbs freely anymore. He could feel a rush of wind tangling his fair and the cool breeze felt good on his sore skin. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he was moving through the air, probably swinging on Doflamingo's threads as he was carried somewhere, but the captain couldn't even open his eyes to examine the situation anymore.

~…..~

"Ah, it's Kin'emon, Zoro and Miyako!" Luffy called out when he came to meet the trio.

"Apparently I'm Ribbonland now," Miyako said sarcastically, referring to Zoro's previous introduction with Wikka.

"What's up, guys?" Luffy smiled from the inside of the Corida Coliseum as he stared at the three people below him.

"If you knew there was gonna be a tournament like this, why didn't you invite me?" Zoro was fuming, for all the wrong reasons, in Miyako's opinion.

"Ah…my bad," the captain boy shrugged, not really looking sorry at all.

"And here I was just running all around town," the swordsman continued to complain.

"That should be my line. Because you guys suddenly disappeared I had to run all over to look for you. And as I thought, you got yourself into another mess," Miyako crossed her arms on her chest in annoyance.

"Maa…I'm sorry for that too," Luffy apologized again, sounding no more sincere than a second ago.

"That is not what we came here to discuss!" Kin'emon warned them, trying to return the conversation back on track before it gets out of control and they completely change the subject of why they even called Luffy there. He quickly dialed the den den mushi, having some trouble with the thing, with which Miyako could sympathize. They didn't have den den mushi in Wanokuni after all. Her first time seeing one was also only after she left her homeland. There was a lot of technology in this world that needed getting used to.

"By the way Luffy, the Coliseum is surrounded by the marines," Zoro quickly added as if he just remembered that information. He announced it so leisurely as if it was only a side-note, not even worth remembering.

"Don't bring it up like some afterthought. Isn't that the main reason why we called him out here!?" Miyako wanted to smack the swordsman for his attitude.

"_Is it connected!?" _Suddenly, a voice came out Kin'emon's transponder snail.

"It's me!" Luffy called out.

Another click was heard and another call came through as now three lines were connected together. Despite his lack of introduction, the other party recognized Strawhat's voice immediately.

"_Luffy! It's me, Usopp!" _Aside from the sniper_, _an array of other voices could be heard as well.

"_Aside from Law, we are all here. Report your status,"_ Sanji's voice came out as he took over the den den mushi.

"_Ow! This is Franky! I'm with Robin and Usopp! We are currently with the Anti-Donquixote faction of this country, the Riku Army."_

"_An Army!?" _

"_-of dwarfs, that is," _the cyborg added,

"_Dwarfs?!"_ Sanji's voice exclaimed in question.

Miyako suddenly grabbed Luffy's hand as she stood on the tips of her toes to reach the den den mushi in his hand. "That aside, what do you mean 'aside from Law'? Where is he?!"

Sanji was quiet for a while longer before responding, his voice a shade bit darker. "Law had to lure Doflamingo away from the Sunny. The last we saw him, he had one of the Donquixote family members as a hostage and disappeared with Doflamingo chasing after him."

The samurai girl felt her throat go dry in an instant and she gulped painfully._ *So he's going to have to fight Doflamingo directly after all? That's what I was worried about…*_

While the girl stayed silent and deeply in thought, Luffy took the lead again and talked to Franky. The cyborg started to explain his situation, mentioning the little Tontatta Army he met recently.

"_That toy soldier we met in front of the Corida Coliseum. He is their leader," _the robot pirate explained.

"That's the toy soldier Rebecca was trying to stop! You need to stop that army!" Luffy yelled out, ignoring puzzled expression from the trio in front of him.

"_Don't be ridiculous,"_ came Franky's quick response. "_Tra-guy's plan was for us to destroy the factory and we'd leave Doflamingo alive to do with as we please. But what are we supposed to do with all the people trying to overthrow Doflamingo today. It's true Doflamingo might be of more use to us if he stays in power…,"_ the man trailed off before continuing, even louder and more determined. _"Look Luffy, I'll do anything you tell me to, but this country that we thought was absolutely amazing has a really dark shadow! Trying to stand up against an overwhelming enemy, these little soldiers…I don't want to stand by and watch them throw their lives away!"_

Everything went silent on all three lines. It was because everyone were waiting for the word; for the final decision by their captain.

And soon it came. "Franky….Go as wild as you want!"

"_Ow yeah! You're the man, Luffy!"_ Franky called out wile cheering.

Strawhat turned to glance back at the samurai girl before him. "Sorry, we're changing the plan a little," this time he did look at least a bit more apologetic. After all, Luffy didn't like breaking promises and this deal, alliance or whatever they should call it, with Trafalgar was like a promise to him.

However, Miyako simply smirked and shook her head lightly, her hands still crossed on her chest. "Not at all. Bringing Doflamingo down directly…I don't think that's a bad change of plan at all." After all, it seemed their original plan has pretty much gone to hell already. They stepped into Doflamingo's trap, who fooled them, and obviously they couldn't stubbornly continue on as they planned. They needed to be flexible and adjust, Miyako understood that. As long as destroying the SMILE factory was still a part of their plan, she believed Law would be okay with a few changes as well. Besides, unknowingly, the Strawhats were actually going along with Law's true plan. He wanted to bring down Doflamingo more than anything, while the whole Kaido ordeal was just lip-service for the Strawhats so he could manipulate them into aiding with his original plan.

However, the pirates just couldn't get a moment of piece. Just as they came to an understanding, loud crashing noises traveled from the far side of the town, coming closer to the central square where the Coliseum was. Finally, the destruction reached them and a blow came so close to them it made the people around stumble from the strong gust of power that erupted. They were momentarily blinded by it, needing to close their eyes from the cloud of dust in the air.

"Whoa!" The trio called out, startled at the sudden development.

As the large cloud of dust and smoke finally cleared, everyone could only stare at the scene in utter disbelief. They could see two figures, one lying down and the other standing next to it, whose identities soon revealed themselves as the cloud disappeared.

Miyako's face paled, her eyes widening in shock and her body completely went cold. She wanted to shout, to call out to the person lying on the ground so motionlessly, but her voice wouldn't even come out. All she could do was stare at the sight of Law on the ground, unconscious if even alive, and Doflamingo towering over him while sneering.

Her throat was painfully dry, her body staring to shake from either anger or fear for her captain's life. She didn't know which since she couldn't think at the moment. She could sense some movements from around her and fuzzy noises, but couldn't focus on any of it. Luffy was yelling something, but she couldn't understand a word. Her eyes were completely glued to the bleeding body in front of her.

Before anyone could react, the older Shichibukai took out a pistol and fired three shots at the unmoving body. As if to prove that Law was still alive, the shots made the young captain yell out and writhe in pain before he fell into unconsciousness.

The three sharp noises woke Miyako up from her daze and her body could finally move. Not only could she move again, but she felt all the adrenaline rush into her at once. She could feel her blood boil until she felt she could slice the world with her katana at the moment. "LAW!" She screamed from the top of her lungs, unsheathing her katana and rushing at the laughing blonde, all in one quick movement. The ground cracked where she stood from the strong leap as her kenshi spirit rose to a point she could render someone useless with only her presence.

Once Miyako acted, Zoro and Kin'emon appeared right behind her, ready to take action and save their ally from Doflamingo's hands.

Just as the samurai girl was about to reach the blasted fiend, a large man clad in a long white coat of the marines appeared before her. Their katana clashed with a metallic sound, both powers pushing against each other. Miyako's glasses fell down and shattered on the ground, but she only gritted her teeth and held out. She lifted her head, ready to glare at the bastard who dared come in her way, but her hateful stare soon changed into a startled one when she saw the person blocking her katana with his. Her face paled once more, making her appear ghostly white as she recognized him immediately; all the way to the cross-shaped scar from the wound that blinded him so long ago.

"Issho-san…," Miyako breathed out in a gasp, barely finding any words to speak.

It seemed the man recognized her presence even before she spoke. "Little Miyako…So it is true that you became a pirate. As I feared…Now you are 'Burning-Eyed Miyako,' are you not?" He slowly said, though it was hard to read any emotion from his tone.

Her brief hesitation shifted the balance in their power struggle and the girl was pushed back, slamming into the ground a few meters back before she could say anything more to the man. She saw two shadows pass her as Zoro and Kin'emon reached the enemy, but had no better luck. Zoro was also pushed back by the marine admiral, and Fujitora opened a hole in the ground with his devil fruit powers in order to make space between them. Kin'emon was just about to save Trafalgar when a tall shadow rose above him. Doflamingo kicked the samurai right in his face, sending him flying.

"Strawhats…stay away from this, it is none of your business. Law is my mutt and he needs to be disciplined," Doflamingo finally spoke in an intimidating voice, all the while grinning menacingly. Then he turned his head slowly toward the samurai girl, who started to get up from the floor. It was hard to see what kind of expression he made while staring at her, but his intentions were crystal clear from his icy tone, nevertheless. "And after I'm finished with him, I will take care of his unruly crew."

Miyako simply glared back at the blonde while gritting her teeth, still feeling too furious to be intimidated.

The Shichibukai saw the frightened faces of the people around them and smiled even wider as he reassured them, "Sorry for disturbing the citizens! The Warlord Trafalgar Law is the one responsible for the 'throne abandon hoax' this morning! He tried to pull me from the throne, but nobody has to worry about that anymore as all problems have been solved!" he announced with a wide smile, hiding his eyes as usual. He stared back at the group of pirates, licking the slightly bleeding wound on his cheek. The gesture made Miyako shiver in both anger and disgust.

She rose from the ground, her sight focusing on the marine admiral once more, but she could feel the katana trembling in her hands...no, it was her hands that were trembling. She never suspected that she would see that man here, in Dressrosa, let alone face him as her opponent. Yet here he was, standing between her and her enemy. She was still confused about seeing Fujitora there and couldn't understand why a man like that would ever aid someone like Doflamingo. Even so, she noticed the marine admiral's coat on his shoulders. So he was one of the Marines one…and she was a pirate. As much as she didn't want to fight him, Miyako's first priority now was saving Law. Even if she had to make Issho-san her enemy.

"You!" On Miyako's surprise, Luffy was the one to spoke to Fujitora, also recognizing him. It brought the startled girl back from her thoughts and into the cruel reality before her. "You're an admiral?!"

"_An admiral is here on Dressrosa!?"_ The voices on the still on-going den den mushi call shouted in disbelief.

"You guys have treated me so well, yet I have to point my sword at you, bite the hand that feeds me. What happened to this world…?" Fujitora's voice was solemn, as if he truly regretted it.

"_Are the marines helping Doflamingo!? Then, we'll be heavily outnumbered!"_ Franky's voice yelled through the transponder snail.

Before anyone could get any concrete answers to everything they just witnessed, the marine admiral used his powers to separate a piece of the ground they were standing on, and pulled both him and Doflamingo up, along with their new prisoner.

"No! Wait!" Miyako yelled after them desperately, but they already flew away, out of her reach. She took her katana to deliver a haki blow and try to bring them down when marines swarmed and surrounded them, attacking all at once.

"Arrest the Strawhat pirates!" One of the marines yelled and everyone complied.

Miyako had no choice but to turn and face the sudden, imminent threat before her, leaving Law in the hands of his brutal captor.

* * *

><p>That's that for my first Dressrosa chapter. I hope it was interesting enough. I'll start writing the next one immediately. :D Thank you everyone for your reviews and support!<p>

**Maisaahamdan: **Thank you for the lovely review! Interactions with the Strawhats are so fun to write, maybe that's why it looks natural. I can just imagine all their shenanigans. I hope you'll find the Dressrosa Arc as interesting as the Punk Hazard one. :)

**taran taran: **Here it is! :D

**a law fan: **hehe Somehow I find it really funny how Law can make Chopper so scared. I think he could totally tease him, pretending to be diabolical and scare poor Chopper out of his wits.

**Jeseney: **Well at least my updates will be more frequent now since I have time during summer, so you won't have to wait for long for new ones. :D I'm glad the story gives you feels, means it's working! Enjoy the rest and thanks for reviewing!

**loveanime1999: **I hope you enjoyed this one too. ^^ Dressrosa arc ftw! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Arrow-chan3: **haha It was an accident~ And he got punished by Law frightening him for it. ;P

**Trainer Azurite: **Don't worry, I mostly have planned out what Miyako will do during the battle. I need to incorporate her in the cannon, after all. :P I agree with you on Miyako's character. In reality she is emotional, but she was thought to always keep a cool head during a fight. Showing her emotions in a fight could also prove to be fatal since her moves would be too obvious and easily read though. That's why she seems cold during a battle, since she hides her emotions from her enemies. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you will like the Dressrosa Arc too. ^^

**Hitoshirezu Ryu: **hehe Indeed, she can't get rid of the nickname. Even the Hearts still use it despite her telling them not to. So of course, the Strawhats won't listen to her either. :') I like how Law's character is actually much more childish sometimes than expected, even similar to Luffy's in some cases. Despite that cool front he usually has, he can still bicker and act like a spoiled kid sometimes. I'm glad you think I nail the cannon's personalities, since that is always one of my biggest concerns. I hope you'll enjoy the Dresrossa Arc! Thank you for reading for all this time and reviewing all my chapters!

**Lucy Jacob: **haha I think I know what you mean. Seeing everything that happens in this arc, especially with Law, it will be a challenge. I feel it might be a big turning point for Law and Miyako (especially Law).

Indeed, though it's better if Oda recovers first, because if he pushes himself too hard he'll just get sicker and then there would be even more breaks anyway. ^^' The pauses are frustrating but bearable. Though I still disliked how much the story of this arc has been unnecessarily dragged out, especially in the anime (don't get me started on the anime…). Thanks, I do need it! XD And thank you for reading and reviewing!

*ps; I would be too embarrassed to ever talk to Oda-sensei about my story. :3

**Zyma-nee-22: **That's no problem, I totally understand busy things. :P I'm glad you liked it. Truthfully, I also find it hard to balance romance and action (or just write romance in general ^^'). Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Reflected Shade: **haha I'm glad I made your morning! :D I'm excited about writing the Dressrosa Arc too…excited and scared! Indeed, Oda-sensei was keeping us on the edge of our seats and giving us too many false alarms with this one! My heart can't take it! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you'll also like this one!

**Bizzy: **hehe, thanks! Indeed I'm back and writing like crazy! :D Hm, not all of them will find out…at least not right away. Well…you'll see about the rest. ;) She'll find out about Law's past during this arc actually.

A fan asked Oda what kind of Onigiri did Sanji make for Law when he said he didn't eat bread. So Oda responded, the first was Tuna-mayo, the second was Okaka, and the third was Umeboshi which Law hates. (umeboshi is really sour, pickled plum. I think it's funny how his taste in food is like a child's. He seems to be a picky eater. :P). There is an illustration of this scene online, you can google it (just write in law, one piece, umeboshi, pirate hunter zoro).

**Orion's Left Arm: **I'm glad. They're such a fun bunch. :D I don't think Law would really get angry unless he feels threatened by them; like if Miyako would respond back to their flirting or seem interested, which she, of course, wouldn't do. Of course, Miyako is getting used to Law and his teasing more and more. And they're already too close for her to run away at just his touch, like in the beginning. Thank you for reading and reviewing~

**Son of Whitebeard: **He always had backup; the Strawhats. ;) Though Miyako will help too~

**Apple Bloom: **Of course. She will be participating in the events of the Dressrosa Arc. :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**jazzie1019: **haha You are very welcome. :D

**animagirl: **I agree,they have become close enough to simply be at peace with each other. They're not struggling with their emotions anymore, they've accepted them. Don't worry, there will be more time later for Nami and Robin to grill Miya-chan about Law. ;) Thanks for the review!

**Slacker: **I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yep, I felt anymore fillers would be too much and I don't want to drag it out unnecessarily.

**Chocogirl24: **Thanks, I hope you won't be disappointed! :D

**VanillaMilkshake18: **If it were Robin, she would be the one smirking after seeing them, instead of Law. :D


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